Cooking The Books

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s the true good, bad, and ugly of digital nomad life. Hosted by Frances Cook. I’m sure we’ve all considered it at some point – whether we could chuck in the office job, and go make a life on the beach somewhere, maybe getting in some freelance work from a laptop to make sure the pina coladas keep flowing. And there’s plenty of glossy Instagram content urging you to do exactly that. To go travel while you can, become a digital nomad, live the best of both worlds by travelling and working at the same time. It’s hard to know what the reality is behind the scenes though, because not many people want to admit if they give it a crack, and then find it really hard. Luckily, I’ve found someone who’s actually willing to share with us, the good, the bad, and the ugly of what it’s actually like. For the latest podcast I talked to Sarah Kelsey from The OneUp Project. If you have a question about this podcast,

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s what to expect from the year ahead, and how you can prepare your money for it. Hosted by Frances Cook. A new year often means it’s time to take stock, take a beat, and think about what’s next. If you’re doing that this year, it might make you wince a little. The headlines have been grim lately, with recessions predicted here and around the world, house prices and share prices bouncing around in an unsettling way, the cost of living up, and interest rates increasing. It’s not all doom and gloom but it can certainly feel that way sometimes. There are still opportunities, you just need to know where to look. Even when there is bad news, often the trick is to make sure that you’re well prepared, and then you can ride out the storm a little easier. So I’ve pulled in a couple of my colleagues to make sense of it all, find the opportunities, and help us batten down the hatches. For the latest podcast I

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s how one New Zealander used financial independence to fund a career change. Hosted by Frances Cook. We often talk about financial independence in terms of its most famous acronym, FIRE, for Financial Independence, Retire Early.  But many people chasing financial independence aren’t actually interested in retirement. They’re instead after the financial security that allows them to make whatever career choice is best for them.  Hopes and dreams are all well and good, but unfortunately, it often takes money to fund them.  Many of us would be interested in starting our own business or going after a career change, but the reality is, it’s hard to make that leap without some financial security behind you.  Today’s guest knows all about that.  She went from spending everything she earned, to saving 50% of her income, within a year.  She then used that to reconsider her career options, start a side hustl

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how a family went from living paycheck to paycheck, to saving 60% of their income. Hosted by Frances Cook. One thing I’ve heard a lot when I talk to people about budgeting and money management is “just wait until you’ve had kids”. And it’s true – I had my first child, and life got more expensive, and slightly more difficult to manage. However, I’m still a firm believer that whatever stage of life you’re in, there are ways to change your approach to help yourself get ahead. Today’s podcast guest has done just that. After a dose of bad fortune they made big changes, and went from a family that lived from paycheck to paycheck to now saving 60% of their income and working towards financial independence. Not only are the three kids not holding them back, they’re on board with the change, and helping the family get there. And here’s the part that I personally found really impressive. As a family of fi

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how to keep eating healthily when you're on a budget. Hosted by Frances Cook. Health might be wealth, but these days it seems you need a lot of wealth in order to have access to the health.  With cost of living soaring, a trip to the supermarket is likely to make you wince.  You want to feed yourself and the family well, but let's be honest, there's also the reality that you don't want the card to decline at the checkout.  Let's say from the start, there's no silver bullet here.  But there are some substitutions, some swaps, and some clever little tricks that can help make the food bill a bit less painful.  For the latest podcast I talked to Margo and Rosa Flanagan, also known as Two Raw Sisters.  If you have a question about this podcast, or a question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here, Instagram here, and Twitter here. See omnystudio.com/l

Each week, BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackle a different money problem. Today, it's the opportunities for your money in a high interest rate environment. Hosted by Frances Cook. Talk about interest rates is everywhere right now, and for good reason. They're the secret sauce that changes everything in the money world, even if you don't see the direct impact at first.  Most recently, the Reserve Bank has yanked rates up again by an unprecedented 0.75 per cent, the most they've ever increased interest rates in one go.  In the last 18 months, the Official Cash Rate has increased from 0.25 per cent to 4.25 per cent.  The Official Cash Rate is how the Government influences interest rates elsewhere, but what happens to those interest rates depends on if it's your mortgage, a credit card, or a savings account.  It's all different.  While we know this will cause financial pain, with any form of debt becoming more expensive, there are actually opportunities here, too.  Savings, investmen

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how to boost your income to get a mortgage application approved. Hosted by Frances Cook. First home buyers are finally getting the breathing space they've needed for a while.  The shocking house price increases have not only stopped, prices are falling and look like they'll continue to slide a little further.  It's still certainly not easy to get into that first home, as now mortgage lending is tougher, but that's something we can work on.  There are small techniques that can have a bigger impact than you would think.  For instance, just taking on a flatmate or boarder could mean the bank is willing to lend you $100,000 more for your mortgage. That's a big increase in borrowing power.  There are also things you should know about if you're willing to consider building, and impacts from the government changes earlier this year.  For the latest podcast I talked to Claire Williamson, mortgage adviso

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how life priorities can change after a brush with death. Hosted by Frances Cook. There are moments that really make you reassess what you want out of life, and losing both of your parents and then having a near death experience yourself, well, that's right up there.  Combine that with a heaping dose of work burnout, and you've got the recipe for some big change. All of this snowballed up for today's Cooking the Books guest, but he had an ace up his sleeve.  He'd been working towards financial independence for years, so when life piled up on him he was able to decide it was time to hit pause.  And he did.  At 52, he quit his job, and has no plans to get a new one any time soon.  He's now got the mental space to decide what comes next, and if he wants to do something totally different with his life.  For the latest podcast I talked to Stephen Judd. If you have a question about this podcast, or a

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's the risks and rewards of shorting the market. Hosted by Frances Cook. There's a saying in the investing world, that you should never waste a good crisis.  Another classic is that the best time to invest is when there's blood on the streets.  Behind both of these is the idea that when most people are feeling fearful, there are still opportunities around for the bold, who can zig while others are zagging and get the financial rewards.  One of these tactics is shorting.  Normal sharemarket investing relies on you putting money into businesses that you think will do well, and then getting a share of the profits if they do.  But if you short the idea is that you're betting against businesses that you think will do badly, and if they do indeed have a bad run, you'll get a profit that way.  Retail investors, that's the little guy like you and me, have been dabbling in shorting recently.  Investment pla

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how to earn more, whether that's through a pay rise or a side hustle. Hosted by Frances Cook. One of the biggest investments you'll ever make is into your earning power.  I'm a big believer that you can make changes on almost any income, but of course it's a lot easier to make progress when you're earning more.  The question then can be do you try to get a pay rise? A promotion? A side hustle? All of the above?  How do you figure out what makes you the most valuable, and then lean in to that? For the latest podcast I talked to Rosie McCarthy, a career coach, and CEO and founder of Badass Careers.  If you have a question about this podcast, or a question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here, Instagram here, and Twitter here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how one family plans to annihilate their mortgage. Hosted by Frances Cook. It's hard enough to scrape together a house deposit and buy a place, but then comes the challenge of paying it off over 20 or 30 years.  But what if you could pay it off faster than that, and get all the freedom that comes after you've got rid of one of your biggest expenses?  People often spend anywhere from 30 to 50% of their income, sometimes even more, on keeping a roof over their head.  So today I'm joined by a New Zealander who wants to kill their mortgage in the next five years.  There is a small catch though. They're about to have their third child, and one of the ways they keep the mortgage small is by living in a small house.  So the question now is, whether to stick with the five year mortgage plan, or risk the future plans by moving to a bigger home?  For the latest podcast I talked to Janet Young.  If you hav

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how a few tweaks could set you free from your mortgage years earlier. Hosted by Frances Cook. Buying and paying off your home is one of the biggest financial decisions many of us will make.  But the financial journey doesn't stop on the day you buy the house.  How you handle the mortgage in the years afterward can also change your financial future.  There are different ways of making the payments, and a few mental tricks, that can shave thousands off this financial commitment and set you free years earlier.  For the latest podcast I talked to Rupert Gough from Mortgage Lab.  If you have a question about this podcast, or a question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here Instagram here and Twitter hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's the strategies one couple used to radically reduce how much they needed to work. Hosted by Frances Cook. The idea of investing enough that you can live off the passive income often seems the stuff of dreams.  Surely it's just for those who earn the mega big bucks? Or it'll take 20 years, 30 years, maybe even more.  Well one New Zealand couple managed it in 11 years, and while they earned a decent salary, it wasn't anything crazy.  In fact, they say they could have achieved financial independence even sooner if they'd avoided a few mistakes along the way.  They're now at the stage where they don't technically need to work, although they do choose to work part time in order to have some extra fun money.  That's what the financial independence world calls becoming "work optional".  So how did they do it? For the latest podcast, I talked to Ruth Henderson, also known as The Happy Saver. If you have

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's strategies to stabilise your investments while the market is down. Hosted by Frances Cook, this episode is in partnership with the FMA. For the first time, there are more people invested in shares than term deposits, and most New Zealanders over 18 have at least one investment.  That's information out of the FMA's 2022 Investor Confidence research, and it means more people are taking the opportunity to build their wealth and financial security.  There is a fly in the ointment, though.  Now that the market is falling and showing an unpleasant amount of red on the books, many of these new investors are feeling stomach-churning worry any time they log in to check on their money.  It's one thing to know that the market goes down from time to time, but it's entirely different when you actually experience it, and especially if it's the first time you've experienced it.  For the latest podcast, I talke

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's what sharemarket investors need to know to weather the current storm. Hosted by Frances Cook. There's a famous saying that when the tide goes out, you get to see who's been swimming naked.  Well the tide is now definitely out, and there's a few people in trouble for indecent exposure.  The economy is being hammered on multiple fronts, leaving the sharemarket down - way down.  Some of the economic stressors currently having an impact are quite unusual, which makes it more difficult to find a tried and tested strategy to get around them.  If you're a DIY investor, you might be watching all of this and feeling stressed.  Your shares have probably gone down in value significantly, and you're wondering if you should stop investing. Or it may be the opposite, and you'r considering whether you should be putting in as much money as possible in order to buy the dip.  So with all of the financial weirdnes

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's whether you can still get ahead financially as a renter. Hosted by Frances Cook. It's no secret New Zealanders love property, whether it's buying it for their own home, or as an investment.  But is it the ticket to wealth?  You'll often hear that renting is dead money, and that you shouldn't waste your time paying off someone else's mortgage. That's not necessarily true - and there's been some number crunching to prove it.  For the latest podcast, I talked to actuary Emma Vitz. If you have a question about this podcast, or a question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here, Instagram here and Twitter here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's property investing to become financially independent. Hosted by Frances Cook. Investing in property is something many New Zealanders use as a way to secure their financial future.  Today's guest planned to do just that, investing into properties with a plan to achieve financial independence.  But the saying goes that if you want to make god laugh, tell him your plans.  So it was an unfortunate dose of bad luck when one apartment turned out to be leaky, and needed extensive repairs.  So how to deal with it, and does it ruin the plans for financial independence?  For the latest podcast, I talked to Helen Eschenbruch. If you have a question about this podcast, or a question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here, Instagram here, and Twitter hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how to find a side income that fits into your life. Hosted by Frances Cook. We all know that life is getting more expensive by the day, and while cutting back is one way to tackle it, earning more can be a big help too.  We've talked before on the podcast about ways to ask for a pay rise, but sometimes, it doesn't feel like an option right now.  Maybe you've already had a pay rise, but you could still do with a bit more cash. Or maybe the boss said no, and you're not in the position to look for a new job elsewhere.  Whatever the reason, side hustles can fill that gap.  And if you're the entrepreneurial sort, they can even be a way to test out a career change or business ideas, so that one day you could work for yourself instead.  For the latest podcast, I talked to financial adviser Tracy Hemingway, also known as the DebtFreeDiva. If you have a question about this podcast, or a question you'd l

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's the couple who made a major lifestyle change in order to become mortgage-free. Hosted by Frances Cook. If you needed to make a big lifestyle change, but only for five years and then you would achieve your financial goals - could you do it?  That's what one couple decided to do when they had the idea to build their own tiny home, live in it, and use it to work towards building a bigger house and becoming mortgage free.  Along the way they learned how to build using salvaged materials, lived on a llama farm, and found a new career freedom where they didn't have to stay in a bad job simply because it was needed to pay the bills.  For the latest podcast, I talked to Corianne Holmes. If you have a question about this podcast, or a question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here Instagram here and Twitter here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's whether a business could be a better option than a first home. Hosted by Frances Cook. A catch cry for years now has been that first home buyers feel locked out of any opportunity to buy their own home.  There is a change in the air, for sure, with house prices now falling for the first time in years.  The latest figures from the REINZ House Price Index show prices are down 7.1% in the last year, and national prices fell $40,000 in just the last month.  But it's still pretty expensive overall, with the national median house price at $810,000 dollars in July.  Well, some people think they've got an alternative way for young people to secure their financial future.  The argument goes that you should buy a business instead, giving yourself a different kind of asset, and the possibility of dramatically increasing your income.  Would it work? Maybe.  For the latest podcast, I talked to Chris Small, m