Free Daily Podcast Summary
Making Cents: Daily Summaries Delivered
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 journalist, to talk about the proven ways to invest your way to financial independence, buy your first home, or just get your spending under control. Every Monday we have the week's feature interview, with someone who's done something interesting with their money. From paying off a mountain of debt, or investing for financial independence, or starting a new business, these are the ordinary people making the extraordinary possible. On Thursday we have Ask the Experts, where industry insiders answer your questions on the money world. From earning more in your career, to investing, or sticking to a budget, they'll help make money simple.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 2 days ago9 min
The Catch Behind a "Timeless" Investing Strategy
Frances Cook breaks down why the most popular index fund strategy in the world may not be spreading your risk the way you think, what history tells us about industries that have dominated the market before and what to do if the current AI concentration concerns you.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
- 3 days ago19 min
How To Travel For Years Without Killing Your Career
The difference between long-term travel being the best decision you ever make and a very expensive mistake usually comes down to one thing: whether you had a plan.This week on Ask the Experts, Frances Cook and Georgia Grange, head of Revolut NZ, answer a letter from a twenty-something who wants to take a couple of years to travel properly, but without going into debt or derailing their finances.This episode covers:How much money you actually need saved before you goThe hidden costs of international travel that drain your budget without you noticingHow to manage money across multiple countries and currencies on a long tripSimple ways to make your budget last longer when you're travelling on a limited amountEarning money while you travel, including the choice between bar work, remote work, and the digital nomad lifestyleIf 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 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/makingcents1 to try them out, spend, and Revolut will give you $40 to get started.T&Cs apply. Spend min $1 to receive reward. Exchange rates will vary. Comparison to major bank rates based on exchanging NZD $1K Mon-Fri, within your plan’s fair usage limits. More info:https://www.revolut.com/en-NZ/nz-fx-substantiation . Revolut Payments New Zealand Pty LtdFollow 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
- 6 days ago30 min
Is Your Home an Investment - Or Just a Place to Live?
There's a belief that's almost a religion to some people: buy a home, hold onto it, pay off the mortgage, and you're financially sorted.More often than not, it's not true. And if you let that belief guide you, you could miss real opportunities for building wealth, because you feel like you're ahead when you're actually not.Janika ter Ellen knows this better than most. She's a property reporter for Stuff, covering these issues every day.So when she finally sat down and ran the actual numbers on her own home, what she found surprised her, and not in a good way.Turns out there are hidden costs to owning a home, and missed opportunities while you're paying off that mortgage, that change the story we've all been sold.So if your home isn't quite the investment you thought it was, what is it? And does that change whether you should buy at all?In this episode:Is buying a house a good investment in New Zealand, and what happened when she ran the numbers on 11 years of home ownershipWhy city and regional property markets tell completely different storiesHouse vs shares returns over 10 yearsWhat she'd have been worth if she'd invested her deposit instead of buyingThe hidden costs of home ownershipRenting vs buying a houseThe difference between a home as an asset versus a home as an investmentAuckland house prices vs regional house pricesThis 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
- 1 weeks ago59 min
How To Get Paid More In NZ - WEBINAR REPLAY
If it feels like getting a pay rise is harder than ever, you're not imagining it.But even in a tough market, there are strategies that work, and people using them to get ahead.Frances Cook is joined by University of Auckland senior lecturer Dr Kenny Ching, MyCareerBrand career coach Kaela Hindle, and Side Hustles NZ founder Rachel Mills to break down how to actually earn more in this environment.We're covering:– Which skills are gaining value right now, and which are losing ground– How AI is reshaping the job market, and how to protect your career from it– The script and tactics that actually work when asking for a pay rise– How to find your most monetisable skill and turn it into a side hustle that pays properly– Whether a portfolio career beats going all-in on one thing You can't control the wage stats. But you can control your 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
- 1 weeks ago19 min
The NZ Property Market Just Had Its Biggest Change Since 2020
The highest number of June listings just hit the NZ property market, since 2020.But the impact isn’t what you would think.Despite the flood of listings, prices haven't moved.Nationally, prices have barely moved in three and a half years, even as listings pile up. The picture also varies sharply depending on where in New Zealand you're looking, with wide swings across regions, within that national average.Vanessa Williams from http://realestate.co.nz is ready to break down the story behind the numbers:- NZ property market update June 2026: why listings are rising while national house prices stay flat- Regional house prices vs national average NZ: which areas are outpacing the rest of the country, and why- OCR interest rate rise 2026: what it means for mortgage holders, first home buyers, and savers- How to sell a house in a slow market NZ: pricing and marketing strategy for a stock-flooded market- First home buyer tips NZ: avoiding overwhelm and knowing your non-negotiables when house huntingFollow 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 newsletterhttps://www.francescook.co.nz/invest#MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedomProduction and video editing by Lana ByrneAudio engineering by Tash ChittockFilmed by Fanaticals
- 1 weeks ago49 min
The Kiwi Teenager With Four Businesses Bringing In Six Figures
There’s nothing quite like starting young. But most of us don’t build a business before we can vote. Never mind several of them.Hamish Sutherland is 17 and already on his fourth business.He felt the spark to get ahead early on but turns out it’s hard to get a job when you’re eight. Rather than let a tricky thing like employment law hold him back, he just started his own business instead.By 13, that was a lawn mowing and water blasting business. At 15, he wrote a Kindle book that made $60,000. Then he moved into a property investment project. Now he’s building AI-focused businesses, fresh off an entrepreneurship intensive in Malaysia.The world of work is changing fast, and it’s easy to freeze when you’re not sure where you fit into that change. Hamish isn’t freezing. He’s looking for the opportunity in it.In this podcast we talk about:• How to start a business as a teenager with no money or experience• Making money on Kindle direct publishing, and how his book made $60,000• Investing in property young• AI business ideas for 2026, and where he’s focusing next• Using social media to grow a business as a young entrepreneur• Gen Z entrepreneurship, and why young people are more willing to take the riskIf you’ve ever wondered whether you’re too young, too late, or too unqualified to start something of your own, this episode is the reminder that none of that has to be true.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.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
- 2 weeks ago5 min
The "Safe" Place for Your Money Is Not What You Think
With the OCR on the rise and inflation heading up again, Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to explain why the safest place for your money depends entirely on when you need it and why bank accounts are not always the answer.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
- 2 weeks ago42 min
I Put Solar On My House. Was It Worth It? (Numbers Breakdown)
Free Power Forever? The Real Cost, Payback Time, and Battery Truth on Solar in NZ18 months ago, I spent $89,000 on home solar and an electric car. I told you about it, and was flooded with questions on how this could work for other people.(You can listen to the previous episode from 1 April, titled "I Spent $89,000 on Solar And Electric Car In NZ… Was It Worth It?")This episode is the follow-up, answering every question from the practical (does my roof even work?) to the financial (do I actually need a $10,000 battery?).I’ll break down:Would solar work on your house, and what it takes to make solar power workHow to run the numbers to find out how long solar would take to pay itself off. I’ve got a three-figure back-of-envelope calculation anyone can do with last year's power billsDo you need a battery to make solar power worthwhile?What to do if money's tight, or you rentWhere solar power is heading next, including balcony solar and virtual power plantsFollow 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
Get Making Cents summaries in your inbox
Free AI-powered daily recaps. Key takeaways, quotes, and mentions — in a 5-minute read.
Get Free Summaries →Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
You Might Also Like
Listeners also like.
Afford Anything | Get Smarter With Money
Discusses personal finance, investing, and life tradeoffs with experts to help listeners make intentional decisions about money and freedom.
NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast
Personal finance experts break down budgeting, saving, investing, and credit to help listeners make informed money decisions.
Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin
Short episodes offering practical financial advice to help listeners improve their money management skills.
Get Started Investing
A beginner-friendly guide to investing, covering core concepts and real-life journeys through Q&As and personal stories.
How to Money
Two friends break down personal finance topics like debt payoff and investing in simple, practical terms for everyday listeners.
Other People's Pockets
A show that explores personal finances by having guests openly discuss their income, spending, and money habits.
The Paul Morris Podcast
Entrepreneurs and investors share strategies for building wealth, scaling businesses, and leading high-performance teams.
Wake Up to Wealth
A real estate expert shares strategies and stories on building wealth through real estate, entrepreneurship, and financial mindset.
The Money Mondays
Discusses investments, side hustles, and charity through interviews with entrepreneurs and celebrities in their homes and studios.
BiggerPockets Money Podcast
Personal finance strategies focused on achieving financial independence and early retirement through practical, real-world advice.
Working Hard with Grace Beverley
Conversations with diverse achievers reveal raw insights on redefining success, balancing ambition, and learning from failure.
BigDeal
Conversations with driven entrepreneurs and investors reveal raw, practical lessons on building wealth and living intentionally.
About Making Cents
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 journalist, to talk about the proven ways to invest your way to financial independence, buy your first home, or just get your spending under control. Every Monday we have the week's feature interview, with someone who's done something interesting with their money. From paying off a mountain of debt, or investing for financial independence, or starting a new business, these are the ordinary people making the extraordinary possible. On Thursday we have Ask the Experts, where industry insiders answer your questions on the money world. From earning more in your career, to investing, or sticking to a budget, they'll help make money simple.
Customized Recaps
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Straight to Your Inbox
Get key takeaways from Making Cents in a 5-minute read.
Save Hours Every Week
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's Making Cents daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Making Cents as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the Making Cents podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official Making Cents product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Frances Cook.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts. Upgrade to Pro for 15, or Premium for 50. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
How often does Making Cents release new episodes?
Making Cents publishes every few days. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does Making Cents cover?
Making Cents covers topics including Education, Business, Investing, How To. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Start getting Making Cents summaries tomorrow morning.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.