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Can’t Do It All? Your Top 5 Financial Priorities
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDF "I can’t sleep at night," complained a savvy lady over breakfast last week. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, I didn’t doubt it was true. A venti caramel macchiato later, she explained that at age thirty-six, she had only recently...
Gen X & Gen Y – Dialing Financial 911
by Manisha ThakorSix Reasons Why Gen X & Gen Y Need Some Serious Financial TLC They’re scared: They’ve entered their adult years during a gut-wrenching economic and job market. With unemployment over 9.5%, they’ve seen their parents struggle. Over 7 out of...
Shocking Statistics on Women & Retirement
by Manisha Thakor"Do you ever worry about ending up old and poor?"For many women, becoming the proverbial "bag lady under the bridge" is one of their worst nightmares. Myself included. I literally sit down with my husband and our financial planner twice a year to...
Money Talk for Couples
by Susan HirshmanRecently I was interviewed for a story in the New York Times that focused on “money talk” for couples. I received so much great feedback on the story that I felt compelled to address it here.The article opens up by saying…”One of the most...
Ladies, Should You Ask For It?
by Manisha ThakorQuick - what was the first thing that came to your mind when you read the title of this post?What about "Gentleman, should you ask for it?" Would this change your response? For many people the female-oriented title raises sexual connotations while the...
4 Ways Healthcare Reform Will Affect Your FSA
by Manisha Thakor 'Tis the season... for open enrollment.Open enrollment is the annual window where you can sign up for valuable employee benefits such as a Flexible Spending Account ("FSA"). If you work for an employer offering this benefit, trust me. You...
Daring To Be Ourselves… Financially
by Manisha Thakor Do you have enough money? Last week I wrote about the high cost to women of not speaking up for ourselves financially in the workplace. One statistic from that piece keeps floating through my head like the Goodyear blimp: Women...
Did Chelsea Have the Talk Before She Did the Walk?
by Susan HirshmanEven if you were busy watching "Jersey Shore" or immersed in this season's must-have beach read, you know Chelsea Clinton got married this past July. She married Mark Mezvinsky who has a successful Wall Street career.We heard all about the...
Is there such thing as a kid-friendly bank account?
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAHave you ever given a dollar to your child and seen the expression of awe on their face? Imagine how that expression can change in a few years when they have their own bank account that has increased because of interest. The problem?...
Have Less Holiday Financial Stress
by Manisha Thakor Does holiday shopping & spending stress you out?A few years ago I stopped doing the holidays. My corporate job had me on a plane every 3 to 4 days. My daily work hours were in the double-digits, and the mere thought of picking out - let...
5 Ways To Eat Out For Less
by Manisha ThakorTough economic times present an interesting financial conundrum for our tum-tums.During rocky periods it’s natural and healthy to want to seek out friends and companionship. Breaking bread and having a good chat is a wonderful way to release...
On the 12 Days of Christmas
by Susan HirshmanAs I was driving the other day, the song … On the twelve days of Christmas my true love gave to me….came on the radio. It made me think – who really is our true love and what is it really that we want.Who really is our true love? Well, I...
Are You Financial Savvy? What’s Good For Women is Good For Business!
by Janet WiseRecently I met Sylvia Hewitt, co-founder of the Hidden Brain Drain, Harvard Professor and author of several books, including Top Talent. As a Leadership Development expert, I’ve been researching Women and Leadership and was fascinated to learn:that...
How To Be A Golden Girl
by Manisha ThakorAre you worried about ending up old and poor?The Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, a non-profit, private foundation, recently released the results of their 11th annual survey on retirement issues. The study is packed with eye-popping...
5D’s To Protecting your Portfolio From Sabotage
by Susan Hirshman Risks to Your Financial Portfolio The most common response to the question “What are the biggest risks to your financial portfolio?” usually has something to do with market volatility – i.e. the up and down movements of the stock market. Would your...
Big Money VS Little Money
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAThere is always that friend that makes a little bit more than you or maybe you’re the one who makes more. Regardless, once in a while that feeling of awkwardness arises when it comes time to paying the check or deciding where to go for the...
3 Reasons To Take Your Online Banking Relationship To The Next Level
by ManishaThakor How Banking Online Can Make Bill Paying Easier Are you banking online? A recent survey says 80 percent of U.S. online households are. However, if you’re limiting your online account management to checking your balance or reviewing past transactions,...
I Lost My Job – What About Health Insurance?
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAI received an email from a Savvy Lady today; a heartbreaking tale of how she had been laid off, and was now trying to figure out how to survive – and feed her two small children, as she is a single mom. One of the expenses she worried about...
Finding the Money for a Baby
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAA new mom the second time around, of course I run into many other new moms. Despite the lack of sleep, they’re all so radiant and happy. However, when they learn that I am a financial planner, a different emotion often surfaces - the...
Money Makes the World Go Round
by Kristina LeonardiArtists and musicians do it. Actors and writers do it. Designers do it. Nonprofits and entrepreneurs do it. To some extent, we all do it. We strive to maintain our authenticity, creativity and vision of who we are and what we want to express in the...
Financial Foreplay: Are You Doing It?
by Manisha ThakorTime and again money is cited as one of the top causes for fights in relationships and divorce. One way to prevent wallet wars is to engage in financial foreplay. But first, some basics...What is financial foreplay? The process of getting...