The 9 best books for learning how to get out of debt, according to financial educators and experts

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• People in debt can experience a variety of emotions, including shame, guilt, and stress.
• Learning about your mindset around money can help you get out of debt.
• We spoke to financial experts about the best books for understanding debt and managing your money.

Spending more than you make is easy to do, especially if you're not keeping track of every expenditure or have unexpected expenses. It's also a very common problem: According to a 2021 CNBC study, the average American is $90,400 in debt, which can come from student loans, mortgages, or credit cards. And yet, money management is something that's rarely (if ever) taught in school. 

Books can be a great, affordable resource for learning how financial systems work and providing actionable steps to start saving money.

Reading financial books "made me far more comfortable than in a classroom setting," says Markia Brown, a certified financial education instructor who shares her teachings through Money Plug. "It allowed me to make my finance journal personal, which allowed me to be more transparent and open in my process." 

Plus, books — which sometimes feature personal stories from authors — can help readers feel less alone or self-critical. "Money is emotional, and when we look at past spending — it's a story of our lives, our values, and our mistakes," explains Andrea Ferrero, a financial coach and the co-founder and executive director of Pockets Change, a financial education platform. As a result, "debt often feels like a horror story; it brings up guilt, shame, self-recrimination, and stress." Books remind us that even the most financially stable people could have been in debt at some point in their lives.

Tackling debt isn't easy, which is why it can help to read a few different books to get a fuller picture. "When we learn about the different types of debt and the financial systems behind them, then we can take action to handle debt in a way that works for our lives and goals," says Ferrero. 

To help, we rounded up the best books about paying off debt, from beginner's money-saving guides to in-depth looks at how to build wealth.

The best all-around guide to navigating debt

"Surviving Debt: Expert Advice for Getting Out of Financial Trouble" by the National Consumer Law Center

For anyone who isn't sure where to start on their debt-payoff journey, this book provides the tools you'll need to get started. "This book helps prioritize debts and includes chapters specific to the different types of debt — consumer credit cards, personal loans, medical, student loans, mortgages, and so on," explains Ferrero. "Think of this as a treasured textbook: It is not light couch reading, but it'll have your back as you scan sections and find what's most relevant to you in the current moment."

The best book for building new, sustainable habits

"Get Good With Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole" by Tiffany Aliche

"Get Good With Money" is based on a 10-step process that the author created to help herself get out of debt and create financial security. "This book helped me because it was so much more than someone telling me that what I had been doing previously was wrong," says Brown. "Her 10-step plan helped me get comfortable with money, which is key to understanding it."

The best illustrated book for understanding debt

"Finance for the People: Getting a Grip on Your Finances" by Paco De Leon

"Finance for the People" combines breaking down ideas, beliefs, and mindsets around money and their money dynamics. "This amazing read provides a practical guide to stepping into your personal power while navigating financial systems," says Ferrero. "It will give you tips, tools, and illustrations to take control of your finances."

The best book for paying off small debts first

"The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness" by Dave Ramsey

"The book is interesting in that it doesn't actually give the 'theoretically ideal' financial advice  — pay off the debt with the highest interest rate first — and instead takes a more behavioral approach where you pay off the smallest debt first," says Cameron Ellis, a professor of finance at the University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business. "The idea is that seeing that debt go to zero gives you the motivation to keep paying off other debts which 'snowballs' and gives you the motivation to pay it all off."

The best book for reframing your idea of wealth

"Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away" by Julien and Kiersten Saunders

Defined as a roadmap to gaining financial freedom, this book shares Julien and Kiersten Saunders' personal experiences of getting out of $200,000 of debt, along with ways to talk about money and strategies to get your finances in order. 

"This book helped me redefine what wealth looks like," says Brown. "It gave me the strength to walk away from toxic corporate culture and build generational wealth for my children on my own terms."

The best book for prioritizing saving

"The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy" by Thomas Stanley and William Danko

"These two researchers collected a ton of data on millionaires in the US and, counter to intuition, the list is not full of doctors and lawyers living in fancy neighborhoods," says Ellis. "Instead, millionaires are much more likely to be people, especially small business owners, who are really good at controlling their own spending." He explains that the warnings in this book resonated with him, especially the idea that salary increases can equate to people increasing their spending: "This can cause people with very high incomes to still live essentially paycheck-to-paycheck."

The best book for radically changing your money mindset

"Financially Irresponsible" by Rahkim Sabree

Rather than focusing on building wealth, "Financially Irresponsible" zeroes in on common attitudes, beliefs, and mindsets around money. "This book forced me to not only take a close look at the why behind my poor money decisions," explains Brown, but it also "forced me to take ownership of the decisions and change the mindset that caused me to make them."

The best book for understanding inequalities in the US financial system

"How Can We Win: Race, History, and Changing the Money Game That's Rigged" by Kimberly Jones

This book "exposed the economic and social injustices Black and other marginalized communities have to face every day," shares Brown "and gave me a far better understanding of what it means to be Black and have money in America." It offers advice to individuals as well as what we can collectively do to make the system fairer.

The best self-help book to complement financial guides

"Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself" by Nedra Glover Tawwab

This book isn't specifically focused on finance, but on understanding and creating boundaries in our lives. "Our trauma informs our tendencies when it comes to money," says Ferrero. "If we want to manage our finances in a better way, we need to take time to reflect on our values and hold boundaries that support our mental, social, and financial well-being."

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