Making Cents

Create a savings buffer without that nagging feeling of deprivation. Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to talk about the savings tips that help you build a better money life, without cutting everything fun. Links Follow Frances Cook on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week, or become a confident sharemarket inv...

A $100,000 gift should feel like freedom, so why does it come with so much pressure? In this Making Cents mailbag episode, a listener writes in after being gifted $100K from family. They’ve got a big mortgage, no savings, and a long wish-list that includes home repairs, maternity leave, and some breathing room in the budget. The question: how do you use a windfall like this without wasting it? Fra...

One of the biggest tools you’ve got for creating change is already in your pocket - your KiwiSaver. It quietly funds companies, industries, and ideas every single day. And like it or not, where that money goes can be more powerful than voting or any $5 consumer boycott. The problem? Most of us have no idea what we’re actually investing in. Weapons investing is up 40 per cent. Fossil fuels are on t...

Fast Money with Jim Mora on Sunday Morning with RNZ. Does the 0.01% rule help us spend in a smarter way? And if you really hate maths, does the 24-hour rule, the cost per use rule, or the fun budget work better? Links Follow Frances Cook on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week, or become a confident sharemarket investo...

What if the smartest way to get into property investing isn’t a house at all? That’s the question in this week’s Making Cents mailbag, from a listener who wants to invest but feels locked out of the residential market. With house prices still sky-high in many areas, this listener asks if commercial property could be the secret path to becoming an investor, or if it’s just a riskier bet in disguise...

When Ecoya CEO Claire Barnes was 23, she lost $100,000 of her dad’s life insurance money on a failed business. The experience left her with a fear of failure so strong it followed her for nearly two decades, even as she rose to lead one of New Zealand’s most successful lifestyle brands. In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook talks to Claire about what it takes to rebuild after financial los...

If you're looking to earn more money on the side, here's the guide to doing it more successfully. Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to explain how to find a good side hustle, and do it without tanking your finances. Links Follow Frances Cook on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week, or become a confident sharem...

On paper, today’s listener has it made. Two multimillion-dollar homes, no mortgage, and investments on the side. But with private-school fees, high living costs, and no full-time second income, the numbers don’t add up. Their savings are shrinking fast, and the stress is rising even faster. In this week’s Ask the Experts, Frances Cook and EnableMe’s head strategic coach Katie Wesney unpack what re...

You sent in a flood of money questions, and I’m ready to answer them all. In this Ask Me Anything episode, I’m going unfiltered to talk through the money decisions you’re most curious about, including: What my actual investment portfolio looks like (and why lazy wins) How to set up your bank accounts to kill money stress Whether to pay off debt, boost KiwiSaver, or start investing first When to se...

If you feel like you’re doing it tough, you’re far from alone. The New Zealand economy has been struggling, and regular New Zealanders are feeling the pinch. Business confidence is down, unemployment is up, and core cost-of-living measures such as food prices don’t look good. Interest rates are now falling, but house prices are staying flat. So is there hope for an economic comeback, or is there t...

How much should you actually have in savings to feel safe? In this week’s Ask the Experts, it’s a listener letter from someone worried about layoffs and wondering whether they’ve saved enough - or maybe even too much. Heartland Bank’s Will White joins the show to unpack what a real emergency fund looks like in 2025. How many months of expenses should you really have tucked away? What happens if yo...

What if financial freedom didn’t take a lifetime, but just 11 years? Ruth Henderson,also known as The Happy Saver, proves it’s possible. She’s never been on a huge salary, didn’t get an inheritance, and never flipped property. Instead, through smart saving, simple investing into the sharemarket, and relentless consistency, they built enough wealth to become work-optional in just over a decade. And...

Your bank balance might be looking rough, but don’t panic. Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to explain why it’s normal for your money to ebb and flow, why “perfect balance” is a myth, and how to stay on track through the messy seasons of life and money. Links Follow Frances Cook on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox...

New Zealand is in the middle of a $1 trillion inheritance wave, and most families are walking into it completely unprepared. As Baby Boomers move into their 70s and 80s, we’re experiencing the biggest intergenerational wealth transfer in the country’s history. But the money isn’t the problem, it’s the silence. In this episode of Making Cents, financial journalist Frances Cook is joined by Katie We...

What if the 9-5 is over? The idea of a steady job and one career path for life is becoming rarer, and maybe even unrealistic. In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook talks to Hannah Koumakis about what it actually looks like when you build a career across acting, business, content, and community, all at once. What happens when you abandon the “one job for life” model, and instead create oppo...

The Reserve Bank has slashed the Official Cash Rate, so what does that mean for how bad the economy is, and what is coming next? Frances Cook talks to the TVNZ Breakfast team about what you need to know for your mortgage, your job, and the overall economy. Links Follow Frances Cook on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each we...

A listener letter asks if you can really find an undervalued suburb, or is it all luck? Host Frances Cook is joined by Vanessa Williams from http://realestate.co.nz to unpack whether you can actually spot an up-and-coming suburb before it booms. Sure, one clever buy could mean your net worth booms, but how do you play that game to win? This episode digs into: How to use real estate data to compare...

We all like to think we’re making smart money decisions… but half the time it’s actually our unconscious brain calling the shots. The result? Accidental self-sabotage, money guilt, and financial myths that keep us stuck. In this episode of Making Cents , Frances Cook is joined by financial coach and commentator Amanda Morrall to bust the biggest money myths holding people back, and show how to bre...

"Financial flashpoints" are the moments that can take over you subconscious, and quietly derail the best of money plans. They can push smart people, to make some bad choices. Frances Cook talks to the TVNZ Breakfast team about how to spot them, and stop them taking over. Links Follow Frances Cook on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok , or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in...

Old vs new: Which property strategy builds more wealth? When you're deciding whether to buy a house or build one, you're not just choosing a home, you're making one of the biggest financial decisions of your life. In this Ask the Experts episode of Making Cents, financial journalist Frances Cook is joined by Kirsty Healey from EnableMe to unpack the pros and cons of buying an existing home vs buil...

What really happens when you burn everything down and start over in your late 30s? In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook shares the raw reality of leaving a high-profile media job, building a business from scratch, and creating financial freedom on her own terms. This episode dives into the money lessons, business mistakes, and mindset shifts that come with starting over later in life. Fro...

Buying a house in New Zealand? Don’t get caught out by hidden costs. In this episode of Ask the Experts, we reveal the true cost of buying a home, beyond the sale price. From legal fees to building inspections or surprise repair bills, these are the extra expenses that can seriously derail your property plans if you’re not prepared. We break down the most common hidden costs that first home buyers...

Think shares are too risky or too complicated? Think again. In this live webinar, Frances Cook is joined by Ruth Henderson from The Happy Saver, independent financial journalist and founder of The Bottom Line, Paul McBeth, and Dean Anderson, founder of investing platform Kernel. Together they’re going to break down how investing really works, without the jargon, hype, or Wall Street bros. You’ll l...

Most of us don’t just make money mistakes, we repeat them. Why? Because our money beliefs and money psychology are quietly running the show. In this episode of Making Cents, financial journalist Frances Cook dives into how financial self-sabotage happens, with guest Nick Alcock, a tax debt coach and chartered accountant who uses financial therapy techniques. From compulsive buying and gambling, to...

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money. If you’re thinking about property investment, there’s one word that always comes up - leverage. It’s the strategy of using your home’s value to invest into something else, usually...