Making Cents

By Frances Cook

The podcast for people who want financial freedom, without giving up their coffee.

That means it's time to make the money world make cents. Join Frances Cook, best-selling author and award-winning ... more

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FAQs about Making Cents:

How many episodes does Making Cents have?

The podcast currently has 194 episodes available.

Making Cents episodes:

April 13, 2025 Escaping the broken 9-5: How Rosie McCarthy went from poverty to a $3m business, then burned it all down
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 coaching business, Badass Careers, and was making over a million dollars in sales a year.
And yet, as it progressed, she got disillusioned.
She had ringside seats to exactly how bruising the world of work was becoming, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to encourage people into the corporate grind anymore.
Instead, she was becoming more convinced of self-employment, and entrepreneurship, as the path to help people find financial freedom while still living a life that they found rewarding.
So she decided… time to shut it all down, and start again.
To leap into the unknown, stop being a career coach, and instead help people build a business for themselves.
So why has the world of work turned so toxic, and should we all become our boss? Let’s talk about it.

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.
...more
1h 6min
April 10, 2025 Tariffs, inflation, and interest rates: LIVE REPLAY we answer your money questions
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.
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ/
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe
...more
54min
April 09, 2025 Avoid these home buying mistakes: Non-negotiables, weird open home tricks, and red flags
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 help us answer exactly that - if you want to buy now, can you make the most of the current situation?

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.
...more
29min
April 06, 2025 "TradeMe nearly failed... then we sold for $750 million" - Rowan Simpson on how to make millions in startups
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 millions more than that first $10,000.
Now, he’s a private and early-stage venture investor, keeping an eye out for that next great business that can take the world by storm.
So how did he get from $10,000 to tens of millions… and what does he want the rest of us to know, before we try to copy him?
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ/
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe
#makingcents #francescook #rowansimpson #trademe #investingforbeginners #entrepreneurlife
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:52 - Rowan’s First Startup
05:02 - Trade Me’s Near Death Experience
07:20 - Identifying Successful Ideas
11:39 - The Reality of Startup Life
17:00 - Learning from Mistakes
19:56 - The Role of Ego in Business
21:18 - The Compounding Effect of Success
25:56 - Private Investing
29:13 - Rowan’s Involvement With Companies
30:45 - How To Identify A Good Founder
31:53 - Angel Investors
35:29 - Diworsification
41:03 - Balancing Life With Startups
42:42 - New Zealand’s Business Reality
45:28 - Advice To Founders
47:26 - Pro Capital Gains Tax
52:38 - Reaching Financial Freedom
54:07 - Advise To Investors
55:35 - “How To Be Wrong”
56:49 - Conclusion
...more
59min
April 02, 2025 Your small business crystal ball: Predicting success from past numbers
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?

Basically, it's how to use the past to predict the future.

If you want to bag a bargain, Making Cents listeners can get a whopper of a discount on Xero. Go to this link www.xero.com/francescook to help supercharge your small business.

The information in this podcast is general information only and you should seek appropriate tax, financial and legal advice as may be appropriate for your personal or business needs.

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.
...more
13min
April 01, 2025 Quick Hit: Do you need a degree for your dream job?
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.
...more
14min
March 30, 2025 Housing, KiwiSaver, and debt: Solving NZ’s biggest money issues with the Retirement Commissioner
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 system, to retirement savings, to housing… it’s just that, well, there’s a lot to fix and sometimes resistance to fixing it.
One of those people here in New Zealand is the Retirement Commissioner. And actually, her job starts well before you or I turn 65.
One of her big projects at the moment, is actually helping us stamp out money problems while we’re still at school.
So what are most of us getting wrong with our money, and are there easy wins, whether it’s from us, or bigger government changes?
Follow me everywhere!
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ/
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz
Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:57 - The Role of the Retirement Commissioner
04:30 - The Sorted Fund Finder
05:22 - Personal Journey and Financial Awareness
10:01 - The Impact of Historical Financial Crises
13:21 - The Biggest Surprise In Her Role
15:00 - Common Financial Mistakes and Debt Management
20:48 - The One Thing You Should Set Up During Your First Job
22:12 - Kiwibank Ad
22:38 - Positive Trends in Saving and Financial Awareness
25:40 - Balancing Individual Responsibility and Systemic Issues
28:02 - Integrating Financial Education into Schools
34:00 - Enhancing KiwiSaver for Future Generations
44:59 - Addressing Housing Affordability and Options
51:10 - Long-term Solutions for Retirement Savings
56:05 - Conclusion
...more
58min
March 26, 2025 People are getting scammed - here's what you need to know
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, 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.
...more
25min
March 25, 2025 Quick Hit: What's currency risk for your investments?
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.
...more
4min
March 23, 2025 The four levels of FU money - and how to build them
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 Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
33min

FAQs about Making Cents:

How many episodes does Making Cents have?

The podcast currently has 194 episodes available.