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Broke Millennial #2
Broke Millennial Takes On Investing: A Beginner's Guide to Leveling Up Your Money
A guide to investing basics by the author of Broke Millennial , for anyone who feels like they aren't ready (or rich enough) to get into the market
Millennials want to learn how to start investing. The problem is that most have no idea where to begin. There's a significant lack of information out there catering to the concerns of new millennial investors, such as:
* Should I invest while paying down student loans?
* How do I invest in a socially responsible way?
* What about robo-advisors and apps--are any of them any good?
* Where can I look online for investment advice?
In this second book in the Broke Millennial series, Erin Lowry answers those questions and delivers all of the investment basics in one easy-to-digest package. Tackling topics ranging from common terminology to how to handle your anxiety to retirement savings and even how to actually buy and sell a stock, this hands-on guide will help any investment newbie become a confident player in the market on their way to building wealth.
Millennials want to learn how to start investing. The problem is that most have no idea where to begin. There's a significant lack of information out there catering to the concerns of new millennial investors, such as:
* Should I invest while paying down student loans?
* How do I invest in a socially responsible way?
* What about robo-advisors and apps--are any of them any good?
* Where can I look online for investment advice?
In this second book in the Broke Millennial series, Erin Lowry answers those questions and delivers all of the investment basics in one easy-to-digest package. Tackling topics ranging from common terminology to how to handle your anxiety to retirement savings and even how to actually buy and sell a stock, this hands-on guide will help any investment newbie become a confident player in the market on their way to building wealth.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
663 people are currently reading
5461 people want to read
About the author
Erin Lowry
12 books166 followersERIN LOWRY is the author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together and Broke Millennial Takes On Investing: A Beginner's Guide to Leveling Up Your Money. Her first book was named by MarketWatch as one of the best money books of 2017 and her style is often described as refreshing and conversational. Erin's appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, CNBC and Fox & Friends. She has written for Fast Company, Cosmopolitan Magazine and Refinery29 and regularly speaks at universities and conferences around the country. Erin spent most of her childhood living in Asia, but now settled in New York City with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 281 reviews
June 19, 2020
3.5 stars
This was almost exactly what I wanted, a true beginners guide to investing and ideas on how to get started. I do feel like there's a gap in the personal finance sphere for people who are in "the middle". You already have grasp on a budget, you're either not in debt or regularly paying it off/not feeling drowned by it, and you want to see how you can go further than your high interest savings account.
I've found in my search of personal finance resources specifically geared towards young people that they tend to either focus on the very beginning where you're putting together a budget, working on paying off debt, with a cursory mention of opening your 401k at the end. Or they're on the other end of the spectrum assuming you know all about investment accounts and all the specific terms, and why you should be investing. This fits almost perfectly in the middle and I'm glad I read it.
I enjoyed Lowry's conversational tone throughout and felt that it made the book an easy read. One nitpicky thing is that Erin never explains "points". I have since googled and learned that points are literally dollars (1 point is $1), but there is a whole glossary in the front where that definition would have fit perfectly. Honestly that term was one of the most intimidating for me personally as it's something that's used so ubiquitously and is one of the first things you hear when people talk about the stock market. I know it's simple but this is a book about demystifying things and I would've appreciated it. Especially as Erin herself says things like the "dow went up 10,000 points" in the book. I know I just spent a paragraph of this review talking about one word, but it bothered me!
Overall I do recommend it, especially if you've had issues with other personal finance books going over your head.
This was almost exactly what I wanted, a true beginners guide to investing and ideas on how to get started. I do feel like there's a gap in the personal finance sphere for people who are in "the middle". You already have grasp on a budget, you're either not in debt or regularly paying it off/not feeling drowned by it, and you want to see how you can go further than your high interest savings account.
I've found in my search of personal finance resources specifically geared towards young people that they tend to either focus on the very beginning where you're putting together a budget, working on paying off debt, with a cursory mention of opening your 401k at the end. Or they're on the other end of the spectrum assuming you know all about investment accounts and all the specific terms, and why you should be investing. This fits almost perfectly in the middle and I'm glad I read it.
I enjoyed Lowry's conversational tone throughout and felt that it made the book an easy read. One nitpicky thing is that Erin never explains "points". I have since googled and learned that points are literally dollars (1 point is $1), but there is a whole glossary in the front where that definition would have fit perfectly. Honestly that term was one of the most intimidating for me personally as it's something that's used so ubiquitously and is one of the first things you hear when people talk about the stock market. I know it's simple but this is a book about demystifying things and I would've appreciated it. Especially as Erin herself says things like the "dow went up 10,000 points" in the book. I know I just spent a paragraph of this review talking about one word, but it bothered me!
Overall I do recommend it, especially if you've had issues with other personal finance books going over your head.
June 7, 2019
I was torn between 4 and 5 stars for this one. On the one hand, there is great advice in here and millenials really need to be doing more to take control of our financial lives. On the other hand, the author has had significant advantages, which she acknowledges, that many of us never get. It's hard to take advice from someone who didn't really just figure it out and do it all on her own, which is what many of us will be forced to do. The author's parents, for example, are well-versed in the stock market, presently millionaires, and were able to give her the guidance and support to get started, including the encouragement of entrepreneurial and thrifty habits. As she puts it, she probably did take more risk knowing she had a safety net in her family.
Stressing that you need to have your financial safety mask on before you get started (months of income set aside), for example, seems a bit absurd and prohibitive - and disjointed from the experience of many lower class Americans.
That said, I hope this helps some of us who are getting started and are without parents who have financial knowledge to share, or who can give us cars, or subsidize our student debt, or whatever. Congrats if you do, but you can't possibly relate to those who are struggling to make our way financially without that. Many of us have NO help or safety net, and I hope that we write our own books after we learn from our own investment experiences, which will be decidedly different from what is described in this book.
TLDR: this book contains great advice for middle-class millennials, not broke ones.
Stressing that you need to have your financial safety mask on before you get started (months of income set aside), for example, seems a bit absurd and prohibitive - and disjointed from the experience of many lower class Americans.
That said, I hope this helps some of us who are getting started and are without parents who have financial knowledge to share, or who can give us cars, or subsidize our student debt, or whatever. Congrats if you do, but you can't possibly relate to those who are struggling to make our way financially without that. Many of us have NO help or safety net, and I hope that we write our own books after we learn from our own investment experiences, which will be decidedly different from what is described in this book.
TLDR: this book contains great advice for middle-class millennials, not broke ones.
November 8, 2021
Save yourself and just go to investopedia.
August 21, 2019
OK, so this book showed me that I understand more than I gave myself credit for. Still, this is chalk full of great resources and fills in the gaps that many other beginner investor books are missing.
October 30, 2019
Listened to this while feeding the baby at odd hours - good summary/orientation to investing, though the author often quotes from other people rather than discuss her own experience or expertise. Not earth shattering - reads like a series of introductory articles online.
April 4, 2024
Finance Book Club! This was an interesting book with some great information on investing and retirement savings. I learned some of this information through a personal finance course last year, but this book expanded on it and gives a lot of great resources for getting started with investing.
June 16, 2020
Not entirely bad but it is badly written. The simplest concepts are presented very poorly. I don’t think the author actually knows what is going on and she is definitely not lit yet.
April 3, 2022
I love that she made it so you can reference separate chapters if you already are in the know about certain topics. If you are a beginner to investing, this is a great book to pick up!
December 15, 2020
Елементарни първи стъпки в инвестирането за хора, които не разбира от това и никога не са инвестирали. Изцяло ориентирана към американците и възможностите за инвестиране там.
October 31, 2021
I picked this book up after listening to a good podcast interview with the author on "Bad With Money". It's conversational and easy to read, and organized in such a way that you can easily skip around and read only the parts you need. I just learned form this book that there is such a thing as a SEP IRA, an IRA account specifically designed for self-employed people. Useful!
June 28, 2021
I have to confess I grabbed this book along with a couple of other recommended books on investing and kinda read them in the wrong order (Read the more technical stuff first)
Broke Millenial is an excellent introduction to investing, really covering the basics with clear and concise language with just enough humour to make it easy read.
Not as a criticisim - but not really needed if you've got some education or already deeped dived into the topic, but definintely highly recommended if you're feeling lost or just starting out. Perhaps what I liked best is that being a millenial the perspective was slightly different than usual investment books which discuss putting my "tens of thousands" away as a modest investment...
Broke Millenial is an excellent introduction to investing, really covering the basics with clear and concise language with just enough humour to make it easy read.
Not as a criticisim - but not really needed if you've got some education or already deeped dived into the topic, but definintely highly recommended if you're feeling lost or just starting out. Perhaps what I liked best is that being a millenial the perspective was slightly different than usual investment books which discuss putting my "tens of thousands" away as a modest investment...
December 17, 2020
I really enjoyed this. Erin Lowrys first book really helped me change my outlook on money and get my budget in top gear. This book gave me the little nudge I needed in the direction towards investing. The thought of investing used to make me really uncomfortable and anxious but this book definitely gave me more confidence.
Definitely recommend this for anyone who is interested in investing and wants to know the basics.
Definitely recommend this for anyone who is interested in investing and wants to know the basics.
May 31, 2025
“Investments are the sexiest part of personal finance, but its just one piece.”
Although I am not a millennial investor, this book was incredibly insightful. Young people must break away from the notion that investing is only for intelligent, rich, old/middle aged people.
Investing is for young people. We benfit from compound interest and time in the market—I liked how this book emphasized that. So many other important aspects of personal finance as well.
Although I am not a millennial investor, this book was incredibly insightful. Young people must break away from the notion that investing is only for intelligent, rich, old/middle aged people.
Investing is for young people. We benfit from compound interest and time in the market—I liked how this book emphasized that. So many other important aspects of personal finance as well.
December 4, 2022
Good book, very informative. But I cannot relate to the author
October 6, 2020
Very much enjoyed this beginners look into investing as a young person. This was a bit academic at times but a very approachable read. Very much written for the American money system though.
July 25, 2022
A helpful intro to investing. A very easy read.
Investing seems to be simple—regularly put money in the market, diversify, and don't freak out.
Investing seems to be simple—regularly put money in the market, diversify, and don't freak out.
January 30, 2020
This is a great book for anyone interested in investing. Lowry does a great job breaking down seemingly scary concepts in a way that’s easy to read and easy to get excited about. I’ll admit although I enjoyed the book, I’m still overwhelmed by the idea of starting to invest, but I think having this book to go back to when I’m ready will be a huge help.
I wish I read her first book first (duh), but I’m excited to go back to that one soon to help me get my “financial oxygen mask” sorted out!
The only thing about the book that was super off-putting to me was her intro to chapter 14. Throughout the book she does a great job of acknowledging that people reading this book will be at many different stages of life and financial stability. Then at the end she starts talking about her goal to make a million dollars before her dad. It felt really tone deaf to someone who is worried about paying student loans off for now. It really was just odd to me, but beyond that, I really loved this book!!
I wish I read her first book first (duh), but I’m excited to go back to that one soon to help me get my “financial oxygen mask” sorted out!
The only thing about the book that was super off-putting to me was her intro to chapter 14. Throughout the book she does a great job of acknowledging that people reading this book will be at many different stages of life and financial stability. Then at the end she starts talking about her goal to make a million dollars before her dad. It felt really tone deaf to someone who is worried about paying student loans off for now. It really was just odd to me, but beyond that, I really loved this book!!
July 16, 2021
This is a good introduction (or refresh). If you're a college educated, older (geriatric?) millennial you probably already know a fair amount of this but the reminders are still helpful and I definitely learned a thing or two. Very accessible introductory level text that doesn't make you feel dumb if you have some questions about the basics. My only gripe is that while Lowry pays lip service to her own privilege she definitely underestimates it, if you can overlook that you'll probably enjoy the book.
November 21, 2022
I don't know if I really "read" this book. More like skimmed through. It had some useful information but I think there are better books for beginners out there.
September 24, 2022
Loved this book! As someone who wants to get into investing it is perfect for beginners. I love how Erin is very transparent about investing. It comes with highs and lows, ups and downs, the process ultimately requires patience. I also love the fact that she acknowledges the fact that she is not a financial expert and therefore leans on the wisdom of gurus in the investing world. Great read for anyone looking to get stated in investing but doesn’t know where to begin.
October 6, 2022
Okay..this book was awesome. Granted - before reading this I knew next to nothing about investing. But now I feel much more confident in when/how to invest, which feels great! I highly recommend this as a beginner’s guide to investing because she gives lots of definitions, explains what options there are, and how to know what is best for your situation. It was also a very easy read, which is crazy to say about a money book!
April 5, 2023
3.5 recommended for those who want to take the first step into investing. I really like how Lowry goes through whether you should be investing at the start of the book and the steps to take before even starting a retirement fund, investing short-term, and whether you should put your money in the stock market or pay down debt. Great and easy read!
March 29, 2023
I read this book few years back and picked it up again. The second time I skimmed through the book and read only the parts I wanted to. Still a good beginners book in this topic which doesn’t confuse the reader with jargon
May 27, 2024
A lot of this book is just one-sided interviews done with people offering products (such as apps)?? I know there was a disclaimer at the beginning, and the author said she wasn’t sponsored by the products she was describing, but it doesn’t make for a great read
February 3, 2022
Really informative! I learned a lot :)
March 26, 2022
Good info for a beginner!
June 7, 2022
This was a good one, even if you think you already have all your ducks in a row. Listened to the audiobook.
May 18, 2024
Very good and simple advice for anyone wanting to invest.
February 2, 2021
I wish I had read this book (and Broke Millennial) about ten years ago. I feel kind of angry that personal finance was not taught in high school. Lots of people in my life (mostly men...) know all of these fancy finance terms that I never learned. When I ask for a definition, they can't provide one that doesn't refer to at least four other words I've never heard of. And I'm a smart person! I'm not sure where/when I was supposed to magically pick up this arcane knowledge, but Erin Lowry has really helped me out. I have a better understanding of how/why I should be investing in order to save for retirement and I feel motivated to get my shit together. Most importantly, now I, too, can spout finance jargon!
What this book is: a step-by-step guide (with checklists!) on why/how/when to invest, taking into considerations factors such as your current debt load. It repeated a lot of information from Broke Millennial (honestly, I needed it!) but provided a lot of new information as well.
What this book is not: a reflection on privilege, generational wealth, how messed up our capitalistic system is, etc. There was a chapter on socially-responsible investing that I appreciated, but I will want to investigate further.
Side note: It was a weird week to learn about investing. For future readers of this review, think Reddit Gamestop bubble.
What this book is: a step-by-step guide (with checklists!) on why/how/when to invest, taking into considerations factors such as your current debt load. It repeated a lot of information from Broke Millennial (honestly, I needed it!) but provided a lot of new information as well.
What this book is not: a reflection on privilege, generational wealth, how messed up our capitalistic system is, etc. There was a chapter on socially-responsible investing that I appreciated, but I will want to investigate further.
Side note: It was a weird week to learn about investing. For future readers of this review, think Reddit Gamestop bubble.
January 2, 2021
This book was exactly what I was looking for as a beginner struggling to understand investing conversations my dad has been trying to have with me. I chose this book because it is written by a millennial female voice, and I walked away understanding a lot more than when I started. The author takes time to go through the definitions/names to know and that was nice to be able to reference through the book as well. Each chapter focuses on a different category (401K, Debt, Apps, Robo Advisors, How to Sell) so you could skip a section if you felt it wouldn’t apply to you, but there were takeaways in each chapter. Perfect book if you’re sick of having your boyfriend or dad attempt to explain investing to you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 281 reviews