What should I read?

What are some of the best books to read for someone who doesn't know anything about investing and finance and wishes to learn at least the basics?

Also, I want the book to be an easy-to-read book because I'm a student who has to read non-stop for school, and I need something much lighter than my usual heavy textbook reading...PLEASE HELP!

Here's what I would start with if I were you:

"Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. The title doesn't do it justice. It's about money philosophy and life. Please just read this one first.

"The Millionaire Next Door" should be next.

Then, you need to start understanding the basics of money and what to do with it.

Read Peter Lynch's 'Beating the Street', which is more applicable now than it was for several years because we no longer have a speculation bubble going on.

All of these are what I could consider light reading, and include alot of interesting stories and some humor even.

Those should keep you busy for about a month or two. After you've read them, you'll have a better idea about what style of investing is right for you, and which direction you should go, and that will determine which books would be best from there.

Good luck,
Kevin

Try the Millionaire Next Door...awesome book! Then try Dave Ramsey's guide to financial peace. Everyone out there can write a book and claim to know how to beat the market but if they were truly beating the market and doing that well they wouldn't waste their time telling you about it and trying to make an extra buck off of you. The best strategy is to learn about the market and the many factors that play into it all in general. Then read articles and recommendations very carefully and don't act too quickly. Also, never buy anything you don't understand. This goes for stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or ANYTHING else in life really. Good luck!

"The Millionaire Next Door" is an excellent read, and you can skim through it to find out what statistics you want to know.
If you just want fast facts also check out "How to Invest $50-$5,000 by Nancy Dunnan. It'll just tell you the different investments and how much they cost (Just don't take it to heart, not all the investments are suitable for everyone).
Also, check out "The Wall St. Journal's Guide to Understanding Money and Investing. It should be pretty helpful in explaining different situations to deal with your money.
Finally, check out "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Money on Wall Street." You may find a lot of things you didn't know about banks, stocks, and bonds.