Making Cents

Even 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 Coaching, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to share the roadmap to ditching employment and thriving as a solopreneur or independent consultant. From her "proof first" validation method to avoiding the feast-and-famine trap, Sarah pulls back the curtain on how to build a business that gives you your time back.

In this episode:

• Why being good at what you do and running a business require two different skill sets
• The biggest mistake new business owners make: building on guesswork instead of evidence
• The "proof first" validation method: how 5 conversations can save you 2 years of trial and error
• Why tough economic downturns create massive opportunities for fractional consultants
• The pricing trap: factoring in taxes and overheads so you don't work for less than minimum wage
• Escaping the feast-and-famine cycle: how to build marketing systems that fit your strengths
• Why niching down makes you referable, while being a generalist leaves you overlooked
• How New Zealand business owners can access up to 50% government co-funding through Regional Business Partners

As mentioned in the episode, take Sarah’s free 2-minute "Win More Work" quiz to spot the gaps and get your custom action report: https://win-more-work.scoreapp.com/

Whether you're facing redundancy, craving freedom over your calendar, or ready to turn your professional skills into an independent business, this episode breaks down practical steps to help you take the leap on your own terms.

This episode is supported by Tiger Fintech (NZ) Limited.

Sign up through my link to get an extra NZ$100 Stock Discount Voucher. You can also scan the QR code on screen, or enter FRANCESCOOK (all one word, no space) as your Invitation Code https://www.tigersecurities.com/signup?&invite=FRANCESCOOK®ion=NZL&lang=en_US

To qualify, your Net Deposit also needs to reach NZ$2,000 within 14 days of your first deposit.

This is not financial advice. Investing carries risk. Terms and conditions apply to each campaign. See tigerbroker.nz for more.

T&C’s https://www.tigerbrokers.nz/activity/forapp/rules?id=COOK2628

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Production and video editing by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

Filmed by Fanaticals

With 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 it means that property has barely come up this campaign.

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How 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 CEO of http://realestate.co.nz - New Zealand’s longest-standing property site - and heads a business named our number one small workplace two years running.

Sarah Wood joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to share the real-world career moves that get you noticed and promoted. From learning how to make or save a business money to building a personal board of directors and navigating leadership with a family, Sarah shares practical steps to help you back your ambition and step into senior roles.

In this episode:

• The best early career rule: learning how to make a company money or save it money
• Why understanding commercial numbers matters more than job titles
• How to build a "personal board of directors" to guide your next career step
• How to ask someone for coffee without feeling awkward
• Vetting workplace culture and team fit during the interview process
• The reality of managing a big leadership role alongside three teenagers
• Why career mistakes are really just continuous learning

Whether you want to move up the ladder, pivot industries, or build the confidence to back your own voice, this episode breaks down practical steps to help you build your career on your own terms.

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Production and video editing by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

Filmed by Fanaticals

The 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 prices, food bills, and a housing downturn, everyday life feels tough. Yet for the first time in modern history, house prices have dropped 30% in Auckland without dragging the wider economy into a deep recession. We are moving from a country that borrows to an economy that saves and invests - and that changes the game.

Sam Stubbs, founder of Simplicity, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to challenge the story we've been telling ourselves about our money. Sam shares why New Zealand is at a major turning point, how KiwiSaver is quietly transforming our wealth, and the simple shifts we need to make to stop copying a poverty mindset.

In this episode:

• Why Auckland house prices dropped 30% without crashing the economy
• Borrowing vs investing: why saving our way to prosperity beats debt
• The Australia comparison: how a $1 trillion KiwiSaver pool could wipe out our infrastructure deficit
• Why KiwiSaver must become compulsory with rising contributions
• The side-pocketing rule: unlocking billions of KiwiSaver funds for local startups and high-growth businesses
• Why the best investment you can ever make during tough times is in yourself

Whether you are feeling squeezed by the cost of living or wondering where the New Zealand economy is really heading, this episode breaks down what you need to know to take control of your financial future on your own terms.

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 University
• Michael Gorin from EnableMe
• Dean Anderson, Founder and CEO of Kernel
• Georgia Grange, Head of NZ at Revolut

We dig into the financial issues on the table, what the parties are promising, and whether those fixes could actually work.

• KiwiSaver: is the political focus deserved, and what should change as it nears its 20th birthday?
• The cost of living squeeze: record fuel prices, rising unemployment and inflation, and what you can do now
• Investing through uncertainty: are there opportunities amid the chaos?
• Competition in banking and supermarkets: will the proposed policies move the needle?
• The property market: Auckland’s average price dips under $1m for the first time since 2020, and what a two-speed economy means for building wealth
• What the politicians are getting right, and the missed opportunities.

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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 massive benchmark is unhelpful, daunting, and causes people to give up before they even start.

Katie Wesney, Head Strategic Coach at EnableMe, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to dismantle the $1 million retirement myth and help you find your actual number.

In this episode:

• The $1 million retirement myth: why one-size-fits-all numbers cause people to freeze
• Finding your baseline: how to audit three months of bank statements and strip out temporary costs
• The cost of kids and mortgages in retirement: why paying down debt early unlocks your plan
• Cash flow leaks: how cutting $10,000 of yearly waste saves you $250,000 across retirement
• Savings vs investing: why KiwiSaver and growth assets are essential to bridge the gap
• Why 65 isn't a financial cliff: using investment buckets to keep your money growing

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Production and video editing by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

Filmed by Fanaticals

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 entire paycheque?

Angela Clifford, CEO of Eat New Zealand, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to unpack why our food model feels broken and how everyday eaters hold the power to fix it. Living on a North Canterbury permaculture farm where her family produces roughly 80% of what they consume, Angela explains why "community sufficiency" beats pure self-reliance, and what simple shifts we can make this week to cut costs and take back control of our food.

In this episode:

• Feeding 40 million vs food insecurity: why a third of Kiwi families are struggling to put food on the table
• The financialisation of food: how a system meant to feed us became focused on shareholder returns
• Why Kiwi farmers are price-takers, not price-makers, and why the current model doesn't work for growers either
• Offshoring our staples: the reality of shipping local fish overseas to be crumbed and sent back
• Why fresh food from farmers' markets, local butchers, and green grocers is often cheaper than the supermarket
• Resisting the convenience trap: why frictionless delivery apps and supermarket AI cost you more
• How to "find your food people"
• Why New Zealand needs a dedicated Food Minister and a national food security strategy

Whether you are trying to trim your grocery budget or want to know where your food actually comes from, this episode breaks down practical steps to help you take control of your plate and your money on your own terms.

This episode of Making Cents is proudly supported by Odoo. Go to http://odoo.com/r/hpl now and try it for free, for 15 days.

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Production and video editing by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

Filmed by Fanaticals

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 wrong, and what I wish I had known before I jumped.

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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 house - just time.

Yet in reality, we are getting squeezed on both fronts with less money and less time. New research from Revolut and YouGov shows 44% of Kiwis would take a pay cut for a four-day work week, while six in ten are working overtime - and nearly a third get nothing extra for it. To make matters worse, budgeting and managing money has become the single biggest drain on our free time.

Georgia Grange, Chief Operating Officer at Revolut New Zealand, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to break down how to take back control of our hours.

From the generational divide between Gen Z and management to practical automations that kill off the "Sunday scaries," Georgia shares how to simplify your money so you can get your life back.

This episode of Making Cents is proudly supported by Revolut, the card and app for everyday spending in NZ, and smarter money on your travels. Use this link https://get.revolut.com/e9Jc/makingcents7 to try them out, spend, and Revolut will give you $40 to get started.*

In this episode:

- The four-day work week reality: why 44% of Kiwis would trade pay for time

- The generational divide: why 65% of young workers want shorter weeks while older bosses hold back

- Why overtime and "always-on" digital tools are driving burnout and unpaid work

- How budgeting became the #1 free-time drain for 32% of New Zealanders

- The Sunday scaries test: why spending hours on spreadsheets is a red flag

- How to automate your income, bills, and wealth building so money management takes 10 minutes a week

- Using disposable virtual cards and spend limits to kill unwanted subscriptions and overspending

- Moving from presenteeism to output: what workplaces need to change

Whether you're feeling burnt out by the daily grind or spending way too much of your weekend stuck in spreadsheets, this episode breaks down real, practical steps to help you take control of your time and your money on your own terms.

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Production and video editing by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

Filmed by Fanaticals

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 get this wrong, it is not just the money that disappears; families often fall apart trying to figure it out. From mismatched expectations to the old saying that wealth is lost in three generations, passing down money without a clear plan can create entitlement rather than long-term security.

Andrew Clements, private wealth and succession lawyer at Grayson Clements, joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to pull back the curtain on how to make family wealth last. Drawing on his career advising some of the wealthiest families in the country, Andrew explains why generational planning isn't just for billionaires, and why the most powerful thing parents can do is equip the next generation for responsibility.

In this episode:

• The 5 capitals of wealth: why true wealth comes from wellness, not just money
• Why 70% of family wealth is lost by the second generation, and 90% by the third
• The entitlement trap: why handing kids a soft landing can backfire
• The tradie family blueprint: how a modest-income family set their daughters up to own property together
• How to create a "family sandbox" and family advisory board to practice money decisions safely
• Why every family upset is actually a broken rule, and how to define your family rules early
• The two-year transition model: moving from a "family business" to a "business family"
• How to teach kids to fail safely so they build resilience and protect their reputation

Whether you are starting from modest means or building a legacy to pass on, this episode breaks down practical steps to help you lead your family and build lasting wealth on your own terms.

This episode of Making Cents is proudly supported by Odoo. Go to https://www.odoo.com/r/hpl now and try it for free, for 15 days.

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Production and video editing by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

Filmed by Fanaticals