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. 1h ago

    How A 17-Year-Old Built Four Businesses Before Finishing School

    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

  2. 4d ago

    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

  3. Jul 12

    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

  4. Jul 8

    The Hidden Areas Of NZ Where Houses Don't Cost As Much

    Are there still good property deals in New Zealand right now? Here's where to actually look. A listener wrote in with the question everyone's asking: prices are technically down, but they still feel expensive. Interest rates aren't friendly. Rents don't cover the mortgage. So is property investment still worth it, or has the window already closed? On this episode of Ask the Experts, Katie Wesney from EnableMe is ready to talk about what changes the calculations on whether property investment is worth it. In this episode: New builds vs. existing homes: which one actually protects your moneyThe real relationship between rental yield and capital gainsWhy buying outside your own city can be a smart risk-mitigation moveWhich parts of New Zealand currently have the strongest property fundamentalsHow to use equity in your own home instead of waiting to save a depositThe difference between a genuine bargain and a property that's "cheap for a reason"The one question to ask before buying ANY investment property If you've been told property investment doesn't work anymore, this episode will change how you think about it. 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

  5. Jul 5

    The $2 Daily Habit That Could Be Worth $419,000 at Retirement

    There's actual behavioural science behind why we freeze up around money, and it's the same science that Mark White-Robinson has built a business around solving. Mark is the co-founder of Feijoa, an app that rounds up your everyday purchases and tips that spare change straight into your KiwiSaver. Seven months in, his users are on track to build millions in retirement savings. The trick to money is usually small habits, over a long time. That's it. But there's a real science to making them stick. In this episode we get into: Why doing nothing is usually the worst financial decision you can makeThe three things that stop people taking action with money (and how to get around them)Why 1 million eligible New Zealanders are missing out on over a billion dollars a year in free KiwiSaver contributionsThe behavioural tricks built into Feijoa, and how to steal them for your own money lifeWhat open banking has changed for everyday Kiwis 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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