Kochies Guide To Keeping It Real

Kochie’s guide to keeping it real – (My cradle to the grave approach to family and finance)
Pier 9 Publishing (Published 2006)
Written By David Koch
Australia
Review 4 Stars – Excellent Review

How the blurb describes the book:
David Koch, charismatic co-host of the Seven Network’s Sunrise, started out in finance journalism over 20 years ago. He is one of the most recognised people on Australian television – a recent survey by Reader’s Digest found he is one of the 25 most trusted Australians.

His list of achievements illustrates the breadth of his expertise, from being a small business owner; finance editor; silver Logie nominee 2004, 2005 and 2006; and commentator on over 50 radio stations. He is the author of Your Money and Your Life and 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 a joke, Kochie’s humour and charm are also at home on the Seven Network’s Where Are They Now, which he co-hosts with his much-loved television 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 manual for life: an accessible, relevant, and entertaining guide to financial planning, relationships, and raising a family. Not afraid to express his opinion, Kochie draws on over twenty years’ experience as a respected finance journalist, as well as his role as co-host on Channel Seven’s Sunrise, to offer down-to-earth practical advice for Australian families.

Kochie’s guide to keeping it real takes a commonsense approach to planning and managing finances, relationships and raising a family. Kochie draws on his own life experience, his financial acumen, and feedback from his Sunrise audience in this cradle to grave guide for modern families.

Enjoy Kochie’s useful and often witty observations on just about everything – from saving for a house deposit, devising a pre-baby budget and bringing up kids, to building wealth, running your own business, planning for retirement and dealing with tax, divorce and even death!

Mr Home Budget’s Review:
This is just one of a few books David Koch has written. But I came into this book only really knowing about him from the Sunrise TV show. This book smacks of Sunrise, it’s almost as if he could just be rewriting a script word for word from the show. It’s light, funny, and fresh. But if you like Sunrise the show, you will love this book.

However if you are just looking for a plain budgeting book this is not for you. He includes subjects which are totally off the topic of budgets. He manages to tie them into money and your finances.

David is extremely and perhaps surprisingly, open about his successes and failures. And he has included stories about himself, his wife, and kids. Tales about his greatest moments, not just in journalism, but in business. David talks about how he went from being an accountant to hosting Sunrise. Or as he calls it, “sheer arse”. Plus he gives away his single biggest piece of advice, “Always have enough confidence in yourself to give anything a go. But also have enough confidence that if it doesn’t work out, go and do something else.” He also shows the flip side of the coin where his businesses have underperformed or just plain failed. Also non-money related moments like the Beaconsfield mine disaster, which he calls a highlight of his whole career… a very big call.

However, before you start thinking this book is just his memoirs, it’s definitely not. There are reams and reams of useful information on home budgeting. The kind of information that if you followed it, it would be near impossible not to increase the size of your bank balance. The book’s blurb says this is “a cradle to the grave approach to family and finance” and it means it! It even gives advice on 2 to 4 year olds. He gives advice about everything from babies to parents in retirement villages and everything in between.

There is also great information which relates to a home budget which you don’t typically put in a home budgeting book. For example, how to ask for a pay rise, how to deal with a divorce, and what should be in a will. It forces you to think about things you would rather not think about.

Some of the great quotes which I must share with you:

“Never, ever abrogate responsibility for the family finances entirely to the other spouse. Like marriage itself, family finance is a team effort, which both partners must be intimately involved with.”

“I know money can’t buy you happiness, but a life without financial stress is a whole lot easier and happier.”

To sum up, this book is a great read. It talks about the small starting steps you can implement every day to increase your security in life. Grab yourself a coffee, a quiet place and start reading.

Pros: Gives an insight into all things, David Koch; media, family, money, stories and it’s even emotional (holds very little back).

Very funny and light, don’t expect boring numbers or long maths equations.

Gives you an insight into the next stage of your life; financially and emotionally.

Cons: If you are looking for a purely black and white budgeting book, this is not for you.

If starting your own business is not on your to do list, some parts may not interest you.

Kochies Guide To Keeping It Real