etf.com's Summer Reading List: Business and Pleasure

Nothing says summer like a fresh and fun summer reading list.

With that in mind, we offer a list of the favorite summer business and pleasure reading books from across the financial services landscape.

Before you head out to the beach or the patio or wherever, check out the list that ranges from business strategy and career improvement to classic novels and fun fiction.

Enjoy.

Business Read: The Gap and The Gain: The High Achievers' Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success, by Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy, Hay House Business

The Gap and the Gain is a system for measuring progress. Its purpose is to explain why most ambitious people are unhappy and how to solve it. There are many ambitious people that have plenty of progress in their lives but they're still unhappy because they measure it wrong. Looking ahead can be worrisome and you only see the gap but if you look and reflect on the accomplishments you have made the gain, your mindset changes and you view your progress as satisfactory.

Pleasure Read: Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel, by Bonnie Garmus, Doubleday

A funny and entertaining book about a woman in the mid-60’s that ends up as a chemist at an all-male firm. Her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. She ultimately leaves to get married to one of the Nobel prize chemists and has children.

A few years later she finds herself not only a single mother, but the star of a cooking show Supper at Six. Her unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves a revolutionary entertaining show, but really is much more about how to empower your goals and be willing to take risks—challenge the status quo. 

Business Read: Family Wealth—Keeping It in the Family: How Family Members and Their Advisers Preserve Human, Intellectual, and Financial Assets for Generations, by James E. Hughes Jr., Bloomberg Press

Connecting with clients on topics that truly matter to them, specifically focusing on their passions and the key drivers of what makes them tick, is the core of this book. It offers deep insights into understanding and engaging with successful families on a personal level, ensuring their goals are met and their legacies are preserved. Whether you're an advisor or consultant, this book is a must-read for anyone dedicated to helping families achieve their aspirations and leave a lasting impact.

Pleasure Read: Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... And Others Don't, by Jim Collins, Harper Business

Becoming a Level 5 leader is a lifestyle choice, emphasizing personal and professional excellence. This book explores how you can consistently show up in your life to achieve greatness. It inspires readers with the message that greatness is attainable for everyone willing to pursue it. 

Business Read: Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build for the Future, by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters, Crown Business

This is one of the most impactful books on startup strategy and execution written by one of the best entrepreneurs of our time.

Pleasure Read: The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, Scribner’s

Classic literature that explores ex-pats in Europe in the 1920s. 

Business Read: Right Thing Right Now, by Ryan Holiday

I have read all of Ryan Holiday’s books on Stoicism and this is his latest release. The author has a great way of presenting the various philosophies of Stoicism and I am a huge believer in this philosophy as a leader in both business and in life.

Pleasure Read: Outlive, by Peter Attia

I have been fascinated by the concept of Healthspan vs. Lifespan and what we can do as humans to live longer and healthier lives. Peter Attia is doing great work in this area and so far, I am loving this book. 

Business Read: What it Takes: Lessons in Pursuit of Excellence, by Stephen Schwarzman

I'm reading it as I enjoy understanding how people build things, especially in business, and sometimes their pursuit is not the easiest or straightest path to success.

Pleasure Read: Cuba: An American History, by Ada Ferrer

I'm reading it because I am of Cuban descent, love history, and my son had professor Ferrer while he was at NYU

Business Read: How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors that Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything in Between, by Brent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner

Executives, managers and individuals will get a data-driven understanding of project success rates, how projects go poorly, what they look like when they’re going well, and what to put into place to deliver more projects on time and on budget.

Personal Read: Words Like Loaded Pistols: The Power of Rhetoric from the Iron Age to the Information Age, by Sam Leith

A cheeky and easy introduction to rhetoric, looking into some of the greatest orators of all time. This book will give you a good chuckle and a framework to understand how to better deliver those really important speeches, whether you’re at a wedding, in the boardroom, or at home. 

Business Read: Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

This book, written by two Navy SEAL team leaders, articulates the learnings of operating in a dynamic environment and how to apply them to building a high-performance culture in a company. It’s been widely recommended to me by many leaders as a great way to understand how to empower individuals with significant ownership and accountability, which I’m excited to learn about and implement at Savvy Wealth.

Pleasure Read: The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, by Barry Schwartz

I’ve been fascinated about how we go through life making choices several times a day — from what clothes to wear to where to take the next vacation — which ultimately shape how we live life. This book is great at breaking down the psychology of choices and how the abundance of choice, spurred by a dramatic rise in consumerism over the last few decades, has changed both the way that we make decisions and how happy we are making those decisions. It is a fascinating read that provided me with a lot of clarity and contentment that led me to really appreciate a lot of the small things we decide to do every day. 

Business: The Infinite Machine, by Camila Russo

Every business will soon need an Ethereum strategy, and this is a great place to start.

Pleasure: How Music Works, by David Byrne

A must read for analytically minded music lovers. 

Business: The Options Playbook, by Brian Overby, Ally Invest, 2nd edition.

With the incredible growth in options-based ETFs, this is a must read for advisors and investors looking for an intro to the world of options.

Pleasure: The Orange Code, by Bruce Philp, John Wiley & Sons Inc.

The time-rested principles of brand, culture, leadership and revolutionary disruption, as told through the story of ING Direct, has been a personal favorite. 

Business Read: The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber 

This classic book is a must-read for any entrepreneur. It dispels the myths about small businesses and provides a framework for building a successful, scalable company.

Pleasure Read: Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius, translated by Gregory Hays

Every human being on the planet needs this book, which encourages focusing on what you can control and accepting what you can't. While its benefit is universal, advisors and investors can benefit from the ancient Roman emperor's wisdom, including Stoic principles like reason and emotional control. This can be valuable for navigating the often-volatile world of finance. By staying calm and collected during market swings, advisors and investors can make more rational decisions.