Australian Money

Dave Gow retired at 28, after a decade of working as a forklift driver. He didn’t win the lottery, inherit a fortune, or get lucky in the stock market. Instead, he discovered a simple set of principles that helped him spend less and invest more, all while increasing his happiness.

One of the great mysteries of Australian life is that a land of sweeping plains, with one of the lowest population densities on the planet, has a shortage of land for houses. As a result, Sydney’s median house price is the second most expensive on Earth, after Hong Kong’s. The escalation in house prices is a pain that has altered Australian society; it has increased inequality and profoundly changed the relationship between generations – between those who have a house and those who don't. Alan Kohler tells the story of how we got into this mess – and how we might get out of it.

Do you want to invest in shares but don't know where to start? Find out how in this comprehensive yet easy-to-understand bible on all things shares. This updated edition provides new examples and resources, plus information on investing using the internet and spotting winners to pack into your portfolio.

Planning is the trick for succeeding in small business. This process needn't be daunting, especially if you can get the timing right, pick a strategy that works, and chart a sound financial course. And if your best-laid plans go sideways, there's always hope, and a practical way forward, in this book. Getting Started in Small Business for Dummies will help you decide whether small-business ownership is right for you, and assess the viability of your business idea; and more.

Start by understanding your money mindset, risk profile and why you can't afford not to invest—especially if you're a woman (thanks, gender inequality!). Dive deep into the various ways you can invest in the stock market and learn more about property investment. Discover how your superannuation has already made you an investor, and get the low-down on ethical investing before creating your own investment strategy that reflects your goals and values.

More than 500,000 Australians plan to retire in the next five years and are in their pre-retirement or 'part-time' retirement years, preparing for the massive life change that signals their move from working every day to living as they choose. In the years before they retire, and the early years of retirement, people want to prepare well and set themselves up for the exciting 30+ year journey that could be ahead of them. This is where How to Have an Epic Retirement comes in.

This book is the first comprehensive account of how Australia attained the world's highest living standards within a few decades of European settlement, and how the nation has sustained an enviable level of income to the present. Beginning with the Aboriginal economy at the end of the 18th century, Ian McLean argues that Australia's remarkable prosperity across nearly two centuries was reached and maintained by several shifting factors.

Do you know what your money story is - your personal set of beliefs and experiences around money that directly influence how you earn, save and spend? Could your story be holding you back from the financial life you dream of? Meet 25 incredible real-life Money Diarists who are digging deep, opening up and sharing their intimate money stories with finance expert Victoria Devine - to lift the lid on how money really works in our lives so we can all understand it better.

Through her phenomenally popular and award-winning podcast, She’s on the Money, Victoria Devine has built an empowered and supportive community of women finding their way to financial freedom. Honest, relatable, non-judgemental and motivating, Victoria is a financial adviser who knows what millennial life is really like and where we can get stuck with money stuff. (Did someone say ‘Afterpay’?) So, to help you hit your money goals without skimping on brunch, she’s put all her expert advice into this accessible guide that will set you up for a healthy and happy future.

'Time poor' is the catch-cry of our era, and yet end-of-life retirement means we have an average of two decades of feeling time rich to look forward to...when we're old. How arse-about is that? But there is an alternative to working your butt off for decades and retiring when you're worn out: it's called financial independence, and it means being able to cover life's essentials and afford the luxuries you want without having to turn up to a job each day.

Buying a property can also be one of the biggest decisions you'll ever make, so you want to get it right - right? Luckily, Victoria Devine is here with Property with She's on the Money to equip you for the whole process - from establishing your property values and truly understanding why you want to buy a home, to saving for the all-important deposit, which key experts to speak to, all things mortgages, what to buy and when, and how to make every stage of the process as smooth as possible - right through to renovating and selling.

When nineteen-year-old farmgirl Adelaide Hoffman applies for a cadetship at the Gunnawah Gazette, she sees it as her ticket out of a life too small for her. The paper's owner, Valdene Bullark, seeing something of the girl she once was in young Adelaide, puts her straight to work.

In today's ruthless world of organised crime, the best criminals aren't foolish enough to steal money out of banks. They wear tailored suits, carry briefcases, and discreetly slip money into banks. Bigwigs, oligarchs and crime syndicates running drugs, trafficking guns and people, arming terrorists and subverting government controls are desperate to put a legitimate face on their wealth. Washing dirty money, moving it around the globe, making it look legitimate is where the action is for both criminals and the authorities chasing them.

Canna Campbell is an experienced financial planner, and also a mother, partner and entrepreneur. She understands the challenge of trying to maintain balance and motivation when you're time-poor, and she's used this experience to develop an inspirational and effective approach to personal finance management. She shows you how to look at your finances with holistic and powerful mindfulness, easily incorporating her step-by-step advice into your daily habits and routines.

In Banking Bad, Adele Ferguson traces the origins of the banking scandal to the early 1990s, when buckets of money began pouring into compulsory superannuation funds, set up by Labor Treasurer Paul Keating. Attracted by the increasing cash, banks devised corrupt and questionable practices to get their hands on funds, along with aggressive selling practices that ignored due diligence, trust and honesty.

For many of us, the subject of money is unavoidably stressful. Managing our personal finances is complicated, time-consuming and often, particularly in the slow countdown to payday, dispiriting. The good news is that in Japan - where a Zen approach to life is more widely practised - a pathway to a better relationship is being carved by the 'Zen Millionaire', Ken Honda. Based on the phenomenally popular Japanese bestseller, this beautifully written book will reinvent the way you see your personal finances. You will come to understand that money flows like water and arrives like a guest.

Jody, also known as the Stay at Home Mum, has been there and done it herself. She was made redundant while pregnant with her second child and, inspired by necessity, built a money-saving blog from her kitchen table that has grown to become Australia's biggest mothers' network. In this book, Jody explains everything she's learned to help other women get it right: from how to choose a smart business idea and where to start, to the best marketing strategies and digital tools to use, and much more.

Robbo Roper (aka the Aussie Mortgage Guy) is here to show you how to get out of the rental trap, get your finances sorted and buy your first (or next!) home. The Australian Guide to Buying Your First Home is not a step-by-step guide to living in a beachside mansion with a $15-million property portfolio. Instead, it is an essential real-world companion for taking control and getting into your new home faster. You'll learn how to increase your income (and borrowing power) and buy the ideal property for whatever stage of life you're in.

David Koch, online entrepreneur, finance journalist and trusted Australian media personality, knows a thing or two about the family finances. Father of four kids, sole breadwinner, and a man not afraid to admit to his own odd money mistake, David has also spent hour after hour in the Sunrise studio tuning in to the way the average Australian thinks about money. Friendly, clear and easy to use, this is the guide you need to reset your money habits so you can learn more, worry less, breathe easier and enjoy of the fruits of your labour.

In the Outback, trust is the most valuable gem of all. As the story opens, US Secret Service Agent Elaine Brogan finds herself reluctantly pulled into the orbit of her nemesis, Giorgio Cattoretti. It starts when a desperate couple, Gareth Martin and Heather Bancroft, show up unannounced at the American Consulate in Marseilles and plead for Elaine's help. They believe that only the notorious Giorgio “The Cat” Cattoretti, who previously owned their diamond-cutting factory, can help them deal with their dishonest Croatian partners. Elaine is skeptical of their claims about a counterfeit ...