33 legally free investing books, linked to their official sources. Below are our top picks, then the full list.
Last updated 16 Oct 2026
Investment banker George Garr Henry sets out plain principles for investing and explains the main kinds of securities available to ordinary investors in the early 1900s.
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An early-20th-century guide to choosing safe, profitable stock exchange investments, written for investors new to the market.
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A Victorian primer on money, banking and investment that explains the basics of handling money for the general reader.
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Roger Babson argues that lasting prosperity rests on character, religion, integrity and industry, not just on money or natural resources.
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An open-access book on how fintech, from mobile banking to peer-to-peer lending, affects business and economic development.
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An open-access collection of research on fintech and sustainable financing (third edition of the series).
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An open-access book on the future of banking, covering innovation, risk and financial inclusion.
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An open-access collection on monetary policy and its links to sustainable business and new technologies.
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A CFA Institute Research Foundation study of the characteristics shared by past stock-market winners and what they suggest for stock selection.
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A summary of research on life annuities and longevity insurance and their role in an optimal retirement portfolio.
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A CFA Institute Research Foundation guide to how exchange-traded funds work and how to use them in portfolios.
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Leading writers draw lessons from financial market history for today's investors.
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A CFA Institute Research Foundation study of equity valuation methods and their limits, including how risk and cash-flow expectations drive prices.
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A primer on alternative investments (hedge funds, private equity, real assets and more) and how they compare with traditional investing.
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Meir Statman's 'second generation' behavioural finance treats investors as normal rather than irrational and offers guidance for avoiding common errors.
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John Moody, founder of Moody's, explains how to invest on Wall Street with sound judgement.
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G. C. Selden's practical guide to investing in stocks and bonds for profit (revised third edition).
Download freeAn open-access collection of ten research papers on FinTech innovations, including in banking and lending.
Download freeAn open-access study of household debt and financial vulnerability in Central and Eastern Europe after decades of fast credit growth.
Download freeAn open-access monograph on how digital technology and sustainability are reshaping finance and business in Europe.
Download freeAn open-access handbook on financial infrastructures (payments, settlement and data systems) and how they shape global finance.
Download freeAn open-access history of microfinance in Cambodia from the 1990s to today, with its remaining challenges for financial inclusion.
Download freeProceedings of the first C.F.A. seminar, which debated whether the efficient market and random walk hypotheses make financial analysis pointless.
Download freeA CFA Institute Research Foundation tribute that collects Benjamin Graham's late writings and reflections on his legacy as the father of security analysis.
Download freeProceedings of a Boston University conference on life-cycle saving and investing, with a focus on financial education and consumer protection.
Download freeA CFA Institute Research Foundation study of fund management through the lens of 'emotional finance': the feelings and stories behind investment decisions.
Download freeA monograph on factor investing and asset allocation viewed through the business cycle.
Download freeA CFA Institute Research Foundation handbook with background and practical guidance on sustainable investing.
Download freePresents the Popularity Asset Pricing Model, which argues that market premiums come from assets being unpopular. It links classical and behavioural finance.
Download freeConnects financial theory with human behaviour to build a practical framework for retirement planning.
Download freeA CFA Institute Research Foundation book on how geopolitics and economics interact, and how to measure and manage the resulting investment risks.
Download freeAnalyses why many global bond markets traded at negative yields, and what that meant for economies and investors.
Download freeInvestment educator Paul Merriman offers several of his own investing books as free downloads from his site, covering index investing, asset allocation and retirement.
Download freeYes. All 33 books on this page are offered free of charge by their official publisher or library. We link only to those official pages and never host files.
Yes, from the linked source. Each listing shows its licence, for example: Free from author (registration may apply); Free to read (© CFA Institute Research Foundation); Open access (see source for exact licence). Public-domain status from Project Gutenberg or the Internet Archive applies to the USA, so check the rules in your country.
From sources including CFA Institute Research Foundation, DOAB (Directory of Open Access Books), Internet Archive (library-digitised scan), Paul Merriman, Project Gutenberg.
Every link on this page was last checked on 16 Oct 2026.