Best Stock Market Books for Every Level

The stock market is an incredibly overwhelming place. That is even to those who have been working with the market intimately for years. Beginners and experienced entrepreneurs and investors reach similar struggles whenever they dive into the market depths, and it can be hard to navigate back to the surface.

When I first jumped into the stock market, I felt myself floundering, barely treading the rough waters around me. Even today, I find that I still rely on the lessons I learn from my life preserver: the best stock market books around.

From asset allocation to managing risks, there is a lot to be learned about the stock market. Sure, spending years and lots of money on my own experimentation would guide me to these same lessons, but why would I skip out on the valuable information that is already out there?

The industry is teeming with experts, and many of them are ready to share their ideas, knowledge, and inspirations with willing minds. That is why plenty of stock market books have been written, covering a wide variety of topics within this massive industry. Some of them include:

• History of the stock market
• Crashes and what effects they had
• Trading advice
• How the market functions and fluctuates
• Investor secrets to looking at the market

When considered more broadly, it’s clear that there is no limit to the number of topics that can be covered. All of those topics can provide something useful to you and I. Despite having thousands of books out there about the stock market, I still cannot possibly read them all.

Today, it would be ideal for us to rely on this list of the best stock market books as recommended by valuable members of the CEO Library community. These members have shared their talent through their recommendations.

The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself

I don't think there are many people who know more about small business marketing than John does, and I'm certain that there's no one more generous in sharing tips and insights. What, exactly, are you waiting for? This book will pay for itself in one day

Seth Godin

Author & Entrepreneur

Rule #1: The Simple Strategy for Successful Investing in Only 15 Minutes a Week

Robert Kiyosaki's “Rich Dad Poor Dad” stopped me from making a mistake and buying a car - because it wasn’t an asset. It also convinced me to invest in shares, while the books “Rule no.1” and “The Snowball” taught me how to choose them.

Robert Hajnal

Founder/Trail Running Academy

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator

In my opinion this book is one of the best investment books ever and I highly recommend it to everyone who is interested in stock and commodity trading. The book is a biography of Jesse Livermore who is such an interesting character and the book is full of insights and advice while you learn about the crazy life of Jesse Livermore.

Michael Hebenstreit

Founder/MH Themes

Middle Market M & A: Handbook for Investment Banking and Business Consulting

Middle Market M&A is a must-read for business development professionals serving the middle-market M&A sector. This is a comprehensive resource that provides valuable insights that are certain to increase your deal-making success.

Patti Gillenwater

CEO/Elinvar

Marketing in the Groundswell

There are five books that, when taken together, form the majority of my perspective on business: [...] Groundswell.

Jeff Gibbard

Chief Brand Officer/From The Future

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers

This is a key component in my Purple Cow thinking, but with a twist. I'm not as worried about the chasm as I am about the desire of marketers to go for the big middle.

Seth Godin

Author & Entrepreneur

Content Machine: Use Content Marketing to Build a 7-Figure Business With Zero Advertising

Question: What books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path?

Answer:

• Rework, Getting real and Remote - The combo from Fried and DHH.
• Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
• From Impossible To Inevitable by Aaron Ross & Jason Lemkin
• How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross
• Content Machine by Dan Norris
• Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
• Contagious by Jonah Berger

Vincenzo Ruggiero

CEO/Prospect.io

The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business

For business, I've read Influence by Robert Cialdini 3 times, and Traction by Gabriel Weinberg twice, so if number of times read indicates favor, then those are it. There are a whole bunch of others, like The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman, Confession of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy, The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, and Running Lean by Ash Maurya, that I've also enjoyed and recommend to people.

Ola Olusoga

Co-founder/Populum

Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is about Help Not Hype

One of the five books Jeff recommends to young people interested in his career path.

Jeff Gibbard

Chief Brand Officer/From The Future

Sell More Faster: The Ultimate Sales Playbook for Start-Ups (Techstars)

Sell More Faster is the sales playbook every startup founder needs to read. Whether you're searching for product-market fit or have found it and are starting to scale, this book will give you the play by play approach of what you need to do to build an awesome sales organization.

Brad Feld

Co-Founder/Foundry Group

Purple Cow

Then, again when I was younger, at the beginning of 2000s, Seth Godin’s Purple Cow and The Cluetrain Manifesto were two pieces of work I’d always refer to, as well as Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup, later on when I was looking at how to become a better tech entrepreneur.

Dragos Novac

CEO/Nordic 9

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk!

Like Charlie Munger once said: “I’ve long believed that a certain system - which almost any intelligent person can learn - works way better than the systems most people use [to understand the world]. What you need is a latticework of mental models in your head. And, with that system, things gradually fit together in a way that enhances cognition. Just as multiple factors shape every system, multiple mental models from a variety of disciplines are necessary to understand that system". You can read this book to start building a "latticework of mental models in your head".

Ola Olusoga

Co-founder/Populum

Principles: Life and Work

Ray Dalio has provided me with invaluable guidance and insights that are now available to you in Principles.

Bill Gates

CEO/Microsoft

Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble

The book starts like a punch in the gut, but the story and the reality dose of this book are something that we all need from time to time in the Tech Startup Age. It helped me look beyond the excitement of working on new projects as a goal in itself and keep at least one foot on the ground. Plus the writing is extraordinary!

Irina Marinescu

Product Manager & Co-Founder/Save Potatoes

For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations

My PR book has become a staple within the industry, as well as required reading for many college courses throughout the country. The book details how valuable public relations is - how public relations can define brands; help companies and individuals court the press or avoid it; grow business; resolve crises quickly; improve search results on Google and so many other things. Effective PR makes such a difference, and I have many case studies and great stories to illustrate it.

Ronn Torossian

Founder, CEO/5WPR

The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History

I have lots of books to recommend, but they are not related to my career path. The only one that is remotely related is Peter Thiel’s Zero to One. That said here are books I would recommend.

Fabrice Grinda

Serial Entrepreneur, Investor

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World

If you want to do social media start with “Jab Jab Jab Right Hook” and move forward to “Ask Gary Vee” by Gary Vaynerchuk. Even if Gary has admitted that he has a ghostwriter writing his book, you can see Gary’s personality and also his experience in the social media field in this book. These are some great books to start with in social media.

Robert Katai

Founder/Instagramology

Powerhouse Principles: The Ultimate Blueprint for Real Estate Success

One of the must read books.

Dan Lok

Serial Entrepreneur

Invisible Selling Machine

John thinks that Digital Marketer founding CEO Ryan Deiss' 2015 book is a great introduction to sales tactics for the new entrepreneur.

Daymond John

Founder/FUBU

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine

Michael Lewis's ability to boil down the most complicated subjects is like a magic trick. You can't believe your own eyes. He takes on important issues - from the 2008 Wall Street crash in "The Big Short" to parenting in "Home Game" - and breaks them down to the deepest truths. His combination of an extraordinarily analytical mind and a deep understanding of human nature allows him to weave together data and events to offer a fresh and insightful narrative. Whatever the topic, the result is always compelling and even thrilling. I am in awe of him.

Sheryl Sandberg

COO/Facebook

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