‘Tis the season for revolutionary books about money

6 books from brilliant women who want you to think differently about money

The turn of the year is a big time for folks to think hard about money. This season of holiday spending and resolution resetting tends to spur warnings to watch your budget and tend to your debt.

But this year, with my own anti-budgeting personal finance book coming out in just three weeks, I’ve been delighted to discover a handful of other authors are also crying foul in the face of our disordered cultural relationship with money. Maybe this New Year will be the one where we turn the tide on budget culture?

Here are six recent and upcoming releases to check out if you’re ready for a new way of thinking about money.

Buy What You Love Without Going Broke

Transform Your Spending and Get More of What Money Can't Buy

Jan. 7, 2025 by Frugal Friends hosts Jen Smith and Jill Sirianni

This book is all about spending, so naturally, I’m intrigued. Jen and Jill consider spending to be a skill you can study and master, and their first book together is a guide to that mastery. It teaches you how to identify what you love spending money on, quiet the noise of consumer culture to say “no” to what you don’t love; and building an environment, community and relationship with contentment that makes new spending habits sustainable (instead of forced and miserable).

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Feel-Good Finance

Untangle Your Relationship with Money for Better Mental, Emotional, and Financial Well-Being

Dec. 3, 2024 by financial therapist Aja Evans

Why is it so hard to talk about money? Why do we keep spending even when we don’t want to? And why do we so often feel so bad about our money? Aja Evans, a board-certified therapist specializing in financial therapy, wants to help you answer these questions for yourself. Her book helps you take a look at your money story, the historical and social context of your financial circumstances, and the psychology behind your money habits to help you form a relationship with money that feels good to you.

“The narratives we develop around our money are based on a variety of factors, including our lived experiences, the experiences of our family members, and even inter-generational and historical trauma,” says Aja. “The vast majority of us are financially struggling not only because of what we do with our money but also because of how our feelings impact our behaviors and, therefore, our wallets and bank accounts.”

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Know Your Worth

Heal Your Relationship with Your Money and Yourself

Dec. 31, 2024 by accredited financial counselor

Victoria Vivente (Shakeshaft)

I discovered Victoria Vivente, a former financial counselor and coach based in Sydney, Australia, through her post announcing her book, and I immediately downloaded a sample. The book covers money basics, like making a budget and “crushing” debt, but it starts with understanding the internal and external factors that influence your money. She emphasizes a need not only for financial literacy but also for financial curiosity (embracing a learner’s mindset) and financial confidence (understanding and accepting who you are and the origin of your relationship with money).

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Keeping Finance Personal

Ditch the "Shoulds" and the Shame and Rewrite Your Money Story

Jan. 23, 2024 by queer and neurodivergent financial educator Ellyce Fulmore

Ellyce Fulmore approaches personal finance with the lens of a queer, neurodivergent woman. Her popular money videos on TikTok and her book speak from and to that perspective in a way many personal finance educators fail to do. The book explores the effects of mental health and emotions on your relationship with money, and offers practical advice for tackling values-based spending, money in a relationship and money management basics. It’s laid out in an ADHD-friendly format, with lots of white space, bullet points, headers and illustrations to guide you through the text. It’s very much not designed for my autistic, info-sucking brain, but my ADHD partner vouches for this as a very nice way to receive information. And the information is important!

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The Financial Activist Playbook

8 Strategies for Everyday People to Reclaim Wealth and Collective Well-Being

Sep. 10, 2024 by impact investing professional Jasmine Rashid

How enticing is the title “financial activist”? Jasmine Rashid is one of very few personal finance writers addressing both the everyday practicalities of money management and the radical ways we can use money to create a more equitable economy. This book offers eight accessible, actionable strategies to experiment with financial activism in your own life.

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You Don’t Need a Budget

Stop Worrying about Debt, Spend without Shame, and Manage Money with Ease

Dec. 24, 2024 by financial educator Dana Miranda (me!)

Yes, of course I’m including my own book on this list! I’m so proud for it to be in conversation with the ideas of these other brilliant women who are pushing our cultural conversation about money forward. Through this book, I investigate our cultural relationship with money and offer an alternative approach to the restriction and shame embedded in most typical financial advice. I name this dominant approach “budget culture” and dig into how that approach harms us personally and collectively — and how to counter it.

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