Books That Have Set My Investment Path

I decided to change the webpage layout a little bit to try out a fresh feel! And without further ado.. I present to you the Books that have set my Investment Path!

I never thought this day would come, for me to be recommending books. I used to be the one in secondary school that would take 6 months just to finish one reader’s digest book. I could never finish it! I was pretty much convinced that I’m not a book person and that I can never finish reading a book without giving up halfway or even after the second chapter. To date, I have finished about 15-20 books within the past year and it has been a tremendous journey!

I realised the problem wasn’t that I couldn’t be disciplined or interested enough to finish reading the book, but it had to do with the genre of the book. It took me a good 20 years before I found out that my interest lied in the sections between Self-Help and Investment. Reading added so much value to me in my Way of Thought and Perspective that I can’t help but try to introduce the world of reading to those who haven’t been initiated. Without further ado, here’s the list and how it changed me:
Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki

 

An all-time classic that many have read when they first started investing. This book taught me the importance of thinking from a rich man’s perspective. Think like the rich, act like the rich, and be the rich one day! It showed me a path I never once considered, to escape from being an employee all my life. It also enlightened me on what is asset and what is liability, how despite having a fat paycheck doesn’t equate to being financially free.
Cashflow Quadrant – Robert Kiyosaki

 

Another book by Robert Kiyosaki himself that has set the framework for my investment. Networth is not what feeds you on a day-to-day basis, it’s cashflow. This book helped me to realise that I can’t be living off just my paycheck alone. I need to create multiple streams of income that can sustain me even when I lose my primary income. The idea is to create passive income that has more than enough to cover all your recurring liabilities(Bills, taxes, insurance premiums) and the leftover is what adds straight to your networth. Using the leftover cash, we can then create new streams of income or expand existing ones!

I did a book review on SGFinanceBooks which you can read it here: Cashflow Quadrant – Robert Kiyosaki

Think And Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

 

A self-help and extremely practical  book on thinking your way towards success and riches. The name, enticing as it is, actually delves into a more scientific and psychological approach towards getting whatever you desire in your life. It truly exemplifies the quote “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul”. I also picked up the concept of Mastermind Alliance here and created in me the belief that “Desire backed by faith knows no such word as impossible”. This book has accelerated the growth in me and taught me to think BIG!

Additional reads: Book Review of Think And Grow Rich

Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude – Napoleon Hill

This book is essentially an add-on to Think And Grow Rich except that it built in the aspect of having a Positive Mental Attitude(PMA) and how a negative outcome to turn into a positive and favorable one when you apply PMA in what you do. Despite reading this book awhile back already, I still find myself subconsciously applying the lessons on PMA whenever the going gets tough!

The Success System That Never Fails – W. Clement Stones

 

This book further enhances what I’ve learnt about PMA by embedding in me the “Can do” spirit. Through this book, I encountered a new quote that has since served as guiding principle in my life: “When you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying, by all means try!”

This quote that I now live by has materialized itself into a project that I’m working with my friend. I will probably give an update when it’s up and running!

The Intelligent Investor – Ben Graham

 

The widely acclaimed all-time investment classic. It took me almost 2 years before I started reading this book! I never got started on this book because I wasn’t ready. My mindset wasn’t. I thought this book was too mainstream so I strayed away from it. (Can you believe it?) But with the encouragement from my friend to give Value and Growth Investing a chance, I decided to embark on a learning journey to explore a little!

To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone who wants to begin investing. The principles however, is extremely useful. It is a very comprehensive book that covers a wide array of investment products (Equities, Bonds, Mutual Funds, etc.) This means that if you’re interested in just equities, you have to go through all the other topics that you aren’t interested about! In my opinion, it’s a very “dry” book and if you wanted just the principles taught, googling for it might be a better option.

Through this book, I learnt to think as a businessman. I learnt to consider the qualitative aspects of a business alongside with the appreciation of the intangible qualities of a business. I personally wouldn’t recommend this book as the first book to someone who has just become interested in investing. I still think Robert Kiyosaki provides a better framework to somebody who is keen to step into the world of investing with Rich Dad Poor Dad.

The Journey Has Been Thus Satisfying..
It’s been a long post and I applaud you for making it this far into the post! Thank you for sticking around and reading about my experiences with the books! (Such a self-centered post! I know! Haha)

I just thought it might benefit someone like yourself that might have randomly hopped by this humble blog. These books have helped me in a big way and I’m sure it will continue to help thousands who haven’t gotten to know about them, thus the propagation of the above titles!

If you want the above book titles, do not heisitate to drop me an email! If you have any titles that have impacted you in a meaningful way, please share with me as well!

I’m available at Aloysius.LBD@gmail.com and do follow me on WordPress on this learning journey if you haven’t! You can find the follow button on the right! 🙂