Books and Podcasts for Your 2024 Summer Reading and Listening

Summer is a great time to catch up on your reading or podcasts, whether at the beach, the mountains, or any other place where you get away. But while a good thriller or romantic novel is always a solid choice, so is a well-written book or well-honed podcast that helps develop our skills or expand our knowledge of the world. We asked our Wealth Institute team to help us curate the perfect summer reading and listening list for 2024. Here are the books and podcasts they thought you might enjoy.

Joe Stone, National Managing Director of Family Wealth and Advice 

“The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World” by Johan Norberg
The common denominator of all anticapitalism is the fatally mistaken notion that trade and markets are zero-sum games. Johan Norberg artfully dismantles this toxic misconception and shows that capitalism has lifted millions and millions from hunger and poverty.

Joe Velkos, Key Wealth Tax Director

“The Algebra of Happiness: Notes on the Pursuit of Success, Love, and Meaning” by Scott Galloway
The book tells you how life can be navigated and negotiated better to maximize happiness and minimize stress. Through simple equations that measure the relationship between success, resilience, and failure, the author attempts to convert intangible advice to tangible equations.

Renee Porter-Medley, Regional Director for Financial Planning

“Think This, Not That: 12 Mindshifts to Breakthrough Limiting Beliefs and Become Who You Were Born to Be" by Dr. Josh Axe
Read one copy and give one copy to someone who will enjoy experiencing a mindshift journey with you. In his New York Times best-seller, author Dr. Josh Axe shares 12 mental barriers that hold people back from whatever is important to them. He shares timeless wisdom in a way that is easy to discuss with someone else who may need a boost. It could be a high school or college graduate starting a new phase of their educational journey, or a recent or soon-to-be retiree letting go of their work as a significant part of their identity. Both will benefit from Mindshift 2: Redefining success by becoming, not accomplishing. Not the sharing type? The book provides plenty of self-reflection prompts to evaluate and change one belief at a time in a light conversational tone, making it an ideal summer read.

Renee Porter-Medley, Regional Director for Financial Planning

“Money and the Meaning of Life” by Jacob Needleman
If you prefer a deep topic, rather than light, for your summer reading, then this is the book for you. Although published in 1991, the questions it presents are timeless. A 2011 Harvard Business Review analysis of the book ended with this statement: “It’s easy to pass judgment from afar on the misdeeds and missteps of wealthy people in the news. But look in the mirror. What’s your relationship with the pursuit of wealth? How do you think about money and the meaning of life?”. I like Needleman’s suggestion that “money must become an instrument of the search for self-knowledge... we must use money in order to study ourselves as we are and as we can become” (p.72). The copy of the book I purchased provides a user’s guide with ideas for reflection and discussion.

Paul Kieffer, Sr. Wealth Planner

“Swagger: Super Bowls, Brass Balls, and Footballs – A Memoir” by Jimmy Johnson and Dave Hyde
Many are aware of the championships Jimmy Johnson achieved both at the collegiate level with the Miami Hurricanes and in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys; this book goes into detail of how he achieved those successes. Building a successful team (both inside and outside of sports) requires more than just talented individuals, but rather unselfish individuals who think team first. One example cited in the book concerns a group of potential recruits and a lunch buffet. During the lunch, one of the prospects dropped a piece of chicken and did not pick it up. While several assistant coaches were high on the individual, Jimmy saw someone who was self-centered and would not be the type of team player he wanted. Many of his coaching techniques can easily be translated into leading a team in the business world. His counsel is still being sought out by both coaches and players to this day, more than 25 years after he retired from coaching.

Bradley Williams, Wealth Planner

“Millionaire Mission: A 9-Step System to Level Up Your Finances and Build Wealth” by Brian Preston
This book is due to be released on May 28. Brian Preston is the host of my favorite financial podcast, “The Money Guy Show,” and cofounder of Abound Wealth Management based in Franklin, Tennessee. I love listening to the podcast, because he makes complex financial topics easy for listeners and viewers to understand and apply to their own life. He helps individuals begin the wealth-building journey.

Daniel E Fiedler, Senior Portfolio Manager

“The Best of Wodehouse: An Anthology” by P.G. Wodehouse
P.G. Wodehouse never fails to put a smile on my face. This collection contains a nice variety of his short stories, as well as two novels – British humor at its finest, with a great cast of memorable characters.

Nancy L. Anderson, Regional Director of Planning

“The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy” by Thomas Stanley and William Danko
The myth of wealthy people leading a lavish lifestyle, spending on material possessions, is debunked in this classic book. In their research, Stanley and Danko learned how wealthy people actually accumulate their wealth and how they live a life of financial independence.

Joel Redmond, Senior Director, Family Wealth Consulting

“Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America” by Brendan Ballou
This is the first of two sides of the story. The second side is forthcoming in a second recommendation.

“Two and Twenty: How the Masters of Private Equity Always Win” by Sachin Khajuria
The other side of the story, written by a brilliant ex-insider at Apollo.

Tom Jarecki, National Director of Wealth Planning

“The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” by Jonathan Haidt
Jonathan Haidt delves into the escalating mental health issues faced by today’s youth, particularly their heightened levels of anxiety and depression. Haidt explores various causes behind this worrying trend, including the pervasive impact of social media, overprotective parenting, and the decline of free play. The book offers insights into how these factors intertwine to affect the psychological resilience of the younger generation and suggests practical strategies for parents, educators, and policymakers to help foster a more robust and less anxious youth.

George Mateyo, Chief Investment Officer

“Same As Ever: Timeless Lessons on Risk, Opportunity, and Living a Good Life” by Morgan Housel
In a prior reading list, I recommended “The Psychology of Money” by Morgan Housel, an invaluable collection of short stories about money and how people think about it. In his more recent book, “Same As Ever,” Housel expands his subject to discuss some key life lessons and urges us to consider looking backward before looking forward. Like his previous book, this will be another timeless classic.

“Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon” by Michael Lewis
Throughout my career, Michael Lewis has been one of my favorite storytellers, and he has an uncanny ability to make complex subjects simple, humorous, and fascinating, all at the same time. In “Going Infinite,” Lewis does it again and shines a light into the meteoric rise and equally spectacular fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, one of the most notable and notorious personalities of modern times.

Podcasts

Susan P. Blankenship, Senior Vice President, Senior Fiduciary Strategist

“The Economics of Everyday Things” hosted by Zachary Crockett
This podcast dives into fascinating stories behind some of the most ordinary of things. Served up in bite-sized bits, Crockett examines everything from used hotel soaps, to junk mail and sports mascots, to Girl Scout cookies. And just why do low-digit Delaware license plates sell for high-digit prices?

Renee Porter-Medley, Regional Director for Financial Planning

“50 Fires: Money and Meaning” hosted by Carl Richards
This podcast invites you to listen in to conversations about money and meaning. Host Carl Richards engages with a wide range of people and asks them all the same question,“What does money mean to you?”. I really enjoyed the November 8, 2023, episode with Chip (and Joanna) Gaines, who are also Executive Producers of the show. In fact, I find I especially appreciate all the interviews with couples. Lots to think about as people share what about money is important to them and some of their earliest memories about money.