4 Great Financial Books for Recent Grads

Can you recommend any good investment books for my two children, who are recent college graduates? They are novices about money and investing, so I am looking for good entry-level books.

That’s such a wonderful idea to help your children get started after graduation with some basic tips about investing and personal finances. One of the best investing primers is Investing 101, by my colleague Kathy Kristof, which is a great read and explains everything they need to know to start investing. It begins by focusing on goal setting and diversification, then goes into detail about investing in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other investments. It includes a chapter showing how to start small and build a portfolio even if they only have $25 to $50 per month to invest, as well as a “lazy investor’s portfolio planner” for people who want to spend very little time monitoring their investments throughout the year.

The Wall Street Journal Guide to Starting Your Financial Life is a great roadmap to help new grads learn about personal finances, from checking accounts and credit scores to insurance and investing. Kiplinger’s editor Janet Bodnar’s Money Smart Women covers investing and the whole range of financial issues, starting with college grads (and it’s a great resource for women and men). For investing insight, see Common Sense on Mutual Funds, by Vanguard founder John Bogle.

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And for real-world personal finance advice for young adults throughout the year, see Stacy Rapacon’s Starting Out column at Kiplinger.com.

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As the "Ask Kim" columnist for Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Lankford receives hundreds of personal finance questions from readers every month. She is the author of Rescue Your Financial Life (McGraw-Hill, 2003), The Insurance Maze: How You Can Save Money on Insurance -- and Still Get the Coverage You Need (Kaplan, 2006), Kiplinger's Ask Kim for Money Smart Solutions (Kaplan, 2007) and The Kiplinger/BBB Personal Finance Guide for Military Families. She is frequently featured as a financial expert on television and radio, including NBC's Today Show, CNN, CNBC and National Public Radio.