Saving $80,000 should feel like a major milestone. But when you’re trying to buy your first home, it can leave you asking a very real question: is this actually enough?

In this Ask the Experts episode, a listener who’s fed up with renting wants to know whether they’re genuinely ready to buy, or about to take on more than they can afford.

They’ve built a solid deposit, but recent spending has shaken their confidence, and now they’re stuck between waiting longer or jumping in too soon.

So what does “ready” really look like for first-home buyers in New Zealand?

Vanessa Williams from realestate.co.nz is ready to help us break down the hidden house buying costs people often forget to budget for, how much buffer you really need, and what to do if you slip while building toward a first home. There’s also deposit rules, borrowing options, and how to pressure-test your plan before you make one of the biggest financial decisions of your life.

Links

Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

This podcast was filmed and produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learning about money is one thing. Actually changing how you behave with it is something else entirely.

In this special episode of Making Cents, I’m pulling together three powerful money psychology insights that genuinely changed how I handle my own money. It’s not just that they were clever tactics, but that they finally helped me put good intentions into action.

Being “good with money” isn’t about deprivation or sitting on a pile of cash you’re scared to touch. It’s about deciding what kind of life you want, working backwards from there, and building money habits that actually fit how your brain works.

You’ll hear highlights from three standout conversations with experts who reshaped how I think about fear, goals, habits, and motivation — and why so many of us keep doing things we know are holding us back.

Claire Barnes, Ecoya CEO, on how the outside perspective of a coach helped her battle a fear of failure.

James Blair, Lighthouse Financial financial advisor, on the gamechanger of values-based spending.

And Dr Brad Klontz, psychologist and multiple times best-selling author, on the psychogical wiring that can hold us back, and how to change it.

In this episode, we cover:

– Why outside perspective (from a coach, adviser, or trusted third party) can unlock progress you’ll never see on your own

– How fear, anxiety, and discomfort can be harnessed instead of fought, and used as fuel rather than friction

– How values-based spending can stop money fights with your partner and make trade-offs feel intentional

– Why knowing what to do with money is rarely the problem, and how your psychology sabotages you instead

– How concepts like the hedonic treadmill and ancient “caveman brain” wiring shape modern money decisions

If you’ve ever felt like you know what you should be doing with money, but still can’t seem to follow through, this episode is for you.

Links

Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

This podcast was filmed and produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fast Money with Jim Mora on Sunday Morning with RNZ. Talking the end of year GDP bounce, what a Santa Rally would tell us about 2026, how to control spending over the silly season, and the forecast for our Kiwisaver programme.

Links

Follow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week, or become a confident sharemarket investor by joining the Market Memo newsletter.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.