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
Cash funds, bonds, index funds, shares… what’s the difference, and how do you figure out which mix is right for you?
If you want to invest but have felt confused by the options, this is the live session for you.
In this live edition of the Making Cents podcast, Frances Cook is joined by some of New Zealand’s top investing experts to break down simple, smart sharemarket strategies to help you get your money ready for 2026.
...
You’ve worked your whole life to pay off the mortgage. The house is finally yours. But somehow, the money worries haven’t gone away.
In this Making Cents mailbag episode, a listener in their 70s writes in after becoming mortgage-free, yet still feeling anxious every time they spend a dollar.
Living on the pension with little savings, they want to enjoy retirement but are scared of running out of money.
Their children think...
Supermarket total making your stomach drop? You’re not imagining it, food prices have become one of the biggest pain points of the cost-of-living crisis.
In this episode of Making Cents, financial journalist Frances Cook sits down with chef Alice Taylor, creator of the Cheap and Realistic Eats Cookbook (available at https://www.alicetayloreats.com) to talk about how to eat well without overspending.
From $1.50 loaves of bread...
Create a savings buffer without that nagging feeling of deprivation.
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to talk about the savings tips that help you build a better money life, without cutting everything fun.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week, or become a confident sharemarket investor by joining the Market Me...
A $100,000 gift should feel like freedom, so why does it come with so much pressure?
In this Making Cents mailbag episode, a listener writes in after being gifted $100K from family.
They’ve got a big mortgage, no savings, and a long wish-list that includes home repairs, maternity leave, and some breathing room in the budget.
The question: how do you use a windfall like this without wasting it?
Frances Cook talks to Kati...
One of the biggest tools you’ve got for creating change is already in your pocket - your KiwiSaver.
It quietly funds companies, industries, and ideas every single day. And like it or not, where that money goes can be more powerful than voting or any $5 consumer boycott.
The problem? Most of us have no idea what we’re actually investing in.
Weapons investing is up 40 per cent. Fossil fuels are on the rise. And some of the w...
Fast Money with Jim Mora on Sunday Morning with RNZ. Does the 0.01% rule help us spend in a smarter way? And if you really hate maths, does the 24-hour rule, the cost per use rule, or the fun budget work better?
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week, or become a confident sharemarket investor by joining the Market Memo newsle...
What if the smartest way to get into property investing isn’t a house at all?
That’s the question in this week’s Making Cents mailbag, from a listener who wants to invest but feels locked out of the residential market.
With house prices still sky-high in many areas, this listener asks if commercial property could be the secret path to becoming an investor, or if it’s just a riskier bet in disguise.
When Ecoya CEO Claire Barnes was 23, she lost $100,000 of her dad’s life insurance money on a failed business. The experience left her with a fear of failure so strong it followed her for nearly two decades, even as she rose to lead one of New Zealand’s most successful lifestyle brands.
In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook talks to Claire about what it takes to rebuild after financial loss, how to turn failure into a le...
If you're looking to earn more money on the side, here's the guide to doing it more successfully.
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to explain how to find a good side hustle, and do it without tanking your finances.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week, or become a confident sharemarket investor by joining the Ma...
On paper, today’s listener has it made. Two multimillion-dollar homes, no mortgage, and investments on the side.
But with private-school fees, high living costs, and no full-time second income, the numbers don’t add up.
Their savings are shrinking fast, and the stress is rising even faster.
In this week’s Ask the Experts, Frances Cook and EnableMe’s head strategic coach Katie Wesney unpack what really causes wealth to feel...
You sent in a flood of money questions, and I’m ready to answer them all.
In this Ask Me Anything episode, I’m going unfiltered to talk through the money decisions you’re most curious about, including:
- What my actual investment portfolio looks like (and why lazy wins)
- How to set up your bank accounts to kill money stress
- Whether to pay off debt, boost KiwiSaver, or start investing first
- When to sell your shares, and when to hold...
If you feel like you’re doing it tough, you’re far from alone. The New Zealand economy has been struggling, and regular New Zealanders are feeling the pinch.
Business confidence is down, unemployment is up, and core cost-of-living measures such as food and power prices don’t look good.
Interest rates are now falling, but house prices are staying flat.
So is there hope for an economic comeback, or is there the possibilit...
How much should you actually have in savings to feel safe?
In this week’s Ask the Experts, it’s a listener letter from someone worried about layoffs and wondering whether they’ve saved enough - or maybe even too much.
Heartland Bank’s Will White joins the show to unpack what a real emergency fund looks like in 2025.
How many months of expenses should you really have tucked away? What happens if you over-save and leave too much...
What if financial freedom didn’t take a lifetime, but just 11 years?
Ruth Henderson,also known as The Happy Saver, proves it’s possible.
She’s never been on a huge salary, didn’t get an inheritance, and never flipped property.
Instead, through smart saving, simple investing into the sharemarket, and relentless consistency, they built enough wealth to become work-optional in just over a decade.
And Ruth’s ready to share exac...
Your bank balance might be looking rough, but don’t panic.
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to explain why it’s normal for your money to ebb and flow, why “perfect balance” is a myth, and how to stay on track through the messy seasons of life and money.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week, or become a confident...
New Zealand is in the middle of a $1 trillion inheritance wave, and most families are walking into it completely unprepared.
As Baby Boomers move into their 70s and 80s, we’re experiencing the biggest intergenerational wealth transfer in the country’s history. But the money isn’t the problem, it’s the silence.
In this episode of Making Cents, financial journalist Frances Cook is joined by Katie Wesney from EnableMe to break d...
What if the 9-5 is over?
The idea of a steady job and one career path for life is becoming rarer, and maybe even unrealistic.
In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook talks to Hannah Koumakis about what it actually looks like when you build a career across acting, business, content, and community, all at once.
What happens when you abandon the “one job for life” model, and instead create opportunities in the new world...
The Reserve Bank has slashed the Official Cash Rate, so what does that mean for how bad the economy is, and what is coming next?
Frances Cook talks to the TVNZ Breakfast team about what you need to know for your mortgage, your job, and the overall economy.
Links
Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week, or become a confident sharem...
A listener letter asks if you can really find an undervalued suburb, or is it all luck?
Host Frances Cook is joined by Vanessa Williams from http://realestate.co.nz to unpack whether you can actually spot an up-and-coming suburb before it booms.
Sure, one clever buy could mean your net worth booms, but how do you play that game to win?
This episode digs into:
- How to use real estate data to compare suburbs and spot growt...
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