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...
How Some Kiwi Families Keep Their Wealth for Generations
Building a comfortable money life for yourself is one thing - building wealth that outlives you is a completely different game.
The problem is that when people get this wrong, it is not just the money that disappears; families often fall apart trying to figure it out. From mismatched expectations to the old saying that wealth is lost in three generations, passing down money without a clear plan can create entitlement rather than long-term security.
Andrew Clements, private wealth and succession lawyer at Grayson Clements, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents...
Overtime, Property Prices, AI Shopping and $608 Billion in Debt: Your Money News Roundup
I join Jim Mora on RNZ Sunday Mornings to work through the latest money news, from new data on unpaid overtime and the cost of living crunch, to Auckland house prices dropping below a million for the first time in six years, and whether Meta’s AI shopping agent is actually a good idea.
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe
Become a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz...
Auckland House Prices Just Hit a 6-Year Low - But The South Island Is Booming
For years, buyers have complained the property market wasn’t on their side - but that has just changed in a way New Zealand hasn’t seen in six years.
Auckland’s average asking price has dropped under $1 million for the first time since 2020, and with 34,000 houses on the market across the country, buyers have serious choice and negotiating power.
But while listings pile up and prices stay flat, why is a full-blown property crash still off the cards?
Vanessa Williams from http://realestate.co.nz joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to break...
From Employee To Owner: How She Bought The Magazine She Worked For
Ever wanted to turn to your boss and say, "I could run this place better, and you should let me"?
In reality, you probably want to phrase it a little more diplomatically than that. But it is possible - because Sarah Murray did exactly that.
Sarah Murray, owner and editor of FQ, shares the raw reality of stepping from employee to business owner.
From valuing a legacy media brand and writing a winning bank business plan with no prior corporate finance background, Sarah pulls back the curtain...
KiwiSaver Is An Election Bidding War
With the election ramping up, promises to change KiwiSaver are flying thick and fast.
Time to break down what each party is suggesting, what the experts think is missing from the debate, and what it could all mean for your retirement savings.
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe
Become a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook...
My Car Costs $13 to Fill Up... Should You Go Electric Too?
With petrol prices spiking to record highs, hitting $3.52 a litre, switching to an electric or hybrid car can look like the ultimate way to wipe out a massive daily living cost. But is it actually the right financial move for your lifestyle, or could hidden ownership costs end up costing you more?
Financial journalist Frances Cook breaks down the real numbers on petrol, hybrid, and fully electric cars.
From real-world running costs and road user charges to battery lifespan facts and a brutal warning on vehicle depreciation, Frances shares the exact...
Bernard Hickey: The Money Issues That Will Decide This Election
Election season is here, and every political party is lining up to promise fixes for your wallet. But behind the political promises on KiwiSaver, grocery prices, and power bills, are any of their proposed solutions actually going to fix the real problems?
Independent financial journalist and founder of The Kaka, Bernard Hickey, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to pull back the curtain on the economic realities facing New Zealand. From the truth about making KiwiSaver compulsory to why a food-producing nation has a million people relying on food banks, Bernard breaks down the big...
Other Sharemarkets Are Booming... Not NZ
While global sharemarkets are booming, New Zealand is sitting quietly near the bottom of the table. I break down why our market is built differently, what that means for your returns, and how to think about whether you should be investing here or looking overseas.
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz
TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook...
What AI Actually Gets Right About Your Finances (And Where It’s Failing You)
AI can build you a full financial plan in 30 seconds flat, but what happens when that plan meets the real world?
Chatbots sound confident, use big words, and can make you feel completely sorted with your money. But generic tools don't know what questions to ask, often affirm whatever you tell them, and can easily ignore massive blind spots like debt, emergency buffers, or market risk.
Katie Wesney from EnableMe joins Frances Cook on Ask the Experts to break down the reality of running your finances through AI. Together, they look...
The 3 Things That Decide Your KiwiSaver Balance (In Order)
There’s a new person setting the rules for our retirement savings, so are we going to see changes for KiwiSaver?
David Boyle has just stepped in as New Zealand’s Retirement Commissioner, bringing decades of experience helping people navigate wealth, funds management, and financial education.
He joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to break down what’s really working, what’s broken, and where our retirement policy needs to go next. From the hidden trap of hiking contribution rates to why simple consistency beats chasing the "perfect" fund, David shares the prac...
Three Mortgage Myths Which Shouldn't Stop You Buying
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to bust the mortgage myths that are putting people off buying a home, from the 20% deposit rule to whether your Uber Eats habit will tank your application.
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz
TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe
Become a confident sharemarket investor by...
Dark Patterns: How to Escape the Subscription Trap
If you have ever felt like the world is designed to drain your bank account, you are not imagining it. Online shopping and digital services are full of sneaky money traps - known as dark patterns - built to make spending effortless and canceling nearly impossible.
This week on Ask the Experts, Jan Verberne, Senior Legal Counsel at Revolut, pulls back the curtain on how these manipulative online checkout tactics work and the exact tools you can use to outsmart them.
This episode of Making Cents is proudly supported by Revolut...
The 5 Ways Regular Kiwis Are Buying Businesses
When the job market feels completely stuck, what if you could create your own job by owning a business? And instead of starting from scratch and hoping it works, what if you bought an established business with a proven track record?
Buying a business isn't just buying yourself a job - run properly, it’s an asset you can grow, earn from, and eventually sell.
Jess Shaw, Director of Vesta Finance joins Frances Cook on Making Sense to break down how everyday people can buy a business like an asset class. Fr...
Values Based Spending: How to Enjoy Your Money Now and in the Future
Frances Cook and Lighthouse Financial wealth director James Blair dig into values based spending, and how to create a financial plan that isn't about hoarding cash but about making sure your money is working toward the life you actually want, now and in the future.
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz
TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook...
You Sent Me 14 Money Questions. Here Are My Honest Answers
Time for a raw, unfiltered Ask Me Anything episode of Making Cents! Financial journalist Frances Cook sits down to tackle your biggest money questions.
From practical strategies to break out of feeling stuck in a cost-of-living squeeze, to whether you should pay off your mortgage or invest in shares, Frances breaks down the plain-English rules of the money game.
In this episode:
Why trying to prioritise every money goal at once leads to burnout, and how to pick one achievable targetThe reality of FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early)Moving from "...How Ilse Wolfe Built A $20 Million Property Portfolio
When headlines scream about the worst property downturn in 30 years, is it time to panic - or is it the buying opportunity you’ve been waiting for?
Prices are down, listings are flooding the market, and buyers have more choice than they’ve seen in years. But picking up a bargain isn’t as simple as buying any cheap property and hoping the market does the heavy lifting.
Ilse Wolfe, property investor and founder of Wolfe Property Coaching, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to explain why market freezes are when season...
I Got Deepfaked. Here's How To Spot A Scammer.
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to talk about the AI deepfake scam using her likeness to lure people into dodgy investment groups, and the red flags that can help you tell the difference between genuine financial advice and someone trying to take your money.
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz
TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co...
What Do You Do When Your House Is Worth Way Less Than When You Bought It?
What do you do when your home is worth less than what you paid for it, and the layout no longer works for your family? Can you actually renovate your way out of negative equity, or does pouring six figures into an extension just dig a deeper financial hole?
This week on Ask the Experts, Vanessa Williams from http://realestate.co.nz breaks down the real property data on what buyers are paying for, which renovations actually add resale value, and how to balance lifestyle needs against cold, hard financial decisions.
...
AI Is Making Mortgage Fraud Easier. Here's What Changes
It seems everyone is using AI to make life quicker and easier - and apparently, fraudsters are too.
From doctored bank statements and inflated income to fake paperwork that used to take serious skill to forge, AI is making mortgage and insurance fraud easier to pull off in minutes. The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) is actively investigating, and honest borrowers are the ones left competing against fake applications.
Josh Daniell, co-founder of open banking platform Akahu, joins Frances Cook to break down how the finance industry is fighting back, how open...
The Price of Playing It Safe With Your Money
Frances Cook breaks down low beta investing, the middle ground between hiding your money in a bank account and braving the full volatility of the share market, including the real cost of playing it safe and whether the gentler ride is actually worth it.
Become a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz
TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
<...What KiwiSaver Actually Needs to Change, According to an Adviser
Five minutes could be enough to add hundreds of thousands of dollars more to your KiwiSaver.
There are simple, low-hanging fruit changes that can mean serious money landing in your account - but simple changes cut both ways. There are costly traps to avoid, and easy tweaks to your settings that can make a massive difference to your balance over time.
This week on Ask the Experts, Katie Wesney from EnableMe joins Frances Cook to answer your KiwiSaver questions, from splitting funds to self-employed strategies and tax checks.
<...Biggest Mortgage Myths: What Banks Are Actually Checking In 2026 (It's Changed)
What if the home buying rules you think are holding you back don't actually exist anymore?
Between outdated advice, myths about needing massive deposits, and the fear of trying to buy on a single income, it is easy to assume you are locked out of the property market before you even start.
The truth is that many old lending rules have expired, and with the right strategy, getting into your first home might be much closer than you thought.
Claire Williamson is the Director of My Mortgage...
Prices Are Going Up. But Not Always for the Reason You Think
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to explain excuseflation, the trend of businesses using wall to wall inflation headlines as cover to hike their own prices, and what you can actually do to fight back.
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz
TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe
Become a confident sharemarket...
Why Your Money Disappears (And The Fix That Actually Works)
Is your Afterpay habit hurting your financial future and stopping you from hitting big life goals like buying your first home?
Every financial decision leaves a digital footprint, and banks and mortgage lenders use that data to check your creditworthiness, spending habits, and loan affordability. But with so much scaremongering and myths around credit scores in New Zealand, it's easy to panic.
This week on Ask the Experts, Jessica O’Hare, Head of Lending at Revolut, breaks down the truth about what lenders actually care about, what gets flagged on your cr...
From 0 to $1 Million And Financial Freedom - In 10 Years
What if financial independence is something you could build for yourself, before you even hit 40?
Katie and Alan Donegan did exactly that.
No lottery win, no trust fund, just a determination to live simply, stack their cash, and build a life where they didn't have to answer to anyone else.
They retired at 35 and 40, and now travel the world while running Rebel Finance School, a free money course that's helped thousands of people worldwide sort out their finances.
Financial journalist Frances Cook sits down with the Donegans on the Making Cents...
Take the 50k or Flip for a Million?
Frances Cook joins the Seven Sharp team to unpack a coin flip experiment that reveals how Kiwis think about risk and money, and why we will happily put it all on red but get nervous about the kinds of risk that actually build wealth.
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz
TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co...
The Best Way To Add Property Value - And The Mistake To Avoid
Renovating to add value is the dream, but overcapitalising is the nightmare that can turn your dream reno into a costly mistake. So how do you tell the difference before you've spent a single dollar?
This week's Ask the Experts letter comes from a homeowner who badly needs more space and is weighing up an extension to their house.
Vanessa Williams from realestate.co.nz joins Frances to pull back the curtain on what actually pays off from a reno.
In this episode we’re talking:
How to choose between lifestyle and mo...The Mortgage Advice That Fails in NZ: With Aaron Cattell (The Mortgage Man)
Time to fact-check the mortgage advice taking over social media, and see what actually holds up.
Mortgage adviser Aaron Cattell (aka The Mortgage Man) is ready to go myth-by-myth through the mortgage advice doing the rounds online, and find out what actually survives contact with someone who does this for a living.
We cover:
The "pay a dollar a day" trick, the viral claim that resets your mortgage interest.Weekly vs fortnightly vs monthly repayments; does paying more often actually shave years off your mortgage in New Zealand, or is that a US myth...The Easiest Shortcuts To Save Money
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to share her favourite apps and websites for cutting power bills, saving on groceries, eating out for less and upskilling for free, all with as little effort as possible.
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz
TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe
Become a confident sharemarket...
Get Ready For ‘Excuse-flation’ - That’s About To Drive Up Cost Of Living Even Further
"Excuseflation" is the secret reason your groceries, petrol and power keep going up.
Why did butter come down a third in global price... and only drop two cents on the shelf? Why does petrol rocket up in a day but crawl back down for months? There's a name for this: excuseflation, when real inflation gives businesses cover to hike prices for no real reason at all.
In this episode, financial journalist Frances Cook breaks down:
The real numbers behind headline inflation for NZThe "rockets and feathers" effect: why petrol prices...Simple KiwiSaver Mistakes That Cost You Thousands (And How To Fix Them)
You sent in your KiwiSaver questions, time for us to answer them.
KiwiSaver is one of the biggest financial tools most New Zealanders have, but just a few changes can mean tens of thousands of dollars more for you.
Personal finance journalist Susan Edmunds, author of the new book Your KiwiSaver Questions, Answered, is on the Making Cents podcast and ready to sort it out.
In this episode:
The most common KiwiSaver mistakes people make, and how to avoid themHow to get more money from your...How to Build Financial Independence Without Living on Instant Noodles
Frances Cook joins Jim Mora on RNZ Sunday Mornings to talk through whether financial independence is actually achievable for ordinary people and how to make it work on your own terms, followed by a run through the latest money news including the AI bubble, rising rates and what is happening in the housing market.
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz
TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in...
Have I Set My Kids Up, or Set Them Back?
Most parents want to give their kids a softer landing than they had.
But what if the soft landing is the problem?
This week's letter writer has done everything right, on paper. Bills covered. Kids never stressed about money. An investment account quietly building in the background, for a nice surprise one day.
But with the kids about to fly the nest, they're rethinking whether thiswas the right tactic. Because maybe protecting them from money stress means they've never actually learned to handle it.
Katie Wesney, national coaching lead from EnableMe...
I Interviewed Dozens Of Money Experts - This Was The Best Advice
It’s time for the ultimate budget hacks to save money on food, petrol, and life.
Because a good budget should help you keep your cash for the fun stuff.
Today we’re pulling together the best tips and tricks from past Making Cents guests, so you get just their best moment on how to save money, from groceries, to apps, subscriptions, banking, food costs.
Chris Schulz breaks down the money-saving apps and budgeting apps that actually work, and the sneaky tactics shops use to take your cash. Full episode, 22 March: Supe...
The Catch Behind a "Timeless" Investing Strategy
Frances Cook breaks down why the most popular index fund strategy in the world may not be spreading your risk the way you think, what history tells us about industries that have dominated the market before and what to do if the current AI concentration concerns you.
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz
TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https...
How To Travel For Years Without Killing Your Career
The difference between long-term travel being the best decision you ever make and a very expensive mistake usually comes down to one thing: whether you had a plan.
This week on Ask the Experts, Frances Cook and Georgia Grange, head of Revolut NZ, answer a letter from a twenty-something who wants to take a couple of years to travel properly, but without going into debt or derailing their finances.
This episode covers:
How much money you actually need saved before you goThe hidden costs of international travel that drain your budget without...Is Your Home an Investment - Or Just a Place to Live?
There's a belief that's almost a religion to some people: buy a home, hold onto it, pay off the mortgage, and you're financially sorted.
More often than not, it's not true. And if you let that belief guide you, you could miss real opportunities for building wealth, because you feel like you're ahead when you're actually not.
Janika ter Ellen knows this better than most. She's a property reporter for Stuff, covering these issues every day.
So when she finally sat down and ran the actual numbers on her own home, what she...
How To Get Paid More In NZ - WEBINAR REPLAY
If it feels like getting a pay rise is harder than ever, you're not imagining it.
But even in a tough market, there are strategies that work, and people using them to get ahead.
Frances Cook is joined by University of Auckland senior lecturer Dr Kenny Ching, MyCareerBrand career coach Kaela Hindle, and Side Hustles NZ founder Rachel Mills to break down how to actually earn more in this environment.
We're covering:
– Which skills are gaining value right now, and which are losing ground
– How AI is reshaping the job...
The NZ Property Market Just Had Its Biggest Change Since 2020
The highest number of June listings just hit the NZ property market, since 2020.
But the impact isn’t what you would think.
Despite the flood of listings, prices haven't moved.
Nationally, prices have barely moved in three and a half years, even as listings pile up. The picture also varies sharply depending on where in New Zealand you're looking, with wide swings across regions, within that national average.
Vanessa Williams from http://realestate.co.nz is ready to break down the story behind the numbers:
- NZ property market up...
The Kiwi Teenager With Four Businesses Bringing In Six Figures
There’s nothing quite like starting young. But most of us don’t build a business before we can vote. Never mind several of them.
Hamish Sutherland is 17 and already on his fourth business.
He felt the spark to get ahead early on but turns out it’s hard to get a job when you’re eight. Rather than let a tricky thing like employment law hold him back, he just started his own business instead.
By 13, that was a lawn mowing and water blasting business. At 15, he wrote a Kindle book that made $60...
