Personal finance expert and 'Financial Grownups' podcast host Bobbi Rebell shares her top personal finance books for money security and preparing for retirement

• Rebell, who has previously worked in various reporter roles, specializes in personal finance topics.
• One of her top picks is "Smart Women Finish Rich," which was written by her long-time colleague David Bach.

Before Bobbi Rebell was a personal finance expert and host of Money Tips for Financial Grownups podcast, she got her start as an intern for Maria Bartiromo, the first television journalist to deliver live reports from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

"I was always fascinated with money — but from a personal finance perspective — so I took the leap to get into financial journalism," Rebell tells Insider.

At one point Bobbi even worked as an unpaid overnight producer. She eventually went on to work for CNN and CNBC, but it was while she was a business news television anchor for Reuters that she was able to pursue her interest in personal finance.

"I found that all of the financial news coverage focused on the economy and the stock market, but I knew there was a place for personal finance," Rebell says. "I was offered the opportunity to write a personal finance column and it really resonated with readers."

It was the insight that she received through writing this column that led her to write her first book in 2016, "How to Be a Financial Grownup: Proven Advice from High Achievers on How to Live Your Dreams and Have Financial Freedom." It was the success of her book that prompted her to leave Reuters and to expand her personal finance advice into other avenues of financial education content.

"I realized that most people really needed a primer on how to get started handling money and making really big money decisions like real estate, investing, and debt management," says Rebell.

"To be honest, most people should not be trading stocks, but honing in on their personal financial goals and the best way to get there," Rebell states. "People are constantly hearing about investing and only as it pertains to stocks, sit down, read about different investment approaches and decide what works for you based on your financial situation."

Here are her four favorite personal finance books that will help you become a smarter investor.

"Smart Women Finish Rich" by David Bach

In "Smart Women Finish Rich," David Bach writes about money management and investing with the purpose of making women better investors and improving their finances. He emphasizes how important it is for women to take control of their financial futures and outlines 7 strategies that women should be using to start investing and achieve financial security.

"It really breaks down complicated financial concepts and makes them easy to understand," Rebell said about the book. "It gives you sound financial advice that you can put to use immediately to set yourself up for financial success."

"How to Money: Your Ultimate Visual Guide to the Basics of Finance" by Jean Chatzky and Kathryn Tuggle

In laying out the concept of "How to Money," Chatzky and Tuggle take the reader through what is referred to as the "cycle of money" — earning it, managing it, using it and looking to the future.

The book gives practical advice, exercises and definitions to increase the reader's knowledge around money so that the reader becomes more comfortable with managing their finances. Aimed at young people starting out, it also covers budgeting, banking, credit cards and student loans.

"I really like this book because anyone can pick it up and get started using their money better," says Rebell. "People think that taking care of their money is hard — which it isn't — but this book actually takes the reader through the steps to make it easier."

"Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole" by Tiffany Aliche

In "Get Good with Money," Tiffany Aliche (aka The Budgetnista) lays out a 10-step plan for finding a "peaceful" way to manage your money and explains the concept of building wealth through financial wholeness: an alternative to get rich quick or complicated money management systems.

She explains how short-term actions can lead to long-term financial success. The book gives detailed action steps for saving and investing, calculating expenses, improving credit reports and financial security into retirement.

"This is just a great book. It helps you understand the basics of dealing with money," Rebell says. "There are certain financial basics that we all have to be good with before we can even start thinking about investing and this book really helps with that."

"Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away" by Julian and Kiersten Saunders

"Cashing Out" explains that the corporate roadmap may not set you up for financial freedom. Julian and Kiersten Saunders discuss breaking free from corporate America and how to set up your finances so that you live your life and spend your time on your terms.

The husband and wife team state that they wrote this book because many personal finance books do not take into account how Black Americans live, work, and handle money. They address spending, saving and investing, but from the perspective of the Black American experience.

"Once again, this is a book that gives you actionable tips for getting your financial house in order," Rebell says. "The fact that the focus is to set you up to retire in 15 years and to have a solid financial foundation whether you work in corporate America or not is a good thing."