Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s what really matters to employees in 2023. Hosted by Frances Cook.

We hear a lot about the war for good talent right now, and how businesses are struggling to find and keep the best workers.
So it’s timely that Mercer has just put out its Global Talent Trends Survey for 2023, which for the first time includes data specifically looking at the New Zealand situation.
So what are the biggest problems for New Zealand businesses? The theme seems to be overwork.
61% say too many priorities are distracting their people, 47% say there’s a lack of capability and future skills, and 42% say employee exhaustion.
What to do about it?
Well, the research shows money does talk, and it’s often the best way to get people in the door. But after that, you need good company culture, and to be talking to your people honestly about what they need.
For the latest podcast I talked to Mercer New Zealand’s head of workforce solutions, Andrew McKechnie.

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A highlight clip from the January 2020 episode "The reality of one NZers journey to early retirement", with Nick Carr, from Your Money Blueprint. 

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Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s a banking expert on how safe savings are in New Zealand and Australia. Hosted by Frances Cook.

A bank collapse is the stuff of nightmares, with the potential to wipe out hard-earned savings, or a business’s ability to pay staff.
This nightmare has become reality in the US, with a run on Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB, that led to the bank collapsing. 
It’s a big deal because SVB is, or was, the 16th largest bank in the USA. It’s the second biggest to fail since Washington Mutual’s collapse during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.
For context, it’s a bigger bank than ANZ here in New Zealand, which is our biggest bank. SVB had assets of US$209b, while ANZ NZ has assets of US$120b (NZ$195.6b).
It’s been followed by a couple of other worrying developments. 
Credit Suisse was Switzerland’s second largest bank – but it’s being bought out in an emergency rescue deal by the country’s first biggest bank, UBS. 
UBS is snapping up their rival for a bargain 3 billion Swiss francs, which is about 60% less than Credit Suisse was supposedly worth before it hit panic buttons. 
Meanwhile, back to the US, and Signature Bank has been shut down and is likely to have its deposits and loans bought out by Flagstar Bank. 
Not great.
So could it happen here, and should we all New Zealanders be worried?

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A highlight clip from the October 2020 episode "How to pay off debt faster", with Kate Reddington from Sorted.

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Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s how index investing changed the game, and what’s next. Hosted by Frances Cook.

Now don’t tell me you forgot it was our anniversary. It’s a big one too: 30 years, the pearl anniversary.

What’s it the anniversary of? Well, I’m glad you asked.

January 29 marked 30 years of the world’s longest-surviving exchange-traded fund, Standard & Poor’s Depository Receipt, mostly known by the acronym SPDR, or as the “spider”.

It’s now one of the world’s largest funds.

A little closer to home, March 3 this year marked 20 years since the Standard & Poors NZX50 was launched.

That’s the china anniversary, for those paying attention.

Jokes aside, index investing has been huge for letting the little guy into the market, allowing them to invest in a wide range of companies with less effort. The rewards, without as much risk.

But some things have changed over the past few decades.

For the latest podcast, I talked to Tim Edwards, S&P’s global head of index investment strategy.

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A highlight clip from the October 2019 episode "Should you protect your KiwiSaver by going conservative?", with Paul Gregory, then head of investments for Pie Funds and JUNO KiwiSaver Scheme.

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Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s how to figure out your insurance priorities, and how insurance will change in the future. Hosted by Frances Cook.

Insurance is meant to protect you against life’s worst moments, the things that can make life hard for not just you, but also your loved ones.

But it’s also a little tricky, because the various policies can be expensive, and you have to personalise your strategy.

After all, the things that pose a risk to your quality of life won’t be the same as for someone else.

There’s also the bigger picture to consider here.

After major floods and severe weather around New Zealand, the impacts have been devastating.

As we move past the immediate response, it’s fair to ask, will this change how we live and manage risk through insurance?

To talk about what you need to know, both now and in the future, on the latest Cooking the Books podcast I talked to Insurance Council Chief Executive Tim Grafton.

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A highlight clip from the September 2019 episode "the most successful ways to travel on a budget".

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Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s how to approach the sharemarket while the economy is down. Hosted by Frances Cook.

There’s an old saying that everyone is a genius in a bull market.
When the share market is going up, up, up, it’s easy to get sucked into the hype, and assume that you’re the one making brilliant investing decisions. When actually you’re just in a positive part of the cycle.
However, bull markets, where the money is easy, eventually end.
Now things are looking a little curlier. Businesses aren’t having a good time, so shares and stocks are down.
Recession is looming on the horizon, there’s a cost of living crisis, and some investors are thinking, maybe this isn’t for me after all.
So what do you do at times like this?
For the latest podcast, I talked to Victoria Harris from The Curve.
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A highlight clip from the December 2020 episode "the pros and cons of a tiny home".

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