Portfolios of the Poor: How the World’s Poor Live on $2 a Day: Daryl Collins, Jonathan Morduch, Stuart Rutherford and Orlanda Ruthven

Princeton University Press, 2009

This study of the “financial diaries” of impoverished families around the world reveals that, rather than living hand-to-mouth, they plan their finances carefully using a complex web of financial tools. The detailed personal accounts give a rare inside look at the daily lives of the world’s poor, uncovering many flaws in the financial tools available to them. The book concludes with suggestions to improve aid projects like microfinancing—invaluable for anyone working or considering a career in international development.