Avani Ramnani
CFP®, CDFA®, CPWA®
Francis Financial
Partner & Managing Director
Avani Ramnani
CFP®, CDFA®, CPWA®
Francis Financial
Partner & Managing Director
Growing up, I was fortunate to have a role model in my mother who took care of our family’s finances. But, I also saw how negative emotions around money can lead to poor decisions. I strive to be a financial confidant to my clients, empowering them to break through their emotions around money and lead a life of confidence. - Avani Ramnani, CFP®, CDFA®, CPWA®
Fee-Only Certified Financial Planner located in New York, NY and serving clients with over $2 million in the tri-state area and across the country. Specializing in working with women going through a life-change such as divorce, widowhood, or sudden wealth.

Avani Ramnani is a New York, NY fee-only financial planner. Francis Financial, Inc. provides comprehensive financial planning, wealth management, and divorce planning to help clients navigating a life transition organize, grow and protect their assets. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor, Avani Ramnani is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice.
Avani Ramnani works hard to create lasting relationships with each client, enabling them to feel a sense of comfort and ease with their finances. She is an avid educator and makes sure her clients understand their portfolios thoroughly, as well as the risks to their investments, and the life choices which impact their long-term financial picture. Avani is an expert in investment management, retirement planning, cash flow, tax management, insurance, real estate and estate planning.
Clients know that Avani is available, not just for big-picture planning, but also for practical help with all kinds of financial transactions, big and small. Avani is not only focused on clients, but also on the Francis Financial team. She passionately encourages the team to continually learn and grow on a professional and personal level. Avani recently received The Smart CEO Executive Management Award celebrating her leadership.
Professionally: Avani is an Equity Partner and Managing Director at Francis Financial. She has nearly 20 years of experience in the financial industry and her expertise is recognized nation-wide. She is the Director of the National Association of Divorce Professionals (NADP) Manhattan Chapter and is quoted extensively in media outlets such as CNBC, Wall Street Journal and Investment News, to name a few.
Avani holds a Bachelor’s degree in finance and an MBA with a specialization in finance from one of India’s top 10 business schools. She holds the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®), and Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®) designations. She started her career in strategy consulting, providing technology solutions to large companies. After six years of advising the C-suite, Avani found her way back to her first love, finance. She completed her financial planning educational certification from the College of Financial Planning, in Denver.
Personally: Avani grew up in India. As a child she dreamed of putting on a business suit and “playing” with numbers and jigsaw puzzles every day. She is happy to report that the dream came true! Avani works with exceptional clients who come with all the financial pieces of their life to sort through. She fits them all together to create a beautiful financial mosaic.
Avani is also a loving mom and wife who enjoys teaching kids about money. She frequently experiments on her two daughters and creates lessons based on the success of her experiments. Avani enjoys traveling to the south of France, hiking and eating anything spicy and vegetarian from around the world.
Favorite quote: “Every problem has a gift for you in its hand, we seek problems because we need their gifts.”
Francis Financial was formed in 2002 with the purpose of doing things differently in the wealth management industry and to provide clients with independent advice, transparency and individual attention.
We are an independent, fee-only boutique wealth management, and divorce financial planning firm dedicated to providing ongoing comprehensive advice for women going through transitions, such as divorce, widowhood and sudden wealth. We have a fiduciary responsibility to act in our clients' best interest. We do not have ties to commissions or compensation from outside sources, so clients know that they can trust our advice.
Our team specializes in divorce financial planning and plays a vital role in making sure that our clients sustain financial peace of mind during and after their divorce. As Certified Divorce Financial Analysts (CDFA®), we work hand in hand with our clients and their team of divorce professionals to understand how the financial decisions they make during their divorce will impact their future.
When working with clients in transition, we model the outcome of their divorce settlement and offer a clear and independent image of what their financial future may look like if they choose one settlement option over another. Our team is trained and knowledgeable about individual states' divorce laws and helps our clients answer questions regarding budgeting, alimony, tax planning, home sales, asset distribution, insurance and other factors that are crucial in determining their ideal settlement and attaining long-term financial security.
Francis Financial is honored to be the recipient of numerous industry awards, such as the Women’s Choice Award, Wealth & Money Management Award for divorce financial planning team of the year, Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors and Best-in-State Wealth Advisors, Crain's Notable Women in Financial Advice, Investopedia 100 Top Financial Advisors, Financial Planning Association’s Heart of Financial Planning Award and Financial Planning Magazine’s Pro Bono Award. Most recently, AdvisoryHQ listed Francis Financial as one of the Top 9 Best Financial Advisors in New York, NY.
Fee-Only, Fiduciary, Independent: Three Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Financial Advisor.
Specialties
- Divorce Financial Planning (before, during, and after)
- Financial Planning after losing a spouse
- Planning for families with special needs children
- Comprehensive Financial Planning
- Investment Management
- Retirement Income Planning
- College Education Planning
- Tax Planning
Ideal Clients
- Women who are new to managing finances
- Divorced or widowed
- Sudden Money Situations
- Growing Families
- Retirees and Near Retirees
- Business Owners and Executives
- $2 Million in Investible Assets
Working Together
- In-Office Meetings
- Virtual Meetings
- Clearly Defined Fees
- No Product Sales
- Complimentary Initial Consultation for anyone who reaches out
Professional Designations & Affiliations
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Avani Ramnani is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional - Click for Verification
CFP® professionals are held to strict ethical standards to ensure financial planning recommendations are in your best interest. What’s more, a CFP® professional must acquire several years of experience related to delivering financial planning services to clients and pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam before they can use the CFP® designation.
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Avani Ramnani is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®)
A CDFA® professional is a financial professional skilled at analyzing data and providing expertise on the financial issues of divorce. The role of the CDFA® professional is to assist the client and his or her attorney to understand how the decisions he or she makes today will impact the client’s financial future. A CDFA® can take on many roles in the divorce process: Financial Expertise and Strategy, Data Collection and Analysis, Expert Presenter and Litigation Support. In some cases, CDFA® professionals are called upon to act as expert witnesses in court or in mediation proceedings.
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Avani Ramnani is a Certified Private Wealth Advisor ® (CPWA®)
The CPWA certification is an advanced professional education and certification for advisors who provide the breadth of specialized skills required to meet the needs of high-net-worth clients. This certification requires advisors to develop advanced knowledge and skills to address the wide range of complex issues faced by wealthy individuals and families, including portfolio strategies, wealth transfer, family dynamics, risk management, asset protection, closely-held business ownership, charitable giving, estate planning, retirement planning, and more. Fewer than 1% of financial advisors have achieved the CPWA certification.
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Avani Ramnani is a Member of the National Association of Divorce Professionals
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Avani Ramnani is a Featured Advisor in Divorce Magazine
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted in Citywire: "Three advisors who focus on women in transition"
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted in MarketWatch: "Coronavirus is now turning financial advisers into grief counselors for families who have lost a loved one"
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Avani Ramnani is a Guest on The Boston Podcast Discussing How the Coronavirus has Effected the Business World in New York
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Avani Ramnani is a Helpline Volunteer for Savvy Ladies
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Avani Ramnani is Featured on Yahoo Finance Live: "Your year-end money questions answered"
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted on CNBC: "Nearly 1 in 5 working women have nothing saved for retirement"
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted in Glamour Magazine: "Here’s How to Get Out of Debt—No Matter What Got You Into It"
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted on CommonWealth One: "7 Ways to Ready Your Finances for Divorce"
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted on TheStreet.com: "7 Financial Moves to Make When Money Is Tight"
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted in the Wall Street Journal: "Here’s How to Financially Prepare for Returning to Work or College"
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted on Public Opinion: "Think twice before giving up financial control at the altar"
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted on The Huffington Post: "3 Ways To Avoid Going Broke In Retirement"
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted in The Washington Post: "Millennial Money: Smart moves when cash is tighter than time"
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted on Her Money: "IF YOU’RE A PARENT, YOU NEED A WILL. PERIOD. HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE ONE THIS WEEKEND"
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted on Kiplinger: "The Finances of Joint Custody Agreements: 10 Things You Must Know"
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Avani Ramnani is Quoted on 13 News Now: "9 things you should do after a divorce to save your finances"
Contact Avani Ramnani
Office Locations:
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39 Broadway
Suite 1730
New York, NY 10006