Making Cents

There’s a new person setting the rules for our retirement savings, so are we going to see changes for KiwiSaver?

David Boyle has just stepped in as New Zealand’s Retirement Commissioner, bringing decades of experience helping people navigate wealth, funds management, and financial education.

He joins Frances Cook on Making Cents to break down what’s really working, what’s broken, and where our retirement policy needs to go next. From the hidden trap of hiking contribution rates to why simple consistency beats chasing the "perfect" fund, David shares the practical tools and honest insights everyday Kiwis need to build a nest egg they can genuinely rely on.

In this episode:
Why KiwiSaver hardship withdrawals have tripled in five years
The launch of the Buffer Builder
Why increasing contribution rates could actually hurt lower-income earners
Where KiwiSaver fails: contractors, sole traders, and bridging the gender retirement gap
Can we actually rely on NZ Super in the future?
Regularity vs perfection: the #1 habit that matters more than fees or fund performance

Whether you are trying to stay ahead of day-to-day bills, build an emergency buffer, or plan decades ahead for retirement, this episode breaks down what the new rules mean for your money and how to make the system work for you.

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.

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Production and video editing by Lana Byrne
Audio engineering by Tash Chittock
Filmed by Fanaticals

Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to bust the mortgage myths that are putting people off buying a home, from the 20% deposit rule to whether your Uber Eats habit will tank your application.

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If you have ever felt like the world is designed to drain your bank account, you are not imagining it. Online shopping and digital services are full of sneaky money traps - known as dark patterns - built to make spending effortless and canceling nearly impossible.

This week on Ask the Experts, Jan Verberne, Senior Legal Counsel at Revolut, pulls back the curtain on how these manipulative online checkout tactics work and the exact tools you can use to outsmart them.

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/makingcents7 to try them out, spend, and Revolut will give you $40 to get started.*

This episode covers:
What dark patterns are and how online retailers use them to manipulate your spending
How to escape subscription traps, cancel free trials, and avoid forced cancellation phone calls
The hidden cost of drip pricing and checkout fee sneakiness
How foreign transaction fees and bad exchange rates make international online shopping more expensive
How open banking, AI fraud detection, and fintech security tools protect your personal data
How to build a security buffer between your primary bank account and online merchants

If 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!

*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 Ltd.

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Production and video editing by Lana Byrne
Audio engineering by Tash Chittock
Filmed by Fanaticals

When the job market feels completely stuck, what if you could create your own job by owning a business? And instead of starting from scratch and hoping it works, what if you bought an established business with a proven track record?

Buying a business isn't just buying yourself a job - run properly, it’s an asset you can grow, earn from, and eventually sell.

Jess Shaw, Director of Vesta Finance joins Frances Cook on Making Sense to break down how everyday people can buy a business like an asset class. From borrowing options that don’t require a million dollars in cash to red flags in business and knowing what to look for under the hood, Jess shares the practical tools you need to take the leap.

In this episode:
Buying a business vs starting from scratch
How to view a business as an asset class rather than just an income
How to fund a business purchase
Why you don’t need $1 million in cash to buy a $1 million business
The "build your own boardroom" rule: the four key experts you need on your side
The hidden trap of debt servicing
Building liquidity and rainy day funds to ride out economic downturns
How to know when you're in "build mode" vs "cut mode" with your money

Whether you are looking to step out of the 9-to-5, build a new income stream, or grow your long-term wealth, this episode breaks down the real steps to buying and running a business on your own terms.

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.

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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
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Production and video editing by Lana Byrne
Audio engineering by Tash Chittock
Filmed by Fanaticals

Frances Cook and Lighthouse Financial wealth director James Blair dig into values based spending, and how to create a financial plan that isn't about hoarding cash but about making sure your money is working toward the life you actually want, now and in the future.

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