How to build a money plan that will weather every economic storm

Interest rates go up and down, the economy spins around, but you don’t need to freak out and change your financial tack with every new headline. Frances Cook on how to keep cool and ignore (most of) the drama. If you base your money plans on the news cycle, I have a prediction for you; […]

How to budget without a spreadsheet – and actually stick with it

Put off by all graphs and charts traditionally associated with budgeting”. There is another way, writes Frances Cook. It’s all about flipping the dopamine script. If your budgeting system consists of a spreadsheet you hate, that you avoid opening, then feel guilty about ignoring, I have good news. This is not what you have to […]

how to stay cool, calm and polite at work

In an era of frayed tempers, learning to be calm and polite is a kind of quiet super power, writes Jess Stuart. It feels to me like we could be in a bit of a civility crisis. Stories of frayed tempers, front line staff feeling unsafe and people lacking kindness in daily life are more […]

How to embed oracy as the national curriculum’s ‘fourth R’

More from this theme Recent articles One year on from convening the Oracy Commission, where do we go next in helping oracy education to have a wider impact for all children from all backgrounds? Last October, the commission’s report – We Need to Talk – was generally well received. It made the case that oracy is important for […]

How to survive this era of financial insecurity

Frances Cook shares some key moves to help you keep calm and stay afloat in choppy financial waters. The money world has hit an identity crisis. One day, the US imposes tariffs around the world. Stock markets tank. The next day tariffs are partially paused (except for on China), markets rally, the S&P 500 going […]

Home slow to sell? How to be a smart seller in a buyer’s market

Trying to sell a house right now? Stay alert, because with the number of houses on the market up, prices down and sales slow, your buyer is holding a great hand of cards right now. Frances Cook has some tips. Figures from realestate.co.nz show that while the number of properties on the market has rapidly […]

Trump’s Ukraine tightrope, how to fix the FBI and other commentary

Historian: Trump’s Ukraine Tightrope President Trump must “move quickly and decisively” to end the “Biden killing-field policy” in Ukraine, Victor Davis Hanson explains in American Greatness. That’s why he’s pushing a “deal no one will like now — but may be appreciated once the slaughter ends.” Last week’s rhetoric was aimed at persuading Zelensky “to […]