"Anyone who wants to buy or move a franchise to Los Angeles has to include the likely cost of litigation in the overall budget, " says Carter, who has consulted for California municipalities on the subject.
The real estate Hedgelets settle quarterly, letting a trader take a position on what the median single family home will cost in six markets: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Diego and San Francisco.
But that same money disappears fast for a two-earner family in a high-cost city like New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, with three children approaching college age and parents who may need financial help.