Want to save more money without relying on willpower? You might need a moodboard. In this live episode of Making Cents, financial journalist Frances Cook dives into the unexpected psychology behind saving money — and how a tool usually reserved for Pinterest weddings might actually be your biggest financial secret weapon. Don't believe me? Here's what you need to know: Why traditional budgeting often fails (and what to do instead) The science-backed link between moodboards and higher savings rat...
May 08, 2025•23 min
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. We talk a lot about how to buy property — but what if you’re renting? With rental prices rising and housing taking up a huge chunk of the average budget, renters need smart strategies too. In this episode, I team up with realestate.co.nz and speak with property expert Vanessa Wil...
May 07, 2025•26 min
Sharyn Casey, radio, TV, and podcast personality, shares why she quit what was once her dream job, and how she's handled that financially. You can have the dream job. The big career. The success everyone else envies. And still realise; this isn’t the life you want. That’s exactly what happened to Sharyn Casey, who you probably already know from listening to her on the radio during her long stint on The Edge, or maybe when she hosted Dancing with the Stars. Or maybe you just like following her on...
May 04, 2025•57 min
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. This week we’ve partnered up with AMP, who has kindly leant us their expert Devon Walen, a client adviser, and we’re talking about when you can crack into your KiwiSaver a little early, whether it’s for good, or bad reasons. Links Follow Frances Cook on Facebook , Instagram and T...
Apr 30, 2025•18 min
Live replay from a YouTube listener mail question. After years of living paycheck to paycheck, a Making Cents listener has received a substantial inheritance. But now she's frozen, worried about making the right choice, and torn between buying a first home for her family, or investing the money. There's also a layer of emotional pressure to not waste the gift her beloved dad left her. Frances Cook lays out the best money options for this situation, as well as inviting the Making Cents community ...
Apr 29, 2025•45 min
Roy Chowdhury, founder of Homely, shares how he created an AI tool to make home lending easier, and the dangers of letting AI take part in your financial decisions. The property journey can be a frustrating one, and frankly, a bit intimidating. We’re talking big numbers, lots of jargon, and people in suits who are in charge of telling you yes or no to your dream. Lovely. So what about a digital helper? An app, that helps you figure out what’s possible and what’s not? Of course, it’s 2025, so it’...
Apr 27, 2025•38 min
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. Interest rates are finally coming down, and so many of us breathe a sigh of relief, especially all the people with a mortgage. But how do you make the most of that, and maybe even get ahead, by putting that new interest rate to work? To get under the skin of the banking world we’...
Apr 23, 2025•18 min
A highlight clip from the February 10h episode, “Viral mortgage hacks debunked: Separating clickbait from real advice”, with Dan Bell, financial adviser and co-founder of Colab Mortgages. Links Follow 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....
Apr 22, 2025•11 min
Welcome to Making Cents, the podcast for people who want financial freedom without giving up their coffee, supported by our lovely friends at Kiwibank. I’m Frances Cook, an independent financial journalist and fellow financial freedom seeker who makes money simple for you. Have you ever wished you could hack your brain, so that you can actually do all of that good stuff you know you should be doing with your money? You know, saving for a rainy day, paying off debt, investing… we know we should, ...
Apr 20, 2025•40 min
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. This week we’ve partnered up with Xero, which has kindly lent us their expert GM Sustainability and Impact Tam Somers, and we’re talking about how we shouldn’t let the fear of numbers hold us back from those dreams of launching a side hustle or small business, absolutely speaking...
Apr 16, 2025•17 min
With tariffs flying, interest rates falling, and the job market looking a little rough... how do you survive? Here's a survival plan, and an Ask Me Anything session, so that you can feel more confident with your cash in 2025. Links Follow 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....
Apr 15, 2025•54 min
Welcome to Making Cents, the podcast for people who want financial freedom without giving up their coffee, supported by our lovely friends at Kiwibank. I’m Frances Cook, an independent financial journalist and fellow financial freedom seeker who makes money simple for you. How much money would it take for you to abandon your morals? Or sell something that you didn’t really believe in anymore? That’s the question that today’s guest Rosie McCarthy had to ask herself. She’d built up a career coachi...
Apr 13, 2025•1 hr 6 min
A replay of the live webinar version of Making Cents, answering audience questions on tariffs, how to invest when the market is down, what to do about KiwiSaver, best strategies for the mortgage while interest rates are falling, and whether your job is safe. Links Follow 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....
Apr 10, 2025•54 min
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. We’ve been talking a lot about a buyer’s market in property, which has led to my DMs filling up with hopeful first home buyers, saying, is it our time? So this week I’ve partnered up with realestate.co.nz, who has kindly leant us their expert Vanessa Williams, and she’s going to ...
Apr 09, 2025•28 min
There’s investing, and then there’s "Capital I Investing", the one that comes with big risk, and if it works, big reward. Today’s guest Rowan Simpson is someone who’s flown under the radar in that scene for a while, first working at some of our iconic tech startups, and then investing in them. Rowan Simpson started out by saving up $10,000 to create his own tech company, Flathunt.co.nz. He’s since gone on a journey that involves TradeMe, Xero, Vend, and Timely, iconic companies, and he’s got mil...
Apr 06, 2025•58 min
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. This week we’ve partnered up with Xero, which has kindly leant us their expert Mere Teinaki, from Northland Chartered Accountants, and we’re talking about how everyone says you need to know your numbers... but how do you actually do that? Then, how you use that to make a plan? Ba...
Apr 02, 2025•13 min
A highlight clip from the February 17h episode, “How to negotiate your career like a CEO”, with Rhiannon McKinnon, former CEO of Kiwi Wealth, current CEO and founder of CEO101. Links Follow 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....
Apr 01, 2025•13 min
Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson explains some of the biggest money mistakes she sees, and how we can all do something to fix them. Money can be frustrating, and all of us have had at least once or twice when we’ve wondered, why isn’t someone trying to make this a bit easier for me? Why does it have to feel like such an uphill battle? Well, there are actually some people whose job it is to work away behind the scenes, badgering the government on everything from changing our education syste...
Mar 30, 2025•58 min
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. This week we’ve partnered up with Kiwibank, who has kindly leant us their expert fraud specialist Alyssa Charles-Green, and we’re talking about the fraudsters and scammers who want to get you, and how you can beat them at their own game. Links Follow Frances Cook on Facebook , In...
Mar 26, 2025•25 min
A highlight clip from the November 11h episode, “Your questions, answered: Why I quit, best investing strategy?”. Links Follow 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....
Mar 25, 2025•3 min
If you've ever wondered, what is FU money, and could you ever have enough to quit your job? In this episode Frances breaks down what FU money is, and the four levels that make it easier to achieve, from basic survival funds to true financial independence. Then it's into an Ask Me Anything, for your burning questions including how investment funds work, and the benefits of rentvesting as an alternative to buying a home. Links Follow Frances Cook on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok , or join the Mo...
Mar 23, 2025•33 min
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. This week we’ve partnered up with AMP, which has kindly leant us their expert Aaron Klee, General Manager, Investment Management. We’re talking how it feels like the world is falling apart at the moment, and how to invest through volatility, uncertainty, and a rollercoaster ride ...
Mar 19, 2025•23 min
A highlight clip from the December 9th episode, “The secret to making money doing what you love”, with Pepper Raccoon, artist and merch designer. Links Follow 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....
Mar 18, 2025•12 min
Beth Vickers, vocal coach, singer, doula, gardening influencer, shares how motherhood led to changing everything about her career. It can be really hard to make life and work fit together, and that’s particularly the case when kids come along. Time becomes scarcer than ever, but you also very much need to keep paying the bills. Now you might not think that that’s the ideal time to launch your own business… but that’s what one mum did. She took the leap into the self-employed life, and found that...
Mar 16, 2025•50 min
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. This week I’ve partnered up with realestate.co.nz, who has kindly leant us their expert Vanessa Williams, and we’re talking about what you need to know before you sell your house, so that you can be the smartest seller out there. Links If you want to join the Money Bootcamp cours...
Mar 12, 2025•25 min
A highlight clip from the November 4th episode, “The no BS strategy for budgeting, investment, and ditching debt”, with Glen James, author of The Quick-Start Guide to Investing and host of the Money Money Money podcast. Links If you want to join the Money Bootcamp course, click here https://www.francescook.co.nz/money-bootcamp Follow 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....
Mar 11, 2025•4 min
Muhammad Lambat, content creator and founder of @musliminvesting, shares how halal investing works, and some of the barriers for Muslim people becoming confident with their money. There are lots of issues that can hold people back from learning about their money, and one of them is just feeling like it could all be a bit complicated and hard. So add in a layer of religion, and what works and doesn’t work for your faith, and you have a recipe for people getting confused, and giving up. Enter Muha...
Mar 09, 2025•47 min
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. This week I’ve partnered up with Xero, who has kindly lent us their expert, chartered accountant Paul Churchman, and we’re talking about the myths that pop up at the end of the financial year. If you want to bag a bargain, Making Cents listeners can get a whopper of a discount on...
Mar 05, 2025•24 min
A highlight clip from the December 23rd episode, “Why this family switched 'early retirement' for 'mini retirement' in a van”, with Kellie Dawson. Links If you want to join the Money Bootcamp course, click here https://www.francescook.co.nz/money-bootcamp Follow 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....
Mar 04, 2025•9 min
Angela McLachlan, professional organiser and founder of Sort My House, shares how to organise your life to reduce stress and save money. When you’re trying to live your best life for less, there’s an underrated trick… just getting organised. Knowing what you have, and where it is, can mean not buying as much overall. Not to mention, your time has value, and being organised can save a heap of that. But where do you start, and do you need to buy a bunch of stuff to get organised too? Let’s bring i...
Mar 02, 2025•41 min
