Alan Kohler – författare

Now, more than ever, we all need to invest wisely and prudently. Want to invest in shares but don’t know where to start? Worried about how to make the most of your super? Need a financial adviser but don’t know how to find someone reliable? In It’s Your Money, Alan Kohler, one of Australia’s most trusted financial experts, offers practical guidance for investors of all ages. He shares his investing philosophy and offers advice on all aspects of financial planning, including engaging an adviser; building a property portfolio; investing in shares, bonds or managed funds; growing your superannuation; and ethical investment. It’s Your Money is an indispensable guide for anyone who wants to do more with their money. Alan shows how, with a few careful steps and some practical wisdom, anyone can invest sensibly and successfully. He gives you the tools to be confidently in charge of your money and your future, your way.

What caused Australia's housing crisis – and how we might fix it

One of the great mysteries of Australian life is that a land of sweeping plains, with one of the lowest population densities on the planet, has a shortage of land for houses. As a result, Sydney's median house price is the second most expensive on Earth, after Hong Kong's.

The escalation in house prices is a pain that has altered Australian society; it has increased inequality and profoundly changed the relationship between generations – between those who have a house and those who don't. Things went seriously wrong at the start of the twenty-first century, when there was a huge and permanent rise in the price of housing. But what actually happened? And what to do now? As Alan Kohler explains, "the solutions are both complex and simple, difficult and easy: supply must be increased and superfluous demand reduced."

In this crisp, clarifying and forward-looking essay, Alan Kohler tells the story of how we got into this mess – and how we might get out of it.

"The growth in the value of Australian land has fundamentally changed society, in two ways. First, generations of young Australians are being held back financially by the cost of shelter, especially if they live somewhere near a CBD and especially in Sydney or Melbourne; and second, the way wealth is generated has changed. Education and hard work are no longer the main determinants of how wealthy you are; now it comes down to where you live and what sort of house you inherit from your parents. It means Australia is less of an egalitarian meritocracy." Alan Kohler, The Great Divide

Correspondence ‘LIFEBOAT’ from Bill Shorten, Monique Ryan, Sam Drummond, Rhonda Galbally, Sam Bennett, Robbi Williams, Carly Findlay, and Micheline Lee.

Australia's most trusted financial journalist on Australia's housing crisis.

'One of the best long reads on housing and possible solutions that you can come across' —Rafael Epstein

An updated and expanded edition of the bestselling Quarterly Essay.

One of the great mysteries of Australian life is that a land of sweeping plains, with one of the lowest population densities on the planet, has a shortage of land for houses. As a result, Sydney is the second most expensive place to buy a house on Earth, after Hong Kong.

The escalation in house prices is a pain that has altered Australian society; it has increased inequality and profoundly changed the relationship between generations – between those who have a house and those who don't. It has caused a rental crisis, a dearth of public housing and a mortgage crunch.

Things went seriously wrong at the start of the twenty-first century, when there was a huge and permanent rise in the price of housing. In this crisp, clarifying and forward-looking book, Alan Kohler tells the story of how we got into this mess – and how we might get out of it.

This new edition adds material on homelessness, how much house prices in each city need to come down to be affordable, and lessons from overseas.

'A timely contribution from a master communicator' —Cameron Murray, Crikey