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How to Be Good With Money
Do you want to best to spend the money you haveHow best to get out of debtHow to start saving for the things that matter to you How to look after your financial futureHow to retire earlyJoin author, TV host and financial planner Eoin McGee, as he shares his complete programme for financial well-being in this life-changing book.By discovering the rules of spending and saving, you can feel safe in the knowledge that your money will support the life you want to live. Whatever your budget, you can create a solid financial plan, allowing you to rest assured that the future is well looked after.
272 pages, Paperback
Published March 20, 2020
108 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 18, 2021
This had real potential but in the end was only OK. Exhortations to invest in low cost index funds are a dime a dozen, and while this book rightly encourages people to look at them as an option it's a major missed opportunity not to explore the unique factors in Ireland around high CGT, 7 year deemed disposal etc. Every American financial independence website has been telling me index investing is a decent idea for 15 years, what I was hoping for in this book was more Irish context - between the high taxes mentioned above and the high rates of mortgage interest in Ireland, how do I balance overpaying my mortgage vs tax inefficient index investing, what about EIIS schemes, how do I balance AVCs vs mortgage vs indexes etc?
Meh. I guess the argument will be this is for people who haven't a clue, but this is all info I could have gotten on jlcollinsnh for free. It's not bad, I guess I would just prefer to have bought the hopefully more involved sequel whenever that comes out.
Some of the stuff in the first section around thinking about life goals was very good.
Meh. I guess the argument will be this is for people who haven't a clue, but this is all info I could have gotten on jlcollinsnh for free. It's not bad, I guess I would just prefer to have bought the hopefully more involved sequel whenever that comes out.
Some of the stuff in the first section around thinking about life goals was very good.
March 24, 2020
Builds on the TV series
I like Eoin's presenting style on the programme HTBGWM, this book builds on the foundations of good debt vs bad debt and how investment works. I would have liked to see more about cutting spending though.
I like Eoin's presenting style on the programme HTBGWM, this book builds on the foundations of good debt vs bad debt and how investment works. I would have liked to see more about cutting spending though.
January 15, 2023
Will reccomend this to a lot of people moving forward. Honest, non-pretentious financial advice specifically applicable to Ireland.
May 11, 2020
This was an excellent read. I love tracking my finances so I am likely biased in my review! I personally wasn't much interested in section 4 which covered protecting your money because I feel it doesn't apply to me yet but I really enjoyed all other sections.
July 10, 2020
It’s fucking shite!!
March 22, 2021
Clear concise without jargon!
August 4, 2025
riveting plot, sadly I am still poor
June 26, 2022
How to be Good with Money, 26 June 2022
As I read around the topic of personal finance, I’m discovering how useful it is to triangulate various sources on the same issue. McGee confirms advice proffered by the likes of Scott Pape, Benjamin Graham, and Warren Buffet, which is obviously reassuring. He phrases the savings and high-interest loan clearance advice slightly differently, which is of course well recognised in the world of education as a good way to reinforce knowledge. I hadn’t known the name of Parkinson’s law before, for example. Another: the media is not the friend of the long-term investor, because it looks backwards while the market looks forwards. The point about looking at the ongoing charges figure (OFC) in the annual management fee isn’t one I’d heard before. Not to mention, much of his advice is specific to Ireland, which as an Irish person is hugely helpful.
The one caveat I will say is that this is a short book covering a vast topic, so quite a bit is shortchanged. For example, it can’t be emphasised enough that fees and transaction costs are what reduce the value of long-term investment over and above anything else. McGee’s company is fee-based, and he justifies this in reasonable terms, but still fails to mention that over time such a fee will add up. Of course, as he also admits, mostly the people coming to him are rich enough that this is a justifiable expense. For which I take it that McGee’s clients – for all his chat about having a Christmas present saving account – are the Irish one percent almost exclusively. Which is fine; I am glad that I’ve read around enough, however, to be wary of fees, and also of value investing and the costs of annual portfolio rebalancing, something he recommends without much explanation.
Overall an extremely useful addition to my reference range on this topic.
As I read around the topic of personal finance, I’m discovering how useful it is to triangulate various sources on the same issue. McGee confirms advice proffered by the likes of Scott Pape, Benjamin Graham, and Warren Buffet, which is obviously reassuring. He phrases the savings and high-interest loan clearance advice slightly differently, which is of course well recognised in the world of education as a good way to reinforce knowledge. I hadn’t known the name of Parkinson’s law before, for example. Another: the media is not the friend of the long-term investor, because it looks backwards while the market looks forwards. The point about looking at the ongoing charges figure (OFC) in the annual management fee isn’t one I’d heard before. Not to mention, much of his advice is specific to Ireland, which as an Irish person is hugely helpful.
The one caveat I will say is that this is a short book covering a vast topic, so quite a bit is shortchanged. For example, it can’t be emphasised enough that fees and transaction costs are what reduce the value of long-term investment over and above anything else. McGee’s company is fee-based, and he justifies this in reasonable terms, but still fails to mention that over time such a fee will add up. Of course, as he also admits, mostly the people coming to him are rich enough that this is a justifiable expense. For which I take it that McGee’s clients – for all his chat about having a Christmas present saving account – are the Irish one percent almost exclusively. Which is fine; I am glad that I’ve read around enough, however, to be wary of fees, and also of value investing and the costs of annual portfolio rebalancing, something he recommends without much explanation.
Overall an extremely useful addition to my reference range on this topic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2021
I am not originally from Ireland so my main purpose of reading this book was to get a better understanding investments, pensions, etc. here. Overall I think I am ‘good’ with my money but reading Eoin’s tips solidified that for me which was a relief! His tips are helpful even if you are already financially conscience/literate. I feel like I am walking away from this book with a better understanding of Irish systems and confidence in the financial decisions/investments I have made in Ireland as well as ones I plan to make in future. Overall I would recommend this book to those starting at 0 with financial literacy as well as to anyone interested in finances/investments/money management.
April 19, 2021
I love the tv show, so I thought I'd enjoy the book. I do like his philosophy, and the personal stories he told, but I don't think I have any more financial knowledge than I did going into it. He made a few things clearer, and backed up a lot of things I already agreed with, but in the end, I still need a financial adviser and unfortunately I'm not rich enough to employ him, so I'll have to keep looking. Definitely worth reading if you're in debt or struggle each month, as there's some very sound advice in the book.
March 29, 2021
5 stars as a quality no nonsense basic introduction into all things finance, I learned a lot about investing, pensions etc and I like how he grounded the book in setting personal goals and how being financially healthy means having extra time to spend with the people you love and do the things that matter to you
August 29, 2021
This book is laudable for really breaking down some essentials of managing your finances in Ireland and could be recommended to anyone with a low knowledge of personal finance. Found it frustrating that many examples and much of the research cited is not referenced, there's no references at all in the book.
January 10, 2021
Love the book. You lost one star only because you didn't go into detail about investing in property. Maybe you could be sound and write a 2nd book on property investing? How to build your portfolio over the years 🤔😁
January 20, 2021
A really excellent book for anyone who wants to figure out what they should be doing with their money. I loved how its by an Irish financial planners so the advice is very relevant. And for a visual thinker like me the way he describes scenarios is very well done. I actually understood it!
January 23, 2021
Very useful guide
Eoin's advice is invaluable. A really useful guide for regular people to manage everyday finance. This is the kind of material that I wish I had learned in secondary school, I'll definitely be drumming it into my sons heads!
Eoin's advice is invaluable. A really useful guide for regular people to manage everyday finance. This is the kind of material that I wish I had learned in secondary school, I'll definitely be drumming it into my sons heads!
June 14, 2021
Review
Easy to read and understand.
Great first book for learning about how to save money and what you want your financial future to look like.
Great tips for saving money and being aware of where you spending.
Great insight into mortgages and loans etc
Easy to read and understand.
Great first book for learning about how to save money and what you want your financial future to look like.
Great tips for saving money and being aware of where you spending.
Great insight into mortgages and loans etc
August 26, 2021
Brilliant book, very well written, clearly explains topics which eluded me for years. I have finally started taking control of my finances and feel empowered having read this book. Must read for anyone looking to take control of their financial future
September 14, 2022
A practical book that gave personal anecdotes on why its important to be good with money. The book loses stars as it didn't go as in-depth as I wanted it to. I feel this is a book I will continue to look back on as the years go on, which might increase its rating in the future.
July 29, 2020
Could have spent the €16 on paying off my crappy debt.
Wasn't the book for me. Calling every loan minus a mortgage crappy debt bothered me. Can't afford a car without a loan. Without a car I can't get to work. Therefore it may be more expensive but it's not crappy in all senses of the word.
If you're crap with money maybe it's a good one for you
Wasn't the book for me. Calling every loan minus a mortgage crappy debt bothered me. Can't afford a car without a loan. Without a car I can't get to work. Therefore it may be more expensive but it's not crappy in all senses of the word.
If you're crap with money maybe it's a good one for you
March 23, 2021
Honest, straight to the point. Great to re-read sections for future reference
November 26, 2021
Excellent book, just like the show easy to understand. It's the sort of book you could and probably should read every few years. Interesting insight given into investing.
December 20, 2021
Great book with practical tips specifically for Ireland - You love to see it
January 25, 2023
Brilliant read, excellent tips and advice on personal finance, money and specific aspects of money management on a daily, yearly basis!
Currently reading his 2nd book,
also of the same ilk !
Currently reading his 2nd book,
also of the same ilk !
May 23, 2020
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that those of us who most need to mind our pennies are often the most clueless about how to do it. And with this book, a spinoff from the TV series, being published immediately before lockdown, I initially approached it as if it were something of slight irrelevance – we’re all financially doomed anyway, so what’s the point? Turns out there is a point, lots of point, actually, as we face possibly the worst economic depression in history. Most of us have less money than we did in March. Learning to be more careful in our spending is far from an irrelevance; it has become an absolute, urgent imperative.
But who wants to wade through budgets and forecasts and all that Satanic stuff? Virtually nobody is who, but Eoin McGee is well aware of that. So he doesn’t bore us the ugly, niggly minutiae. On the contrary, he has written an extremely readable money guide for the ornery human bean and offers us something which has become almost extinct; common sense. Yes, I admit that towards the end of the book there’s some stuff about pensions, investments, stock markets and all, but the bulk of the book is aimed at people who are not wealthy.
It’s written in easy, conversational and informal style, very much like McGee himself presents on TV, with a minimum of accountant-spiel. And he has crunched some really gruesome numbers on things like the annual cost of a daily latte, or – god help us – the daily pack of cigarettes. Sobering stuff but the more I got into this book the more sense it made. As we brace ourselves for some very tough times to come, we could all do with McGee’s sound advice. Step by step, he takes the mystery out of being fiscally sensible and makes it understandable, even for the likes of me.
But who wants to wade through budgets and forecasts and all that Satanic stuff? Virtually nobody is who, but Eoin McGee is well aware of that. So he doesn’t bore us the ugly, niggly minutiae. On the contrary, he has written an extremely readable money guide for the ornery human bean and offers us something which has become almost extinct; common sense. Yes, I admit that towards the end of the book there’s some stuff about pensions, investments, stock markets and all, but the bulk of the book is aimed at people who are not wealthy.
It’s written in easy, conversational and informal style, very much like McGee himself presents on TV, with a minimum of accountant-spiel. And he has crunched some really gruesome numbers on things like the annual cost of a daily latte, or – god help us – the daily pack of cigarettes. Sobering stuff but the more I got into this book the more sense it made. As we brace ourselves for some very tough times to come, we could all do with McGee’s sound advice. Step by step, he takes the mystery out of being fiscally sensible and makes it understandable, even for the likes of me.
January 11, 2021
Great read for anyone who wants to get there finances in order..filled with tips and tricks..Good job 😃
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews