Nerd out with us — what we’re reading & watching

Bulls, bears, stocks, bonds… The blaring business news headlines are hard to miss, but did you know that just 61% of Americans actually own stock? This number is even lower for people of color. Financial literacy and good money habits are key to building wealth, which can help close economic gaps. We hope this list and our weekly newsletter provide you with a place to start. We’ve also added a few titles about the big-picture thinking shaping the sustainability conversation today. Don’t forget to pass it along to any friends you think would benefit. Happy learning!

Books

Personal Finance and Investing Basics

​​Broke Millennial Takes On Investing by Erin Lowry — Nearly a decade ago, Lowry started a blog chronicling her personal finance journey. Since then she’s published three self-help books on the subject. The second in her “Broke Millennial” series answers all the investing questions you may have been afraid to ask and more.

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham — One of the most influential books on investing, it introduces beginners to the fundamental rules for long-term success in the stock market. Graham taught at Columbia Business School, where one of his students and mentees was none other than billionaire Warren Buffett.

The Memo: Five Rules for Your Economic Liberation by John Hope Bryant — Pick up a copy of this book if you’re looking for inspiration and a simple plan to start taking control of your finances. Bryant is a FWIW Advisory Board member.

A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel — Over 1.5 million copies have been sold of this investing classic, which has been updated to include the author’s recommendations on topics like cryptocurrencies.

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel — Through some fantastic storytelling, Housel delves into how our approach to money and the way we think about it can shape our finances. The author is a partner at Collaborative Fund and a former columnist at The Motley Fool and The Wall Street Journal

Get Good with Money by Tiffany Aliche — A former preschool teacher, Aliche drew on her own experiences and the advice of experts to create a 10-step plan that will set you on the path to being financially secure and whole. She is the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Money Magazine solo and was featured in the Netflix doc “Get Smart With Money.”

Just Keep Buying by Nick Maggiulli — After gaining popularity online with his intensely readable blog, data scientist Maggiulli published a book on personal finance strategies that are backed by hard numbers and may surprise you.

Socially Responsible Investing

Activate Your Money: Invest to Grow Your Wealth and Build a Better World by Janine Firpo — Geared towards women, this book offers practical and actionable advice for aligning different asset classes with your values. The official website serves as a companion to the book with more resources, training opportunities, and updates.

GIVE: How to Manage Your Money and Make a Difference by Rebecca Orlowitz David — A guide to investing for a better world that has received praise from the CEOs of two of our favorite non-profits in this space, As You Sow and JUST Capital. The author is a veteran of several impact investment advisory firms and a board member for UNICEF.

Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth —The Oxford University economist introduced the world to a revolutionary new model of sustainable development with this 2017 book. Doughnut economics presents a different way of thinking about economic growth to the GDP-obsessed one we’re used to.

Net Positive by Andrew Winston and Paul Polman — The authors, a former Unilever CEO and a sustainability advisor, describe practical ways companies can give more to the world than they take. Longlisted for the FT Best Business Books award in 2021, it’s a relevant contribution as the stakeholder capitalism approach gains ground.

The Alignment Problem by Brian Christian — As we put more and more into the hands of artificial intelligence (AI), can we trust the technology to do what we want or expect? The author discusses the ethical and existential risks and takes the reader behind the scenes to look at efforts to find solutions before it’s too late.

Green Giants by E. Freya Williams — The author explains how being socially responsible helped nine companies, including Chipotle, Toyota, and Tesla, succeed. She is the CEO of Futerra, a sustainable development agency that has partnered with organizations like the Rainforest Alliance and Google.

Pricing the Priceless by Paula Diperna — How should we value our planet’s natural assets? That’s the question probed in this new book that talks about new financial instruments, changing investing attitudes, and the challenge of measuring impact.

Podcasts

Planet Money - Breaking down what’s going on in the economy at the moment and how it affects you. Bonus: Listener questions.

Marketplace - The venerable Kai Ryssdal and team dive into the latest business and economic news, bringing listeners context, expert insights and on-the-ground reporting.

MSCI’s ESG Now - Tune in weekly for analysis on all the biggest news in sustainable business practices and investing. A must-listen for the FWIW team.

ESG Insider from S&P Global Sustainable1 - A podcast from S&P that provides in-depth analysis of key environmental, social and governance issues, often with the help of interviews with leaders in these areas.

Inside the ICE House - Hear directly from company leaders and financial experts on this podcast produced by the owner and operator of the New York Stock Exchange.

HerMoney with Jean Chatzky - The award-winning personal finance journalist talks to expert guests about everything money, with a special focus on women.

Videos

Why Investing for Social Impact is Growing So Fast: A Bloomberg TV discussion on why the next generation of investors has a strong interest in investing in line with their values.

Adding Social Issues to the Corporate Balance Sheet: FT’s animated videos continue to be great explainers of complicated issues.

Making the World Better Through Investing: A Barron’s conversation on how to drive positive social and environmental outcomes alongside market returns.

Kyla Scanlon: With over 166,000 followers on TikTok, Scanlon has gained widespread attention in mainstream media for her quick and often wry explanations about the economy and business.