How to emerge from lockdown a better investor

This time of year is normally the season for social media and headlines to be filled with New Year resolutions, with Dry January, Veganuary, get fit YouTube videos and clean living trends dominating proceedings post-Christmas.

However, this year – for obvious reasons – the improve yourself trends have been more subdued. With the UK back in a third lockdown, and cold and wintry weather to contend with this time, the appetite for jumping on the New Year ‘get fit’ bandwagon is currently not very high. Gyms are off-bounds and motivation has, like the temperature, plummeted for many people.

Nevertheless, according to property development and investment firm SevenCapital, there are goals that we can work towards now without having to move a muscle: namely financial and investment goals.

It says, whether you’re a seasoned property investor or completely new to the game, there are always lessons to be learned and lockdown presents everyone with an ideal time to do some serious reading.

The company, which has a number of developments in London’s commuter belt, as well as in Birmingham, has set out a list of its top seven investment books to suit investors at all levels, to provide existing and would-be investors with some much-needed motivation and inspiration.

So, if you want some relief from following events in the pandemic and the cold and miserable weather outside, or if you just want to gee yourself up for the year ahead, read on.

Best for basics: ‘The Book on Rental Property Investing’ - Brandon Turner

If you’re new to buy-to-let or you just need to brush up your strategy a little, this is the book for you. From someone who’s been there, done it all and formed an empire already, there are a lot of valuable lessons to take away from this book: learn all the tricks and tips to succeed along with the biggest mistakes made by investors and how to avoid them.

Best overview: ‘The Complete Guide to Property Investment: How to Survive and Thrive in the New World of Buy-to-Let’ - Rob Dix

Currently the #1 bestseller in ‘Property and Real Estate Financing’ books on Amazon (UK), this book is perfect for those looking for a comprehensive overview of property investment including how to formulate your strategy, how to research, how to finance your investments and how to level up and build a long-term, profitable portfolio.

Best for wealth creation: ‘The Millionaire Real Estate Investor’ - Gary Keller

Let’s be honest, we’d all like to have a few million in the bank (or investments at least), and who better to learn how to start taking steps towards that goal than someone who’s already done it. Along with learning proven strategies and models, this book is about busting investing myths and developing the mindset of a millionaire investor.

Best overall for any investment: ‘The Intelligent Investor’ - Benjamin Graham

Written in 1949, this book remains a staple in the library of some of the world’s most successful investors, notably Warren Buffett, who described it as “by far the best book on investing ever written” – that’s enough recommendation for us.

Not specific to property investment, this book covers the fundamentals and principles of investing in general and covers how to create a long-term successful strategy.

Best on money: “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” - Robert T. Kiyosaki

23 years on since first being published, this book remains one of the best books around on personal finance and draws on the differing attitudes to money held by the rich compared to the middle class and poor. Importantly, the key focus in this book is less about how hard you have to work and more about how to make your money work harder for you.

Best for accidental landlords: ‘How To Be A Landlord’ – Rob Dix

A simple guide to all the basics of being a landlord, from preparing your property, finding a tenant and sorting the paperwork through to managing the property and dealing with sticky or unexpected situations.

This book is perfect for beginners and is a great place to start.

Best for inspiration: “Property Magic: How to Buy Property Using Other People’s Time, Money and Experience” - Simon Zutshi

The headline alone is inspiration enough to make most of us want to read it, which is a pretty good start already. Written by one of the UK’s top investment speakers, who became financially independent by the age of 32, this book is packed full of equally inspiring case studies and introduces a more-ethical-than-the-title-sounds approach to property investment. Readers should finish this book full of self-belief in what they can achieve through property investment.

Thanks for the recommendations, SevenCapital. Plenty of lockdown reading for our readers to get their teeth into there!