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As most know, books are my passion. For me, it’s all about gifting knowledge for the holiday season.
There’s nothing more exciting to me than to peruse used book outlets and antique stores that sell ancient reads for pennies on the dollar. Also, new book releases excite me. My reading topic interests vary. However, most tend to be business or macroeconomic trend related.
With that: Here are my top reads for 2025 and holiday gift idea for all the voracious readers along with a gift idea especially for an older parent or grandparent.
“Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” – Carl Sagan.
On many weekends, I can be found nose-deep in dusty volumes that rot on used bookstore shelves. Or I’ll rummage through boxes in poorly-lit corners of small-town Texas antique stores in search of books written, in many instances, over 100 years ago by authors most of us never knew existed.
The following books made the most significant impact on me, although I could share ten titles!
My top 2025 reads may take a while to finish. Many of the topics are heady, and the volumes are thick. However, I assure you the following selections will please and teach you a few things.
And with that, here you go:
Rosso’s top reads for 2025 and holiday gift idea.
TRUTHS: The Future of America First by Vivek Ramaswamy.
I’ve been reading Vivek’s work for at least five years. Although he gets linked to conservative circles, he’s really more a Constitutionalist and American historian. Sadly, every topic is political today. I hope this negative sentiment eventually loses its fire.
Firstly, if you seek to understand the Vivek and Elon Musk joint endeavor, DOGE or the Department Of Government Efficiency which sounds much like an oxymoron, the blueprint or master plan lies within the pages of TRUTHS.
However, the book is much more. It’s a well researched America and Americans First guidebook written by an historian who rails against political parties both mired in dogma and ill-equipped to address the concerns of a weakened, fragmented country susceptible to losing its republic.
Second, no topic is off limits. The importance of religion (not just Christianity), climate change, transgenderism, and the topic most distressing to me, personally: Shadow government. Not a conspiracy but a cadre of unelected bureaucrats who can’t be voted out or fired who create rules that affect everyone.
The unelected rulers or technocrats in Washington, D.C. are a threat to all Americans regardless of party. Vivek does a thorough analysis of the uselessness of the SEC and other deep state managerial behind-the-scenes ruling classes that hold no accountability to the public. Thus, this fourth division of government is a prime target for the two trillion dollar dismantling Vivek and Elon propose through DOGE.
Last, for avid readers of history (as Vivek provides many paragraphs about the motivations of America’s Founders and how government has strayed from them), and those who share concern over the future of the nation, TRUTHS is a worthwhile gift idea.
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia MD and Bill Gifford.
One of my best money ideas for 2025 is to take on a health regimen, make room for it in the budget and stick with it. You’ll understand soon why I’m so adamant about this.
Whether a gym membership or increased food and lifestyle expenses, long-term investing in health has a high return on investment. Don’t feel guilty for spending on a treadmill if you’re going to use it consistently. When people cut expenses, gym memberships are always one of the top three categories on their chopping blocks. Seemingly, I add it back to the budget! Even better, join a workout establishment designed to build anaerobic endurance like Orange Theory Fitness.
Most likely, if you’re a good steward of financial health, you’re also proactive in maintaining your financial health. A study in the Journal of Psychological Science titled Healthy, Wealthy and Wise: Retirement Planning Predicts Employee Health Improvements by Timothy Gubler and Lamar Pierce outlines how the same underlying psychological factors drive poor physical and financial health.
Book two on Rosso’s top 2025 reads is all about health and longevity.
Remember, life expectancy around the year 1900 was 46 and 48 for men and women, respectively. Today, people live longer but that doesn’t mean healthier. Per Attia and Gifford, longevity has two components. The first is how long we live chronologically, the second is how well we live or qualitatively. Healthspan is the time of life free from disability or disease. The goal of the book is to outline to readers how to maintain and improve physical and mental function. In other words, a longer and better quality healthspan.
The authors outline how exercise is the most potent longevity drug. No other step does nearly as much to prolong lifespan and preserve physical and cognitive function. There are steps on how to exercise the proper way for maximum efficiency with less risk.
Overall, the book provides steps on how rethink your connection to medication and refocus your attention on preventative health. They classify these steps as Medicine 3.0.
Similar to building wealth, building and maintaining health requires discipline. Readers shouldn’t ignore the benefits of sleep, quality diet, and intermittent fasting backed by studies in this book.
At RIA, one of our Financial Guardrails suggests good health as a significant contributor to financial and physical wellness in retirement.
In a report from Healthview Services, a provider of cost-projections software, healthcare costs in retirement rise twice as fast as the typical annual increase in Social Security benefits.
Latest estimates outline total out-of-pocket spending for an average 65-year old couple retiring today exceed $400,000 when Medicare premiums, supplemental insurance and deductibles are included. Keep in mind that cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security are overwhelmed by the rising costs of Medicare Part B premiums.
Healthview Services projects a 5.5% annual increase in healthcare costs over the next decade.
Per Medicare Trustees as reported by Savvy Medicare, a training program for financial planners, Part B and Part D insurance costs have averaged an annual increase of 5.6% and 7.7% respectively, over the last 5 years and are expected to grow by 6.9% and 10.6% over the next five years.
Most of the partners at RIA follow a strict diet and exercise regimen. For anyone serious about aging well and living a quality life will find this book an indispensable reference.
The Obstacle is the Way 10th Anniversary Edition by Ryan Holiday.
Ryan Holiday is a current day scribe connection to the wisdom of ancient Stoics. The overarching theme of this selection is how the Stoics said that there was an opportunity to practice virtue through every obstacle. To do good in the world despite the bad that has befallen you. Not an easy feat, but crucial to a life of enrichment.
Ryan segments the book into three parts – Perception, action and will. Perception or how we see and understand the world around us. Can we separate reliable signals from deceptive ones? How do we get through the noise to the truth? Action as the solution and the cure to our predicaments. How did Stoics like Demosthenes turn ‘shit into sugar’ as Ryan calls it. There’s courage in action and the book is replete with ancient and not-so-ancient examples of this courage displayed. Will is internal power not affected by the outside world. The discipline of will is powerfully described with historic examples such as Abraham Lincoln who battled crippling depression his entire life.
Overall, this book is a great idea for everyone but I find it especially meaningful for college graduates just starting out.
A Gift Idea!
As I try to get my own estate plan together (ironically, I help clients with estate education but ignore my personal requirements), I came across a company called Nokbox. A teacher and real estate mom from Colorado created Nokbox after the loss of her father in 2021. After spending countless hours pulling together his estate papers, discovering assets, guessing passwords, she created a system and series of checklists so others wouldn’t need to do the same.
And Nokbox was born. A worthwhile addition to Rosso’s 2025 reads and holiday gift idea.
I ordered The Original NokBox which includes 15 color-coded labeled hanging folders – one for every item in your life, 72 double-sided instructional check sheets and 1 zippered document protector bag that all comes within a sturdy plastic file box.
There are various versions at affordable price points – A base kit and a fireproof kit, too.
What an incredible gift for an older relative or close friend who hasn’t gotten started estate organization. Perhaps you would benefit from one too. What an honorable project for 2025. The ultimate gift for the ones appointed to close out your affairs.
Are you sharing books? Not a fan.
Someone asked me if I share my books – Rarely do I share books.
Frankly, I’m selfish and don’t care to risk never seeing them again, especially my highlights and notes. However, I happily purchase copies for friends who ask and gift them on birthdays and holidays!
Rosso’s top 2025 reads and holiday gift idea will get you thinking.
I hope you and your lucky gift recipients enjoy and, most importantly, learn something new from them Rosso’s 2025 reads and gift idea.
Related: What Is a Financial Advisor? 7 Key Concepts to Consider