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Cheap and Expensive Cars to Insure
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAWhen I bought my son a Scion Tc, a client told me over mid-morning mochas the other day, I didn’t anticipate that my insurance bill would skyrocket. I suppose I sort of assumed it wouldn’t make that much of a difference.The key to staying...
Collecting Unemployment
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAA friend called me up this morning. I can’t quite believe this, she said, a tremble to her voice, but I was just laid off. Even worse, during the past five months my husband and I have barely been scraping by, so we’ve used up most of our...
Limiting Damage if You Have to Raid Your Retirement Savings
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFANo matter how hard we try to focus on the positives and maintain an optimistic outlook on the future, no doubt things are getting ugly out there. This really dawned on me while reading a report from a recent out-of-state Savvy Ladies...
An Expert’s Guide to Family Budgeting
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFA "I’m a CEO", explained the new client with whom I had lunch yesterday, "yet I feel as though I have no control whatsoever over my family’s spending. I never have any money left to invest, store and credit card bills grow larger each month,...
Top 5 Tax Savers
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAMy friend, who would normally never talk to anyone about money, invited me over for dinner last weekend to discuss her financial situation. Her husband's salary dropped significantly and they're struggling to survive on her salary alone....
5 Money Lessons for Teens
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFA, Founder Savvy Ladies Practical Money Tips for Raising Financially Mindful Children Start at Home. I read in the newspaper the other day that in a survey, high schoolers answered only 48% of basic personal finance questions correctly. The...
5 Reasons Why the Recession Rocks!
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFA, Founder Savvy Ladies The conference I attended last week was a study in pessimism and negativity. I feel that right now, people are paying far too much attention to the negatives and far too little to the many wonderful aspects of the...
What Health Insurance Plan Is Right for You?
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAWith the birth of my daughter just around the corner, my husband and I spent Sunday afternoon reviewing our family’s insurance coverage. Many times, the addition of a new family member means that a different provider or different type of...
Taxes: How Much Should You Withhold?
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAWith only weeks to go before the arrival of my daughter, I go to a great deal of routine checkups. Fortunately, my doctor’s office is an efficient one, and I rarely have to wait for more than ten minutes. Yesterday, the other mother-to-be...
Top Ten Money Mistakes New Parents Make
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAWhen I showed up at a recent Savvy Ladies seminar with my big belly, naturally, the conversation gravitated toward money and parenthood. Many soon-to-be and new mothers expressed concern about making financial mistakes that could hurt their...
Family Budget: Keeping Your Kids’ Expenses Down
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAI met with a group of new mothers last week, who were eager to sort out their budgets now that two had become three. They all had a good understanding of the types of costs involved, but like many new parents, had underestimated the dollar...
What Types of Insurance Does Your Family Need?
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAOne of the moms from the park called me last night, in tears. Not only had she come back to her apartment to find the door ajar and her things all over the floor – when she got hold of the landlord, he informed her that his insurance policy...
Personal Money Management: Dos and Don’ts
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAWhat a day! I met with a total of six different clients, updating their portfolios and helping them set financial goals for the new year. This is what I love the most about this time of the year: change is in the air, and people want to...
Reality Check: A Family Budget That Will Last
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAThe cashier checking me out at the grocery store last night told me this time of the year is always the busiest for them. Every January and February, he explained, thousands of people swear that this is the year they will start cooking at...
Real Estate: Should You Refinance?
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAI was stunned to read in the newspaper this morning that it is now possible to secure a 30-year fixed mortgage at 4.5% (restrictions apply). This, of course, is wonderful news for anyone shopping for a home: we now have a real estate market...
3 Money Lessons for Pre-Schoolers
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFA, Founder Savvy Ladies Teaching Your Children Proper Money Management at a Young Age is Smart In the park this weekend, one of the moms shocked me by telling me that her 5-year-old son recently asked her about car financing. Why, he wanted...
Should You Buy a Vacation Home?
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAI just returned from a lovely weekend of skiing in Vermont. Being pregnant meant that I got to enjoy lovely hot chocolate in the lodge. One of my hubby’s friends just bought a gorgeous cabin there, and invited us to come check it out....
5 Tips When Buying a Home
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFARemember my friend who is moving to Miami? She called again last night, to report that she is flying down there this weekend to start looking at condos. She asked me to put together a list of things to keep in mind as she browses the market...
5 Tips When Selling a Home
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAFebruary has never been the most pleasant month in the Northeast, but I was still shocked when a friend called me up last night to inform me that she is leaving town – for good! When she learned that she could get her hands on a condo in...
When Your Parents Need Help
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAA new Starbucks just opened a block from my office – what a treat! It was an even bigger treat to run into an old friend there yesterday. Catching up over lattes (hot chocolate for me since I am pregnant), I learned that she has a fabulous...
Saving for College in Tough Times
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFA“My daughter is off to college in 2010,” a woman told me during the Q&A session at a recent conference. “Now the savings account we opened for her has been cut in half, and my husband has lost his job. Will a local community college be...
