Making Cents

A small change to a payment strategy can save hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of repayment time from your mortgage, cutting one of the biggest expenses most people will face.

A replay of Frances Cook's column for Stuff.co.nz, read here with permission. 

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What do you do when you’re stuck between two bad options?

Sell a home you bought near the peak of the market, even though it’s now worth hundreds of thousands less, or stay put in a house that no longer fits your life?

That’s the dilemma facing this week’s listener. They bought in late 2020, welcomed kids, watched their house value fall by around $250,000, and now feel trapped: too much mortgage pressure, not enough flexibility, and no clear “right” move.

Vanessa Williams from realestate.co.nz is in the expert hot seat, to tell us about the shocking number of New Zealanders in this situation, and what they can do about it.

We talk about:

• What selling in a down housing market really means for your money

• Whether holding on longer could help, or just prolong the stress

• How life changes (kids, cashflow, burnout) should factor into property decisions

• Why feeling “stuck” is common, and how a clear plan can restore control

If you’re weighing up sell or stay, worried about selling your house at a loss, or feeling trapped by a house that no longer works for your family or finances, this episode has the tactics you need to be thinking about.

If you have a letter you’d like us to answer, please send it through to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) and you might feature on our next episode!

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This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

#MakingCents #FrancesCook #NZProperty #WellingtonRealEstate #NZHousingMarket #HousePrices #NegativeEquity #LowEquity #SellOrStay #propertyadvice

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:01:12 Listener letter: bought at the peak, now stuck
• 00:03:43 How common is this situation?
• 00:07:47 First steps: get a realistic valuation
• 00:08:33 Talk to a mortgage advisor or financial advisor
• 00:09:15 Could you wait it out? Considering 2026
• 00:09:57 Creative options: students, Airbnb, and short-term solutions
• 00:11:49 What if you've lost your deposit?
• 00:13:33 The power of having a plan
• 00:15:05 Outro

For decades in New Zealand, property wasn’t just an investment, it was THE investment.

The safest bet. The biggest capital gains. Often tax-advantaged. And for many households, the clearest path to building long-term wealth.

But that narrative is starting to shift.

House prices remain high. Debt is expensive. And a growing number of New Zealanders are questioning whether residential property is still the best way to build wealth.

In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook speaks with BusinessDesk journalist Dileepa Fonseka about New Zealand’s housing market, property prices, and long-term investment trends.

Together, they explore whether New Zealand’s decades-long property obsession is beginning to crack.

• Why has property been such a dominant wealth-builder in NZ for so long?

• Are we reaching a ceiling on house price growth?

• Is this just a market cycle, or a structural turning point?

If you’ve ever wondered whether buying property is still the smartest investment strategy, or whether it’s time to rethink the traditional path to wealth, this conversation will challenge your assumptions.

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This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

#MakingCents #FrancesCook

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:02:38 Meet Dileepa Fonseka: tracking the winds of change in property
• 00:03:12 The land myth: why property prices can't rise forever
• 00:05:50 The COVID property mania and the crash that followed
• 00:17:10 Is there a ceiling on house prices?
• 00:06:48 The political shift: capital gains tax enters the conversation
• 00:10:17 From share market skeptics to everyday investors
• 00:23:35 The rise of accessible investing: apps, Kiwisaver, and the new generation
• 00:26:04 Property's hidden costs: climate change, insurance, and rising rates
• 00:28:13 Election year battlegrounds: where is money going next?
• 00:31:36 Outro

In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to talk about the growing "resist and unsubscribe" movement, how everyday New Zealanders can use their wallets to make a statement, and why your KiwiSaver might be one of the biggest votes you'll ever cast.

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What if you genuinely can’t earn more? Are you stuck financially?

In this Ask the Experts mailbag episode of Making Cents, we tackle a question that so many teachers, nurses, and public sector workers quietly wrestle with: what do you do when your income is capped?

Today’s letter writer is a teacher. She’s hearing the usual advice, to “earn more”, “start a side hustle”, “increase your income”, but her reality is strict salary bands, long hours, and family commitments.

So if climbing the income ladder isn’t straightforward, what’s the next best move?

In the hot seat is Kristin Sutherland, financial advisor at EnableMe, and we break this down properly:

– Are you really “stuck” in a capped-income career, or is there more wiggle room than it feels like?
– If a pay rise isn’t coming anytime soon, what should you focus on instead? Investing, spending strategy, debt reduction, or something else?
– Does investing still make sense when your income is flat?
– How to think strategically about promotions, specialisation, or changing employers
– Whether side hustles are worth it (and how to avoid burnout)
– Navigating relationship dynamics when one partner is aggressively pursuing higher income and the other offers stability

Listen now to learn how to move forward — even when your income doesn’t.

If you have a letter you’d like us to answer, please send it through to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) and you might feature on our next episode!

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Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe

This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

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If you want the truth about retiring early as a regular person, it doesn’t come from highlight reels or motivational posts. It comes from the numbers.

When you strip away the vibes, hacks, and hot takes, the numbers show what actually works, what doesn’t, and how real people build passive income that gives them real choice over their time.

That’s where Bronwyn Candish comes in.

Bronwyn is a chartered accountant who specialises in working with everyday people who want to retire early. It’s not the theory of it, but the messy, real-life version. By digging into people’s finances, she sees the patterns others miss: the spending leaks, the mindset traps, and the systems that move the needle over time.

In this episode, Bronwyn shares what she’s seen behind the scenes, including the common mistakes that hold people back, the simple tactics that actually stick, and why automation beats motivation every time.

She’s not just advising from the sidelines either. Bronwyn is building her own retire-early plan, using the same investing strategies, income levers, and intentional spending choices she recommends to her clients.

This is a grounded, honest look at how normal people really make progress, from passive income through shares, to optimising KiwiSaver, to getting your partner on the same page, and using community as a secret weapon.

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This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

#MakingCents #FrancesCook #FinancialIndependence #FIREmovement #PassiveInvesting #PassiveIncome #FIRE #RetireEarly #Retirement

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:02:32 Meet Bronwyn: the accountant for people pursuing financial independence
• 00:05:14 Bronwyn's financial independence journey: divorce, debt, and discovery
• 00:07:23 COVID, parenthood, and purchasing a practice
• 00:09:10 Who Bronwyn works with: from lazy balance sheets to FIRE enthusiasts
• 00:13:00 Is financial independence accessible for normal people?
• 00:14:43 Best tactics for regular people: business as a bank account and expense awareness
• 00:15:45 The power of increasing income and self-employment
• 00:18:48 Black Friday: building community and brainwashing partners
• 00:27:23 Bronwyn's personal tactics: index funds, automation, and intentional spending
• 00:30:00 Mindset shifts: from deprivation to appreciation
• 00:33:45 The debt-free journey and the power of teamwork
• 00:35:50 Advice for skeptics and where to find Bronwyn

Money fights aren’t really about money. They’re about expectations, and how differently we respond to them.

In this episode of Making Cents, I’m breaking down the four money personalities that shape how you save, spend, budget, and argue about money. Get ready to finally understand why financial advice works brilliantly for some people and completely falls apart for others.

Based on Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies framework, these personalities explain why:

• You can know what to do with your money… and still not do it

• Your partner’s approach makes perfect sense to them, but drives you mad

Discipline isn’t the issue, but mismatched systems are.

You’ll learn how the Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, and Rebel money personalities actually behave with money, where each one thrives, where it goes wrong, and what strategies genuinely work for each type.

We also dig into how different money personalities clash (and connect) in relationships. Why money is such a common source of tension, and how to design shared systems that don’t leave one person feeling controlled, rushed, unsupported, or sabotaged.

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Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe

This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

#MakingCents #FrancesCook #moneypersonality #moneymindset #financialpsychology #financialfreedom #FourTendencies #Upholder #Questioner #Obliger #Rebel

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:03:11 The upholder: the goody two shoes who follow all the rules
• 00:05:58 The questioner: research everything, customize everything
• 00:10:54 The obliger: brilliant for others, terrible at prioritizing themselves
• 00:13:51 The rebel: identity over obligations
• 00:17:33 Why most money advice is written for upholders
• 00:18:27 Money personalities in relationships: why couples fight about expectations
• 00:20:49 Wrapping up: stop fighting yourself and design systems that fit
• 00:21:08 Outro

From the real risks behind AI hype and whether we're heading for a crash, to the surprising weakness hiding inside Big Tech's profits, and why digital advertising might be the canary in the coal mine that nobody's watching… it’s time to make sense of the chaos.

Fast Money with Jim Mora on RNZ’s Sunday Mornings, it’s time for the money update you need.

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Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

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There is a lot of mortgage advice out there that is confidently wrong.

And the cost of following it isn’t just money, it’s time. Sometimes years of your life spent under pressure you didn’t actually need.

In this episode of Making Cents, we’re cutting through the biggest mortgage myths that trip people up both before they buy a home and long after they’ve signed the papers.

From “cleaning up” bank statements and chasing the lowest interest rate, to misunderstood rules around deposits, credit scores, extra repayments, and offsets, this is the stuff that sounds smart on paper, but can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars over time.

Mortgage Man Aaron Cattell is a mortgage adviser on the front lines, working with real borrowers, real numbers, and real lending rules, and he’s ready to let you peek behind the curtain.

We break down:

• What banks actually care about when approving a mortgage (and what they don’t)

• Common mortgage-ready myths that no longer apply in New Zealand

• Why loan structure matters more than chasing the cheapest interest rate

• The simplest ways to cut years off your mortgage, without needing a windfall

• When extra repayments, lump sums, offsets, or revolving credit actually make sense

• The tactics that sound clever, but Aaron would ban tomorrow

If you’re buying your first home, refixing soon, or just want more control over the biggest debt most people will ever take on, this episode will help you avoid mistakes that quietly steal time from your future.

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Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe

This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

Aaron’s references mentioned in the episode: - https://www.themortgageman.co.nz/links

#MakingCents #FrancesCook

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:02:37 Meet Aaron Kital: the mortgage man on the front lines
• 00:04:00 Busting the deposit myth: you don't need 20 percent
• 00:05:30 The clean bank statements myth and what banks actually care about
• 00:09:25 Auctions, valuations, and the first-time buyer obstacle course
• 00:12:40 Is buying your own home actually a good investment?
• 00:15:00 Myths from overseas: credit scores and payment frequency
• 00:19:03 Should you pay off your mortgage early or invest elsewhere?
• 00:23:48 Three ways to smash your mortgage faster
• 00:26:06 Offset accounts and revolving credits: when they work and when they don't
• 00:34:42 Fixed versus floating: why structure beats interest rates every time
• 00:41:24 When mortgages keep you awake at night: hardship options
• 00:43:43 The easy win: one simple change that saves years
• 00:44:14 Outro

If you're feeling the February slump and wondering how to get back on track without starting from scratch, this one's for you!

A replay of Frances Cook's column for 1 News, read here with permission, on 7 science-backed ways to get your money back under control.

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Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

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