Making Money Made Simple by Noel Whittaker: An Honest Review

📖 What is Making Money Made Simple about?🔗

Making Money Made Simple is Noel Whittaker's attempt to explain personal finance the way a knowledgeable friend would: without the jargon, without the condescension, and without assuming you already know what a franking credit is. First published in 1987, it's been revised across many editions since, which means the content has been refreshed as Australian tax law, super rules and economic conditions shifted. That's more than most finance authors bother to do.

The core ideas haven't changed much, because they don't need to. The book walks you through:

• Compound interest and the Rule of 72. Divide 72 by your expected annual return to estimate how many years it takes to double your money. At 8%, that's roughly 9 years. Whittaker explains it so well it sticks.
• Good debt versus bad debt. Borrowing for an appreciating asset is treated very differently from borrowing for a depreciating one. Obvious until you see how many people get it wrong.
• Budgeting and saving. Not glamorous, but foundational, and kept practical rather than preachy.
• Shares, home loans and superannuation. Each gets its own treatment, with Australian context throughout.
• Tax and wealth protection. Legal ways to reduce your tax bill and protect what you've built.
• Financial enemies and goal-setting. The habits that quietly erode wealth, paired with a framework for setting goals that matter.

It's a foundational classic, not a technical manual. Think of it as the "get the basics right" book before you start worrying about portfolio construction or tax-effective structures.

⚖️ Strengths and weaknesses🔗

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

🔍 What do critics say?🔗

Making Money Made Simple has been a fixture of Australian personal finance for decades, and Whittaker is one of the country's most recognised money commentators, with long-running newspaper columns behind him. The book regularly features in "best Australian money books" round-ups from advisers and finance journalists, usually praised as a clear, no-nonsense guide to taking control of your finances. It's the kind of foundational title that gets recommended so often it's almost taken for granted.

💬 What do readers say? Goodreads and Reddit🔗

Readers rate it well. On Goodreads it holds around 4 out of 5, with the large majority handing out four and five stars, which is a remarkably consistent result for a book that's been in print for the best part of four decades. Reviewers describe it as easy to follow, practical and genuinely Australian.

🇦🇺 The Australian angle🔗

This is where Making Money Made Simple earns its place among the best finance books Australia has produced. Most of the titles that dominate global bestseller lists, like Rich Dad Poor Dad or I Will Teach You to Be Rich, are written for the American system. They talk about 401(k)s instead of superannuation and US tax brackets that have nothing to do with your ATO return. Reading them here means constant mental translation, and some of the advice simply doesn't apply.

Whittaker writes about the Australian system from the inside. Superannuation, franking credits, Australian home loan structures and local tax strategies aren't afterthoughts, they're the whole point. That specificity is also why the book needs regular updates, and why it's worth checking you're reading a recent edition before relying on any of the exact figures.

💰 The verdict🔗

Making Money Made Simple is the book we'd hand to someone who's just started thinking seriously about their finances and wants to understand how money actually works in Australia. It's not flashy and it doesn't promise to make you rich in 12 months. What it does is explain the fundamentals clearly, honestly and in a way that sticks. The compound interest and Rule of 72 sections are as good as anything in any personal finance book anywhere, and the Australian context is genuinely useful. The one star we're holding back is for the thin coverage of modern investment vehicles and the inevitable lag on specific tax and super figures between editions. Minor complaints about a book that does its core job exceptionally well. Our rating: 4 out of 5.

❓ Frequently asked questions🔗