Ok, so I didn't lose $52,000 but this woman did.She got swindled out of it by a con man who she dated for two years.  The story is a total facepalm.  It reminded me of a lunch meeting I had with a person who was about two notches above this guy who wanted me to buy into his system of making money and promised me that I could make 8-figured like him within 5 years.  All I needed to do was invite three friends to a meeting, and when they invited three friends...you know how this scheme goes.  So, what can we learn from this?  Rule #1 of Money: No once cares about your money more than you do.