A Real Girl's Guide to Money: From Converse to Louboutins

by Effie Zahos

Sometimes that little voice in your head knows exactly what to ask. "You earn $150,000 a year, so where the hell is your money going?" Or what about this little gem that pops up every so often when you catch up with the girls- "How can she afford that?" Or maybe you're in a relationship that you're desperate to leave but that voice always says- "You can't afford to."

Maybe your biggest fear is retiring in a polyester outfit because you haven't saved enough to live the fashionista lifestyle you're accustomed to. This book is for every woman who unashamedly has that voice in her head. After 20 years on a brand like Money, I've come across just about every possible question. Hopefully you'll find the answers to some of your questions in here.

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance, Self Help, Personal Finance

224 pages, Paperback

Published March 5, 2019

Reviews

[Adora Herveaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

There were a few chapters that weren’t relevant to me - pregnancy, kids, divorce. Would have been nice to throw in one chapter about being a child free bachelorette (to keep things real).

Overall I did get some good tips on budgeting, saving, investing and retirement planning that I will implement.

[ashleigh - ladyofdarkriver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this book purely because Effie was apart of Money magazine and I was generally curious about what she had to provide. Some parts of the book aren’t relevant to me (yet?) however I picked up a lot of useful tips from reading this book and I’m sure I’ll implement them soon. I also believe that as my life progresses and more parts of the book become relevant to my life, I will come back to this book and read those chapters.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains good advice, a few things not covered by other finance books I’ve read. Good that it’s specific to Australia. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on Super and on what to do when receiving an inheritance. A lot of things not relevant for me such as children and divorce. Would be good to have a section for people who are not having children. But I will re-read it a child becomes part of the plan.

[Crystal Russom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers quite a wide variety of financial issues that I haven’t seen in other financial books. I love that the advice is specific to Australia and particularly to women. I thought I was pretty good with my money but this book highlights all sorts of areas that need to be considered. It’s explained well with examples and it’s not too overwhelming once you get into it. I love the tips at the end too.

[Kimberley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these chapters were irrelevant to me - pregnancy, raising kids and divorce.
Some are super handy like the superannuation and shares sections though I’m still confused on shares.
One of the few finance books I’ve read that’s directed at the Australian market which is helpful.

I’d probably only reread this again for the tips on housing, shares, super and the how much should I save chapter.

[Amy Aquilini]

Effie has created a guide to answer some of the most common questions she has come across in her career as Australia's leading finance commentator. This guide What first interested me about this book was I to am a divorced mum of two children, and trying hard to sort out my financial life so that I continue to live in financial freedom. I would recommend this book to any younger adult chasing financial freedom.

[Elli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relatable, very well written, with lots of practical takeaways. Effie doesn't shy away from giving all the information and details on each financial concept - yet still manages to do it in a concise way. Very women focused, with chapters on everything from having babies, to the importance of an independence fund.

[Taka Tajiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giving us a good educational info in regards with saving extra money for our retirement. However, this book mostly focus on women’s life as they tend to have less savings as they need to be in a labour and have some time-off to raise kids, tend to have more house work and other things. Not enough information about investment and financial aspects.

[Claire Daly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Easy read. Most of the tips and ideas I had read/heard before.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Very digestible and accesible guide on how to manage money, particularly geared towards Australian women. Biggest take away for me was contributing more to my super.

[Sandra Pham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for young women to consider financial aspects of her life for future eg family etc. very relevant to Australia. Very useful !

[Caitlin]

Clearly I'm not in the mood for finance at the moment. We might come back to this one.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of finance books. Nothing new really, but was an enjoyable read nonetheless. Got me thinking about my finances and also the fact that I most definitely do not want kids.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read with some good tips on how to save extra and plan for the future. Love that it’s all Australian based; it all makes sense. Would recommend

[KLCreative · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some useful tips but not a lot of new ground if you have read other financial books

[Yeshani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good refresher. Loved the fact bubbles and stats she complied!