Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin

Selling Sunset isn't just a show about real estate, drama, and outfits... it's a show about money. Over the past few years, Nicole has had four cast members from the Selling Sunset universe on Money Rehab: Jason Oppenheim, Emma Hernan, Mary Bonnet, and Polly Brindle. Today, she's pulling out four moments from those conversations that she hasn't been able to stop thinking about.

Jason, one of the most successful real estate brokers in LA, makes a confession you'd never expect from someone who sells homes for a living: renting often beats buying, financially speaking. Mary opens up about the ex-husband who secretly ran up six figures of debt in her name, and the exact tactic she used to rebuild her credit score from scratch. Emma explains why she's turned down millions in outside investment for her company and what she thinks is broken about "Shark Tank culture." And Polly gets brutally honest about maxing out three credit cards, borrowing from friends, and the mindset shift that turned her financial life around.

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?

00:15 Four Money Moments From the Selling Sunset Universe

00:42 Jason Oppenheim's Take: Renting Beats Buying

04:48 Mary Bonnet's Secret Debt and Financial Abuse Story

09:07 Red Flags to Watch For Before You Share Finances

12:29 Emma Hernan on Turning Down Millions in Funding

16:47 Polly Brindle: From Maxed Credit Cards to $48M in Sales

21:46 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.

Divorce attorney James Sexton is back for part two of his conversation with Nicole; in part one, he talked about advice for couples getting married. Today, he’s giving advice for people getting divorced. Nicole and James dig into the financial habits that sabotage marriages, the creative ways people hide money before filing, and the red flags that signal a spouse might be planning an exit. Plus, James gives simple advice on what might be the most complicated part of this process: how to tell your spouse you want a divorce.

James also breaks down how alimony actually works, the best argument for keeping the house, and the negotiating tactics he uses to fight for a bigger settlement. Then things get spicy: the digital footprint mistakes blowing up divorces in real time, the unofficial "a-hole tax" judges impose on bad behavior in court, and the wild story of a $20 million divorce that almost collapsed over a toaster oven.

Check out Part 1 of Nicole's conversation with James Sexton

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

Follow James’ work and check out his latest book

Here's what Nicole covers with James:

00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab?

02:31 The Financial Habit That Complicates Every Divorce

05:01 How People Hide Money Before a Divorce

09:21 Red Flags Your Partner Might Be Planning a Divorce

11:35 What To Do If You're Thinking About Divorce

12:11 How Much Does a Divorce Actually Cost?

17:13 Mediation vs. Litigation: Which Should You Choose?

19:37 The Best Way To Ask For a Divorce

21:18 How Alimony Really Works

25:00 When the Woman Is the Breadwinner

28:29 Is Alimony About Money or Power?

29:58 The Best Argument for Keeping the House

32:11 Bunnie XO, Jelly Roll, and Who's Entitled to What

34:56 Lightning Round

38:03 The $20 Million Toaster Oven Story

39:14 The Most Expensive Emotion in Divorce

39:20 What To Never (and Always) Put in Writing

40:00 How Social Media Can Blow Up Your Divorce

42:54 The "A-hole Tax" Explained

45:31 James Sexton's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank

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.