Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin

If you've been parked in SAVE plan limbo for the last two years, the waiting is over, and the letter that starts your 90-day clock is either already in your inbox or on its way. Today, Nicole breaks down what happened to SAVE, why doing nothing could send your payment from $0 to $900 overnight, and exactly what to do before that clock runs out.

Nicole walks through RAP, the new Repayment Assistance Plan replacing SAVE, how it calculates your payment off your income, and the upside most people miss: your balance can't grow even if your payment doesn't cover the interest. She also covers why studentaid.gov is about to get slammed, whether you should let the government pull your income data from the IRS, and how to avoid accidentally landing in a plan that doesn't count toward forgiveness.

Then, Nicole flags two things you don't want to miss: a quadrupled autopay discount worth locking in before September 30th, and a little-known Secure 2.0 rule that lets your employer match your student loan payments straight into your 401(k). If you're already in default, she also breaks down what's coming this fall as wage garnishment turns back on, and the two ways out. Finally, today's tip you can take straight to the bank: a tax-filing move married borrowers should run the numbers on before their next RAP payment is calculated.

Start investing investing at SoFi.com/MNN

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠

Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠

Here's what Nicole covers today:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

00:16 SAVE Is Officially Dead

01:29 What Happens If You Do Nothing

02:12 Check Your Real Balance (Interest Never Stopped)

02:37 Meet RAP: The New Repayment Assistance Plan

03:24 Get Ahead of the Studentaid.gov Stampede

04:40 The 401(k) Match You Didn't Know You Had

05:21 If You're in Default: What's Coming This Fall

06:35 Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor or tax professional before making any financial decisions.

Mauricio Umansky is one of the most successful luxury real estate agents in the world, selling homes for A-listers and closing massive deals. Today, he joins Nicole to break down exactly where the real estate market stands right now: why we're finally shifting out of a three-and-a-half-year transaction low, why “rentvesting” might be a move to consider in some markets, and the 10-year rule that means almost no one who buys a home ever ends up losing money on it.

Then Nicole and Mauricio dig into the parts of his world reality TV can't capture: the $124 trillion wealth transfer reshaping who owns real estate next, his "playvestment" strategy for buying property purely because it makes him happy, his take on the mansion tax killing development in LA, and whether he'll ever trade real estate for a run at Mayor of Los Angeles.

Start investing investing at SoFi.com/MNN

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠

Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠

Learn more about Mauricio’s work and The Agency

Here's what Nicole covers with Mauricio:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

03:04 Is This a Buyer's or Seller's Market?

04:10 Comparing Today's Market to Past Cycles

08:17 The 10-Year Rule According to Mauricio

09:21 Rentvesting Explained

10:35 Real Estate Returns vs. the Stock Market

11:45 Where Mauricio Would Buy Right Now

14:35 His Investment Thesis: Hospitality, Flipping, and Branded Residences

15:43 The Real Odds of Getting a Deal Done

16:56 Inside His Portfolio: Real Estate vs. Equities

17:53 Will AI Replace Real Estate Agents?

19:01 The $124 Trillion Wealth Transfer and Family Compounds

22:15 Short-Term Rentals and the 2028 LA Olympics

23:12 Would He Run for Mayor of LA?

29:56 The Mansion Tax, Explained

32:16 Reality TV: Help, Hurt, and Are the Numbers Even Real?

39:01 The Passion Project That Makes Him Zero Dollars

40:16 The Truth Behind His "$6 Billion" in Sales

46:24 Mauricio's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

All investing involves risk, including loss of principal. This episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions.

Divorce attorney James Sexton has a theory: the smartest thing you can do before you get married is think like someone whose job is ending marriages. Today, James joins Nicole for part one of a two-part conversation, sharing what you need to know before you say "I do." Make sure you're subscribed to Money Rehab so you don't miss part two in a few weeks, where they get into what you need to know before you get divorced.

James unpacks why every couple needs a prenup, and shares the wildest prenup clause he's ever seen. He also gets into what actually makes fidelity and sex clauses hold up in court, and why most DIY prenups fall apart long before they're ever tested.

Then Nicole and James zoom out to the stuff that can predict divorce long before anyone hires a lawyer: the small, unsexy daily habits that keep a relationship alive, and the financial fights that are never really about the money. Plus, James explains why he thinks couples should see a divorce attorney before they get married, and as weird as it sounds… we agree.

Start investing investing at SoFi.com/MNN

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠

Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠

Learn more about James Sexton and his work

Here's what Nicole covers with James:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

03:13 Why James Chose Divorce Law (Not the Money)

06:06 Has Divorce Law Soured James on Romance?

08:33 James's Own Marriage, Divorce, and Dating Life Now

14:23 Why You Should Talk to a Divorce Attorney Before You Marry

15:49 The Small Habits That Keep a Relationship Alive

21:16 What Actually Ends Marriages

27:28 Should Marriage Have a Higher Bar to Entry?

29:37 Is Your Prenup Actually Enforceable?

31:38 The $10,000-a-Pound Prenup Clause: A True Story

38:03 DIY Prenups and What Not to Skip

44:54 Fidelity Clauses and Sex Clauses

49:01 Do Prenups Actually Prevent Divorce?

50:41 Why the Prenup Conversation Is Secretly Romantic

53:03 The Story of the Lemons: Why Positional Bargaining Fails

57:51 The Most Toxic Financial Fights in Relationships

58:41 What Money Can (and Can't) Buy

1:00:54 Coming Up: James's Divorce Advice in Part Two

All investing involves risk, including loss of principal. This episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions.

Today, Nicole is teaming up with U.S. Bank to unpack the state of small businesses and what entrepreneurs can do right now to get ahead.

Nicole sits down with Shruti Patel, U.S. Bank's Chief Product Officer for the Business Banking segment, to unpack the findings from the bank's fourth annual Small Business Survey and what they reveal about the state of entrepreneurship right now. Shruti breaks down why small business optimism dipped from 93% to 83% this year even as resilience holds strong, why only 3% of owners are currently considering a sale or exit, and what that signals about the massive wealth transfer coming as Boomer-aged owners hand off their businesses to the next generation over the next decade.

Then the conversation turns to Gen Z founders specifically: their appetite for bold, calculated risk, and the surprising trend of delaying life milestones like marriage and family to build their businesses… a bet that, according to the data, is actually paying off in faster growth.

Nicole and Shruti also get tactical: how business credit actually works (and why your personal credit score matters more than you'd think) and the real documentation lenders want to see. Plus: how small businesses are using AI to cut costs (even when the ROI math gets murky), where digital currency payments stand today, and why frictionless checkout is a bigger deal than most owners realize.



Learn more about U.S. Bank's Small Business Banking solutions at: usbank.com

Check-out the results of U.S. Bank’s Small Business Survey: https://www.usbank.com/business-banking/business-resource-center/small-business-survey.html

Here's what Nicole covers with Shruti:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

00:43 Meet Shruti Patel, U.S. Bank's Chief Product Officer

01:20 Inside U.S. Bank's 4th Annual Small Business Survey

02:16 Why Optimism Dropped from 93% to 83%

04:45 Why Only 3% of Owners Are Considering an Exit

05:18 The Great Wealth Transfer and Succession Planning for the Next Decade

06:31 Inside Gen Z's Bold, Calculated Approach to Risk

07:37 Delaying Marriage and Family to Build a Business

09:03 "You Can Have It All, Just Not All at Once"

11:07 How Gen Z Defines Success

12:10 The Death of the "Shark Tank" Fundraising Dream

13:45 Debt vs. Equity: Rethinking How to Finance Growth

14:17 What Banks Look for Before Approving a Loan

16:08 Do Businesses Have Their Own Credit Score?

17:38 Personal Guarantees and the Documentation You'll Need

19:06 The SBA Loan Process

19:38 How Small Businesses Are Actually Using AI to Save Money

21:16 The "Digital Target Checkout" Problem with AI Costs

22:39 Where Digital Currency and Crypto Payments Stand Today

24:15 Why Frictionless Checkout Is Everything

26:03 Inside U.S. Bank's Business Essentials Launch

29:32 U.S. Bank's Partnership with the NFL and the Financial Edge Program

33:45 Shruti Patel's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any financial decisions or investments.

Kevin O'Leary is back on Money Rehab, and this time he's changed his tune on crypto. Nicole presses "Mr. Wonderful" on his wild reversal: from owning 27 coins to just two, why he thinks the real money is now in power infrastructure, and why the Clarity Act could break Bitcoin’s price ceiling.

Kevin also gets into the messy, litigious world of data centers, including the lawsuits, the death threats against his own family, and where he thinks the money trail leads. Then things get personal: his $5 million "you're not wealthy until" rule, the eye-popping story behind the $35 million outfit he wore to the Oscars, and which Shark he’d call to bail him out of jail.

Of course, no Kevin O'Leary episode is complete without a fight, so Nicole and Kevin reignite their $28 sandwich debate and reach a truce… Almost.

Start investing investing at SoFi.com/MNN

Check out Nicole's financial literacy course ⁠The Money School⁠

Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company ⁠Private Wealth Collective⁠

Watch video clips from the pod on ⁠Money Rehab's Instagram⁠ and ⁠Nicole Lapin's Instagram⁠

Here's what Nicole covers with Kevin:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

01:25 Kevin O'Leary Returns (RIP Labubu)

02:05 Confessions of a "Social Media Whore"

04:33 Buying Longevity: The Ozempic Debate

07:30 Wealth, Health, and Sleep Optimization

08:45 Inside Kevin's Lawsuit Playbook

14:00 Foreign Adversaries and the Data Center Wars

15:19 Debunking the Data Center Water Myth

19:19 From 27 Coins to Just Two: Kevin's Crypto Reset

23:55 The Quantum Computing Threat to Bitcoin

26:36 Kevin's New Bitcoin Price Target

29:01 Why Power, Not Crypto, Is the Real Trade

33:07 Should You Still Buy Crypto Right Now?

34:41 The Kidnapping Risk Nobody Talks About

36:28 The Money Bag: Financial Envy

38:01 The $5 Million Rule for Feeling Wealthy

40:15 Why Kevin Refuses to Google His Net Worth

42:23 The $35 Million Oscars Outfit

49:19 Passing Down Collectibles (and the Tax Trap)

51:40 Who Bails Kevin Out of Jail?

58:56 Kill, Marry, Fire: Pelosi, Holmes, and Cathy Wood

1:03:55 Data Center Death Threats

1:04:16 Round Two: The $28 Sandwich Fight

1:10:42 Kevin O'Leary's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

All investing involves risk, including loss of principal. This episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions.