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. 18h ago

    Can I Actually Count on NZ Super Being There For Me?

    Retirement planning is stressful enough without governments constantly threatening to move the goalposts. Means testing, wealth taxes, a rising retirement age; how much of it is real, and how much can you actually count on NZ Super? Katie Wesney, National Coaching Lead at EnableMe, joins us in the hot seat to cut through the noise. We get into whether the pension is a plan or just a foundation, what the actual numbers look like week to week in retirement, how KiwiSaver, property, and investments fit together, and why worrying about a wealth tax might be the most expensive mistake you make. Plus: the one mindset shift that separates people who reach financial freedom from people who are still waiting for a politician to sort it out. If retirement feels far away, close, or just confusing, this one's for you. In this episode: How much can you actually rely on NZ Super?What does retirement actually cost week to week?How KiwiSaver, property, and investments work togetherShould you worry about means testing or a wealth tax?How to build a retirement plan that doesn't depend on government settings staying the same If you have a letter you’d like us to answer, please 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 Production and video editing by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock Filmed by Fanaticals

    15 min
  2. 3d ago

    The Investing Trap That Even the Experts Fall Into (And How to Avoid It)

    Most investing mistakes don't look like mistakes when you're making them. Chris Walsh from MoneyHub joins us to break down the most common investing traps New Zealanders fall into, and the simple strategies that actually work long term. We get into why dollar cost averaging beats trying to time the market, what "invest in what you know" actually means (and how it gets misused), why borrowing to invest is riskier than most people realise, and what financial foundations you need in place before you start investing at all. Plus: why 86% of active fund managers underperform the index, and what that means for the rest of us trying to grow our money. If you've ever wondered whether you're investing smart or just getting lucky, this one's for you. In this episode: Why dollar cost averaging works, and how to do itThe problem with picking single stocksWhat "invest in what you know" gets wrongShould you borrow to invest? The risks explainedTime in the market vs timing the marketWhat financial foundations to have before you start investingKiwiSaver: are you leaving free money on the table?How to course correct if you've made investing mistakes 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

    43 min
  3. Jun 3

    Are Shoebox Apartments About To Take Over NZ?

    Could the home of the future be the size of a carpark? The government is talking about scrapping minimum apartment size rules, and one Making Cents listener wants to know if that's a housing fix or a housing trap. Vanessa Williams from http://realestate.co.nz has fresh data to help us figure this out. We get into whether micro apartments could actually ease the housing shortage, what banks will and won't lend on when it comes to small apartments, and who this would most likely impact, from first home buyers, to investors, or students. Plus: how New Zealand's apartment market compares to the rest of the world, and whether our obsession with the quarter-acre dream is starting to shift. In this episode: Could scrapping minimum apartment sizes help first home buyers?What do banks actually lend on when it comes to small apartments?Are micro apartments a smart investment or a future problem?How New Zealand's property culture compares globallyWho stands to gain, and who should be cautious 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 Production and video editing by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock Filmed by Fanaticals

    17 min
  4. May 31

    A Michelin-Trained Chef's Insider Secrets To Saving Money On Your Food

    Adele Holland cooked for billionaires on private jets. Now she helps real people eat well for $50 a week, and she reckons the skills transfer better than you'd think. Adele is a Michelin-trained chef who spent years cooking in Swiss chalets and on superyachts before walking away from the waste and opulence of that world. Now, as the creator behind Dishes with Del, she's on a mission to make budget meals genuinely delicious. In this episode, we get into how to meal plan on a budget, the cheap pantry staples that do the heavy lifting, how to stretch expensive proteins further than you thought possible, and the small chef tricks that make a real difference to your grocery bill and your food waste. Think feta brine, coconut cream ice cubes, and frozen soup bases you can make from scraps. Whether you're trying to cut your supermarket spend, reduce food waste, or just get more interesting meals on the table for less, this one's for you. In this episode: How to meal plan for the week on $50Budget pantry staples every kitchen needsHow to reduce food waste with simple chef tricksHow to stretch meat and protein on a tight budgetWhy planning is the unsexy secret to saving money on groceries 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

    31 min
  5. May 27

    The Money Timeline That Lets Normal People Build Wealth

    If you've ever wondered why some people build real wealth on ordinary incomes, while others save for decades and still feel behind, this episode is the answer. Financial journalist Frances Cook breaks down the relationship between money and time, and why getting this right changes everything about how you invest, where your money goes, and how hard it can work for you. In this episode: The rule of 100 - how to figure out how much to invest vs keep in cashNow money, soon money, and later money - the simple framework for organising your financesWhy your emergency fund needs to stay in cash (even when it feels like a missed opportunity)Compounding returns explained simply - and why $10k will eventually feel smallThe rule of 72 - how to calculate how fast your money doubles Whether you're just starting your investing journey or want to make sure your money is working as hard as possible, this episode gives you a practical framework you can actually use. 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

    27 min

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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