How to baby-proof your finances… kind of

<p><strong>Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s the costs you should consider before having a baby. Hosted by Frances Cook.</strong></p> <p>Kids are a delight, a gift… a big old expense.<br>Adding a new person to the world and your family comes with costs, and it’s a reality that can put people off kids.<br>It’s a trend around the world.<br>Japan is the most famous example, with a record low number of births in 2021. The US population is barely growing anymore. China’s had it first population decline in more than 60 years.<br>Here in New Zealand? The long term trend is fewer births.<br>What could be behind this, I wonder? When it’s so difficult to buy a house, wages don’t keep up with living costs, and childcare is so expensive, gosh, what on earth puts people off?<br>Anyway, having children and raising a family is something many people want. Just because there are certain financial realities doesn’t mean it’s impossible.<br>For the latest podcast I talked to Cat Emerson from Kernel.</p> <p>If you have a question about this podcast, or a question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ/">Facebook here</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/">Instagram here</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesCook">Twitter here</a>.</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>