With summer in full swing, it’s a perfect time to pick up a good book to enjoy. InvestmentNews has created a summer reading compilation of books suggested by top experts within the finance industry. Take a look at their fun reading suggestions and see if they interest you this summer.
Manish K. Khatta, President and chief investment officer, Potomac Fund Management
- Professional read:"Excellence Wins" (2019) by Horst Schulze
Description / Reason: This book helped shape some of my thinking for the story on customer service that I contributed to InvestmentNews back in April. - Leisure read:"Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All" (2015) by David Kelley and Tom Kelley
Description / Reason: I think this book is a must for advisers working to improve their ability to create better content.
Debra Taylor, Principal, founder and lead wealth manager, Taylor Financial Group
- Professional read:"When Breath Becomes Air” (2016) by Paul Kalanithi
Description / Reason: This book can help with client relationships and is good to share with clients. When noted neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi is given his diagnosis of Stage IV metastatic lung cancer, he is forced to see this disease, and the process of being sick, as a patient rather than a doctor. This book urges you to analyze how you live your life and is a valuable tool to help you develop and define your personal and professional purpose. - Leisure read:“Homeland Elegies” (2020) by Ayad Akhtar
Description: In Homeland Elegies, part memoir and part novel, Akhtar writes about an American-born son and his Pakistani immigrant father who also happens to be a nationally recognized doctor. The book discusses with candor the possibilities and limitations of American life.
Kevin Dorwin, CEO, B|O|S (Bingham, Osborn & Scarborough)
- Professional read:“Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know” (2020) by Ronald Bailey and Marian L. Tupy
Description / Reason: This book is helpful because it provides a positive perspective to clients in light of constant negativity in the news - Leisure read:“The Spy and the Traitor” (2018) by Ben Macintyre
Description: This book is about espionage in the Cold War.
Chaunice A. Wilks, Director of investor relations and marketing, Angeles Investments
- Professional read:“Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know” (2021) by Adam M. Grant
Description / Reason: For professional growth, this one is fascinating to me. Think Again explores the art of thinking and intellectual humility. The book includes strategies on how to take advantage of being wrong and encourages us to reevaluate some of our stale convictions with an open mind. - Leisure read:“Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women a Movement Forgot” (2020) by Mikki Kendall
Description / Reason: This is a unique take on a hot topic. The focus on diversity has been siloed, i.e., gender equality, racial equity, LGBTQ rights, etc. Hood Feminism takes a step to address intersectional issues for people who fall into more than one category. Kendall dives deep into poverty, healthcare, and education for groups that have fallen in between the cracks of social movements.
Patrick Brewer, Chief marketing officer and president, WealthSource Partners
- Professional and leisure read:“Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High” (2011) by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
Description / Reason: This is a great book for both personal and professional development. It teaches you how to ask for what you want without masking, deflecting or becoming a passenger of your own emotions.
Reegan Rae, Co-CEO, Arnerich Massena
- Professional read:“Think Again” (2021) by Adam Grant
Description / Reason: I had the pleasure of watching Adam Grant present at an advisor conference I attended several years ago. Because of my psychology background I am drawn to his views on leadership, human behaviors and relationships. I recently ordered his new book, “Think Again” and hope to find some time to crack it open soon! - Leisure read:“Untamed” (2020) by Glennon Doyle
Description / Reason: I found it to be profoundly inspirational. The book is a memoir, and tells the story of the author’s experience discovering and becoming her truest self. She spent her early life trying to live up to the world’s expectations of her — to be the “good girl” she was told was the hallmark of a virtuous life. But she came to the realization that suppressing who she was in order to fit herself into the world’s boxes was exhausting and unfulfilling. In her book, she explains the importance of listening to yourself and becoming the truest, most authentic version of yourself you can be.
I think this book speaks both to me personally, but also to where we are culturally, with this new wave of equity and inclusion happening now. I connected with it because my life and identity are currently filled with a lot of boxes and titles and expectations, from motherhood to entering my 40s to being co-CEO. It has helped remind me that the best way I can move through the world is by doing it my own way, by being my most natural self, and trusting my deepest intuition to guide me.
David Little, Wealth adviser, Keel Point
- Professional read:“Never Eat Alone” (2005) by Keith Ferrazzi
Description / Reason: I read this book when I was a rookie adviser. Cold calling was difficult for me, and this book was an excellent resource for networking and building strong and meaningful relationships. I would highly recommend it for anyone getting into our business. - Leisure read:“The Jaws Log” (1975) by Carl Gottlieb
Description / Reason: Carl Gottlieb, a screenwriter for Jaws and an actor, kept detailed notes on the production of the movie from initial casting, location scouting and its release. It is an entertaining read, providing a wonderful behind the scenes look at a classic movie that was fraught with issues.
Linda Ding, Director of strategic marketing, Laserfiche
- Professional read:“Agile Transformation: Using the Integral Agile Transformation Framework to Think and Lead Differently” (2020) by Michael Spayd and Michel Madore
Description / Reason: One of the major lessons we learned from the 2020 pandemic is that technology matters. The industries and communities that suffered the most were the ones least equipped with the digital tools and knowledge. The need for digital transformation is real, and this playbook is for leaders with a growth mindset who wish to achieve practical results fast. Both Spayd and Madore are experienced coaches on agile methodology, and the book is packed with actionable tips on adopting firmwide innovative thinking and on reaping benefits from the technology investments. - Leisure read:“HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself” (2011) by Clayton M. Christensen, Peter F. Drucker, William Oncken Jr., Donald L. Wass, Diane L Coutu, Tony Schwartz, Catherine McCarthy, Edward M. Hallowell, Stewart D. Friedman, Sumantra Ghoshal, Heike Bruch, Robert E. Quinn, Robert S. Kaplan, Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee
Description / Reason: This is a collection of inspiring essays from leading experts such as Clayton Christensen, Peter Drucker, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, and Rita Gunther McGrath. Unlike other self-help books that often advise from a third-person perspective, these leaders share many insights and ideas on maximizing yourself through intimate personal stories and life’s critical moments. It helped me develop a new way of thinking about professional success, my deepest values, and how to stay engaged and energized. When things get challenging, this book reminds me of the importance of humility and leading a life of integrity.
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