Unfortunately, while we live in a world driven by capitalism, the foundation of our education system has very little to do with actually teaching prosperity, wealth and investing.

That's why so many people who were successful during the prime years of their lives end up having to work longer and longer these days…and retire to an itty bitty amount of what they should have in their bank accounts.

Which means, it's imperative you and I must become serious students of money and investing ourselves. And in this day and age, we're fortunate that the resources we need ARE readily available.

(By the way, long before I had sold millions online, I was a student of money and wealth. So if you're just starting out – it's even more import to learn these NOW – so the instant the money starts pouring in…you know exactly how to maximize it.)

This month, I'm highlighting two books which help you keep your profits in your pocket, along with making it truly work for you while you sleep.

No matter if you are a mega-successful business owner, a 9am-5pm worker or a budding entrepreneur – these are wonderful books to learn from and share with others (I recommend them and buy them for family and friends myself)…

"The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need" – by Andrew Tobias. While his title is a little stretch, the fact is this book is a marvelous eye-opener for every single wealth-building avenue that exists today.

Because Tobias has written for The New York Times, Parade, Money, Esquire and more – he tackles a typically dry subject with a great sense of humor…which makes for a very entertaining and understandable read. (And he updates this book every few years – so you'll find all the latest options and sites referenced.)

"Stay mad for Life: Get Rich, Stay Rich (Make Your Kids Even Richer)" by Jim Cramer. If you've ever been screamed out on the TV by Cramer, don't worry – a lot of that is a 'character' he created for his TV show.

When you get him in another setting — like this book, or someone else's talk show — you see another side of him that genuinely wants all of us to live prosperously.

While Andrew's book covers virtually every investment vehicle, along with tips for which to use and which to avoid, Jim's focuses very heavily on retirement accounts and of course his philosophies about money.

Like Andrew's book, Jim's is full of strong opinions and specific action steps – and it's a quick read. It's important to note neither book requires you become a full-time investment expert. Instead, they give you new ways of thinking about money and better ways to invest so it's working hard for you in a very passive way.

Both resources will open your eyes to the money management knowledge you simply must master, so all the hard work you put in today will truly pay off for you — and your family! — in 30, 40, 50 years when you're ready to kick back and relax for good.

Talk to you soon,

Chris 🙂

P.S. – What are your favorite must-read financial books? Click "COMMENTS" and share them, along with your thoughts on this post!

P.P.S. — Happy Mother's Day to all Moms out there! And a special shout-out to my awesome, best-in-the-world Mom – I love you!

If you guys want to do something special for your moms, I'd recommend making a donation to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. Check it out at www.komen.org. (Long-time subscribers and customers will remember my Mom going through surgeries and treatment for her breast cancer years ago.)

P.P.P.S. — My good friend and smart marketer, Andrew Lock, recently launched his totally free weekly web TV show called "Help! My Business Sucks!". He recently spoke with me at Yanik Silver's Underground Online Marketing Seminar and was definitely one of the crowd favorites. Not only is Andrew a video expert, but he loves sharing little time-saving tools and sites. A man after my own heart. 🙂

If you want to pick up a few new ideas for your biz (or a few good refreshers) — and you want a dose of sharp British wit — I recommend you hop over to HelpMyBusiness.com and watch his latest episode.

This month’s book of the month, Words that Sell by Richard Bayan, is a GREAT desk reference to use when writing copy for your mini-sites, emails, postcards and more.

Basically, it’s a marketer’s thesaurus to help you sell more of your products, services and to help the killer ideas flow.

Instead of writing boring copy, this inexpensive paperback helps you jazz up your communication with powerful, emotional words that resonate more strongly with your audience.

If you need quick inspiration, or need another way to say “easy” or “popular” or “money-making” or one of the other 73 words and phrases in this book, you’re all set. Just flip to that page and you’ll find a large list of alternatives, complete with cross-references to related adjectives and phrases.

Not only is it a great sales thesaurus, but he includes lists of guarantees, ways to justify your prices, phrases to avoid and much more. Not bad for $11.53, eh?

Even though I don’t need to use a swipe file like this all the time, but it’s still one of the few copywriting resources that are within armsreach of my keyboard.

And if you’re serious about leveraging the powerful of copy in your business (and you better be if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time)…then this is an invaluable book to own. Grab a copy over at Amazon.com (through my cleverly disguised affiliate link that earns me a whopping fifteen cents. Heck, if enough people buy it…I could afford a beer!) 😉

Seriously though…grab the book.  And be sure to post your comments below if you own it already.