iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

People think their biggest risk with investing is making the wrong bet on a stock, and losing big time. It’s not. It’s their own brain. 7 of the biggest mental investing traps, and how to avoid them, on the latest Making Cents podcast. Linked next post

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Ok, time to kick the hornet's nest... and debate property versus shares. Because a Making Cents listener has written in to ask, should they trade in their rental property, and go for index funds instead? So let's debate it... all in the latest episode www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4eD...

youtube.com

“Rental property vs. index funds: should we switch?” Mailbag episode

YouTube video by Making Cents with Frances Cook

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

How long does it take to prepare to leave a job? For Jenny-May Clarkson, it was about two years. She's on the Making Cents podcast to talk quiet planning, money decisions, and thinking ahead when careers feel fragile. Linked next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

A 30 year mortgage often means paying DOUBLE your house price. But you can cut that down... if you avoid the fake “mortgage hacks” online. We're laying out the real mortgage freedom strategy on Making Cents. Link next.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Why chase financial freedom? Because when life falls apart, you need space to rebuild without money making it worse. Kasia Morrison has lived in a tiny home for 9 years, and it saved her when her marriage and business collapsed. New Making Cents episode, linked next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

If you're a first home buyer that needs to find a bargain... a few hours of research could be the key to saving you THOUSANDS. How to get that done, on the latest Making Cents episode, linked next post

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

How many millions would you turn down to stay true to your vision? Sasha Lockley wanted to take on the debt world and help people out of the credit card trap - and that meant saying no to an early investor in the company she built to do it. New Making Cents episode, linked next post

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

“It’s time to put your big girl undies on.” A 46-year-old solo mum wrote in terrified about poverty in retirement. Time to hustle? Yes. Impossible? No. We're breaking down the options, on the new Making Cents episode.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Most people overpay their mortgage by thousands without realising it. I cut mine by eight years… with $20. New episode breaks down exactly how, plus the other strategies that actually work. Linked next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

I genuinely don’t want to hear another fucking thing about this horrific Sanson fire. It’s awful. It’s so upsetting. There’s nothing I can do about it, and nothing to be gained from shoving it in my face with push alerts and breaking news banners. It’s grief porn. It’s awful. Stop.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Better food, lower cost, zero shame about finding delicious food that doesn't break the budget. Chef Alice Taylor is talking ways to beat the cost of living crisis in the pantry... but also the wider problems with food prices. On the latest Making Cents podcast, linked next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

You can boycott your coffee. Post your outrage online. But the most powerful vote you’ve got? It’s sitting in your KiwiSaver. How to use your KiwiSaver to make your voice heard, on the latest Making Cents podcast. Linked next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Everyone’s obsessed with getting on the housing ladder, but what if the smarter move isn’t a house at all? A Making Cents listener asked if commercial property could be the underrated way in. Higher risk, higher return, and a few surprises along the way.. episode linked next post

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

At 23, Ecoya CEO Claire Barnes lost $100k of her dad’s life-insurance money on a business that collapsed. That fear of failure followed her for years, even as she turned Ecoya into a household name. Now she's learned how to use that fear - and is even launching a new business.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

If you're earning $6,000 a month, and spending $10,000 a month, how long can that last? Not long. Today we're answering a listener question, for where to start when life costs are spiralling out of control. Episode linked next post!

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

My first book was called “Tales from a Financial Hot Mess”. It was well named! And I am still the same person! So if you’re someone like me, can we still get ahead financially without having a personality transplant? Absolutely yes. open.substack.com/pub/francesc...

open.substack.com

Inside my own money plan

The lazy guide to doing well with your cash

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

A money myth I’ll happily bust: "good with money” doesn’t mean spreadsheets or daily discipline. My money plan is lazy! Automation, multiple accounts, index funds, and it works. Talked all about it (plus financial freedom + rebuilding in your 30s) on the latest Making Cents, linked next post

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

If you're worried about your job, and want to quickly boost your savings... how do you do that? And where is the smartest place to keep those savings? A real sign of the times, but I'm answering this listener question on the latest Making Cents podcast. Linked next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

“Financial freedom” is often sold as needing a tech-level salary or Lotto win to achieve, and is then funnelled into afternoons lazing about on a yacht. So the ordinary NZers who’ve managed it might surprise you. www.stuff.co.nz/money/360862...

stuff.co.nz

11 years to financial freedom? Here’s how ordinary New Zealanders did it

Financial freedom is more accessible than many of us realise, writes Frances Cook.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

What if financial freedom didn’t take a lifetime, or Lotto? Ruth Henderson from The Happy Saver hit work-optional in just 11 years, on an ordinary income. No tricks, no stock-picking, no inheritance. Her story’s on the latest Making Cents, one of my favourite chats yet. Linked in the next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Working for billionaires looked like the dream, until Hannah saw what money without meaning really looks like. It changed everything she thought about money. Now she's focused on freedom, not stress. Using money to build a life, not just earn one, on Making Cents - linked next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

The most expensive words in personal finance? “I’ll start when I feel ready.” You won’t. Confidence doesn’t come first, instead it’s built through tiny, repeatable wins. The new Making Cents episode is all about rebuilding your money confidence, linked in next post!

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

@haydendonnell.bsky.social you’re the only journo I can think of who’s up to the task - we need a come dine with me nz follow up, particularly on the “I only eat plain food” potatoes girl. Has she grown up? Does she admit she cheated, yet? Nz deserves to know Seriously, she’s my Roman Empire 😅

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

I’m just genuinely a bit sad about Nigel Latta. He was a good guy. Deserved more time.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Walking away from stability is terrifying. But sometimes the bigger risk is staying put. That's why financial freedom isn’t about money, it’s about choices. To walk away, start over, rebuild something better. My own story of burning it down and starting again on Making Cents, linked in next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

One thing I love about having a 4yo is the incessant “why?” sends the whole family down Wikipedia rabbit holes. Like guys, mammoths are so cool. Steppe mammoths are like fricking HUGE.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Early retirement sounds dreamy, until you realise nobody tells you about the dark side. Captain FI saved 90% of his income in his 20s... then quit, hated it, and then “un-retired” into a life that actually works. On this week’s Making Cents. Link in next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

Wild times as a PR attempts to pitch me an interview about how high interest debt is super great actually, and also gets the name of my podcast totally, entirely wrong. Lol. Would love to know how much she was paid for that shonky effort

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Red flags aren’t always buried in fine print. Sometimes it’s the gut feeling in that first meeting. If a financial adviser talks down to you, rushes you, or ignores your goals? 🚩 I’ve unpacked red (and green) flags for a financial adviser in this week’s pod! Linked next post

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Reposted by Frances Cook

Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

My streaming subscription strategy is to run them in serial, not parallel.. get one, say, Netflix or Neon, suck it dry over two or three months, then cancel and get another, suck that dry and move on. With discipline you can get by with just one sub, maybe two, at any given time, not multiple subs.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

You could cut your insurance bill without switching providers. The trick? Pay yearly, not monthly. Same cover, lower cost. Can’t pay a lump sum? Set up mini-instalments yourself. One of 8 cost of living hacks in this week’s Money Memo, linked in the next post!

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Someone in NZ is making money picking up dog poop. 💩 Honestly? It’s smarter than most “passive income” schemes. It's solving real problems people will pay to avoid. Dog poop, laundry, tutoring. Money follows pain points. Side hustles that work, and ones that don't, on Making Cents - next post!

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

One of the things I WASN’T expecting as part of my motherhood journey, was brainstorming the right gift for a teacher, that properly communicates “I’m sorry about the kids peeing in your gumboot, I know my kid wasn’t directly involved, but nobody deserves that, I’m sorry.”

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Guilting yourself into better money habits? Sure, it works… for about a week. Then life happens, and the guilt–spend cycle kicks in. The problem isn’t you, it’s that guilt actually makes things worse. I’ve shared what does work in the latest Making Cents. Linked in next post

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Financial independence sounds like a dream. Sometimes, it’s what saves you from a nightmare When Caroline Gordon was diagnosed with cancer, it gave her breathing space to pay for treatment, surgery, and quitting work. We talked about why money isn’t about flash cars, but options. Link in next post

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

lol turns out people really don’t like even the gentlest version of “that’s probably not gonna work eh” 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

Scary pictures on cigarette packets don't convince us. Calorie counts on muffins don't convince us (because yum!). So why would running the numbers on how you can do better investing, than with Lotto, convince you? Here's what to know instead. www.stuff.co.nz/money/360791...

stuff.co.nz

You’re more likely to get struck by lightning than win Lotto. Here’s how you should actually spend that $20

Opinion: Handing over that Lotto money is actually you losing $20, and getting nothing in return.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Me: texts myself a note for future Also me: ohh a text?

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

What's it like to retire in your early 50s, rent out the family home, and sell the family locksmithing business... in order to live in a caravan and travel New Zealand? Lucky I'm talking to someone who's doing exactly that... on the latest Making Cents podcast. Linked next post

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

The housing market isn’t crashing, but it is a bit stuck How you feel about that probably depends on whether you want to buy or sell ;) but whichever side you're on, what do you watch to know what's coming next? Looked into it for Making Cents, episode linked in the next post!

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

“FU money” doesn’t have to mean millions. It can mean having enough to walk away from a bad boss, take a break, and come back on your terms. The real version of financial freedom can be way cheaper than you think. New Money Memo newsletter linked in the next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

What if financial freedom isn’t about millions, but instead buying your time back? That’s what Germano did. No lotto win. No $$$ job. Just an average income, creating an FU fund, then cutting back on work to start travelling. How he did it on the Making Cents podcast (linked in next post)

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Husband, to 4yo this morning: it’s ok buddy, you know you don’t have to ask us if you want to get out of bed eh? Me: WHOA WHOA WHOA HOW ABOUT WE THINK BEFORE WE SPEAK

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

Being polite with your money can cost you big. Like, quarter of a million, big. New Making Cents ep is all about quiet confidence, better deals, and getting your money’s worth. 🎧 Linked next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Soooo am I correct that there is no legal way to watch South Park in NZ

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

"I finished this episode, went and tried what you said, and now I'm going to save HUNDREDS" - my video editor, in our latest meeting 😎 How to cut insurance costs in the latest Making Cents episode. A few tweaks for a big difference! Link in next post

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

If your bank collapsed tomorrow, would your savings be safe? 👀 NZ only just got legal protection - $100k per person, per bank - but there’s fine print, and traps to avoid. I’ve got a free webinar with Consumer NZ’s Jon Duffy to explain it all. Link in next post.

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

Pocket money can be the tool for setting your kids up to understand money. In the latest Making Cents, we're chatting how to make it work for your family values, and help kids build real money confidence. Linked in next post!

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Bitcoin is getting boring… and that might be a good thing. Regulation, tax perks, even KiwiSaver exposure — crypto’s growing up. But is that progress or just mission drift? 🎧 New Making Cents ep linked in next post!

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Frances Cook @francescook.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

One of the things that makes it hardest for me to identify as a “digital-first entrepreneur” is that I am… actually quite a Luddite who hates learning new things 😅 I am trying to accept I need to bring Notion into my life, but it is Not Going Well

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