Rich Enough? A Laid-Back Guide For Every Kiwi

by Mary Holm

Find out what many in the financial world don't want you to know. Laid-back investing is not only easier, it can actually make you richer.

Learn how to kill off debt, curb spending, find your best KiwiSaver fund, save painlessly, buy a house or be happy not buying one, and move confidently towards and through retirement (hint: you don't need $1 million). You'll also learn why it's best to 'set and forget' your investments. And why, beyond a certain point, having more money is not the key to happiness.

Unlike many writers of finance books, Mary is not selling anything (except this book!). She just wants you to do well. She's on your side.

'Mary has that rare ability to cut through the jargon to what really matters. She combines expert wisdom and real-world insights, with fantastic results!'

DIANE MAXWELL, RETIREMENT COMMISSIONER

'Mary Holm is in the first rank of New Zealanders offering simple and wise advice to those who want to take effective steps to secure their future financial wellbeing. This straightforward guide should help ordinary Kiwis navigate their way through the various traps they can fall into.'

SIR MICHAEL CULLEN, FORMER DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER and MINISTER OF FINANCE

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance, Money, Self Help, Economics, Personal Finance

302 pages, Paperback

Published November 23, 2018

Reviews

[Sarah ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

RICH ENOUGH
MARY HOLM

enjoyment - 4
Easy to understand - 5
Entertainment factor - 3.5
Information - 5
Writing quality - 4

Final rating: 4

WHAT I LIKED
-the easy to understand information
-that it was jam packed with info
-the relaxed tone it was written in

WHAT I WAS MEH ABOUT
-nothing, I only skimmed over topics that didn’t yet effect me like repaying a mortgage.

[Keegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Holm's "Rich Enough?" cuts the bullshit and gets straight into relevant, useful and actionable financial information. As the book's blurb suggests, setting up your money in a "laid-back way" is not only straightforward, but extremely effective. This book solidified concepts I've learnt elsewhere into a clearer picture, with superb explanations backed by evidence. I highly suggest this book for anyone that is interested in building wealth, without having to toil over finances for too long; "read this one book, and move on with your life".

[Miriam Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid advice for kiwis. I really liked the chapter at the end about happiness and its relationship to money, and the general focus on sorting out your money so you can ignore it going forward.

[India · Rating 4 out of 5]

this would be easier to understand if i wasn’t a fucking idiot

[Dani McIntosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yep good advice. Can confirm I am now rich. Just joking. I like how at the end Holm discussed what really makes people happy, which is often not money.

Generally, this book successfully considers people from different financial backgrounds and what they might need in certain situations. I’ve learnt a lot about what my finances can look like throughout my entire life, and how to invest my money (or not invest it).

I like how when you finish reading the book you can use it as a workbook, and tick things off Holm’s prescribed lists of how to become more financially stable. Overall easy to comprehend and a great guide to NZ financial practices. Indeed, it’s quite laid back. Cheers.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are doing a finance or commerce degree, or have done one. This book doesn't really provide any "new" information that's not either taught or naturally"accumulated" in your 3 to 4 years at university doing finance.

Would only recommend to completely beginners who need a spectrum of advice qualitative in nature without all the numbers or calculations as taught in a finance degree at uni.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Up to date but fairly simple book

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Holm's latest book 'Rich Enough? A laid-back guide for every Kiwi' is a concise, easy to ready and understand book to help any individual (regardless of financial literacy level) get a control over their personal finances. It's especially handy as it is very specific for New Zealanders while most other personal finance books are not. This book has a different take as it also addresses the 'why'- the link between money and happiness.

Mary Holm is New Zealand's most trusted money expert and she has written this book as a guide on how to save, manage debt, sort insurance, Kiwisaver, investing, retirement/ superannuation, property and finance advisors in a series of steps and chapters. She provides sage advice and key messages throughout the chapters, definitions, real maths examples, true tales (both her own personal experiences and other people's stories) and a checklist with nice rewards for achieving them. She also has website and video links for further information. It is a comprehensive book and I recommend it to everyone.

Some interesting tidbits I gained from her was the concept of gearing and contrarian investing, reiterating the impact of inflation and SKI in retirement (Spend your kids' inheritance).

[Caity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to follow, practical guide. Good o'l Mary. In my financial well-being era 🏡

[Dan Organ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good solid beginners’ guide to investing.

ButI dont think Mary understands property investing as in her stories she makes every rookie mistake you can with property and hence isnt a fan.


So let me tell you a few PI rules.
1) buy cashflow positive properties
2) buy at 20% under valuation
3) p and i so you pay off the mortgage and own it in 25 years
4) If sharemarket goes bust you have nothing, if property market goes bust you still own a house, hold onto it for a few more years and the market recovers.
5) if property prices drop, you dont care because your properties are cashflow positive and are still getting paid off. Prices will rise again
6) Add more value to your property by renovating.
7)

[Andrew Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Holm's writing and advice since reading Get Rich Slow (which I also recommend) when it was first released.

Her accessible and simple writing style is engaging and takes away much of the fear of investing by removing complexity.

I like that Holm encourages starting small and not to delay if you don't have much to put away.

Personally I was very interested in the section on whether to invest in New Zealand or overseas and took good ideas away from that. Her thoughts on whether to continue prioritisung paying off a mortgage in times of low interest rates are also valuable.

Holm writes about how some people feel she is 'anti property' and openly explains why she points out some of the ways it isn't necessarily the best option for everybody.

Excellent advice and easy to read and understand.

[Amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Holm's Rich Enough? is super accessible and packed with practical tips and tricks that anyone can apply, whether you're just starting out or already on your financial journey. Mary Holm breaks down money management in a way that feels straightforward and doable - no need to be rich or a high earner to benefit. I found it really useful for simplifying some tricky concepts and making personal finance feel less intimidating. Definitely a solid read for anyone wanting to get their finances in order without the jargon, I'm glad I've got this on my shelf and look forward to lending it out to friends and family!

[Claudia Cairns · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a young person starting out in KiwiSaver and planning for future home ownership, I found this book extremely helpful. With little knowledge in finance, I found that the book explained things in a simple way with no jargon. The layout of the book amongst chapters is easy to follow and you can structure your reading in terms of what is most important to you. Mary provides simple steps to help you achieve your financial goals - I have since passed on this book to friends starting out in KiwiSaver as I am.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read for Kiwi's wanting to get a basic grasp of personal finance. If you don't want to spend hours upon hours reading about personal finance online, then this book is for you.

I personally didn't get a whole lot from it because it is relatively basic information if you've spent time researching PF, so I mainly read it to check it's validity before giving it to family and friends.

Mary writes with minimal jargon, easy to understand language, and gets the whole thing done in under 300 pages.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although Kiwi focused, there is still some really good general advice on everything from saving, to loans and mortgages, to retirement. Audio read by the author, and although it is a book on finance which some may find tedious and boring, I thought there were some good golden nuggets on what to do for the average lay person which was good, and the maths and terminology not too complicated. Suitable for teens and adults, though the teens, who should probably listen to it and get some good advice, may not see the point yet.

[Julie Schooler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is important. Every Kiwi should at least skim it to make sure they have their financial basics started in the right way. I agreed with all the solid, no-nonsense advice except for a couple of things. I think the author is too risk adverse when it comes to investment property. Also I don't like the concept of SKI (skip kids' inheritance) and actually think the older generation should help their offspring earlier in the piece. Overall, I am glad I read this book to check that I am going OK. A couple of things now added to the to do list like review insurances. Recommended.

[Hester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read a few like this, I was glad to see that the advice was similar but I prefered this book because
A) It is recent and the current laws and internet links mostly still work
B) It is New Zealand centric so much more relevant for me than the similar US and Australian books.

Great strategies for both those starting out their adulthood and those already in retirement.

I liked the pace and the way she encourages us to reward progress with enjoyable but not budget breaking treats.

[Elle Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and informative guide to managing your money in New Zealand. While I did learn a bit, I also found the writing style heavy and overly complicated in parts which put me off reading certain sections in depth. Still, it was nice to have a New Zealand focus and the list to the links at the back of the book is very useful.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid, approachable finance book.

Its a great introduction to general finances and is strongly suited towards kiwis.

Any kiwi whos looking to get their finances in order or learn about finances, this is a great starting point.

This coupled with the Barefoot Investor are an amazing combo and give advice to put anyone on the right track with their money.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought the information contained was useful, however was a very dry read. Not a lot going on to capture the reader. The information wasn’t being presented in a way that made me want to keep reading. But also majority of what is written in the book is common sense money management. Glad to have read it and appreciative of the advice and information it contained, wasn’t stoked to have been reading it at the time.

[Mickle Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for Kiwis looking to understand personal finance or for experts to revaluate their skills, this book contains modern ideas with real life examples. A treasure trove of advice in this era of short attention spans and information overload which is a perfect combination for poor financial decisions, slow and steady maybe a better bet in the long run.

[Michael Szeto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely awesome book for any kiwi looking to further their finance and future retirement knowledge. Can’t recommend it enough!

Definitely a lot to take in but so much good information in it. It’ll motivate you to make a move on your future finances and make you think long term than short term.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, with essential financial planning information for every kiwi. It answers many questions you have, and lots you haven't thought of. The wisdom in this book, if followed, reduces anxiety about the future.

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I've either read the earlier version or perhaps just plenty of Mary's columns, but this is an updated version of some simple yet effective advice. Easy to read and nicely laid out, this would give many people a solid foundation to get their finances sorted.

[Joey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive financial books for those living in New Zealand. It covers most topics, excluding taxes - which it should. A good place to start, but not finish. Some of the advice is a bit controversial, but the investing advice is sound.

[Daria Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, straightforward financial advice in one easy to read book. The author uses real-life examples, as well as plenty of tables and illustrations to demonstrate the principles in different ways. Highly recommended reading for anyone, no matter their life stage or income level.

[Traci Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that will live on my bookshelf for many years! A fantastic guide, I only wish I’d had it 10 years ago!

[Raquel Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary gives practical, straightforward advice without making assumptions about financial situation or homeownership.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

She knows a lot about personal finance in NZ, has a lot of common sense and explains issues really clearly.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

For every New Zealanders, read this book first to sort out your personal finance sorted before read anything else.