Kochies Guide to Keeping It Real
Kochie’s Guide to Keeping It Real – (My Cradle-to-Grave Approach to Family and Finances)
Pier 9 Publishing (Released 2006)
Written by David Koch
Australia
4 Star Review – Excellent Review
How the blurb describes the book:
David Koch, the charismatic co-host of Seven Network’s Sunrise, got his start in financial journalism more than 20 years ago. He is one of the most recognized people on Australian television – a recent Reader’s Digest poll found him to be one of the 25 most trusted Australians.
His list of accomplishments illustrates the breadth of his experience, from being a small business owner; finance editor; nominated for Silver Logie 2004, 2005 and 2006; and commentator on more than 50 radio stations. He is the author of Your Money and Your Life and a co-author of I’m Not Made of Money and The Teenagers’ Guide to Part Time Jobs and Leaving Home. Renowned for his love of pranks, Kochie’s humor and charm also feel right at home on Seven Network’s Where Are They Now, which he co-features with his beloved TV partner, Melissa Doyle.
Kochie has been married to Libby for almost 30 years and they have four children: Samantha (married to Toby), Brianna, Alexander, and Georgina.
Kochie’s Guide to Keeping It Real is a lifelong manual – an accessible, relevant, and entertaining guide to financial planning, relationships, and raising a family. Unafraid to voice his opinion, Kochie draws on more than twenty years of experience as a respected finance journalist, as well as his role as co-host of Channel Seven’s Sunrise, to offer practical and practical advice for Australian families.
Kochie’s Guide to Keeping It Real takes a common sense approach to planning and managing finances, relationships, and starting a family. Kochie draws on her own life experience, financial acumen, and feedback from her Sunrise audience in this cradle-to-grave guide for modern families.
Enjoy Kochie’s helpful and often witty observations on just about everything – from saving for a house deposit, designing a pre-baby budget, and raising your children, to building wealth, running your own business, planning for retirement, and coping. with taxes, divorces and even death!
Mr Home Budget Review:
This is just one of the few books David Koch has written. But I came into this book only really knowing about it from the Sunrise TV show. This book smells like Sunrise, it’s almost like I might be rewriting a word-for-word script of the show. It’s light, fun, and cool. But if you like the Sunrise show, you will love this book.
However, if you are just looking for a simple budget book, this is not for you. It includes topics that are totally off the subject of budgets. He manages to tie them to money and his finances.
David is extremely, and perhaps surprisingly, open about his successes and failures. And he has included stories about himself, his wife, and children. Stories about his best moments, not only in journalism, but in business. David talks about how he went from being an accountant to hosting Sunrise. Or as he calls it, “pure ass.” In addition, he gives his most important advice: “Always have enough confidence in yourself to try anything. But also have enough confidence that if it does not work, go and do something else.” It also shows the other side of the coin where your businesses have underperformed or simply failed. Also non-money related moments like the Beaconsfield mine disaster, which he calls a highlight of his entire career … a very important call.
However, before you start to think that this book is just her memories, it definitely isn’t. There are lots and lots of useful information on home budgeting. The kind of information that, if you follow it, it would be next to impossible not to increase the size of your bank balance. The blurb for the book says this is “a cradle-to-grave approach to family and finances” and it means it! He even gives advice to 2- to 4-year-olds. He gives advice on everything from babies to parents in retirement villages and everything in between.
There is also great information related to a home budget that is not normally included in a home budget book. For example, how to request a raise, how to deal with a divorce, and what should be in a will. It forces you to think about things that you would rather not think about.
Some of the great quotes that I must share with you:
“Never, never derogate responsibility for family finances entirely on the other spouse. Like marriage itself, family finances are a team effort, in which both spouses must be intimately involved.”
“I know that money cannot buy you happiness, but a life without financial stress is much easier and happier.”
In short, this book is a great read. It talks about the small initial steps you can take every day to increase your safety in life. Have a coffee, a quiet place and start reading.
Pros: gives an idea of all things, David Koch; media, family, money, stories and even emotional (very little is saved).
Very fun and light, don’t expect boring numbers or long math equations.
It gives you an idea of the next stage in your life; financially and emotionally.
Cons: If you are looking for a purely black and white budget book, this is not for you.
If starting your own business isn’t on your to-do list, some parts may not be of interest to you.