Author Toney Fitzgerald lived in a Sydney men’s shelter as part of his research for his recently released Don’t Bitch Just Get Rich book.

Using the first-hand insights gained from living ‘undercover’ with a group of otherwise homeless men for two weeks, together with years of experience as a lifestyle coach, Fitzgerald believes that people are more ashamed of their mismanaged finances than of almost anything else they have done wrong in life.

“As part of the shame, people blame others for their finances rather than assessing the realities of the situation and doing something about it,” said Mr Fitzgerald.

“Sometimes the stories involve bankruptcy, an ex-spouse, high expenses, being under-paid; whatever it is, the shame and blame generate inertia and foster a victim mentality.

“In all of my research into this area, I’ve found inertia to be the greatest contributor to ongoing financial discontent and bitching is the means used to rationalise it,” he said.

Don’t Bitch Just Get Rich is a book that follows the journey of seven ordinary cash-strapped people who learn to trade story telling or ‘bitching’ for action.

Learning vicariously through these seven individuals, some of whom we can closely identify with, the reader is taken through a range of activities that provide an empowering decision-making framework.

The key premise on which the book is based is about ‘getting real and getting responsible’ and as the author suggests, that while some of the world’s diseases are incurable, over spending is not one of them.

Author Toney Fitzgerald
ISBN 0 7318 1273 5
Format Soft cover, 227 pages
Retail Price $24.95
Publisher Simon & Schuster