Making Cents

Frances Cook
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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!

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    10 Pieces Of Advice I'd Give My 20-Year-Old Self

    Frances Cook shares the ten money lessons she wishes she'd known at 20, including the mindset shifts, small habits, and easy wins that made the biggest difference to her financial life. Follow me everywhere! Facebook / Frances Cook - Journalist Instagram / Frances | Money | Investing (@francescooknz) • Instagram profile TikTok / Frances Cook on TikTok Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week Newsletter sign up

    9 min

  2. 2 DAYS AGO

    Spending Money the Right Way (Most Kiwis Miss This)

    It's one thing to build financial stability, it's another to actually let yourself enjoy it. In this Ask the Experts episode, Frances Cook is joined by Katie Wesney from Enable Me to unpack a problem that's more common than you'd think: what happens when the scarcity mindset that helped you build financial security starts working against you? A listener wrote in with a $5 million net worth, and genuine anxiety about spending any of it. Kmart clothes, secondhand cars, no overseas trips in six years. On paper, financially free. In practice, still living like every dollar matters. In this episode, we get into: – Why money anxiety doesn't disappear when the numbers improve – The difference between what you should spend on and what actually lights you up – How childhood experiences with money shape your relationship with it for decades – What a financial adviser actually does to help you build permission to spend – The practical systems that replace anxiety with confidence – Why the 4% rule exists, and how to think about your own number. Have a question you'd like us to tackle? Send it to ask@francescook.co.nz and you might feature on a future episode. 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 signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest #MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedom This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

    16 min

  3. 5 DAYS AGO

    Ali Mau: From TV Icon to Startup Founder at 60 (And How She Paid For It)

    What does it actually cost to walk away from a successful career and build something that matters? Ali Mau is one of New Zealand's most recognised television faces, including Breakfast, Fair Go, Seven Sharp, One News. She was also made redundant five times along the way. Instead of treating each setback as a dead end, she used them as clarity. Now in her sixties, she’s co-founded Tika, a tech-for-good startup helping survivors of sexual harm. In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook talks with Ali about the real financial reality of a major career pivot: the year of zero income, burning through savings, accumulating debt, and why none of that was visible from the outside. They dig into how to fund a passion project when traditional funding streams are stacked against you, how transferable skills show up in unexpected ways, and what you actually need to have in place, both financially and personally, before you make the leap. If you've ever wondered how to afford a career change, how to keep the lights on while building something meaningful, or whether it's too late to start over, this episode is for you. This episode of Making Cents is proudly supported by Odoo. Go to https://www.odoo.com/r/hpl now and try it for free, for 15 days. 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 signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest #MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedom This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

    47 min

  4. 7 MAY

    Why You Keep Buying Things You Don't Need Online

    With six in ten Kiwis making impulse purchases from social media every month, Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to explain the manipulative tactics behind online shopping and how to take back control of your spending. Follow me everywhere! Facebook / Frances Cook - Journalist Instagram / Frances | Money | Investing (@francescooknz) • Instagram profile TikTok / Frances Cook on TikTok Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week Newsletter sign up Become a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter Newsletter sign up Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

    7 min

  5. 6 MAY

    The 5 Levels of Financial Freedom: Which One Are You?

    Financial freedom is a series of levels, and once you understand them, the whole thing stops feeling impossible and starts feeling like a plan. In this solo episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook breaks down the five levels of financial freedom, from knowing your numbers for the first time, to the point where work becomes genuinely optional. Each level builds on the last. Each one makes the next one easier to reach, not harder. And the first level doesn't require much money at all - just honesty. We talk about: Why knowing your numbers is an underrated form of financial freedomThe one thing that reduces money stress at every income levelWhat "I have options" actually looks like in real NZ dollarsHow compounding returns turn into a second job that requires nothing from youThe 4% rule, and how to use it to figure out your numberWhy level five isn't the absence of work, it's the absence of fear Whether you're drowning in debt and just trying to get a grip, or you're already investing and wondering what comes next, this episode will tell you exactly where you are, and where to aim next. 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 / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz #MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedom This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

    32 min

  6. 3 MAY

    The Emotion Sabotaging Your Money (A Psychologist Explains)

    You know what you should be doing with your money. So why aren't you doing it? You know you should ask for the raise. Start investing. Stop spending on things you don't care about. And yet, somehow, you don't. Counsellor and change therapist Charlotte Cummings has a name for what's stopping you, and it's not laziness or lack of discipline. It's your unbearable feeling. In this episode, Frances Cook sits down with Charlotte to unpack one of the most powerful concepts in psychology: the one or two feelings we hate so much, we structure our entire lives around never experiencing them. And in doing so, we sabotage ourselves financially, professionally, and in our relationships — without ever realising why. We talk about: - What an "unbearable feeling" is and where it comes from - How to figure out what yours is - Why it's often behind the very thing making you successful, as well as being the very thing holding you back - Common unbearable feelings that block people from investing, saving, or asking for more - How to stop being run by your own fears (and what changes when you do) This one will make you think differently about every money decision you've been putting off. This episode of Making Cents is proudly supported by Odoo. Go to https://www.odoo.com/r/hpl now and try it for free, for 15 days. 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 signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest #MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedom This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

    40 min

  7. 30 APR

    War in Iran Is About To Hit Your Mortgage And Your Money - WEBINAR REPLAY

    The war in Iran is already moving mortgage rates, and it's not done yet. Interest rates are moving, and this will change everything with your money. Beyond the mortgage, it’s also your savings, your investments, and even your job. So what's actually happening, and what should you do about it? Frances Cook is joined by Massey University’s Christoph Schumacher and EnableMe financial coach Katie Wesney to break down the chain reaction from a conflict on the other side of the world, straight to your bank balance. We're covering: – How a war in the Middle East ends up pushing up your interest rate – What the Reserve Bank is likely to do next, and when – The key decisions to help you be smarter with your money, and especially your mortgage – How to build genuine financial resilience when the future is uncertain You can’t control the war. But you can control how you prepare.

    46 min

  8. 29 APR

    $54M Wiped From NZ Property: Here's What It Actually Means

    The New Zealand property market is shifting, and the latest data from http://realestate.co.nz tells us exactly how. In just the last three months, sellers dropped their prices enough for a total of $54 million to be wiped off asking prices across New Zealand. But strangely, it could be good news, as it’s slowing from previous falls. So are we at a turning point? In this episode of Making Cents Ask the Experts, financial journalist Frances Cook sits down with Vanessa Williams from realestate.co.nz, to break down what's actually happening in the NZ property market right now. Not the vibes, the real numbers. We cover: Whether New Zealand is still in a buyer's market, and how long that might lastHow the Iran conflict and rising oil prices could affect propertyThe best strategies for sellers in this marketHow buyers can negotiate hard, and where the best opportunities are hidingWhat the data hints at for the next 6 to 12 months Whether you're buying, selling, or just watching the market, this episode gives you the real picture on New Zealand property in 2026. If you have a letter you’d like us to answer, send it through to ask@francescook.co.nz and you might feature on our next episode! 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 signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest #MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedom This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

    14 min
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Trailer

About

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!

Information

  • Creator
    Frances Cook
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    244
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Frances Cook
  • Show Website
    Making Cents

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