Making Cents

Frances Cook

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. 17 hr ago

    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 found surprised her, and not in a good way. Turns out there are hidden costs to owning a home, and missed opportunities while you're paying off that mortgage, that change the story we've all been sold. So if your home isn't quite the investment you thought it was, what is it? And does that change whether you should buy at all? In this episode: Is buying a house a good investment in New Zealand, and what happened when she ran the numbers on 11 years of home ownershipWhy city and regional property markets tell completely different storiesHouse vs shares returns over 10 yearsWhat she'd have been worth if she'd invested her deposit instead of buyingThe hidden costs of home ownershipRenting vs buying a houseThe difference between a home as an asset versus a home as an investmentAuckland house prices vs regional house prices This episode of Making Cents is proudly supported by Odoo. Go to http://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 Production and video editing by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock Filmed by Fanaticals

  2. 4 days ago

    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 update June 2026: why listings are rising while national house prices stay flat - Regional house prices vs national average NZ: which areas are outpacing the rest of the country, and why - OCR interest rate rise 2026: what it means for mortgage holders, first home buyers, and savers - How to sell a house in a slow market NZ: pricing and marketing strategy for a stock-flooded market - First home buyer tips NZ: avoiding overwhelm and knowing your non-negotiables when house hunting 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 Production and video editing by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock Filmed by Fanaticals

  3. 19 Jul

    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 $60,000. Then he moved into a property investment project. Now he’s building AI-focused businesses, fresh off an entrepreneurship intensive in Malaysia. The world of work is changing fast, and it’s easy to freeze when you’re not sure where you fit into that change. Hamish isn’t freezing. He’s looking for the opportunity in it. In this podcast we talk about: • How to start a business as a teenager with no money or experience • Making money on Kindle direct publishing, and how his book made $60,000 • Investing in property young • AI business ideas for 2026, and where he’s focusing next • Using social media to grow a business as a young entrepreneur • Gen Z entrepreneurship, and why young people are more willing to take the risk If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re too young, too late, or too unqualified to start something of your own, this episode is the reminder that none of that has to be true. 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 Production and video editing by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock Filmed by Fanaticals

  4. 15 Jul

    I Put Solar On My House. Was It Worth It? (Numbers Breakdown)

    Free Power Forever? The Real Cost, Payback Time, and Battery Truth on Solar in NZ 18 months ago, I spent $89,000 on home solar and an electric car. I told you about it, and was flooded with questions on how this could work for other people. (You can listen to the previous episode from 1 April, titled "I Spent $89,000 on Solar And Electric Car In NZ… Was It Worth It?") This episode is the follow-up, answering every question from the practical (does my roof even work?) to the financial (do I actually need a $10,000 battery?). I’ll break down: Would solar work on your house, and what it takes to make solar power workHow to run the numbers to find out how long solar would take to pay itself off. I’ve got a three-figure back-of-envelope calculation anyone can do with last year's power billsDo you need a battery to make solar power worthwhile?What to do if money's tight, or you rentWhere solar power is heading next, including balcony solar and virtual power plants 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 Production and video editing by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock Filmed by Fanaticals

  5. 12 Jul

    How to Embrace Ambition Without Burnout, with Mindset Coach Sarah Robb

    Why do so many high performers end up exhausted and burned out? Mindset coach Sarah Robb has spent years working in this area, and says that unfortunately, many of us burn ourselves out, usually trying to prove we're good enough. At 26, Sarah had lost both her parents, in difficult circumstances. What she built afterwards became the foundation for how she now coaches high achievers, business owners, and ambitious women through burnout, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt - without losing their drive. In this episode: How to stop burnout without giving up ambitionWhy energy management matters more than time managementThe hidden reasons we hold onto limiting beliefsHow to set boundaries and say no without guiltHow to build self-compassion (not just self-love)Why presence, not productivity, is the antidote to overwhelm If you've ever felt successful on the outside but exhausted on the inside, this conversation 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 Production and video editing by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock Filmed by Fanaticals

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!

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