Investing time in expanding your financial knowledge is one simple way for anyone to increase personal wealth. There are many books that offer practical financial planning advice as well as philosophical ways to increase success.

By applying what you learn from personal finance books to your own finances, you can put your knowledge to work and start saving more and spending less. But you don't need to take out a student loan for an accounting degree to improve your financial acumen. Borrowing books from your local library, hunting for popular titles at used books stores and garage sales are just a few simple ways to save money on your own personal finance education and book collection.

Here is a short list of popular book titles to look for in the personal finance section:

"Failing Forward" & "Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow's Success" by John C. Maxwell.

While these titles do not address the specifics behind personal finance, they do offer practical measure on attaining your life goals as well as tips on how to put your past failure to work for you.

"Women & Money – Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny" & "The Road to Wealth" by Suze Orman.

Suze Orman is a well-known expert in the personal finance sphere. Her best-selling titles are available at libraries and can be purchased online for under $10. They are easy to read and offer practical, hands-on advice for improving your finances.

"Smart Couples Finish Rich", "Start Late, Finish Rich: A No–Fail Plan for Achieving Financial Freedom at Any Age" & "The Automatic Millionaire" by David Bach.

David Bach is a personal finance author that caters to older couples but his mantra is the same for all readers: spend less, save more and make more. He offers strategies to implement all three tactics into your life at all stages of the road to financial freedom.

"Kids, Parents & Money: Teaching Personal Finance From Piggy Bank to Prom" by Willard S. Stawski. This book offers worksheets and real world lessons for teaching children the basics of saving and earning money.

"The Joy of Simple Living" by Jeff Davidson

This author offers tons of tips on simplifying life's clutter to save money. The practical tips are arranged by topic and cover a myriad of areas.

"Getting Things Done" by David Allen The title speaks volumes and many times, personal finances are never given the attention they need deserve to procrastination. Staying organized is a key element in creating a realistic budget and this book offers a detailed system on save time and become more efficient.