The pandemic and working from home has freed up commuting time, less time out and about, and not working out at the gym has also been replaced by long walks during which audio books have helped me keep plowing along.
Mind Hacking, Sir John Hargrave. Enjoyed this take on looking at yourself and your mind from the 3rd person perspective- you are not your mind and you can control it. A good complement to the idea that your are not your emotions and you can control them. A different way to think about the elephant-path-rider from Jonathan Haidt.
The Next Millionaire Next Door, Thomas J. Stanley. Part of his continuing work from The Millionaire Next Door- more on "how they get there." I like it- helping remind me of the differences between spending, income and wealth and how they don't determine each other.
The Millionaire Mind, Thomas J. Stanley, Also part of the ongoing work. Good stuff. For example, a preference to budget and be frugal- living rich/acting rich don't get you where you need to go, most millionaires live relatively frugally.
Surrounded by Idiots, Thomas Erikson. A breakdown of different personality styles that can be used to understand behavior patterns. I like it generally, but always balk at overgeneralization.
Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris. At times very funny, at times a bit sad, a bunch of short stories of David's life. Audio book read by the author, with some of the segments clearly presented before live audiences. Enjoyed it.
The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy. The idea that you can make little changes and then they just build over time- not just financial, but behavioral habits, etc.
Everyday Millionaires, Chris Hogan. A colleague of Dave Ramsey, a positive viewpoint that wealth-building is something everyone can achieve, with thoughts about how to get there. I appreciated his can-do attitude and advocacy for hard work and persistence in the face of adversity.
Boundaries, Henry Cloud. A combination of psychologist viewpoints and Christian-based behavior therapy and counseling. The part that was probably most personally relevant was about self-boundaries and setting limits for myself. We need to be able to know when and how to say no and feel good about it, just as we need to know when and how to say yes and feel good about that.
The Devil's Financial Dictionary, Jason Zweig. A mostly very funny set of snarky definitions for financial terms that reflect an appreciation that the terms can obscure nefarious behavior, ill will or incompetence in the financial industry.
The Intelligent Investor, Benjamin Graham. A classic in the investing world. And good pointers for me to think about how to be more defensive and take less risk. Suggested to me that I'm taking too much risk, and a good thing to think about at this stage in my life. I've been blessed to have happened to have good earning periods that corresponded with good market conditions, and not been gashed as many have during some rough markets.
A Noob's Guide to Riches, David Allen. A bit light, but nothing offensive in terms of recommendations on how to save, how to earn money in different ways, etc. Takes work, but can be done.
A History of the United States in Five Crashes, Scott Nations. A great complement to The Intelligent Investor to address my hubris in investing. Goes through precursors to market crashes, the events and the aftermath. I've lived through some of it, but have frankly not experienced the learning that comes with pain and suffering that strikes many in those crashes.
The Power of Vulnerability, Brene Brown. Audio "book"- a collection of seminar presentations that build on each other- like a recording of a multi-day or multi-session workshop. Well done. She has a great sense of humor that comes through, she's a real interesting character. Glad to have come across this one.
The End is Always Near, Dan Carlin. Also listened to. A real world complement to the History of the U.S. in Five Crashes. I don't think that I see that we're more close or more far to an apocalyptic ending, but it is good to know that we've worked through other times that were clearly more challenging than today. A great response that I learned to think about during the Army War College, as we noted that there's a "present tense" bias in assessing threats, risk, instability, or the VUCA world.
Nine Lies About Work, Marcus Buckingham. I enjoyed this one like I enjoy most, if not all, of Buckingham's pieces.
What Makes Love Last, Nan Silver & John Gottman. Good reminders of do's and don'ts for my most important relationships.
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, John Gottman. Another book that helps me see how much work I still need to do in my most important relationship.
