Making Cents

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money.This week we’ve partnered up with EnableMe, which has kindly leant us their expert Katie Wesney, a head strategic coach. We're talking debt and how to control it, so that it doesn't control you.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

A highlight clip from the November 4th episode, “The no BS strategy for budgeting, investment, and ditching debt”, with Glen James, author of The Quick-Start Guide to Investing and host of the Money Money Money podcast.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Nick Gentle, buyers agent, property coach, and a self-described “frugality geek”, shares how he managed to become financially independent by 30. Picture this: it’s 2.30 on a Wednesday afternoon, and you’re not in the office. Instead, you’re coaching your son’s latest sports team. This time it’s soccer, other days, it’s chess. This is the reality for one dad, who quit corporate life at just 30. How? A mix of living a very frugal life, and property investing. Here’s how he did it. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money. This week we’ve partnered up with KiwiBank, which has kindly leant us their expert Hayley Tito, senior product manager for everyday banking, and we’re talking savings, and how to actually want to do it.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

A highlight clip from the December 16th episode, “The hidden psychology that helps you build wealth”, with Dr Brad Klontz.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Shang Saavedra, now a work-optional financial coach, shares how she 'turbocharged' her finances in order to create time freedom. When it comes to building towards a good financial future, you’ll need some spare cash in order to hit your goals, whether that’s paying off debt, investing, or whatever else. In order to get there, there’s basically two options. You need to earn more, or spend less, in order to have the funds that let you do the interesting things. But what if you did a bit of both? Cutting back on spending at the same time as looking for opportunities to earn more, so you can truly turbocharge your finances towards your goals? One person who’s been there, done that, and achieved financial independence is Shang Saavedra, who used that method to become ‘work optional’, with a flexible, financially secure lifestyle that let’s her prioritise family. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money.This week I’ve partnered up with realestate.co.nz, who has kindly leant us their expert Vanessa Williams, and we’re talking about how you can learn to read the tea leaves of the property market, and make a smart prediction on what’s coming next.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

A highlight clip from the December 2nd episode, “I regret paying off my mortgage early”, with financial analyst Nick Carr.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Shell Shields, who runs the page Christchurch Deals, shares how she finds a good bargain, which community is the secret weapon, and what she'd never cut back on. I will die on this hill - one of the best ways to manage your money is to be around people with similar values to you, who are part of your team, and cheering you on. This is particularly the case when it comes to trying to cut back and save. If friends and family are on the same page as you, you can all work together to make sure that social occasions don’t break the bank, and share any secret deals you each find. Taking this idea of a deal-hunting community to the next level is the woman behind Christchurch Deals. Her Instagram page details plenty of bargains happening throughout Christchurch, and while she finds plenty of them herself, they’re also sent to her by followers, friends, and family. It’s one happy community of bargain-hunters. So here’s how she finds the deals, and the tactics you can use to find some in your own city. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money. This week we’ve partnered up with EnableMe, which has kindly leant us their expert Katie Wesney, a head strategic coach. We’re talking the different types of mortgage you can get, and how they help you make the most of your cash. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

A highlight clip from the October 28th episode, "How financial freedom can lead to a career change", with Natasha Etschmann, also known as Tash Invests .LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Clarissa Hirst, professional coach and marketing consultant, shares how a panic attack and burnout led to quitting the corporate world and launching her own business. It’s something we’re often encouraged to do when we’re establishing our careers – work hard, take on extra projects, join networking groups and do extra with them too.The problem is, there’s only so much of us to go around, and sometimes this can lead to you hitting the wall, and realising you can’t do it anymore.That’s what happened to today’s guest, when she had a panic attack at one of the very events she’d been most looking forward to.On doctor’s orders, she had to quit her job.But as she decided on what to do next, she hatched a plan – to start a business.Not exactly a recipe for a calm work life, you might think, as the self-employed life isn’t exactly known for being stress free.But she had an idea for how to make it work. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

A highlight clip from the December 2nd episode, “I regret paying off my mortgage early”, with financial analyst Nick Carr.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

A highlight clip from the November 4th episode, "The no BS strategy for budgeting, investment, and ditching debt", with Glen James from the Money Money Money podcast.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

A highlight clip from the September 30th episode, "How house sitting with alpacas turned into a digital nomad dream", with Sarah Kelsey from the OneUp Project.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Kellie Dawson, financial freedom seeker and mum, shares how her family were able to quit work and hit the road in Australia, for a year of nomad life in a van. There’s a tension when we talk about money. Often creating financial security for the future can mean giving things up now… but life is also for living, and you could get hit by a bus tomorrow. So how do you balance it? By setting goals, and a strategy, but being willing to change them along the way. That’s exactly what today’s guest did. They wanted to create financial freedom, setting the ambitious goal to not need to work by the time they hit forty. But then, as they had kids, and those kids started to grow up, they wanted to change those goals. Specifically, to be able to take a year off, travel around Australia, and spend quality time with the kids before the kids were too old to want to do it anymore. So that’s exactly what they’re going to do, with the plane tickets booked for later this year. Has it changed the strategy? A little bit. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money. This week we’ve partnered up with Kiwibank, which has kindly leant us their expert MJ Vergara, senior economist, and we're talking the economy. Is it good, is it bad, and what does all of this mean for your wallet? Can you expect a pay rise in 2025, and what's going to happen with house prices? LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Dr Brad Klontz, co-author of the new book Start Thinking Rich: 21 Harsh Truths to Take You from Broke to Financial Freedom, shares how money beliefs can hold you back. Most of us have been there - you know what you should be doing with money, but you’re not doing it. Why? Well there’s a whole bunch of wiring deep in our brains that can trip us up and sabotage us. That doesn’t mean it’s all a lost cause … it means that you need to take control of your mind, before you truly take control of your money. Follow me, Frances Cook, on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week. 00:00 - Introduction 01:16 - Dr. Brad Klontz and His Work 02:50 - The Impact of Upbringing on Financial Mindset 04:46 - Locus of Control: Taking Charge of Your Financial Future 10:49 - Privilege and Its Role in Financial Success 13:32 - Shifting Mindsets: If They Can Do It, So Can You 14:16 - The Journey to Thinking Rich 18:37 - Rethinking Job Satisfaction 23:50 - Understanding the Hedonic Treadmill 28:45 - Finding Meaning in Work and Life 33:06 - Connecting Financial Goals to Core Values 36:29 - The Psychology of Spending and Wealth 40:56 - Mediation and Finances 42:12 - The Insecurity Behind Luxury Spending 48:48 - Community and the Importance of Asking for Help 51:55 - The Most Important Key Takeaway

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money.This week I’ve partnered up with realestate.co.nz, who has kindly leant us their expert Vanessa Williams, and we’re talking about house versus apartment. There are some key differences between these property types, and it can seriously impact your money.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Pepper Raccoon, artist and merch designer, shares her tactics for creating a proper living out of being an artist. There’s a common belief that when you’re making career choices, you have to choose between doing what you love, or making money.While that’s sometimes true, it’s doesn’t have to be true.Even creatives, the ones most famous for becoming starving artists, can find systems to make a living without selling out to the man.It does, however, take a strategy. After all, if it was easy, everyone would do it.Well one such creative was nice enough to take time out of her day to walk me through exactly how she makes a good living as an artist.Wellingtonian Pepper Raccoon has been going for seven years now, working as a fine artist who makes pins, t-shirts, and other merchandise.It’s going so well that she’s even had to upgrade from being a sole trader, to a registered company, a big milestone.Here’s how she makes it work.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Frances Cook shares listener tips for being money smart over Christmas, for everything from presents, to food, and bringing in extra cash to fund it all. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Nick Carr, financial analyst from Your Money Blueprint, shares why he regrets paying off his mortgage early, and the numbers behind why he would have invested into shares instead. Paying off the mortgage early is a good thing… right? Well, one New Zealander worked hard to do that, and then decided, he’d actually shot himself in the foot. When a big accident happened, the money he’d sunk into the mortgage wasn’t available, when he could have done with some cash savings to get through a tough time. Meanwhile, he later discovered investing into shares, and on looking back wished he’d put more money into those investments instead. So when is paying off the mortgage early a good idea, when is it not, and how do you balance it all? Here’s how he would handle it now if he had his time over again. Follow me, Frances Cook, on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week. 00:00 - Introduction 01:30 - Nick Carr’s Background 08:50 - Discovering the Financial Independence Movement 14:05 - Taking the First Steps Towards Financial Change 16:35 - Transitioning to a Career in Financial Planning 18:37 - The Regret of Paying Off the Mortgage Too Fast 20:53 - Factors to Consider When Deciding Between Paying Off a Mortgage and Investing 25:24 - The Negatives of Paying Down the Mortgage 26:15 - Comparing Returns: Share Market vs. Property 30:40 - Considering Goals, Timeframes, and the Need for Money 39:40 - Mortgage vs Investments 40:45 - The Best Approach 43:24 - Money Psychology 47:31 - One Top Tip: Mortgage vs Investments 49:57 - Conclusion

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money. This week we’ve partnered up with AMP, which has kindly leant us their expert, client adviser Devon Walen, and we’re talking about if there are times when putting more into your KiwiSaver can actually be a bad idea.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Frances Cook talks kids and money with Chris Chang, on TVNZ's Breakfast.Last week I was on TVNZ’s Breakfast, talking to Chris Chang about some strategies to talk to your kids about money. Particularly with Christmas coming up, can it be a present? What’s the best way to go about it? I get these questions in my inbox all the time, and the Breakfast team were nice enough to say I could put the audio up here as well, for you to listen to. Enjoy.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Rachel Leutele, also known as the Savvy Saver, shares her tips for staying on a budget as a family, and changing your money to prioritise life.Becoming a stay at home mum is something that many people would like to do, but don’t necessarily have the funds for.It’s easy to think it’s only possible if one of the parents has a six figure income.But this mum, fresh out of getting her law degree, decided she wanted to make the stay at home mum life work even if it meant being on a string bean budget.She’s become really focused on ways to cut back and manage expenses, and shares that journey on her Instagram account as @the_savvy_saver.Here’s how she finds ways to cut back, but also, throw just a few treats in there too.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money.This week we’ve partnered up with Kiwibank, which has kindly leant us their expert Hayley Tito, senior product manager for everyday banking, and we’re talking about the different bank accounts that can make the most of your money. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Frances Cook talks cryptocurrency with Jim Mora, on RNZ's Sunday Morning.You might have noticed that there was a fairly significant election recently, with Donald Trump once again about to be President of the US. Well this has impacted all sorts of things, including the financial world, and one of those big impacts has been on crypto. In true Trump style, he’s done a 180, going from calling it a scam in 2021, to now starting his own cryptocurrency, and saying that the US government is going to boost bitcoin. As you can imagine, that’s increasing the hype and sending prices, to the moon. Well, the lovely Jim Mora from RNZ Sunday Mornings asked me to come on the radio and detangle this for him. He’s one of my favourite people to be interviewed by, so of course that was a yes. He also agreed that I could re-run the audio on this podcast, which was very kind of him. So here’s a special bonus episode of myself and Jim talking all things crypto. Enjoy.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Angela Strang, property investor and business owner, shares her tips for reaching financial independence. Sometimes a difficult experience early in life will shape you, for better or worse.For Angela, it was an early experience of finding herself as a child with her family in women’s refuge, that made her determined she would create financial stability for herself, and any future family that she had.So as a young adult she looked for highly paid jobs, and funneled that into property investments.But after hitting financial independence at 33, she didn’t want to stop.Now she’s on the cusp of buying a business, too.Why not stop and kick back a bit?Well, because she wants to help other kids who might be in a similar situation to what she once was.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

TV presenter Brodie Kane shares her co-ownership journey, and what she learned from hosting the new TV series On The Ladder with Kiwibank. Buying a house is far from easy, because let’s be honest, they’re expensiveBuilding up a deposit, getting approval from the bank, then keeping paying it off, it’s all a bit of a mountain to climbNot to mention, if something goes wrong with the house, you’re now in charge and have to figure repairs, maintenance, and all the other very adult stuff. Well some people are teaming up to make these problems less scary. Rather than buying with a romantic partner, you could buy in with family, or friends.Big commitment there, but for some, the only way to get into property. So what can go right and wrong with this, and how do you do it smartly? LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Frances Cook answers the questions that you sent in, in a solo episode covering the best investing strategies, and why she launched her own business.This week, it’s something a little different. Things have changed around here recently, and I know that’s left people with a few questions. So I opened things up through social media to say, what are the questions on your mind? Everytjing from investing strategies, to why I quit my old job, came through. So… let’s whip through and give you some answers. Questions in this episode: Is there any hope for people just starting out to achieve Financial Independence?Advice for 26yo you?Is there a way to get your kiwisaver out without buying a house? Other investment schemes are better.What small things can I do to kick off investing when I don’t have a lot of money at all? Financial book recommendations?Are you scared to start your own business in a recession?What was your full time job before? What happened to Cooking the Books? I loved it!Do you miss writing about non-financial topics? How do you personally manage the currency risk of your investments? Do you buy hedged products?How is your hair so shiny?What’s your favourite luxury product you’ll never scrimp on? Mine’s fancy toilet roll. Just listened to the episode about how to pay off your home loan faster and it was fantastic and made so much sense. But what about for people who maybe can only save couple of thousand a year? Not really enough to warrant floating, or is it? Or what if you’re just a terrible saver (asking for a friend) or live almost week to week? How much difference does using a mortgage offset actually make?How many ETFs is good. And if you can’t buy a house, what’s the next best thing to do please. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money.This week I’ve partnered up with realestate.co.nz, who has kindly leant us their expert Vanessa Williams, and we’re talking all of those acronyms that turn into alphabet soup when you’re just trying to figure out what’s going on in the property world.So today... we're jargon busting.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Glen James, author of The Quick-Start Guide to Investing and host of the Money Money Money podcast, talks money pitfalls and how to invest successfully.Learning how to invest has to be one of the top questions I get in my inbox each week. And I love investing - it’s one of the fun parts of taking control of your money, to see it grow as well. But of course there are pitfalls, and you need to have your financial house in order before you give it a whirl. So how do you avoid the bear traps? Let’s talk to someone who’s ready to drop… more than a few truth bombs. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money. This week we’ve partnered up with AMP, which has kindly leant us their expert Kate Brownsey, a sustainable investment analyst, and we’re talking about greenwashing and how to avoid being tricked by it... because nobody likes that.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Natasha Etschmann, as known as Tash Invests, shares how investing into stocks and the sharemarket created the opportunity to move from working in health, to running her own business. When you think about starting your own business, the usual advice is to take what you already do for work, and turn it into something you can do on your own.So what if an opportunity comes along that’s totally different to what you’ve been doing until now?That’s what happened to Tash Invests, otherwise known as Natasha Etschmann.One minute she was working as a support worker, finishing her studies to become a full-time occupational therapy worker, and the next her videos about her savings and investments were blowing up online.Making the leap from health, to finance and content creation, is a fairly big one.But she eventually decided, it was time to at least try.Here’s how she made it work.LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

A highlight clip from the September 30th episode, "How house sitting with alpacas turned into a digital nomad dream", with Sarah Kelsey from the OneUp Project. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Steve Holloway and Seamus Marten from Between Two Beers share what it takes to make a business work in the internet age. In some ways, it’s never been easier to start a business. But it’s one thing to start a business, and another to keep it running and making money. Many entrepreneurs start out in an area that they’re passionate about, but soon realise they have to wear a lot of other hats too that they’re not so passionate about, in order to get the business off the ground. People might see your business selling one thing, but what they don’t see is the strategy behind the scenes, the marketing, the accounts, the taxes, ugh the taxes. So what does it take to be in business now, and does making use of the online world make it easier, or harder? Well, there’s a couple of New Zealanders smashing this right now, so I figured it was time to pick their brains. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money. This week I’ve partnered up with realestate.co.nz, which has kindly leant us their expert Vanessa Williams, and we’re talking about how long people actually hold on to their homes. Spoiler alert, it’s not as long as you might think!LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Ana Kresina, financial educator and author, shares her tactics for career and investments, to get to financial independence faster. Having enough in investments that you don’t need to work anymore sounds, frankly, hard enough for the average person. But what about if you’re trying to raise children as well, a notoriously expensive activity?As always, I’m a believer that it’s possible, as long as you’ve got a strategy. Today’s guest has that same belief. She heard about the financial independence movement and decided actually, she could go for that. So she made moves including changing her career to boost her earning power, and seriously schooling up on finances. The family is along for the ride, and safe to say, there are a few money conversations around the kitchen table. She’s become so good at walking the family and money tightrope that she’s now written two books on it, which have gone on to win awards, and smash sales records. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money. This week we’ve partnered up with Enable.Me, who has kindly leant us their expert Katie Wesney, a head strategic coach, and we’re talking paying off the mortgage early. LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Cameron Wislang, founder of Big Dollar Energy budgets, shares the tricks for confidence with your money, and budgeting without missing out on life. Budget is often a dirty word, immediately making you think of cutting back and missing out. But what if you used it as a way to create happiness and calm instead? That’s what the founder of Big Dollar Energy Budgets is all about, pushing for an approach that reduces stress and stops you from having to think about money all day every day. And surely, that’s the dream - to feel like you have control over where your money is going, without stressing about every cent?So what’s possible, particularly if you’re not rolling in it? LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Welcome to Ask the Experts, where each week we talk to people in the industry to get the inside word on what’s happening right now, and what that means for the tactics that you should use to make the most of your money.This week we’ve partnered up with Kiwibank, who has kindly leant us their expert Hayley Tito, senior product manager for everyday banking, and we’re talking travel. 

Sarah Kelsey from the OneUp Project shares the highs and lows of digital nomad life, and how she uses house sitting to make the dream a reality.The idea of taking off to see the world, but still getting to have a career, is an enticing one, and that’s the obvious appeal behind the idea of becoming a digital nomad. If so many people can work from home, then why can’t you also work from anywhere but home? Travel is made easier with money to fund it, and if you’re able to keep working remotely, that’s one big tick to help you out.Another smart tactic is to cut your costs, such as by finding free accommodation by house sitting.The digital nomad world is, however, often full of hype, with only whispers about how hard it can be in reality.That’s not what we do here though…Today, it’s a conversation with someone who’s making this dream a reality, but is also more than willing to share both the highs and the lows of the journey. Like being surrounded by friendly alpacas one minute, and the next, feeling horribly alone without friends and family.So how strategic do you need to get to pull off the digital nomad life, and how do you improve the odds of actually being successful? LinksFollow Frances Cook on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, or join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week.

Welcome to Making Cents, where we do exactly what it says on the tin - make the money world make sense. I'm Frances Cook, a best-selling author and award-winning journalist, who's been helping people figure out the money world for a few years now. So whether you want to invest your way to financial independence, buy your first home, or just get your spending under control, let's talk about it.