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Certified financial planners (CFPs) are an important resource for anyone who wants to learn how to manage - and grow - their money. While CFPs have knowledge of their own to impart to their clients, they sometimes enlist the help of other resources, too.
Looking for a book, podcast, or money app to expand your financial knowledge or motivate you to make moves to grow your net worth? Look no further than these resources financial planners frequently recommend to their clients.
Book: 'Investing for Dummies' by Eric Tyson
"Investing for Dummies," a practical guide to developing and managing a portfolio and learning to analyze risk and return, has been around since 1996.
CFP Charles Thomas says it's the first book he ever read on investing, and that he recommends its eighth edition to his clients.
"It's a very approachable book that's a great first read on understanding different types of investments," he says. "Tyson does an even-handed job for giving the pros and cons of various investing paths."
Podcast: The Retirement and IRA Show by Jim Saulnier and Chris Stein
To help clients understand retirement-related topics like Social Security, IRAs, and 401(k)s, CFP Andy Panko says he frequently suggests The Retirement and IRA Show, which he says balances serious subject matter with light-hearted banter.
"This show is by far one of the most technical in terms of the content discussed," he says. "For clients who are interested in the nitty-gritty details of the technical side of retirement planning, this show is invaluable."
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Book: 'Rock Retirement: A Simple Guide to Help You Take Control and Be More Optimistic About the Future' by Roger Whitney
Another retirement resource Panko finds helpful is "Rock Retirement, A Simple Guide to Help You Take Control and Be More Optimistic About the Future" by Roger Whitney, who hosts The Retirement Answer Man podcast.
"It's written in a very straightforward and easy-to-understand manner, but it's still successful in conveying important and relatively technical topics about retirement planning," Panko says.
App: Acorns
CFP Kayse Kress recommends an app called Acorns, which helps consumers save and invest money one bit at a time by rounding up purchases and allocating the extra change to a savings account.
"The beauty of Acorns is that it takes small sums of pocket change and adds them up over time to grow your savings and investments steadily," she says.
Book: 'Tax-Free Wealth' by Tom Wheelwright
CFP John Moriarty always recommends two works by author and CPA Tom Wheelwright to his clients: a book titled "Tax-Free Wealth" and a podcast called The WealthAbility Show.
Wheelwright's educational tools are built around helping entrepreneurs change their behaviors to take advantage of incentives built into the Internal Revenue Code, ultimately saving money.
"I highly recommend Tom's content to any business owner who wants to enhance their personal or business economies and invite other financial professionals to abandon the status-quo mentality and join this movement toward economic prosperity," Moriarty says.
Podcast: That Makes Cents
CFP Matt Rogers says he highly recommends a podcast called That Makes Cents, which encourages people to talk about money and makes financial planning more accessible no matter how much money you have.
"By sharing insight from financial experts, the podcast promotes smart financial habits among people across all income levels and encourages them to have open conversations about money to set them on a path for financial success," Rogers says.
Book: 'The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn't Have to Be Complicated' by Helaine Olson and Harold Pollack
Sometimes, understanding personal finance is as simple as becoming more confident in basic financial principles. That's exactly why CFP Tom Mahoney sends a copy of Olson and Pollack's book, "The Index Card," to each one of his clients.
"The millennials who reach out to me aren't looking for a get-rich-quick strategy; rather, they primarily just want someone to help them navigate the confusing personal finance terms, accounts, and rules that exist in our society," Mahoney says. "This book offers a great start down that path to more financial clarity and confidence."
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Personal Finance Insider team. We occasionally highlight financial products and services that can help you make smarter decisions with your money. We do not give investment advice or encourage you to adopt a certain investment strategy. What you decide to do with your money is up to you. If you take action based on one of our recommendations, we get a small share of the revenue from our commerce partners. This does not influence whether we feature a financial product or service. We operate independently from our advertising sales team.
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