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What to Consider When Setting Your Prices
by Elisa BalabramI received great feedback on Facebook and by email about the article “Six Myths that May Be Stopping Your from Valuing Your Work Well”. The key to setting your prices is to first investigate if you believe in any of those myths, and if you do, figure...
Money Myths That Hold You Back
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFALast week, I had the opportunity to help an extremely wealthy woman sort out her finances. Now, my favorite part about this is not the fact that she is one of the largest clients I have ever signed, but that she is an interior designer. She...
The Best Time to Shop for Bargains
While the holiday season may be over, there’s no need to feel depressed. Now is the best time to shop for bargains! Here are a few tips on how you can take advantage of the year’s best sales. When to Shop. Sales begin promptly when stores open on December 26th. You’ll...
Take Steps to Protect Yourself from Credit Fraud
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAThe FTC says that the average victim of identity theft is unaware of the problem for 12 months. You don't want to let 12 months go by before finding that you're a victim. Follow these top tips to protect yourself from credit fraud.Reduce...
How Do You Get the Best Price and Walk Away With More For Less?
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAWith the holidays in full swing many are left wondering how we can make our buck go further. The best way to get the best price and walk away with more for less is by bargaining. The biggest problem most shoppers have with bargaining is...
End of Year Tax Tips for the Savvy Investor
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAYou only have a few weeks left to take the bite out of your annual taxes. Here are some tax strategies that you can put into effect before the end of the year, saving money when it comes time to file your annual tax return.Time capital...
Savvy Ladies Get Prepared! Do You Have the Right Legal Documents?
It makes sense to want to exercise control over decisions about your health care even when you are physically or mentally unable to do so. But how can a Savvy Lady do that exactly? The best way for Savvy Ladies to accomplish that control is with the combination of a...
Stop Flirting With Disaster
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFANobody likes (or needs) to spend much time thinking about a possible future disaster. But sometimes an ounce of prevention is worth a lot more than a pound of cure. Losing precious documents to disasters such as theft, fire, earthquake or...
Buying a Home When You’re Female and Single
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAAre you thinking about buying a home? Here's some expert adviceA lovely little house with a white picket fence and a husband to buy it for her used to be the average little girl's fantasy, or so goes the stereotype. But these days, the...
College: An Affordable Luxury?
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAThousands of young people will enter America’s colleges and universities this fall. Will your child be able to afford to go to school? With the skyrocketing cost of college many parents consider college tuition a luxury they cannot...
The New Ozzy and Harriet – Financial Tips for Unmarried Couples
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAA sharp rise in the number of opposite-sex, unmarried couples moving in together this year may be less about romance and more about surviving in a struggling economy, according to a new report by the U.S. Census Bureau.The share of couples...
Savvy Ladies Celebrates Labor Day
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFANow that Labor Day is right around the corner you might be planning to spend that weekend relaxing at some oh-so-swanky resort in the Hamptons or that cute mountain hideaway in the Poconos. But have you ever really thought about why we...
Helping the Medicine Go Down – Medicare and You
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAMost people get Medicare when they turn 65. You qualify for it automatically if you're eligible for Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits. Or you may qualify on a spouse's (including divorced spouse's) record. Others qualify...
An Emergency Fund: Your First Line Of Defense
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAIf you don't have an emergency fund, it's time to get serious about building one.The purpose of the fund is to sock away a minimum of three to six months' living expenses. But this money could also be used when you're staring at major,...
Catch Up with Your Cash
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAMost folks get down to serious money-making much later in their careers than they'd like. If this is you, and you are trying to make up for lost time with your savings, there are a couple strategies that can help you get back on track and...
Top IRA Trouble Spots
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAIndividual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) now hold more assets than any other retirement savings vehicles, but many people do not understand how they work and many IRA owners make critical mistakes that can cost them money. Here are some ways...
Mid- Year New Year’s Resolutions for the Savvy Lady
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAIt’s halfway through the year and it’s time to make some changes. So what’s it to be? If you are REALLY serious about saving money and are willing to make a few changes in your spending habits, then read on.1. Set goals and have fun The key...
Financial Fitness for Newlyweds
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFALet’s see, you’ve got the wedding chapel and the caterer booked, the dress selected, the cake designed, the wedding invitations mailed, vows written, finances talked about - oops, didn’t do the last one yet?Money conflicts are a leading...
Mars and Venus – Women, Men and Money
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAMars may not be so far from Venus when it comes to money. According to a recent Redbook-SmartMoney Survey, most couples aren't wasting time arguing over finances and they have few clashes over cash.One of the most revealing survey questions...
Does Gender Make a Difference?
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFAWomen owned businesses experience greater success than those led by men, according to The Center for Women’s Leadership at Babson College.Increasingly women are playing a larger role in the leadership of family-owned businesses. Women are...
A Spring Makeover for Your Finances
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFANow that spring has officially sprung you might be making plans to stash those dull winter clothes away and reveal your swanky spring digs. Most of us have perfected this yearly wardrobe ritual, but many of us have a lot to learn about...
