The Book of Money: How to feel good (or better) about your finances

by Monzo

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER


'Informative...warm in tone and easy to understand. A safe space to learn about money.' Clare Seal, author and founder of My Frugal Year

‘An evergreen guide to keep through different life stages.’ Bola Sol, author of Your Money Life

'Cuts the jargon, keeps it real — and actually makes money feel manageable.' Jason Butler, global financial well-being expert and author

If you’d never normally read a personal finance book, this one’s for you.
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Ah, money. We all use it, but most of us feel like we don't 'get' it. a personal finance book you’ll actually want to read. With absolutely no judgement or jargon, The Book of Money breaks down big, complex topics into bite-sized chunks.

Inside…


Balancing your avoid the day-before-payday dread How to 'do money' take the tension out of sharing finances Becoming an why it’s not just for millionaires Life after look after your future self and leave pension procrastination behind Debt and how to get on top of your debt and use credit to your advantage renting, buying and making the most of where you live
With infographics, practical exercises and stories inspired by Monzo’s 12 million customers – this is the perfect personal finance book for people who’d never normally read one.

This book will give you the skills, tools and confidence you need to change your relationship with your finances forever.
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Early reader

'I wish I had read it ten years ago'

'It makes you feel human about your finances. Comical, realistic and totally relatable.'

'Engaging, short and easy to read. Monzo fans will love it!'

'The section about investments was really useful to me personally. Previously I thought it was something beyond me as an individual.'

'Reading this book has helped me feel like I can make some of my own decisions rather than guess and muddle my way through all things money.'

'I absolutely loved this book - it feels kind, non-judgemental and genuinely entertaining and 'real talk', something that we all need when working with our money.'

'Lots of personality in this book. Something you should read now to get ahead of your future.'

*ST bestseller, September 2025

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 4, 2025

Reviews

[Henry Mattinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy and accessible surface level approach to variety of personal finance topics. At times felt overly curated for a young professional London audience (including the jokes). Wish I'd had it 10 years ago as it didn't cover anything new for me now, but I suspect it's a good first read for those where the topics are totally new.

[Claire Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish I could have read this 10 years ago, great introductory surface level finance advice. If you’re already savvy there isn’t a whole bunch of new here but personally learnt the most from the pension section.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a cursory overview of a range of different topics - there was a particular focus on managing debt, first-time home ownership, and pensions, with a couple of savings strategies thrown in. In general, reading this book was a great motivator. I found the chapter on pensions particularly useful - definitely a good introduction to this topic for me.

That said, while I appreciate the struggle of writing a book as a collective, grappling with the death knell of legal and the stricture of brand guidelines, the writing felt AI-generated in many places. (That's not to say it necessarily was!) A bit overly detached and corporate, it kept trying to humanise its tone with shoe-horned references to avocado toast and Stanley cups. It could feel quite condescending - even infantilising in parts. But I did appreciate the effort to target people in their 20s and 30s (like myself) who might not otherwise pick up a finance book.

[Brandon Weeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and easy to read!

[Leanne Talbot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Money made simple, easy and relevant. No notes 👏🏻
Monzo > any other bank (especially Starling)

[Simrun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really easy to follow and engaging, feels so thorough. Would recommend to anyone, regardless of their stage of financial literacy, it's a great round up of topics.

[Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not a big fan of self-help books personally but I actually really enjoyed this one. I thought a lot of stuff was explained really well & simply. The features and ‘tips’ are a lot of stuff you can find in app (obviously) I was skeptical of a company’s own book but I do really enjoy Monzo so I think the tips well align with the features.

[Emma Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book. Breaks down the fundamentals of finances, nearly in a way where you need no prior knowledge. Really recommend as an intro guide to all things finances! Really useful if you’re UK based as it’s geared toward those who are.

[Jordan Gregory-Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I didn’t learn anything new but it was a nice to know I’m doing things correctly. Super easy (and actually quite fun) read so I recommend even if you’re financially savvy!

[Stefani Šatná · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what it says on the tin, basically a personal finance 101 by Monzo. Really well put together, minus some of the cringe (you can & usually do better than that Monzo!)

[Thomas H · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reminds you of an important truth: you are in charge of your relationship with money. And that’s exactly why understanding where our money emotions come from matters.

The book does reinforce something useful: having personal money goals gives you direction when everything else feels overwhelming.

The “three eras” framework (Survival → More than Survival → Thriving) is a simple way to map financial progress.

The principles are solid: pay yourself first, make goals personal, celebrate wins, and let compounding do the heavy lifting over time. The message that “savings is the salary you pay your future self” sticks.

But beyond that? It feels thin. If you already care about personal finance, there’s nothing new here. Many methods, like the envelope system, are archaic. Useful for some, sure, but hardly groundbreaking.

It is almost a copy & paste of Money: A User’s Guide by Laura Whateley, but with less depth and fewer insights. For total beginners, it’s a gentle starting point. For everyone else, it oversimplifies, skims the surface, and misses opportunities to go deeper where it actually counts.

Conclusion: A decent introduction to / refresher of personal finance, but poorly executed and frustratingly shallow. It could have been much more.

[Rachel Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it’s a good introductory to finances, good for younger people who might not have had exposure to becoming financial literate (like myself). I found the pension section particularly helpful for me, and I like some of the tables they’ve got helping to break down approaching such topics in an easy visual and actionable way. That said, some of it does feel a bit AI-written but who’s to say, it might not be - it was still easy to understand and I think that’s the most important aspect. I can see myself re-reading sections to remind myself on concepts.

[Ryan Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monzo's book of money is a malleable collection of money advice that can be used for whatever stage of life your at. It's even more useful if you have a Monzo account but the plethora of  knowledge can be used whatever accounts or cash situations you find yourself in. I'm surprised this hasn't been done before, but as always, Monzo seem to be in front of other banks, when breaking the banking mould. A useful reference guide to keep on your bookshelf. 

[Hayden Tomlins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snappy, humourous and easy to read - I really enjoyed this and felt like I learned something.

Admittedly a lot of this is familiar for those of us who have been doing most of this for a while. However it's great to see facts and tips about money, pensions, mortgages and investments made clear and accessible, especially if it helps build good, confident habits for people early in their working lives.

Well done Monzo! 🤑

[Merry · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an easy-to-read book, particularly well suited to young adults who are finding their feet with money. It is clear, well-structured and refreshingly straightforward, making what can often be an intimidating subject feel far more manageable. The advice is practical and sensible without ever being patronising, and it promotes a healthy, confident approach to financial planning. An excellent starting point for anyone looking to get their finances in order and feel better about money overall.

[Alex Isøe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on how to manage your money, finances, and make smart choices that work for you, in the short + long term.

The book is full of solid advice, but it is geared toward consumers who are less savvy with managing money / investments.

If you are financially savvy, you won't have many takeaways, other than being reassured that you may already be making the right choices.

[Shruti Prakash · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare that a book about money makes you feel so good about yourself and gives you so many moments to smile and chuckle. I'm a huge Monzo fan and this book totally lived up to the expectations. it made me think about the way I think about money and offered great pieces of advice in a non-preachy way - almost like how a really nice friend would. I tried the audio version of it and the narration was so soothing that whenever I listened to it, it instantly put me in a great mood and sometimes even worked like a lullaby at night! please please pick this book up!

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very knowledgable guide about money that gets you to think about difficult, but necessary topics. I appreciated that a lot of the definitions have been dumbed-down, as I often find financial topics to be confusing.

I found the savings and investment chapters to be the most useful. Thankfully I do a good amount already, but it's useful to know where I can improve.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive, albeit, basic personal finance book written by the folk at Monzo bank. Perhaps a bit too simplistic compared to the others I’ve read but I can see this as being useful to someone much younger and starting out on their financial journey .

[Nigel The Pigeon Man · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book on the basics of money. Written for more of a junior audience, it’s a good read for learning the first steps to money management.

[Rachel Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book so much – so needed!

[Akash Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book about personal finance, which talks about tracking spending, interest rates, investments, and other money related topics. It's a great read!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful and reassuring

[Megan Morley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nicely written but definitely more aimed at people just leaving university or between 18-22 as mostly starter information.

[Alessia · Rating 4 out of 5]

As other people have said, I wish I read this 10 years ago

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not great if you already have a good grasp of finances but I love the hints and tricks, ways of understanding finances for those who are young / not great at financial planning

[Vishnu Prasad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple. straightforward financial advice for beginners.

[Etiman L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing introduction to financial literacy (in the UK) recommend!