Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing
What the Rich Invest In, that the Poor and Middle Class do Not!
by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter, C.P.A.

Kiyosaki is a favorite of mine, so when I saw this next book in the Rich Dad series, I couldn’t help but pick it up. When we think about investing, we think about our future, and when we learn the tools, language, and facts of investing at the levels that Kioysaki is talking about, we begin to understand how we may use that knowledge for the benefit of our loved ones and our communities.

If you’ve played Monopoly, you know the formula for success, and Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad” (his friend’s father) told him that formula: buy four green houses and then sell them and buy one red hotel…. keep on going until you control the whole board.

Kiyosaki’s tone is light hearted and positive: he is wry when he speaks of his “poor” days as a student and just returning from the military, and he is energetic and adamant that readers who follow a straightforward formula will automatically bring you from the 90% level to the top 10% level.

A great read, and a good way to remind you of your own investment plan.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth
by T. Harv Eker

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind (TM), by T. Harv Eker, starts with a challenge by the author: “Give me five minutes, and I can predict your financial future for the rest of your life!”

How does the author do this? By identifying our “money and success blueprint,” which is almost like an internal thermostat that keeps us within a particular range.

For example, if we are hard-wired to earn $175,000 (or $560,000, or $18,000, or $2.3 million, or whatever amount) every year, then our internal mind will set up our external environment to make that assumption true.

Eker states that when we understand where our “blueprint” comes from (family, school, and other beliefs set down a long time ago), we may then consciously change it to something that benefits us even more.

For example, if we have a mental tape in our subconscious (Eker calls these tapes our “Wealth Files”) that says “We can’t afford it,” then we will always repeat this phrase, and end up with those results; however, when we unlock a different phrase, such as “what do I need to do to afford it?” or “where is my ten million dollar idea?” or some other such open-ended question, then we activate our mind into thinking and manifesting a solution.

The book is encouraging and talks much about the ability to understand and “reprogram” our Wealth Files so that we open up unlimited opportunities.

For more information, visit the website: http://www.secretsofthemillionairemind.com/.

How to Retire Early and Live Well
With Less than a Million Dollars
by Gillette Edmunds

This book is well worth it for those of you who need a back-to-basics approach to minding your money. Gillette Edmunds retired at age 29 and spent his days mastering his ability to manage and grow his own money. His net worth more than tripled and he was able to hone his ideas into a set of time-tested rules. His point is that the typical retirement plan (stocks, mutual funds, bonds, cash) is not set up for someone who is a full-time investor and who needs to see returns for the rest of their lives.

The parts on asset allocation in markets that are unfamiliar to most investors are well-written, timely, and easy-to-understand.

It’s worth a trip to your local bookstore’s personal finance section to get a copy of it!