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 jo... more

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about Making Cents:

How many episodes does Making Cents have?

The podcast currently has 228 episodes available.

Making Cents episodes:

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.
...more
26min
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.
...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.
...more
33min
March 19, 2025 How to invest in 2025: Predictions, risks, and strategies to sleep easy
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 AMP, which has kindly leant us their expert Aaron Klee, General Manager, Investment Management. We’re talking how it feels like the world is falling apart at the moment, and how to invest through volatility, uncertainty, and a rollercoaster ride of a stock market.

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.
...more
23min
March 18, 2025 Quick Hit: How to turn a creative career into a real business
A highlight clip from the December 9th episode, “The secret to making money doing what you love”, with Pepper Raccoon, artist and merch designer.

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.
...more
12min
March 16, 2025 “Screw it, just try” – how to turn your side hustle into the main hustle
Beth Vickers, vocal coach, singer, doula, gardening influencer, shares how motherhood led to changing everything about her career.

It can be really hard to make life and work fit together, and that’s particularly the case when kids come along.
Time becomes scarcer than ever, but you also very much need to keep paying the bills.
Now you might not think that that’s the ideal time to launch your own business… but that’s what one mum did.
She took the leap into the self-employed life, and found that with a bit of planning she was actually working less, earning more, and enjoying life a lot more.
Here’s the unusual way she made it work.

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.
...more
51min
March 12, 2025 The smart house seller's guide: Winning tactics for a changing property market
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 I’ve partnered up with realestate.co.nz, who has kindly leant us their expert Vanessa Williams, and we’re talking about what you need to know before you sell your house, so that you can be the smartest seller out there.

Links
If you want to join the Money Bootcamp course, click here https://www.francescook.co.nz/money-bootcamp

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.
...more
26min
March 11, 2025 Quick Hit: How to boost your money motivation
A highlight clip from the November 4th episode, “The no BS strategy for budgeting, investment, and ditching debt”, with Glen James, author of The Quick-Start Guide to Investing and host of the Money Money Money podcast.

Links
If you want to join the Money Bootcamp course, click here https://www.francescook.co.nz/money-bootcamp

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.
...more
5min
March 09, 2025 "You can be a good Muslim and be rich" - the world of halal investing
Muhammad Lambat, content creator and founder of @musliminvesting, shares how halal investing works, and some of the barriers for Muslim people becoming confident with their money.

There are lots of issues that can hold people back from learning about their money, and one of them is just feeling like it could all be a bit complicated and hard.
So add in a layer of religion, and what works and doesn’t work for your faith, and you have a recipe for people getting confused, and giving up.
Enter Muhammad Lambat from Muslim Investing.
He’s dedicated himself to figuring out halal investing, and what that means, from whether you can get a mortgage, to when crypto is ok, or not.
There are also lots of grey areas, where even people in the know disagree.
So let’s jump in to figure it out.

Links
If you want to join the Money Bootcamp course, click here https://www.francescook.co.nz/money-bootcamp

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.
...more
48min

FAQs about Making Cents:

How many episodes does Making Cents have?

The podcast currently has 228 episodes available.