Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s the hidden tricks to a successful AirBnB listing. Hosted by Frances Cook.

With life more expensive by the day, plenty of people are looking for ways to bring in more money.

One popular option I’ve seen people go for is using AirBnB, whether it’s just a room in their house, or renting out the whole thing, while they go and stay with family members for a holiday.

The problem with AirBnb is that it can be trickier than it looks at first.

Customers can be fussy, and a lot depends on getting some gorgeous photos to really sell the place.

There are some tricks to make that listing pop though, and they don’t have to cost much, either.

For the latest podcast I talked to Kellie Richardson, from Kurved by Design.

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A highlight clip from the November 2018 episode "How to successfully make money from your hobbies", with Xero's then-Managing Director for New Zealand and Pacific, Craig Hudson.

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Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s the longterm planning that can make a big difference to your finances. Hosted by Frances Cook.

Having kids is a joy and delight, but often also a big hit to the finances, and even the career.

It’s a busy new schedule, and as parents try to figure it out, there’s a particular pattern that often crops up.

In a heterosexual couple, often the pair look at who’s earning more, and do a bit of ‘couple maths’, deciding that if the woman earns less it’s her who should go down a gear in her career.

But this can have big impacts on future earnings, as well as planning for the future, such as your KiwiSaver.

So how do you figure it out, so that it’s a deal everyone is happy with?

For the latest interview I talked to Ellen Hooper, career coach and co-founder of the Growth Collective.

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A highlight clip from the February 2020 episode "How to tell an ethical KiwiSaver from a greenwashed one", with Mindful Money founder and CEO Barry Coates.

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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 the push to work from home changed the commercial property game. Hosted by Frances Cook.

When you think about investing into property you probably think about buying a house, renting it to someone, and acting as a landlord.

But an area that’s often overlooked is commercial property, such as shops, or office buildings.

They’re more expensive, but become achievable for the everyday investor when they’re part of something like a fund.

Just like investing in shares, you pool your money with other investors, and then get a slice of the profits.

But with the work from home revolution, insurance costs going up, and interest rates still high, is commercial property still the cash cow it once was?

For the latest podcast I talked to Scott McKenzie, CEO of PMG Funds. 

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A highlight clip from the August 2019 episode "the NZ couple who paid off $566k of debt in three years", with Bradie Claydon.

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Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s the likely good and bad in the year ahead. Hosted by Frances Cook.

New year, new us, new money problems.

After a 2023 where we battled falling house prices, rising interest rates, and eye wateringly expensive cost of living… what’s next?

I rallied the troops to help us peer into the crystal ball and predict the good, bad, and in between that could be heading our way for 2024.

For the latest podcast I talked to Pattrick Smellie, editor at BusinessDesk, and Liam Dann, business editor-at-large for the New Zealand Herald.

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A highlight clip from the June 2023 episode "from living paycheque to paycheque, to mortgage free, in just seven years", with Cathy Anderson from Curated Money.

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A highlight clip from the February 2023 episode "Is it still worth investing in property?" with Ed McKnight from Opes Partners.

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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 fake sales can lead to a overspend, and debt spiral. Hosted by Frances Cook.

Christmas is an expensive time of year, which can leave us vulnerable to tricky sales tactics, and getting pulled into a debt spiral.

Figures out from PriceSpy show some shops even indulge in ‘fake sales’ – the recent Black Friday sales saw 15% of products actually have a price increase before the sale was announced, so that the shop could claim a bigger percentage drop, and trigger our love of a bargain.

Meanwhile 16% of products had a price increase so steep, they were actually more expensive than before, even with a supposed sale going on.

I’d like to think we won’t be repeating that on Boxing Day sales, but the cynical side of me feels it’s likely.

The push to spend alongside these types of tactics can lead to some of us swiping our credit cards to make it all happen.

So how can we reduce the need for debt in the first place, and what do we do if we’ve already racked some up?

For the latest podcast I talked to Money Sweetspot co-founder and CEO Sasha Lockley.

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