I am starting out in real estate and wanted to read some books around real estate finance, validating deals, calculating returns on investments etc.Are there any books or digital material that are a good starting point to learn about the financial aspects of real estate investing?

I've been reading through all materials and consuming all bigger pockets has to offer. 

Instead of going to get brand new materials and appliances, look for gently used materials, appliances or sales.

@Lucas Carl don't advertise the TP!

Let's do it @Ikenna Jones I am considering the 2-3 days that a droplet may live on stainless steel or cardboard material, per the Princeton/UCLA study.

Get guys out there, keep them on the job, get materials in, have cleaners come and go...is that realistic in the time of coronavirus?

Finally, Scott Meyer has a lot of free material on his website as well to learn more about it. 

And what about delayed building materials deliveries, and problems with building permits, any one of a million different things?

From personal experience of being in my first Lender financing, this is what I've found;1- Lots of paperwork to provide during your first Loan request which takes time to complete2- You do NOT get any money up front3- If you are buying materials, to cut your costs like I'm doing, you will need to have a means to buy them first before that money is reimbursed to you from the Lender4- There are fees for making Draws on your Loan, so you will need to calculate those fees into your loan expenses and possibly limit the number of Draws.5- Contractors may not get paid for an extended period of time since they will have to provide an Invoice of completed jobs which are submitted to get the Draw. 

I found a ton of value in using Rod Khleif’s educational material (most of his books and material are free).