Barry Ritholtz
Co-founder, chairman and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management; host of the Masters in Business podcast and author of How NOT to Invest.
A Fabulous Debt: The Epic Story of How Bonds Built the Modern World by Robin Wigglesworth
I have the Wigglesworth and Moore books on my desk, queued up for my hammock reading
on ritholtz.com · 16 Jul 2026
How to Get Rich in American History by Joseph Moore
I have the Wigglesworth and Moore books on my desk, queued up for my hammock reading
on ritholtz.com · 16 Jul 2026
How NOT to Invest by Barry Ritholtz
The TL:dr summary of the key points might whet your appetite for all of the fun stories and anecdotes in the book. Enjoy!
on ritholtz.com · 6 May 2026
Americana: A 400-Year History of American Capitalism by Bhu Srinivasan
Americana traces the history of American-style Capitalism, reminding us the political economy is far more complex than the simple labels we tend to use. Reality is far messier, filled with externalities, complications and comprises then is predicted by academic theories.
on ritholtz.com · 8 Jan 2021
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
An utterly fascinating joyride, every page filled with delightful details.
on ritholtz.com · 8 Jan 2021
Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life by Michael Lewis
His tales of Coach Fitz, what leadership truly is, and how the world has changed makes for a wonderful read. Oh, and its Michael Lewis.
on ritholtz.com · 8 Jan 2021
Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
It reveals a depth to the show that makes it even stronger than previously believed.
on ritholtz.com · 8 Jan 2021
How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler by Ryan North
These were the best books I read in 2020 (including who recommended each). Every one was a pleasure. Enjoy!
on ritholtz.com · 8 Jan 2021
Loonshots by Safi Bahcall
Loonshots identifies the small shifts in structure that control transitions between states in organizations. Don’t let that description put you off of it, its quite fascinating.
on ritholtz.com · 8 Jan 2021
Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi
It is rare that a sports book captures my attention, rarer still when a sports autobiography does. But “Open” delivers a compelling life story superbly told by an athlete. Desire, motivation, and competitive drive him to the the highest levels of professional tennis, but he loses his interest, and was so often unhappy, confused and unfulfilled by his achievements. As an autobiography, it is bluntly honest, sometimes painful, but most of all a fascinating compelling read.
on ritholtz.com · 8 Jan 2021
Plays With Cars by Doug DeMuro
He was game, and as part of my prep, I read this amusing short collection of his writings. They were fun and funny and informative — everything you could want in a collection about cars.
on ritholtz.com · 8 Jan 2021
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat
This was my holiday gift this year to a few friends who I know love to cook.
on ritholtz.com · 8 Jan 2021
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
It is everything you would expect from Housel: Interesting, informative, filled with investing lessons, but without the typical scolding.
on ritholtz.com · 8 Jan 2021
Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life by Rory Sutherland
Rory Sutherland, Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life: Rory Sutherland is the Vice Chairman of advertising giant Ogilvy; he describes his “attractively vague job title” as allowing him the freedom to create a behavioral science practice within the ad agency. This looks intriguing.
on ritholtz.com · 28 May 2019
Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Bradley Hope and Tom Wright
Bradley Hope and Tom Wright, Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World: Is financial fraud becoming its own sub-genre? This reporting into yet another fraud reminds me of The Spider Network or Bad Blood. What distinguishes this one is the size: it involved billions of dollars.
on ritholtz.com · 28 May 2019
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter
Douglas R. Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid: A masterwork from 1979 that focuses on how cognition can emerge via a variety of hidden neurological mechanisms. I always regretted blazing through GEB in college for a class. This is the summer when I finally get to reread it slowly and carefully.
on ritholtz.com · 28 May 2019
Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries by Safi Bahcall
Safi Bahcall, Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries: How does group behavior and the science of phase transitions manifest itself? The author, a physicist and entrepreneur, tries to show why some wild new ideas become game changers. I was skeptical, but when someone like Danny Kahneman claims “This book has everything: new ideas, bold insights, entertaining history and convincing analysis. Not to be missed by anyone who wants to understand how ideas change the world,” I pay attention.
on ritholtz.com · 28 May 2019
Rockonomics: A Backstage Tour of What the Music Industry Can Teach Us about Economics and Life by Alan B. Krueger
Alan B. Krueger, Rockonomics: A Backstage Tour of What the Music Industry Can Teach Us about Economics and Life: From the economist who revealed the secrets of the minimum wage comes this look at the economics of the music industry. Its disruptions by technology to economics of songwriting and concert tours, the music industry offers important financial lessons. Kreuger, an economic rock star himself (he was former chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers) left us far too soon.
on ritholtz.com · 28 May 2019
The Algebra of Happiness: Notes on the Pursuit of Success, Love, and Meaning by Scott Galloway
Scott Galloway, The Algebra of Happiness: Notes on the Pursuit of Success, Love, and Meaning: Galloway should be familiar to readers as both the brand strategy professor at NYU Stern School of Business, a regular guest on Masters in Business, and as the author of The Four. He usually writes about technology and business, but concern with his students’ life issues led to this 10 minute YouTube video that garnered nearly 2 million views. That became this lovely short book which is likely to be a graduation and holiday gift for years to come.
on ritholtz.com · 28 May 2019
The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West by David McCullough
David McCullough, The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West: Ever since I read The Wright Brothers” (on an earlier summer reading list of ours — and it was fantastic) I have been a fan of the Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David McCullough writes about. This tale of how the American Northwest Territory was settled looks intriguing.
on ritholtz.com · 28 May 2019
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
Peter Frankopan, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World: The trade routes which connected the East and the West also led to the spread of ideas, cultures and religions. In the midst of our budding trade war, perhaps some history on trade between China and the world might shed some light on current affairs.
on ritholtz.com · 28 May 2019
The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow's World by Charles C. Mann
Charles C. Mann, The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow’s World: When it comes to climate change, there are many possible futures. At one end, things get irreversibly worse; at the opposite end, technology “solves” climate change just like any engineering problem. This book looks at that intellectual clash between environmentalists on the one side and the techno-optimists on the other by telling the history of two little-known twentieth-century scientists.
on ritholtz.com · 28 May 2019
Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg and Alan Eagle
Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg and Alan Eagle, Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell: I understood Bill Campbell was a behind-the-scenes guy in Silicon Valley, but I had no idea just how influential he was. Bill Gurley of Benchmark noted “I would argue that Bill has had a bigger impact on Silicon Valley than any other single person simply because his reach was so amazingly wide.” That’s a story I want to read.
on ritholtz.com · 28 May 2019
Everything Barry Ritholtz recommends — not just books — on rcmnd →