Making Cents
The podcast for people who want financial freedom, without giving up their coffee. That means it's time to make the money world make cents. Join Frances Cook, best-selling author and award-winning journalist, to talk about the proven ways to invest your way to financial independence, buy your first home, or just get your spending under control. Every Monday we have the week's feature interview, with someone who's done something interesting with their money. From paying off a mountain of debt, or investing for financial independence, or starting a new business, these are the ordinary people making the extraordinary possible. On Thursday we have Ask the Experts, where industry insiders answer your questions on the money world. From earning more in your career, to investing, or sticking to a budget, they'll help make money simple. Every now and then you'll get a bonus episode too, but the fun of those is that you never know when they're coming! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Fast Money with Jim Mora on Sunday Morning with RNZ. Chatting everything from cost-of-living savings, how to pay off debt faster, how to get a pay rise or what to do next if a pay rise is turned down, and what's happening with the property market at the moment.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.
Side hustles can boost your money life, but only if you avoid the mistakes that tank most people early on.
In this episode of Making Cents: Ask the Experts, we’re breaking down the most common side hustle mistakes, and how to avoid them.
From financial pitfalls to admin overload, we’re giving you real, practical advice to help you start a side hustle that actually works.
I’m joined by Joanna Greaves, General Manager of Bus...
Finding a financial adviser in New Zealand can feel both overwhelming, and risky.
With so many options, how do you know who to trust with your money, your KiwiSaver, your mortgage, or your retirement plan?
In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook breaks down exactly how to find a financial adviser in NZ that you can actually rely on.
We cover when you really need an adviser, what they can (and can’t) do for you, how ...
Whether you're hitting the supermarket, or paying your regular bills, here are some quick ways to tackle the cost of living in your daily life.
Frances Cook talks to the TVNZ Breakfast team about the ways to fight the price rises.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.
Are you accidentally sabotaging your KiwiSaver?
KiwiSaver is one of the most powerful tools New Zealanders have for growing wealth, but if you’re on autopilot, you could be losing tens of thousands of dollars without realising it.
In this episode of Ask the Experts, we reveal the common KiwiSaver mistakes that are quietly shrinking your nest egg, and the easy fixes that could supercharge your long-term savings.
Whether you...
Everyone wants a bit of extra cash, but are side hustles actually worth your time, or just another way to burn out?
From driving for Uber to picking up dog poop, side hustles in New Zealand range from the weird to the wonderful.
Some can bring in fast money to help with the cost of living crisis, while others might grow into a full-time business or a path to financial freedom.
In this episode of Making Cents, financial jo...
Small fixes for a big win: it’s time for renovations that actually add value
Not all renovations are created equal. Some upgrades could cost you thousands without adding a cent to your resale value.
In this Ask the Experts episode of Making Cents, financial journalist Frances Cook is joined by Vanessa Williams from realestate.co.nz to reveal which home improvements genuinely increase property value, and which ones are a total...
Why does life still feel so expensive?
In this webinar, we break down what’s really driving the cost of living in New Zealand, and why your grocery bill, rent, and power costs keep climbing while tech and travel seem cheaper.
You’ll learn:
- The hidden forces pushing up the price of essentials
- Smart ways to save on food and bills without giving up life’s small joys
- Budgeting strategies that actually work in today’s ec...
Feeling guilty every time you spend money? You’re not alone, but it might be doing more harm than good.
In this episode of Making Cents, we’re diving into why money guilt is one of the biggest mindset traps stopping people from saving, investing, or sticking to a budget.
I’ll break down the psychology behind guilt and spending, and show you how to shift your habits without giving up the things that make life fun.
We’ll tal...
A quick hit highlight clip from the April 2025 episode "Housing, KiwiSaver, and debt: Solving NZ’s biggest money issues with the Retirement Commissioner", with Jane Wrightson.
Making Cents is supported by Kiwibank.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.
Ever felt like your financial goals are just too far away?
Whether you're dreaming of financial independence, planning for early retirement, or just trying to build up a decent savings buffer, staying motivated over the long haul can be tough.
In this Ask the Experts episode of Making Cents, we're talking about how to stay on track with your biggest financial goals, even when progress feels slow.
Financial adviser Lisa But...
What if the worst happened, but you were financially ready?
When Caroline Gordon was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer, everything changed. But because she’d already built financial independence, she had something many people in crisis don’t: options.
In this episode of Making Cents, we dive into how financial freedom became Caroline’s safety net. She shares how it allowed her to:
- Self-fund private cancer treatment not ...
Will your mortgage rate go down soon, or will banks keep them higher for longer?
In this episode of Making Cents, financial journalist Frances Cook joins RNZ’s Nights on 14 August, to break down everything you need to know about New Zealand interest rates right now.
We cover:
- How the Official Cash Rate (OCR) works and what it means for home loans
- The link between what savers get in their term deposit, and what borrowers are...
Why we choose Lotto over investing, even when it’s irrational, and how to flip the script so investing feels just as exciting.
A replay of a conversation with Wallace Chapman on RNZ's The Panel, from 11 August.
Making Cents is supported by our friends at Kiwibank.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.
Are you enjoying the freedom of self-employment - or just underpaid, overworked, and financially stressed?
Running your own business can give you freedom, flexibility, and the chance to build something that truly works for you.
But without the right systems in place, it’s also easy to end up burnt out, broke, and completely unprepared for the future.
In this Ask the Experts episode of Making Cents, financial journalist Fra...
She hit financial freedom at 51, by downsizing to a caravan and selling the family trade business.
It wasn’t a tech salary. It wasn’t an inheritance. It was good old-fashioned DIY thinking, property investment, and a whole lot of planning.
In this episode of Making Cents, you’ll meet Charmaine Hands, who “re-lifed” in her 50s and built a whole new life of travel, flexibility, and financial independence.
She ran a glazing a...
The 1news Breakfast team have questions about how we can beat the guilt, and create systems to help us feel better about our money.
A replay of the TVNZ segment from 5 August.
Making Cents is supported by our friends at Kiwibank.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.
Are house prices about to drop more, or is this the bottom of the market?
In this episode of Ask the Experts, we dig into what’s really going on with New Zealand’s housing market in 2025.
Whether you’re a first home buyer, property investor, or current homeowner, understanding the true drivers behind NZ house prices is essential to making smart money choices.
House prices are flat or falling across much of the country. So ...
You don’t need a million dollars to reach financial freedom.
In this episode of Making Cents, we’re breaking down how Germano Gomes built lifestyle freedom on an average income. No lottery win. No six-figure job. Just smart money moves.
He paid off his mortgage in five years, lived simply, and built up enough FU money to say no to the traditional 9–5. All while still enjoying the things that matter most.
Now? He works part...
There’s a wave of major money changes rolling through New Zealand, hitting everything from where you keep your savings, to what’s in your KiwiSaver, to the price of your weekly groceries.
In this live Making Cents episode, Frances Cook is joined by Consumer NZ CEO Jon Duffy to break down what actually matters, and what you should do next.
We cover:
- The new bank protection rules, under the Depositor Compensation Scheme. W...
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