Jessica Cudahy

Book Event Signing

A divorcee, tales of financial infidelity, and saving tips to make sure a

person is set for life. Theres not much else a woman could want out of
a book signing.

Cary Carbonaro, author of The Money Queens Guide and a certified

financial planner, beamed as woman after woman lined up to meet her.
The Huntington Book Revue was swarmed with people despite the late
night Wednesday time slot, and they flocked to the back of the store
where she was stationed. The crowd, decked out in purple in homage
to the book cover, hung on her every word as she explained just how
the book got written, and who she had in mind while penning her
advice.

I think that women sometimes think that math is intimidating, and

they dont think that money is important, or they want somebody else
to take care of it for them, Carbonaro said. I wrote this book for my
girlfriends, with my girlfriends in mind, that they would pick it up, want
to read it, and like it.

Individual clients inspired the specific sections in the book. Diverse but
common issues were inserted into the chapters, whether it be how to
get a soon to be ex-husband off the mortgage without refinancing or
how to start saving from an early age. Multiple sections of the book are
even dedicated solely to the emotional aspect of finances, as
Carbonaro realized just how much she was emotionally blinded during
her previous marriage to a financially manipulative and secretive man.

The emotional part is one of the most important parts when it comes
to money, Carbonaro said. Sometimes it doesnt work. Sometimes I
cant get through to [my clients], and thats a big, personal hardship
for me.

Clients, friends, and newcomers alike all sat in rows of metal chairs as
hands shot up to share personal stories of financial woes. A greedy
broker had tricked one retired man out of a significant portion of his
savings. When Edward Murphy of Huntington and his wife had signed a
contract for a fee of 1 percent, it soon become clear that they were
being swindled. The 1 percent actually was 3 percent, but that was
hidden in the fine lines.

At our age, when youve been saving all your life, thats a lot, Murphy
said.
Carbonaro responded with the knowledge of someone whod been in
the financial planning business for 25 years, and launched into an
explanation of the difference between a broker and a registered
advisor.

[A broker] may give you advice for free, but theyre selling you
products, she said. Then there are the people who sell you advice.

When the book signing portion of the event commenced, women

clustered together and traded laughs and stories over complimentary
wine. Many were more than happy to discuss their personal financial
triumphs and struggles.

When I got divorced, everything just came crashing down on me,

said Gail Gross of Bellmore. I had no clue about the little things. Like I
knew about the cars payments and the mortgage, but not about all the
other things. So this is my first step to becoming more informed.

Gross wasnt the only one who had gone through a divorce, but some
of them had even more to worry about. Patricia Crowe from Huntington
was divorced as well, but she also had a 17-year-old daughter in the
process of choosing a college.

She has no idea what shes doing, and I have no idea what Im doing,
Crowe said. And thats something I need to fix, because as her
mother, I should understand student loans. I dont want her dealing
with all this debt. I have debt, and I dont want her dealing with that.

Although the crowd was mostly older women, there were a couple of
younger faces in the midst. One of them was a student searching for a
long-term financial plan.

Im going for my masters degree, said 24-year-old Melissa Rodriguez

of Woodside. Im going to be in school for a long time, and that means
Im going to have a lot of debt. Im hoping this book will give me some
answers on what to do.

Carbonaro greeted each of the women in line with as much gusto as

she would treat an old friend. Her sunny disposition shone through as
she brightly delivered little snippets of advice and giggled with the
swarm of people waiting for her signature. Confident and
knowledgeable, she assured the women that they each could take
control of their financial lives.
Personal finance is not just about math and you dont have to be good
at math to learn it, Carbonaro said. Simplify, learn the basics, and
just get started.