About this podcast
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!
Episodes
The newest 50 of 323 episodes
- Why NZ Could Benefit From an AI Crash · 16 minI join RNZ Nights to talk through what is actually happening with AI valuations, what a correction or crash could mean for the average KiwiSaver balance, and why the sleepy New…
- The Experience Economy is Booming, I Went To Singapore Grand Prix To Find Out Why · 20 minThe luxury flex is changing: it is no longer about watches and handbags - it is about trips, access, and shared experiences. Even with cost-of-living headlines, Kiwis are…
- Why Kiwis Are Quitting to Go Solo, And How To Succeed · 37 minEven the worst economy can still have winners - if you figure out the lay of the land, and have the courage to bet on yourself. Sarah Davies, founder of Sweet Spot Business…
- Nobody Is Talking About Property This Election. Here Is Why That Is Actually Good News · 6 minWith election day almost here, I join the TVNZ Breakfast team to look at what the financial promises actually tell us, why the KiwiSaver focus is welcome but incomplete, and what…
- Want a Promotion? Make or Save Your Boss Money (A CEO Explains) · 19 minHow far you get in your career isn't always down to how hard you work. Sometimes, what you really need is someone in your corner. Sarah Wood left school at 17. Today, she is the…
- Is The Worst Over For NZ? Simplicity’s Sam Stubbs on Housing, NZ Super & More · 43 minThe money world feels like it’s falling apart, but underneath the doom and gloom, is New Zealand’s economy actually on the brink of its best 30 years? Between high petrol…
- NZ Election 2026: What It Means for Your Money. LIVE WEBINAR REPLAY · 54 minElection 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 University •…
- How Much Do You Really Need to Retire in NZ? · 18 minDo 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 massive benchmark is…
- NZ Food Prices: What The Supermarket Debate Is Missing · 47 minWe 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 entire paycheque?…
- The 80% Rule: Why I Turn Down Most Sponsors · 5 minTwo 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 wrong, and what I wish…
- Kiwis Want Time More Than Money: Here’s Why · 21 minWhat 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 house - just…
- How Some Kiwi Families Keep Their Wealth for Generations · 39 minBuilding 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 get this wrong…
- Overtime, Property Prices, AI Shopping and $608 Billion in Debt: Your Money News Roundup · 19 minI 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 prices dropping…
- Auckland House Prices Just Hit a 6-Year Low - But The South Island Is Booming · 19 minFor 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. Auckland’s average asking…
- From Employee To Owner: How She Bought The Magazine She Worked For · 38 minEver 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 diplomatically than…
- KiwiSaver Is An Election Bidding War · 7 minWith 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 is missing from the…
- My Car Costs $13 to Fill Up... Should You Go Electric Too? · 34 minWith 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 daily living cost…
- Bernard Hickey: The Money Issues That Will Decide This Election · 52 minElection season is here, and every political party is lining up to promise fixes for your wallet. But behind the political promises on KiwiSaver, grocery prices, and power bills…
- Other Sharemarkets Are Booming... Not NZ · 7 minWhile 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 means for your…
- What AI Actually Gets Right About Your Finances (And Where It’s Failing You) · 14 minAI 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 can make you feel…
- The 3 Things That Decide Your KiwiSaver Balance (In Order) · 46 minThere’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 Zealand’s Retirement…
- Three Mortgage Myths Which Shouldn't Stop You Buying · 5 minFrances 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 Eats habit will…
- Dark Patterns: How to Escape the Subscription Trap · 16 minIf 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 money traps - known…
- The 5 Ways Regular Kiwis Are Buying Businesses · 59 minWhen 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 works, what if you…
- Values Based Spending: How to Enjoy Your Money Now and in the Future · 10 minFrances 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 cash but about…
- You Sent Me 14 Money Questions. Here Are My Honest Answers · 54 minTime for a raw, unfiltered Ask Me Anything episode of Making Cents! Financial journalist Frances Cook sits down to tackle your biggest money questions. From practical strategies…
- How Ilse Wolfe Built A $20 Million Property Portfolio · 33 minWhen 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 down, listings are…
- I Got Deepfaked. Here's How To Spot A Scammer. · 7 minFrances 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 that can help you…
- What Do You Do When Your House Is Worth Way Less Than When You Bought It? · 18 minWhat 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 of negative equity…
- AI Is Making Mortgage Fraud Easier. Here's What Changes · 39 minIt 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 paperwork that used…
- The Price of Playing It Safe With Your Money · 8 minFrances 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, including the real…
- What KiwiSaver Actually Needs to Change, According to an Adviser · 19 minFive 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 money landing in…
- Biggest Mortgage Myths: What Banks Are Actually Checking In 2026 (It's Changed) · 54 minWhat 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 the fear of trying…
- Prices Are Going Up. But Not Always for the Reason You Think · 5 minFrances 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 prices, and what…
- Why Your Money Disappears (And The Fix That Actually Works) · 19 minIs your Afterpay habit hurting your financial future and stopping you from hitting big life goals like buying your first home? Every financial decision leaves a digital…
- From 0 to $1 Million And Financial Freedom - In 10 Years · 1 h 2 minWhat 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 trust fund, just a…
- Take the 50k or Flip for a Million? · 7 minFrances 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 on red but get…
- The Best Way To Add Property Value - And The Mistake To Avoid · 17 minRenovating 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 difference before you've…
- The Mortgage Advice That Fails in NZ: With Aaron Cattell (The Mortgage Man) · 56 minTime 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 to go myth-by-myth…
- The Easiest Shortcuts To Save Money · 7 minFrances 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 upskilling for free, all…
- Get Ready For ‘Excuse-flation’ - That’s About To Drive Up Cost Of Living Even Further · 33 min"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 cents on the shelf?…
- Simple KiwiSaver Mistakes That Cost You Thousands (And How To Fix Them) · 35 minYou 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 changes can mean tens…
- How to Build Financial Independence Without Living on Instant Noodles · 21 minFrances 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 work on your own…
- Have I Set My Kids Up, or Set Them Back? · 19 minMost 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 right, on paper…
- I Interviewed Dozens Of Money Experts - This Was The Best Advice · 36 minIt’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 we’re pulling…
- The Catch Behind a "Timeless" Investing Strategy · 10 minFrances 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 industries that have…
- How To Travel For Years Without Killing Your Career · 20 minThe 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 plan. This week on…
- Is Your Home an Investment - Or Just a Place to Live? · 31 minThere'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, it's not true. And…
- How To Get Paid More In NZ - WEBINAR REPLAY · 59 minIf 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 them to get ahead…
- The NZ Property Market Just Had Its Biggest Change Since 2020 · 20 minThe 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, prices haven't moved…
