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Talking to Kids about Money

by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFADuring a dinner party last weekend, a woman told me her son had taken her by surprise by asking “are we rich?” She said she was dumbfounded, and as she had no idea how to respond, she mumbled, “no.” Her son got extremely anxious, and she...

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The Prenup

by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAOver lattes today, my best friend reported that her friend was finally leaving the husband we all tried to tell her she never should have married in the first place. I am sure that you have a few girlfriends who you love in spite of their...

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Living Together=Spending Together?

by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAMy always-single girlfriend surprised me the other day at lunch, by informing me that she is moving in with her boyfriend. As this is a first for her, she had a million questions. Should she keep her apartment in case things don’t work out?...

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Investing in Real Estate

by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAA client just called me up to ask what my take was on the real estate market. She half-wanted to get into what mass media refers to as “flipping houses,” but was concerned that this may be the end of the real estate boom.The truth is, of...

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Opportunity Cost

by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAStrolling through Tribeca, New York this weekend, I stumbled upon a gorgeous cashmere sweater at a designer sample sale. It fit me perfectly; the only problem was that it was a still little on the expensive side, and I loved it in black and...

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The Financing Trap

by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFASomeone told me the other day that whenever an American scores a 5% raise, he or she immediately ups spending with 10%. Crazy, you may say, but the thing is, our society is built around exactly this sort of behavior. It doesn’t actually...

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Market Risk

by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAWhat happened when the Dow took its most recent nosedive? As most of my clients are in it for the long term, my day went on as usual. My friend who is a stockbroker, on the other hand, was slammed with phone calls from nervous investors....

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When to Give Up on an Investment

by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAI had an interesting conversation with a client the other day.I don’t feel good about this certain fund, she told me, in a market like todays.So let’s sell it, I advised her. Buy something you feel better about – or if you are really...

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Investing in Different Countries

by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAWith China recovering from a devastating earth quake, and Burma still receiving aid to fix the damage from the enormous cyclone that hit the country recently, it is easy to pass “overseas” off as a scary place where you could lose your...

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Reverse Mortgages

by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAI had lunch with a friend today, who works with mortgages. She said that while for obvious reasons, not that many people are signing up for conventional house loans at this time, many are inquiring about so-called reverse mortgages. For...

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