Rising costs are hitting every household in Aotearoa, but for many women there’s an added weight – the invisible job of managing the family’s money. In this episode of The Little Things, hosts Francesca Rudkin and Louise Ayrey admit they’ve ended up as the “household CFOs”, juggling bills and budgets by default.

They’re joined by financial advisor and Herald columnist Nadine Higgins, who shares why women are often better investors than they think, how to reframe a restrictive “budget” into a practical spending plan, and the surprising rule of thumb for building an emergency fund.