Walking down the road one evening, deep in the heart of Tuscany, my daughter stopped in her tracks. “What’s that?” She exclaimed, pointing to what looked like tiny little stars dancing in the darkened woods. “Are those fireflies?”   The only fireflies we’d ever seen were the fake ones at Disneyland, so we stopped toRead more about Why You’ll Never Regret Blowing $20,000 on a 4-Week Trip to Europe with Your Kids[…]

I remember selling our business, two juice and coffee bars. It took months—finding a buyer, negotiating terms, answering questions, digging up information, contract changes, explaining it to employees, running the business, fearing the deal would fall through any moment, more questions, landlord complications, another concession, nail biting, and finally, signing closing papers.   After theRead more about 10 Things You Need to Do After Selling Your Business[…]

In 2001, our investments got smashed when the dotcom bubble burst. But we didn’t panic. We were thirty-something, with another 30 years before retirement, so we listened to our advisors who said not to worry, that the market always comes back.   In 2008, we got smashed again and were down by almost half. FeelingRead more about Do You Know When to Move to the Sidelines?[…]

Imagine a morning like any other. Steaming hot cup of coffee in hand, you check your bank balance to confirm your usual pension deposit. But it’s not there. Concerned, you call your administrator, get put on hold, but nobody ever picks up.   You go to their website, send emails to support and receive onlyRead more about Why You Must Save Even if You Live on a Comfortable Pension[…]

I hugged my baby girl goodbye. Pulling a giant duffle, dressed in her hippie-farm clothes, she shouldered a loaded backpack with a single, deft movement. My youngest was off to a creamery in Montana to learn about making cheese.   A talented and prolific artist growing up, we thought sure she’d go to college, majorRead more about A Tale of Two Daughters: College vs Wwoofing[…]

Life was great in 2008. I’d just sold the biggest listing of my career, a record-setter at the time. I’d had a few good years working my way up the food chain, selling more expensive homes, getting awards, media quotes, vendors chasing me—and I’d been able to finally start saving money again toward college educationsRead more about Two Things Every Realtor Should Know Before Hiring a Financial Advisor[…]

Have you ever wondered why, when you open an investment account, no matter how small, advisors ask for every little detail about your money, income, debt, savings, investments, real estate, personal assets, goals, experience and even attitudes toward investing?   Seriously, do they really need to know? Actually, yes. We as advisors have a legalRead more about Why is Your Financial Advisor so Nosy?[…]

On March 21, 2017, the S&P 500 dropped 1.24%, ending a history-setting trading streak. Not a good day for most, but because my money manager saw the trend, sold my positions and moved to cash, my personal account only declined by 0.13%. Even if it’s boring and doesn’t pay well, cash is a legitimate asset class.Read more about Cash is Sometimes the Best Position to Be In[…]

Back in the dotcom days, the hubby and I made a pact. I’d hold a corporate job for stability and benefits, and he’d throw mind, body and soul into what became a series of startups, hoping we’d become IPO-rich. At one point, we held 3% of a company that received a $400 million buyout offer,Read more about What to Do With $10 Million[…]

Robo advisors are on the rise. Wall Street invented a nifty new product, and retail investors are flocking toward it. On the surface, the concept seems fantastic. Computer algorithms pick stocks based on trading rules set up by finance masterminds, removing emotion from the investing process. That’s a good thing, as emotion often leads toRead more about What Scares Me Most About Robo Investing[…]