
Hosted by Frances Cook · EN

Frances Cook joins Jim Mora on RNZ Sunday Morning to cover the latest in money news, from why the job market feels so tough right now and where the work actually is, to the AI investment boom, social media spending traps and whether nicking the hotel soap counts as a financial strategy.Follow me everywhere!Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZInstagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknzTikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknzJoin the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribeBecome a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest

Your side hustle is making real money. Now what?Because when the income is real, things are growing, you can suddenly realise the whole operation is held together with sticky tape and good intentions.Income from a job, income from side work, all of it landing in the same personal account with no clear picture of what's coming in, what's going out, or what any of it means for tax time.This week on Ask the Experts, James Gibson, head of Revolut Business, walks through exactly what to do when a side hustle outgrows its informal beginnings.It’s a question that a lot of self-employed New Zealanders will recognise: how do you set up your finances properly when your side hustle starts making serious money?This episode covers:When to open a separate business bank account for your side hustleHow to manage multiple income streams without losing trackWhat happens if you mix personal and business finances, and why it matters at tax timeHow to track self-employed income and expenses without an accountantBudgeting and cash flow basics for first-time business ownersSimple financial systems for the self-employed that don't require a finance backgroundHow to structure your money when you're employed and self-employed at the same timeIf you have a letter you’d like us to answer, please send it through to ask@francescook.co.nz and you might feature on our next episode!This episode is proudly supported by Revolut Business. Sign up online and get a one-month free trial at this link. T&Cs apply, subscription fees will apply at the end of the trial, see website for details. Revolut Payments New Zealand Pty Ltd.Follow me everywhere!Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZInstagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknzTikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknzJoin the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribeBecome a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest#MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedomProduction and video editing by Lana ByrneAudio engineering by Tash ChittockFilmed by Fanaticals

There’s a wealth transfer ready to happen right now, but only if you know where to look for it.A generation of baby boomers built their businesses over decades. Now they're ready to retire. But they can't find buyers.Which means there are businesses out there right now, with existing customers, existing income, existing systems, waiting for the right person to take them over.Jeremy Pak has a ringside seat to all of it. He's a chartered accountant and managing director of Velocity Capital, who spends his days helping New Zealanders buy and sell businesses worth millions.What he's learned about how wealth actually gets built in this country might change how you think about your own options.In this episode we cover:When to buy a business, vs starting one from scratchHow to fund a business purchase even if you don't have cash sitting around (including vendor finance)What Jeremy is seeing in the market, and why he's forecasting a threefold increase in business sales next yearHow to stress test a business before you buy itWhich types of NZ businesses Jeremy thinks have the potential to earn the mostThis 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.Follow me everywhere!Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZInstagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknzTikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknzJoin the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribeBecome a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest#MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedomProduction and video editing by Lana ByrneAudio engineering by Tash ChittockFilmed by Fanaticals

Financial freedom sounds great in theory, but what does it actually take to get there as a normal person?In this webinar, Frances Cook is joined by Sheppard & Ormsby chartered accountant Bronwyn Candish and EnableMe national coaching lead Katie Wesney to break down what financial freedom really means, how to find the money to invest, the biggest mistakes people make along the way, and one thing you can do this week to get startedFollow me everywhere!Facebook / Frances Cook - JournalistInstagram / Frances | Money | Investing (@francescooknz) • Instagram profileTikTok / Frances Cook on TikTokJoin the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribeBecome a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest

Being weird with money is the smartest thing you can do, to get financial freedom.Most of us are following the same money playbook, and it’s not working.Around 30% of New Zealanders don't have $1,000 in savings, and over 60% couldn't cover a real emergency.Frances Cook, financial journalist and host of Making Cents, shares exactly how embracing "weird" money habits helped her build financial freedom, and how you can do the same.In this episode:Why the standard approach to money keeps so many of us stuck, and what to do insteadThe hedonic treadmill: the psychology trick that's draining your walletHow to figure out what actually makes you happy (it's probably cheaper than you think)The secondhand challenge that changed Frances's financesWhy a cheaper daily life and big one-off experiences beats an expensive lifestyle every timeHow to stop spending on what other people want, and start spending on what YOU wantFollow me everywhere!Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZInstagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknzTikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknzJoin the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribeBecome a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest#MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedomProduction and video editing by Lana ByrneAudio engineering by Tash ChittockFilmed by Fanaticals

Many New Zealanders are overpaying tax, missing refunds they're entitled to, and leaving money on the table, simply because the system is confusing and nobody explained the rules.In this episode of Making Cents, chartered certified accountant Baqir Hussain, founder Finex Accounting, breaks down exactly how to stop losing money to the tax system and start making it work in your favour.We talk:The single biggest mistake Kiwis make with the IRD, and how it turns small issues into massive tax debtHow New Zealand's progressive tax system actually works (and why you should always take that pay rise)Surprise tax bills: the most common causes and how to avoid themWhat salary earners can legitimately claim back, including income protection insurance, donations, and investment costsWorking for Families: who qualifies, how to backdate claims up to four years, and how one family recovered $15,000 they didn't know they were owedHome office deductions for self-employed workers and contractorsWhy tax threshold creep means most Kiwis are quietly paying more tax every yearWhether you're a salary earner, raising a family, or running a small business, there are straightforward steps you can take right now to reduce your tax bill — legally, and simply.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.Follow me everywhere!Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZInstagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknzTikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknzJoin the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribeBecome a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest#MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedomProduction and video editing by Lana ByrneAudio engineering by Tash ChittockFilmed by Fanaticals

Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to explain the loyalty tax costing New Zealanders hundreds of dollars a year on power, insurance and banking, and the simple habit that can win it back without even switching providers.Follow me everywhere!Facebook / Frances Cook - JournalistInstagram / Frances | Money | Investing (@francescooknz) • Instagram profileTikTok / Frances Cook on TikTokJoin the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribeBecome a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest

You're about to spend thousands getting your house ready to sell. Professional staging. A photographer. Maybe a lick of paint on the fence.But in a buyer's market with interest rates climbing, how do you know what actually moves the needle for getting the house sold?Vanessa Williams from http://realestate.co.nz is back in the hot seat with the actual data on what's working right now.We get into whether professional staging shows up in the sale price, which presentation upgrades are genuinely worth it and which ones aren't, what http://realestate.co.nz sees in listing performance when photos are good versus average, and whether the ROI on all of this changes when buyers have more choice.If you're about to list and wondering where to spend and where to save, this one's for you.In this episode:Does professional staging actually increase your property sale price?Which house upgrades are worth it, and which aren't?Does better photography get more home buyers through the door?How to sell a house in a buyer's marketWhat sellers can do themselves vs where to spend the moneyThe mistakes sellers make that cost them thousandsIf you have a letter you’d like us to answer, send it through to ask@francescook.co.nz and you might feature on our next episode!

Something’s off, and that something is the economy.The latest drop of economic forecasting shows exactly what’s happening with the cost of living, your job, and your mortgage. It’s not looking great. But if we know what's coming, we can actually plan for it.To help us make sense of it all, Massey University’s Christoph Schumacher is in the hot seat. He’s Professor of Innovation and Economics, Director of the Knowledge Exchange Hub, and more importantly, he can explain all of this like a real human being.We cover:Why your money is feeling so tiring right nowHow much of this is the impact of the Iran war and fuel pricesWhat rising inflation means for your mortgage, your job, and your everyday costsThe NZ productivity problem, and which industries actually have a future hereWhat’s happening with AI, and how AI will change your jobWhen a real recovery might arrive, what it depends on, and what you can do to make life easier until thenThis 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.Follow me everywhere!Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZInstagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknzTikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknzJoin the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribeBecome a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest#MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedomProduction and video editing by Lana ByrneAudio engineering by Tash ChittockFilmed by Fanaticals

As SpaceX hits the share market in one of the biggest IPOs ever, Frances Cook breaks down how IPOs actually work, why retail investors are getting an unusually large slice this time and whether that is as generous as it sounds.Follow me everywhere!Facebook / Frances Cook - JournalistInstagram / Frances | Money | Investing (@francescooknz) • Instagram profileTikTok / Frances Cook on TikTokJoin the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week Newsletter sign up