On this page you’ll find a list various products, services, books and tools that I think are useful and hope will be of value to you.
Only things I use personally and genuinely approve of will make this page.
Just to be clear, some of the things listed here have affiliate links. For the ones that do, this blog may receive a credit or referral fee if you choose to signup or purchase using the link provided.
It helps and supports the running of this site, which is much appreciated.
By the way, I also publish some investing articles over on the Pearler blog. If you enjoy my writing, head over to check those out. And for more info on Pearler, read this post.
Products & Services
Books
Tools & Calculators
PORTFOLIO TRACKING
I’ve been using Sharesight for years to record all our share purchases and dividend payments easily in one place.
It tracks performance, plus you can generate quick tax reports for income and capital gains, which makes tax season so much easier.
Sharesight is also completely free if you have 10 holdings or less!
Strong Money readers save 4 months off the price of their premium plans using this link.
HOME LOANS
My personal mortgage broker for the last 10 years, these guys are fantastic and can help with anything home loan related.
If you’re looking for a better interest rate (you should be!) or need help getting the right home loan and lender for your situation, get in touch and they’ll look after you. All online, no need to go anywhere.
They can also help with more complex stuff like debt recycling. MTM has excellent reviews for a reason!
Solar Panels
Getting solar panels is often a great financial decision.
The tricky part is learning about how it works, what you need, and finding a reputable and trustworthy installer.
That’s where Solar Quotes comes in. The site is full of education resources on solar (and batteries), and have vetted installers from all over the country.
I used Solar Quotes to get prices from highly regarded local installers, asked questions, then chose one to install our system.
The whole process was easy and transparent. Now we’re now saving a bunch of money on our power! 😎
INTERNET
After finally upgrading our internet to the NBN, I decided to go with Aussie Broadband, due to their excellent reviews and reasonable prices.
We’ve been very happy with the experience – good communication, easy setup, reliable internet and an Aussie call centre.
Check them out yourself. If you do sign up, use referral code 3103355 for $50 free credit.
PHONE PLAN
There are some incredible deals on pre-paid phone plans these days. Catch Connect have some of the best-priced options, which I switched to recently.
Plenty of low cost plans available – the 365-day plans are my preferred choice. Currently offering unlimited calls and plenty of data for just $120 – that’s ten bucks a month!
Powered by Optus, and you can keep your current number. An absolute no brainer.
PETS
Buying pet food can cost a fortune if you buy it in little bags from a supermarket, or a pet store.
We save money buying our dog biscuits in bulk online from Pet Circle. They regularly have the best prices I can find and offer free shipping over $49.
You can also get $10 off your first order (min. spend $50) by using my referral code.
Web Design
Do you like this website? The team at Burning Fruit are to thank for that.
I have no clue what I’m doing when it comes to design and making changes to the Strong Money site.
So when I wanted to upgrade this site to make it more helpful and user-friendly, I reached out to a local Perth business for help.
The service and attention to detail was fantastic, and they put up with all my silly questions and requests. If you’re looking for great web design, reach out to these guys.
PERSONAL FINANCE AND MINDSET
This is the best finance book I have ever read, which is more about our minds than it is about money.
Morgan Housel is an incredible writer. This book thoughtfully covers the most important lessons about how to approach the entire subject of money – what it’s good for, what it’s not good for, and everything in between.
It’s full of wisdom, shares new angles on old problems and great stories which perfectly encapsulate the problems we all face when trying to navigate the strange world of finance.
LIFE AND MINDSET
I’ve been a fan of Mark Manson’s writing for a while now. He’s an entertaining blogger and great at dishing out important (sometimes unexpected) life lessons.
This book is a combination of mindset, how to improve your life and figuring out what really matters vs what is likely to lead to misery (a.k.a what to give a f*ck about).
It’s a great read, and I’ve come back to it multiple times.
WEALTH
A great book detailing the common traits among real-life millionaires.
Breaks down the findings of a multi-decade study, showing that the average ‘wealthy’ person doesn’t live in a fancy suburb or drive an ultra-expensive car.
Instead, they have solid financial habits and live a good life while prioritising saving, investing and building other income streams.
The data also implied that Scottish millionaires are extra frugal, which gave me a good chuckle (since I was born there).
INVESTING
This book by Aussie investor Peter Thornhill really helped me understand how the sharemarket works as a newbie.
His style of investing – focusing on the income from shares – instantly made sense to me and I could finally see that shares are all about businesses and cashflow.
Peter’s overarching message is to ignore the noise (gyrating share prices) and focus on the income stream generated by companies over time.
LIFE AND MINDSET
Technology has taken over our lives and it’s starting to affect our mental health, capacity to think, and our ability to be happy.
Digital Minimalism helps shine a light on how apps and new tech is designed to be like a slot machine for your mind (addictive). The book shows how to use technology in a much smarter, more thoughtful way.
It also shares how to live a balanced life, the importance of unplugging for our sanity, and finding meaningful pursuits outside of technology. The FIRE movement and Mr Money Mustache also rate a mention in there!
WEALTH
This is honestly one of my favourite books. It’s a collection of parables which are set in ancient Babylon.
The way it’s written and the stories used makes it feel like you are truly receiving ancient wisdom about wealth.
Now, I’ll admit, you won’t come away with any new investment strategies (the book was written by George Clason almost 100 years ago), but it’s a really enjoyable read and one I highly recommend. The PDF version is freely available for download.
INVESTING
A great book, with a lot of important messages for long term investors, written by the creator of the world’s first index fund, the late Jack bogle.
Bogle preaches the effectiveness of owning the whole stock market rather than trying to pick winners, keeping costs low, investing regularly, and staying the course.
More than anything, this book will teach you the importance of not trying to be too smart and the magic in keeping things simple. One to come back to every few years for a reminder of what’s important when investing.
PERSONAL FINANCE
You’ve probably already read this one (hasn’t everyone?), but I’ll put it here anyway.
Barefoot does a great job of mapping out how to manage money effectively using his famous buckets strategy.
A great place to start if you’re new to personal finance and want a simple roadmap to follow.
Even if you think you know a bit, you’ll probably still learn something from this book.
PASSIVE INCOME TRACKER
Get the spreadsheet and charts I use to keep a running estimate of our annual dividend income for every time I buy shares.
Also included in the chart pack is one for your ‘dividend history’ so you can build up a record of your progress each year to see how far you’ve come!
There’s also charts for asset allocation, share portfolio + charity donations.
EARLY RETIREMENT CALCULATOR
Extremely simple and easy to use FI calculator, which I found at the end of my journey. Must have played out a few hundred scenarios on this thing.
Just plug in your income and spending, and this calculator will tell you how long until you can retire. Have a play around with the numbers and see what a difference boosting your savings rate can make.
Like me, you might find it a bit addictive!
Financial Independence Calculator
Very handy calculator to map out when you’ll reach financial independence, created by investing platform Pearler.
The cool part is, it’s designed to include superannuation, so you can include that in your calculations to figure out how much you might need inside vs outside super.
Test different passive income targets to see when you can hit FI or even semi-retire.
MORTGAGE CALCULATOR
See how fast you can pay your mortgage off with this simple calculator.
Enter your loan balance and then play around with how much extra you want to contribute to play out different scenarios.
You can time it so your house is paid off by the time you hit FI. Or, maybe you just pay off the mortgage and then move into a cruise state of semi-retirement. It’s up to you!
Post FIRE Calculator
An incredibly useful calculator to figure out how safe it is to live off your share portfolio based on historic cycles.
Unlike others, this calculator also incorporates life expectancy into it, to give greater perspective of whether you’re more likely to end up ‘rich, broke or dead’.
You can also play around with all sorts of different ‘flexibility’ scenarios to see how strong your situation is and how long your money will last in retirement.
I wrote about this topic in detail here.
FINANCIAL RESOURCES
A great list of personal finance resources on ASIC’s Moneysmart website.
They have a huge list of guides and calculators on everything from budgeting and investments, to superannuation, insurance, home loans, and a list of scam warnings to watch out for.
I also really like this compound interest calculator from MoneyGeek.
Get my latest content and thoughts straight to your inbox.
A fresh dose of financial motivation to power your journey.
Get my latest content and tips delivered to your inbox.
Build wealth and create freedom with long term strategies that work.
Kick-start your journey with a free copy of my easy-to-follow ebook.
Learn the key stepping stones to financial independence and get started today.