Can I top a money tree plant below its leaves?

Question

I have a money tree plant that has grown very leggy and tall, and it has lost all of its lower leaves. I want to make it shorty and fuller, but I don't want to kill it by pruning it. If I cut off the tops so that what remains has no leaves,

1. Will the base re-grow leaves?
2. Will the cuttings root in water?

Answer 1

1. Yes, a leafless, topped base will regrow leaves.

I topped two money tree plants so that some non-woody green stem remained and no leaves remained. Within a month, both plants are budding with new leaves.

2. Yes, cuttings may regrow roots and leaves.

After a month, some of the leaf cuttings are showing root buds, and none of the cuttings have died. Some of the cuttings were leafless, and all of them are showing new leaf growth.