Whether you’re looking for personal investment tips, advice on running your business, or trying to understand the current global financial situation, these readable books on economic issues will help make an often confusing subject more clear:

On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System by Hank Paulson
You can’t get closer to the 2008 financial crisis than this account by former Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson. This no-holds-barred book lays bare the panic and desperation of the Fed in the face of a potential meltdown of our entire financial system.

Security Analysis by Benjamin Graham and David Dodd
This 1934 classic originated the concept of value investing, which is employed with great success by investors like Warren Buffet. Both the updated and original 1934 editions are available and offer advice that still applies today.

The Alchemy of Finance by George Soros
The Alchemy of Finance is a fascinating look into the thought processes of one of the most successful investors of our time. Soros’s unique investment strategies stand to change the face of finance as we know it.

This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly by Kenneth S. Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart
This very readable book finds the commonalities across centuries of financial crises, including the 2008 crash.

My Years with General Motors by Alfred P. Sloan
Bill Gates's favorite book on business, this 1963 tome offers insight into business management and what makes a successful business, directly from the manager who helped make General Motors great.