- Rebell, who has previously worked in various reporter roles, specializes in personal finance issues.
- One of her favorites is “Smart Women Finish Rich,” written by longtime collaborator David Bach.
- Rebell recommends titles aimed at beginners through to experienced savers.
Bobby Rebel
Bobby Rebel
Before becoming a personal finance expert and host of the Money Tips for Financial Grownups podcast, Bobbi Rebell began as an intern with Maria Bartiromo, the first television journalist to provide live reporting from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
“Money has always fascinated me – but from a personal financial perspective – so I took the plunge into financial journalism,” Rebell told Insider.
At one point, Bobbi even worked as an unpaid nighttime producer. She ended up working for CNN and CNBC, but while she was a television presenter for business news at Reuters, she was able to pursue her interest in personal finance.
“I found that all financial reporting was focused on the economy and the stock market, but I knew there was a place for personal finance,” says Rebell. “I was offered the opportunity to write a personal finance column and it was well received by readers.”
It was the insight she gained from writing this column that prompted her to write her first book, How to Be a Financial Grownup: Proven Advice from High Achievers on How to Live Your Dreams and Have Financial Freedom, in 2016. . It was the success of her book that prompted her to leave Reuters and expand her personal financial consulting into other areas of financial literacy.
“I realized that most people really needed an introduction to money management and making really big money decisions like real estate, investing, and debt management,” says Rebell.
“To be honest, most people shouldn’t be trading stocks, they should be working on their personal financial goals and the best way to get there,” says Rebell. “People hear about investing all the time and only when it comes to stocks do you sit down and read about different investment approaches and decide what works for you based on your financial situation.”
Here are her four favorite personal finance books that will help you become a smarter investor.
“Wise Women Get Rich” by David Bach
In Smart Women Finish Rich, David Bach writes about money management and investing with the goal of making women better investors and improving their finances. He emphasizes the importance of women taking control of their financial future and outlines 7 strategies women should adopt to start investing and gain financial security.
“It breaks down really complicated financial concepts and makes them easy to understand,” Rebell said of the book. “You’ll get sound financial advice you can apply immediately to set yourself up for financial success.”
“How to Money: Your Ultimate Visual Guide to Financial Basics” by Jean Chatzky and Kathryn Tuggle
Explaining the concept of “How to Money,” Chatzky and Tuggle guide the reader through the so-called “money cycle”—earning it, managing it, using it, and looking to the future.
The book contains practical advice, exercises and definitions to increase the reader’s knowledge of money so that the reader becomes more comfortable with managing their finances. Aimed at young professionals, it also covers budgeting, banking, credit cards, and student loans.
“I really like this book because anyone can start using their money better,” says Rebell. “People think that taking care of their money is difficult — which it isn’t — but this book actually walks the reader through the steps to make it easier.”
“Getting Good With Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Healthy” by Tiffany Aliche
In Get Good with Money, Tiffany Aliche (aka The Budgetnista) lays out a 10-step plan for finding a “peaceful” way of managing your money and explains the concept of wealth building financial wholeness: an alternative to get-rich-quick schemes or complicated money management systems.
She explains how short-term action can lead to long-term financial success. The book provides detailed action steps for saving and investing, calculating expenses, improving your credit report, and financial security into retirement.
“It’s just a great book. It helps you understand the basics of managing money,” says Rebell. “There are certain financial fundamentals that we all need to be familiar with before we can even start thinking about investing, and this book really helps with that.”
Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away by Julian and Kiersten Saunders
“Cashing Out” explains that the company roadmap may not prepare you for financial freedom. Julian and Kiersten Saunders talk about breaking free from corporate America and arranging your finances to live your life and spend your time on your terms.
The couple say they wrote this book because many personal finance books fail to consider how black Americans live, work, and manage money. They deal with spending, saving and investing but from the perspective of the Black American experience.
“Once again, this is a book that gives you actionable tips on how to get your finance house in order,” says Rebell. “The fact that there’s a focus on getting you to retire in 15 years and have a solid financial foundation, whether you work in the American companies or not, is a good thing.”
