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PODCAST

Making Cents

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

business investing

All Episodes

58:55

Financiallly free in just 11 years, with The Happy Saver

Making Cents ·

2025/10/19

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 Ruth’s ready to share exactly how they did it.In this episode, we cover:How to reach financial independence

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9:14

Why 'perfect balance' can wreck your finances

Making Cents ·

2025/10/16

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.LinksFollow 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 investor by joining the Market Memo newsletter. Hosted on Acast

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14:23

The $1 trillion time bomb: Why Kiwi families are...

Making Cents ·

2025/10/15

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 Wesney from EnableMe to break down the inheritance conversations Kiwis aren’t having, and the painful

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53:13

"I nannied for billionaires, it changed my entire...

Making Cents ·

2025/10/12

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 opportunities in the new world of work, where you often need multiple streams of income to get ahead, and where

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6:57

"Shock therapy" OCR cut, job pain, mortgage gain?...

Making Cents ·

2025/10/09

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.LinksFollow 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 investor by joining the Market Memo newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See

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16:30

Mailbag: “Can I find an undervalued suburb, or was my...

Making Cents ·

2025/10/08

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 suburbs and spot growth trendsWhat infrastructure, transport links, and buyer demand reveal about the next

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46:18

“Consumerism is just filling a void” - how to stop...

Making Cents ·

2025/10/05

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 break free.We dig into:Why money is 90% mindset and only 10% mechanicsHow consumerism tricks us into “filling

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8:03

Why "financial flashpoints" hold you back, and how to...

Making Cents ·

2025/10/02

"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. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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18:27

Buying vs building: Which property strategy builds...

Making Cents ·

2025/10/01

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 building new. And importantly, which option could help you build more long-term wealth.Whether you're a

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38:12

What I learned from starting over in my 30s

Making Cents ·

2025/09/28

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.From learning how to begin imperfectly, to setting boundaries, to turning financial security into life

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21:10

The hidden costs of buying a home (and how to avoid...

Making Cents ·

2025/09/24

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 overlook, how much they typically add up to, and smart ways to avoid nasty financial surprises.Whether

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53:02

How to start investing, and go from $5, to financial...

Making Cents ·

2025/09/22

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 learn:- Why the sharemarket isn’t gambling, but ownership in real businesses- How and why prices actually

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37:01

Why we financially sabotage ourselves, and how to stop

Making Cents ·

2025/09/21

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 financial enabling, money avoidance, and even being too scared to ask for a pay rise, it’s all on the

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15:50

Using your home to buy investment property: smart or...

Making Cents ·

2025/09/17

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 more property.When it works, it can supercharge your wealth.When it doesn’t? You’re putting your family

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51:27

What it’s really like to quit work forever at 30,...

Making Cents ·

2025/09/14

It’s a fantasy many of us share: what if you could retire early, walk away from your job forever, and live life on your own terms by the age of 30?Would it be all freedom and fun… or would the reality look very different?In this episode of Making Cents, I talk to Captain Fi, one of Australia’s most well-known FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) bloggers. He shares what it really takes to achieve financial independence at such a young age, and whether he would actually recommend it to

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13:31

No pay rise? How to ask for benefits instead

Making Cents ·

2025/09/11

Fast Money with Jim Mora on Sunday Morning with RNZ. Chatting everything from cost-of-living savings, how to pay off debt faster, how to get a pay rise or what to do next if a pay rise is turned down, and what's happening with the property market at the moment.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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15:23

Side hustle mistakes that cost you time and money

Making Cents ·

2025/09/10

Side hustles can boost your money life, but only if you avoid the mistakes that tank most people early on.In this episode of Making Cents: Ask the Experts, we’re breaking down the most common side hustle mistakes, and how to avoid them.From financial pitfalls to admin overload, we’re giving you real, practical advice to help you start a side hustle that actually works.I’m joined by Joanna Greaves, General Manager of Business Banking at Kiwibank, who’s seen thousands of small businesses and side

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41:12

How to find a financial adviser you can actually...

Making Cents ·

2025/09/07

Finding a financial adviser in New Zealand can feel both overwhelming, and risky.With so many options, how do you know who to trust with your money, your KiwiSaver, your mortgage, or your retirement plan?In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook breaks down exactly how to find a financial adviser in NZ that you can actually rely on. We cover when you really need an adviser, what they can (and can’t) do for you, how they get paid (fees vs commissions), and the red flags that should send you

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7:19

Small changes to beat the cost of living

Making Cents ·

2025/09/04

Whether you're hitting the supermarket, or paying your regular bills, here are some quick ways to tackle the cost of living in your daily life. Frances Cook talks to the TVNZ Breakfast team about the ways to fight the price rises. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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17:35

The KiwiSaver trap: why a common tactic can...

Making Cents ·

2025/09/03

Are you accidentally sabotaging your KiwiSaver?KiwiSaver is one of the most powerful tools New Zealanders have for growing wealth, but if you’re on autopilot, you could be losing tens of thousands of dollars without realising it.In this episode of Ask the Experts, we reveal the common KiwiSaver mistakes that are quietly shrinking your nest egg, and the easy fixes that could supercharge your long-term savings.Whether you're using KiwiSaver for retirement, your first home deposit, or both, it’s time

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178 results

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