Shows / Making Cents
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…
Episodes
- Making Cents
NZ Election 2026: What It Means for Your Money. LIVE WEBINAR REPLAY
Election day is almost here, and money is top of mind for a lot of us. In this special live edition of Making Cents, I’m joined by: Claire Matthews from Massey…
- Making Cents
How Much Do You Really Need to Retire in NZ?
Do you really need $1 million to retire? Scary headlines say so, and that falling short means facing cold, miserable years ahead. But for most people, that…
- Making Cents
NZ Food Prices: What The Supermarket Debate Is Missing
We grow enough food in New Zealand to feed 40 million people - eight times our own population. So why does your weekly grocery bill feel like it’s eating your…
- Making Cents
The 80% Rule: Why I Turn Down Most Sponsors
Two years into running Making Cents as an independent business, I sit down with the TVNZ Business Breakfast team to talk about what I got right, what went…
- Making Cents
Kiwis Want Time More Than Money: Here’s Why
What matters more to you, money or time? Nearly half of us would accept getting paid less just to get more time back in our lives. Not more stuff, not a bigger…
- Making Cents
How Some Kiwi Families Keep Their Wealth for Generations
Building a comfortable money life for yourself is one thing - building wealth that outlives you is a completely different game. The problem is that when people…
- Making Cents
Overtime, Property Prices, AI Shopping and $608 Billion in Debt: Your Money News Roundup
I join Jim Mora on RNZ Sunday Mornings to work through the latest money news, from new data on unpaid overtime and the cost of living crunch, to Auckland house…
- Making Cents
Auckland House Prices Just Hit a 6-Year Low - But The South Island Is Booming
For years, buyers have complained the property market wasn’t on their side - but that has just changed in a way New Zealand hasn’t seen in six years…
- Making Cents
From Employee To Owner: How She Bought The Magazine She Worked For
Ever wanted to turn to your boss and say, "I could run this place better, and you should let me"? In reality, you probably want to phrase it a little more…
- Making Cents
KiwiSaver Is An Election Bidding War
With the election ramping up, promises to change KiwiSaver are flying thick and fast. Time to break down what each party is suggesting, what the experts think…
- Making Cents
My Car Costs $13 to Fill Up... Should You Go Electric Too?
With petrol prices spiking to record highs, hitting $3.52 a litre, switching to an electric or hybrid car can look like the ultimate way to wipe out a massive…
- Making Cents
Bernard Hickey: The Money Issues That Will Decide This Election
Election season is here, and every political party is lining up to promise fixes for your wallet. But behind the political promises on KiwiSaver, grocery…
- Making Cents
Other Sharemarkets Are Booming... Not NZ
While global sharemarkets are booming, New Zealand is sitting quietly near the bottom of the table. I break down why our market is built differently, what that…
- Making Cents
What AI Actually Gets Right About Your Finances (And Where It’s Failing You)
AI can build you a full financial plan in 30 seconds flat, but what happens when that plan meets the real world? Chatbots sound confident, use big words, and…
- Making Cents
The 3 Things That Decide Your KiwiSaver Balance (In Order)
There’s a new person setting the rules for our retirement savings, so are we going to see changes for KiwiSaver? David Boyle has just stepped in as New…
- Making Cents
Three Mortgage Myths Which Shouldn't Stop You Buying
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to bust the mortgage myths that are putting people off buying a home, from the 20% deposit rule to whether your Uber…
- Making Cents
Dark Patterns: How to Escape the Subscription Trap
If you have ever felt like the world is designed to drain your bank account, you are not imagining it. Online shopping and digital services are full of sneaky…
- Making Cents
The 5 Ways Regular Kiwis Are Buying Businesses
When the job market feels completely stuck, what if you could create your own job by owning a business? And instead of starting from scratch and hoping it…
- Making Cents
Values Based Spending: How to Enjoy Your Money Now and in the Future
Frances Cook and Lighthouse Financial wealth director James Blair dig into values based spending, and how to create a financial plan that isn't about hoarding…
- Making Cents
You Sent Me 14 Money Questions. Here Are My Honest Answers
Time for a raw, unfiltered Ask Me Anything episode of Making Cents! Financial journalist Frances Cook sits down to tackle your biggest money questions. From…
- Making Cents
How Ilse Wolfe Built A $20 Million Property Portfolio
When headlines scream about the worst property downturn in 30 years, is it time to panic - or is it the buying opportunity you’ve been waiting for? Prices are…
- Making Cents
I Got Deepfaked. Here's How To Spot A Scammer.
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to talk about the AI deepfake scam using her likeness to lure people into dodgy investment groups, and the red flags…
- Making Cents
What Do You Do When Your House Is Worth Way Less Than When You Bought It?
What do you do when your home is worth less than what you paid for it, and the layout no longer works for your family? Can you actually renovate your way out…
- Making Cents
AI Is Making Mortgage Fraud Easier. Here's What Changes
It seems everyone is using AI to make life quicker and easier - and apparently, fraudsters are too. From doctored bank statements and inflated income to fake…
- Making Cents
The Price of Playing It Safe With Your Money
Frances Cook breaks down low beta investing, the middle ground between hiding your money in a bank account and braving the full volatility of the share market…
- Making Cents
What KiwiSaver Actually Needs to Change, According to an Adviser
Five minutes could be enough to add hundreds of thousands of dollars more to your KiwiSaver. There are simple, low-hanging fruit changes that can mean serious…
- Making Cents
Biggest Mortgage Myths: What Banks Are Actually Checking In 2026 (It's Changed)
What if the home buying rules you think are holding you back don't actually exist anymore? Between outdated advice, myths about needing massive deposits, and…
- Making Cents
Prices Are Going Up. But Not Always for the Reason You Think
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to explain excuseflation, the trend of businesses using wall to wall inflation headlines as cover to hike their own…
- Making Cents
Why Your Money Disappears (And The Fix That Actually Works)
Is your Afterpay habit hurting your financial future and stopping you from hitting big life goals like buying your first home? Every financial decision leaves…
- Making Cents
From 0 to $1 Million And Financial Freedom - In 10 Years
What if financial independence is something you could build for yourself, before you even hit 40? Katie and Alan Donegan did exactly that. No lottery win, no…
- Making Cents
Take the 50k or Flip for a Million?
Frances Cook joins the Seven Sharp team to unpack a coin flip experiment that reveals how Kiwis think about risk and money, and why we will happily put it all…
- Making Cents
The Best Way To Add Property Value - And The Mistake To Avoid
Renovating to add value is the dream, but overcapitalising is the nightmare that can turn your dream reno into a costly mistake. So how do you tell the…
- Making Cents
The Mortgage Advice That Fails in NZ: With Aaron Cattell (The Mortgage Man)
Time to fact-check the mortgage advice taking over social media, and see what actually holds up. Mortgage adviser Aaron Cattell (aka The Mortgage Man) is ready…
- Making Cents
The Easiest Shortcuts To Save Money
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to share her favourite apps and websites for cutting power bills, saving on groceries, eating out for less and…
- Making Cents
Get Ready For ‘Excuse-flation’ - That’s About To Drive Up Cost Of Living Even Further
"Excuseflation" is the secret reason your groceries, petrol and power keep going up. Why did butter come down a third in global price... and only drop two…
- Making Cents
Simple KiwiSaver Mistakes That Cost You Thousands (And How To Fix Them)
You sent in your KiwiSaver questions, time for us to answer them. KiwiSaver is one of the biggest financial tools most New Zealanders have, but just a few…
- Making Cents
How to Build Financial Independence Without Living on Instant Noodles
Frances Cook joins Jim Mora on RNZ Sunday Mornings to talk through whether financial independence is actually achievable for ordinary people and how to make it…
- Making Cents
Have I Set My Kids Up, or Set Them Back?
Most parents want to give their kids a softer landing than they had. But what if the soft landing is the problem? This week's letter writer has done everything…
- Making Cents
I Interviewed Dozens Of Money Experts - This Was The Best Advice
It’s time for the ultimate budget hacks to save money on food, petrol, and life. Because a good budget should help you keep your cash for the fun stuff. Today…
- Making Cents
The Catch Behind a "Timeless" Investing Strategy
Frances Cook breaks down why the most popular index fund strategy in the world may not be spreading your risk the way you think, what history tells us about…
- Making Cents
How To Travel For Years Without Killing Your Career
The difference between long-term travel being the best decision you ever make and a very expensive mistake usually comes down to one thing: whether you had a…
- Making Cents
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…
- Making Cents
How To Get Paid More In NZ - WEBINAR REPLAY
If it feels like getting a pay rise is harder than ever, you're not imagining it. But even in a tough market, there are strategies that work, and people using…
- Making Cents
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…
- Making Cents
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…
- Making Cents
The "Safe" Place for Your Money Is Not What You Think
With the OCR on the rise and inflation heading up again, Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to explain why the safest place for your money depends…
- Making Cents
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…
- Making Cents
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…
- Making Cents
Make Money And Save Money Through The Secondhand Market
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to talk through one of her favourite money hacks, using the second hand market to both clear out the clutter at home…
- Making Cents
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…
- Making Cents
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…
- Making Cents
Jobs, Mortgages, AI Investing and Extreme Saving Hacks: Your Money News Roundup
Frances Cook joins Jim Mora on RNZ Sunday Morning to cover the latest in money news, from why the job market feels so tough right now and where the work…
- Making Cents
The New Rules of Running a Side Hustle in New Zealand
Your side hustle is making real money. Now what? Because when the income is real, things are growing, you can suddenly realise the whole operation is held…
- Making Cents
Your Income Cheat Code: How Buying a Business Changes Everything
There’s a wealth transfer ready to happen right now, but only if you know where to look for it. A generation of baby boomers built their businesses over…
- Making Cents
How to Invest for Financial Freedom - WEBINAR REPLAY
Financial freedom sounds great in theory, but what does it actually take to get there as a normal person? In this webinar, Frances Cook is joined by Sheppard &…
- Making Cents
Why "Being Normal" Is The Most Expensive Thing You Can Choose
Being weird with money is the smartest thing you can do, to get financial freedom. Most of us are following the same money playbook, and it’s not working…
- Making Cents
What Accountants Wish You Knew About the IRD
Many New Zealanders are overpaying tax, missing refunds they're entitled to, and leaving money on the table, simply because the system is confusing and nobody…
- Making Cents
Why Being a Loyal Customer Costs You Thousands
Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to explain the loyalty tax costing New Zealanders hundreds of dollars a year on power, insurance and banking, and…
- Making Cents
What Actually Gets You a Better Price for Your House
You're about to spend thousands getting your house ready to sell. Professional staging. A photographer. Maybe a lick of paint on the fence. But in a buyer's…
- Making Cents
The Truth About NZ's Economy Right Now
Something’s off, and that something is the economy. The latest drop of economic forecasting shows exactly what’s happening with the cost of living, your job…