◆ Vol. II · Appendix A — The Reading List

Best books.

The canonical books on money, investing, business, and the future.

Every book here is widely considered the best in its field. Read theStart here picks first, then follow your curiosity by category.

In this appendix
29
books
7
categories
Curated, not comprehensive.
29 / 29
§ Start here

Foundational reads

beginnerStart herePersonal Finance
The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel

A timeless exploration of how behavior, not IQ, drives financial outcomes — the single best introduction to the emotional side of money.

Covers
Behavioral financeWealth vs. richesRisk toleranceLong-term thinking
beginnerStart herePersonal Finance
I Will Teach You to Be Rich
Ramit Sethi

A practical, no-guilt system for automating finances, negotiating, and building wealth without extreme frugality.

Covers
AutomationConscious spendingNegotiationCredit optimization
beginnerStart hereInvesting
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
John C. Bogle

The definitive case for low-cost index funds from the founder of Vanguard — the simplest path to market returns.

Covers
Index fundsCost minimizationDiversificationPassive investing
intermediateStart hereInvesting
The Intelligent Investor
Benjamin Graham

Warren Buffett's bible of value investing — teaches margin of safety, Mr. Market, and the temperament required for long-term success.

Covers
Value investingMargin of safetyMarket psychologyDefensive investing
intermediateStart hereBusiness & SaaS
Zero to One
Peter Thiel with Blake Masters

A provocative framework for building companies that create something new rather than competing in crowded markets.

Covers
Monopoly vs. competitionInnovationVenture capitalDefensibility
beginnerStart hereBusiness & SaaS
The Lean Startup
Eric Ries

The methodology for building products through validated learning, rapid experiments, and iterative growth.

Covers
MVPValidated learningBuild-measure-learnPivoting
beginnerStart hereGo-to-Market & Sales
Traction
Gabriel Weinberg & Justin Mares

The systematic framework for choosing and testing the 19 marketing channels that actually drive startup growth.

Covers
Bullseye frameworkMarketing channelsGrowth experimentsCustomer acquisition
beginnerStart hereMindset & Behavior
Atomic Habits
James Clear

The most practical guide to building good habits and breaking bad ones — small changes that compound into extraordinary results.

Covers
Habit formationIdentity changeSystems over goalsBehavioral design
intermediateStart hereRetirement & Taxes
The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning
Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer & Richard A. Ferri

A step-by-step, jargon-free guide to planning for retirement — from saving to withdrawal strategies and Social Security.

Covers
Retirement accountsWithdrawal strategySocial SecurityLongevity planning

Personal Finance

4

The fundamentals of earning, saving, spending, and building a healthy relationship with money.

beginnerStart herePersonal Finance
The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel

A timeless exploration of how behavior, not IQ, drives financial outcomes — the single best introduction to the emotional side of money.

Covers
Behavioral financeWealth vs. richesRisk toleranceLong-term thinking
beginnerStart herePersonal Finance
I Will Teach You to Be Rich
Ramit Sethi

A practical, no-guilt system for automating finances, negotiating, and building wealth without extreme frugality.

Covers
AutomationConscious spendingNegotiationCredit optimization
beginnerPersonal Finance
The Millionaire Next Door
Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko

Groundbreaking research revealing that most millionaires live below their means — wealth is built through discipline, not income.

Covers
FrugalityWealth accumulationIncome vs. net worthHousehold economics
beginnerPersonal Finance
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Robert T. Kiyosaki

The classic parable that reframes the difference between assets and liabilities, and why financial education matters more than formal schooling.

Covers
Assets vs. liabilitiesFinancial literacyCash flowMindset shift

Investing

4

How to put money to work, understand markets, and build long-term wealth through ownership.

beginnerStart hereInvesting
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
John C. Bogle

The definitive case for low-cost index funds from the founder of Vanguard — the simplest path to market returns.

Covers
Index fundsCost minimizationDiversificationPassive investing
intermediateInvesting
A Random Walk Down Wall Street
Burton G. Malkiel

A comprehensive tour of investment strategies proving that consistent, low-cost indexing beats most active management over time.

Covers
Efficient market hypothesisIndex investingAsset allocationMarket history
intermediateStart hereInvesting
The Intelligent Investor
Benjamin Graham

Warren Buffett's bible of value investing — teaches margin of safety, Mr. Market, and the temperament required for long-term success.

Covers
Value investingMargin of safetyMarket psychologyDefensive investing
beginnerInvesting
The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing
Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer & Michael LeBoeuf

A practical, community-tested playbook for building a simple, diversified portfolio with minimal costs and maximum clarity.

Covers
Three-fund portfolioTax efficiencyAsset allocationStaying the course

Business & SaaS

6

Building, scaling, and operating companies — from startup to established enterprise.

intermediateStart hereBusiness & SaaS
Zero to One
Peter Thiel with Blake Masters

A provocative framework for building companies that create something new rather than competing in crowded markets.

Covers
Monopoly vs. competitionInnovationVenture capitalDefensibility
advancedBusiness & SaaS
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Ben Horowitz

The raw, honest playbook for leading through the brutal moments of a startup — firing friends, layoffs, and near-death experiences.

Covers
CEO psychologyCrisis managementHiring & firingStartup operations
intermediateBusiness & SaaS
High Output Management
Andrew S. Grove

Intel's legendary CEO on managing teams, meetings, and metrics — the operating system for scaling organizations.

Covers
Management by objectivesOne-on-onesTask-relevant maturityProduction principles
beginnerStart hereBusiness & SaaS
The Lean Startup
Eric Ries

The methodology for building products through validated learning, rapid experiments, and iterative growth.

Covers
MVPValidated learningBuild-measure-learnPivoting
beginnerBusiness & SaaS
The Mom Test
Rob Fitzpatrick

How to talk to customers and learn if your business is a good idea — the antidote to misleading feedback.

Covers
Customer discoveryProblem validationInterview techniqueLean research
intermediateBusiness & SaaS
Behind the Cloud
Marc Benioff

The inside story of building Salesforce — lessons on culture, marketing, philanthropy, and cloud computing before it was obvious.

Covers
SaaS foundingCloud strategyCompany cultureDisruptive marketing

Go-to-Market & Sales

7

Finding customers, closing deals, and building repeatable revenue engines.

advancedGo-to-Market & Sales
Revenue Architecture
Jacco van der Kooij

A data-driven framework for designing revenue organizations — how structure, process, and metrics create predictable growth.

Covers
Revenue designGTM structureSales metricsOrganizational architecture
advancedGo-to-Market & Sales
The RevOps Manual
Jordan Henderson & Rosalyn Santa Elena

The definitive operational guide to Revenue Operations — aligning sales, marketing, and customer success through data and process.

Covers
RevOps fundamentalsProcess alignmentData architectureRevenue systems
advancedGo-to-Market & Sales
The RevOps Pendulum
Nelson Gilliat

How to balance sales efficiency with buyer experience — a philosophy for modern revenue teams in a self-service world.

Covers
Buyer experienceSales efficiencyRevenue philosophySelf-service balance
intermediateGo-to-Market & Sales
The Challenger Sale
Matthew Dixon & Brent Adamson

Research proving the best salespeople teach, tailor, and take control — reframing the entire sales conversation.

Covers
Teaching for the saleCommercial teachingSales archetypesDeal control
intermediateGo-to-Market & Sales
SPIN Selling
Neil Rackham

The seminal research on asking Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-payoff questions to close complex deals.

Covers
Question-based sellingComplex salesDiscovery techniqueNeeds analysis
intermediateGo-to-Market & Sales
The Sales Acceleration Formula
Mark Roberge

HubSpot's first CRO on using data, hiring profiles, and coaching to build a scalable, predictable sales machine.

Covers
Data-driven salesHiring formulaSales coachingPredictable revenue
beginnerStart hereGo-to-Market & Sales
Traction
Gabriel Weinberg & Justin Mares

The systematic framework for choosing and testing the 19 marketing channels that actually drive startup growth.

Covers
Bullseye frameworkMarketing channelsGrowth experimentsCustomer acquisition

Mindset & Behavior

3

The psychology, habits, and mental models behind great decision-making.

beginnerStart hereMindset & Behavior
Atomic Habits
James Clear

The most practical guide to building good habits and breaking bad ones — small changes that compound into extraordinary results.

Covers
Habit formationIdentity changeSystems over goalsBehavioral design
advancedMindset & Behavior
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman

Nobel Prize-winning research on the two systems that drive thinking — and why we consistently make irrational financial decisions.

Covers
Cognitive biasesSystem 1 & 2HeuristicsDecision-making
intermediateMindset & Behavior
Influence
Robert B. Cialdini

The classic study of the six universal principles of persuasion — essential for anyone who needs to convince, sell, or negotiate.

Covers
Persuasion principlesSocial proofReciprocityNegotiation

AI & Future

3

How technology reshapes work, wealth, and what it means to build in the decades ahead.

intermediateAI & Future
The Second Machine Age
Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee

How digital technologies are transforming work, wealth, and prosperity — the foundational text on the modern productivity revolution.

Covers
Digital transformationProductivity economicsLabor marketsInnovation waves
intermediateAI & Future
Life 3.0
Max Tegmark

A clear-eyed exploration of artificial general intelligence and the future of humanity — from opportunity to existential risk.

Covers
AGIAI safetyFuture of workHuman alignment
advancedAI & Future
Power and Progress
Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson

A historical and economic case that technology only benefits society when shaped by the right institutions and power structures.

Covers
Institutional economicsTechnology & laborPower structuresPolicy design

Retirement & Taxes

2

Long-term planning, preserving wealth, and legally keeping more of what you earn.

intermediateStart hereRetirement & Taxes
The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning
Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer & Richard A. Ferri

A step-by-step, jargon-free guide to planning for retirement — from saving to withdrawal strategies and Social Security.

Covers
Retirement accountsWithdrawal strategySocial SecurityLongevity planning
intermediateRetirement & Taxes
Tax-Free Wealth
Tom Wheelwright

Robert Kiyosaki's tax advisor explains how to use the tax code as a series of incentives to legally pay less and keep more.

Covers
Tax strategyReal estate taxBusiness deductionsWealth preservation