Investing with She's on the Money: An Honest Review

📖 What is Investing with She's on the Money about?🔗

Investing with She's on the Money is Victoria Devine's second book, published by Penguin in 2023. It's the investing-focused sequel to her bestselling debut, She's on the Money, aimed squarely at Australians who feel like investing is "not for them."

Devine is a former financial adviser turned podcaster and media personality, host of the She's on the Money podcast (one of Australia's most listened-to finance shows), a Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia lister, and a finance columnist for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. The book's core premise is simple: investing isn't just for finance bros and property developers. It's for everyone, and especially for women, who face a structural disadvantage thanks to the gender pay gap and career interruptions that compound over time. The tone is warm and conversational, much like the podcast, and there are worksheets in every chapter. It's a book you're meant to write in, not just read.

What it covers, roughly in order:

• Money mindset and values. Before a single share is mentioned, Devine asks you to examine your relationship with money. This section is substantial, arguably too substantial for a book titled "investing."
• Risk profiles. A clear explanation of conservative, balanced and growth investor types, and how to work out which you are.
• Why you can't afford not to invest. Focused on the gender gap in retirement savings.
• The share market. How shares work, what the ASX is, and the role of diversification.
• ETFs and index funds. An intro to exchange-traded funds (including VAS and VGS) and why they suit most beginners.
• Micro-investing, super, property and ethical investing. Short, honest overviews of each, with super framed as investing most Australians are already doing.
• Building your own strategy. The final section ties it together into a plan that fits your goals and risk tolerance.

⚖️ Strengths and weaknesses🔗

👤 Who should read it, and who should skip it?🔗

🔍 What do critics say?🔗

The critical consensus is warm but measured. Reviewers consistently praise the accessibility, the confidence-building tone and the genuinely local context, and Devine is widely regarded as one of the best communicators in Australian personal finance. The recurring criticism is just as consistent: too much space goes to mindset and values relative to actual investing mechanics, the editing could be tighter, and readers with any existing finance knowledge find it thin. It's treated as a strong beginner primer rather than a comprehensive investing guide.

💬 What do readers say? Goodreads and Reddit🔗

On Goodreads it holds around 3.9 out of 5, a solid but not spectacular score, and the spread tells an honest story. The positive reviews cluster around accessibility and feeling more confident to start. The critical ones cluster around repetition, thin technical depth and the sense that the most useful investing content is concentrated near the end. A common thread: readers who wanted more depth afterwards reach for Girls That Invest as a complementary next read.

🇦🇺 The Australian angle🔗

This is where the book earns its keep. Most investing books in circulation are written for American readers, full of 401(k)s, Roth IRAs and the S&P 500. None of that helps directly when you're trying to sort your super fund, weigh VAS against VGS, or understand franking credits. Devine writes for Australians, full stop. The book covers:

• Superannuation as an investment vehicle most Australians are already using, often without realising it.
• The ASX and how Australian shares work, including dividend imputation and franking credits.
• Australian ETFs like VAS (Vanguard Australian Shares) and VGS (Vanguard International Shares), among the most commonly discussed options locally.
• The ASIC regulatory framework and what it means for how advice can and can't be given.
• Micro-investing apps available in Australia, with honest notes on their role as a starting point.

💰 The verdict🔗

Investing with She's on the Money is a good book for the right reader. If you're a complete beginner, particularly one who's felt intimidated by investing or shut out of financial conversations, this is a warm, practical and genuinely Australian starting point. The accessible tone, the psychological framing and the local context all work in its favour. But it's not a book that grows with you. The repetition from the first book, the thin technical depth and the missing index mean that once you've taken your first steps, you'll quickly outgrow it. Think of it as a launchpad, not a destination. Our rating: 3.5 out of 5. Worth reading if you're starting from zero, and pair it with something more technical once the basics land.

❓ Frequently asked questions🔗