Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin - All the Single Ladies Put Your Hands Up, and Get Down on One Knee

Episode Date: October 8, 2023

Originally aired 7/21/22 In the second part of Nicole's conversation with artist Skylar Grey, Skylar shares how she found love after her divorce, and the amazing engagement story you may just want to try at home.

I love hosting on Airbnb. It's a great way to bring in some extra cash. But I totally get it that it might sound overwhelming to start, or even too complicated, if, say, you want to put your summer home in Maine on Airbnb, but you live full-time in San Francisco and you can't go to Maine every time you need to change sheets for your guests or something like that. If thoughts like these have been holding you back, I have great news for you. Airbnb has launched a co-host network, which is a network of high quality local co-hosts with Airbnb experience that can take care of your home and your guests. Co-hosts can do what you don't have time for, like managing your reservations, messaging your guests, giving support at the property, or even create your listing for you.

I always want to line up a reservation for my house when I'm traveling for work, but sometimes I just don't get around to it because getting ready to travel always feels like a scramble, so I don't end up making time to make my house look guest-friendly. I guess that's the best way to put it. But I'm matching with a co-host so I can still make that extra cash while also making it easy on myself. Find a co-host at airbnb.com slash host. One of the most stressful periods of my life was when I was in credit card debt. I got to a point where I just knew that I had to get it under control for my financial future and also for my mental health. We've all hit a point where we've realized it was time to make some serious money moves. So take control of your finances by using a Chime checking account with features like no

maintenance fees, fee-free overdraft up to $200, or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Learn more at Chime.com slash MNN. When you check out Chime, you'll see that you can overdraft up to $200 with no fees. If you're an OG listener, you know about my infamous $35 overdraft fee that I got from buying a $7 latte and how I am still very fired up about it. If I had Chime back then, that wouldn't even be a story. Make your fall finances a little greener by working toward your financial goals with Chime. Open your account in just two minutes at Chime.com slash MNN. That's Chime.com slash MNN. Chime feels like progress. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank N.A. or Stride Bank N.A. Members FDIC. SpotMe eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Boosts are available Hey guys, are you ready for some money rehab? Wall Street has been completely upended by an unlikely player, GameStop.

And should I have a 401k? You don't do it? No, I never have. You think the whole world revolves around you and your money. Well, it doesn't. Charge for wasting our time. I will take a check. Like an old school check. You recognize her from anchoring on CNN, CNBC, and Bloomberg.

The only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand. Nicole Lappin. Yesterday you heard from Skylar Gray, singer, songwriter, musician extraordinaire, who's written and co-written mega hits like Love the Way You Lie, performed, of course, by Rihanna and Eminem, Clarity, performed by Zedd, Walk on Water, performed by Eminem and Beyonce, and so many award-winning, critically acclaimed, certified bop. The first part of our conversation yesterday was all about the music industry.

Skylar gave an inside perspective on the business of songwriting and also talked about the experience of having to sell her catalog as part of her divorce process. Today, I'm sharing the second part of our conversation where Skylar talks about finding love post-divorce. I love her love story. It makes my heart feel so warm and so fuzzy. And as an added bonus, it's also super empowering and has relationship lessons we could all learn from. Here it is. I went through a crazy lawsuit divorce over the past five or so, whatever years, and I finally got out of it this past year. And so it's, it's been crazy, but basically I had no idea when I got married that all of my intellectual property created during marriage would be up for you know

being 50 50 with my ex-husband and it's just crazy to me to think that like just stuff I come up with in my own head in my studio and create is now 50 this other, you know, made no sense to me. Crazy. So anyway, turned into also a lawsuit that was bananas. At the end, we settled finally, and I had to pay him a big check. And the only way I could afford it was to sell my catalog, which means all my publishing ownership of my songs that I've written for actually I sold everything from everything that's been released, I guess, until 2019 in my life. So everything post 2019 is mine, but everything prior I sold. So I don't see those royalty checks that I was talking about earlier. I don't see those anymore.

So there's something very comforting to me about getting the mailbox money. It's like every few months you get a check and it's like keeping you going. It's like your salary, right? Now I sold the rights to that salary, basically. And so it's great because I got a big check, but then I had to pay taxes and I had to pay my ex-husband. And then I'm left with, you know, not as much as I would hope for my life's work, you know? But so that's where this revengeful streak is coming from. It's not really revenge in the sense of like, I want to get back at somebody.

I just, I'm highly motivated to create a new catalog, to write new music that is just as valuable as the stuff I sold and create this new, you know, collection of songs that I can live off of. Has this experience changed how you think about marriage? Did I hear you say you're engaged? Oh yeah. Yeah. We just keep getting engaged. We're just, I mean, we keep buying each other rings and we're really sick and cute about it, but we don't have any plans to do a wedding. Or even if we do a wedding at some point, which we might do, I don't need to tell the government where my heart's at, you know? So you'll never get married on paper? Yeah, probably not. Because of all of this. Yeah.

PTSD, it sounds like. Yep, definitely. So can you tell me more about getting engaged, like, multiple times? Because I'm engaged. I only got engaged once, but now I'm going to go talk to my fiancé about, like, stepping up his game. Well, some people do. I was going to say, Skylar has gotten a bunch of rings. Yeah, well, the thing thing is because we're not anxious to have a wedding it um every year or so we feel the need to be super cute and romantic and

we'll do something like that you know but But I guess if we had like a wedding schedule, it'd be different. Do you have a wedding schedule? No, it sounds so stressful. You don't want to do that. So that's why I'm really intrigued by this multiple engagement idea. Yeah, it's really a nice way to be in a relationship.

Honestly, I love it. It's so much fun. Can you tell us any of the engagement stories? Yeah. So the first one was crazy. He got me this emerald. Oh, beautiful. And we both got each other rings without knowing it. And we both as we were actually in Detroit for rehearsals for tour, I was going on tour with Eminem and we both had our rings shipped to the hotel in Detroit. And we both lied and said like, we had, I had something for my outfit coming and he had some documents that he had to sign, but it was our rings. And our assistant at the time, she was like caught in the middle.

She knew both things were happening and it was like but then we got to London and um it was actually Elliot my fiance's birthday and he gave me the emerald and I was like oh my god because I was planning on giving him his ring on his birthday and he gave me this earlier in the day and I was like oh shit like what do I do now like do I do I give him his ring right away or do I like wait till later like I don't want to like take away from the moment that we just had so then I waited till later in the day we We were actually like really drunk. We rented some of those little bicycles, you know, that they have on the streets. We're riding street, riding these bikes around the streets at like two in the morning. And then we pulled up to these gates of this garden and they were so beautiful.

And we stopped our bikes and he set his bike down. I dropped my bike. The whole neighborhood woke up and I got down on my knee. And I, so he didn't actually propose when he gave me this, he said, this is a love ring. He's like, I want to ask your dad first, but I wanted to give you something, you know? And I was like, well, I'm going to call it an engagement ring anyways. And then I got down on me when I gave him his ring. And I said, And then I got down on me when I gave him his ring and I said, I, uh, what did I say? I said, we have our whole lives or I have my whole life to give you everything you want on your birthday. But this year I want to give you my heart. I can't. This is too good. Did you, what made you want to also propose?

Did you propose the first time? Well, I guess I was the one who proposed because he, when he gave me the emerald, it wasn't. Did you propose the first, like the first time you were married? Oh, no. So this was a new idea that you wanted to propose to what inspired that yeah um I just knew he was the one and so I was like well I'm not gonna wait I'm gonna propose I'm gonna buy a diamond I bought a brown diamond that's like a cognac colored diamond I had had to put into a very like simple, but masculine setting.

And yeah, I don't, I'm not waiting around. Do you think more women should propose if they want to get engaged? Hell yeah. Yeah. Why wait? Hold onto your wallets, boys and girls. Money Rehab will be right back.

I love hosting on Airbnb. It's a great way to bring in some extra cash. But I totally get it that it might sound overwhelming to start or even too complicated if, say, you want to put your summer home in Maine on Airbnb, but you live full time in San Francisco and you can't go to Maine every time you need to change sheets for your guests or something like that. If thoughts like these have been holding you back, I have great news for you. Airbnb has launched a co-host network, which is a network of high quality local co-hosts with Airbnb experience that can take care of your home and your guests. Co-hosts can do what you don't have time for, like managing your reservations, messaging your guests, giving support at the property, or even create your listing for you.

I always want to line up a reservation for my house when I'm traveling for work, but sometimes I just don't get around to it because getting ready to travel always feels like a scramble, so I don't end up making time to make my house look guest-friendly. I guess that's the best way to put it. But I'm matching with a co-host so I can still make that extra cash while also making it easy on myself. Find a co-host at Airbnb.com slash host. One of the most stressful periods of my life was when I was in credit card debt. I got to a point where I just knew that I had to get it under control for my financial future and also for my mental health. We've all hit a point where we've realized it was time to make

some serious money moves. So take control of your finances by using a Chime checking account with features like no maintenance fees, fee-free overdraft up to $200, or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Learn more at Chime.com slash MNN. When you check out Chime, you'll see that you can overdraft up to $200 with no fees. If you're an OG listener, you know about my infamous $35 overdraft fee that I got from buying a $7 latte and how I am still very fired up about it. If I had Chime back then, that wouldn't even be a story. Make your fall finances a little greener by working toward your financial goals with Chime. Open your account in just two minutes at Chime.com slash MNN. That's Chime.com slash MNN. Chime feels like progress. Banking

services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank N.A. or Stride Bank N.A. Members FDIC. Spotme eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Boosts are available to eligible Chime members enrolled in Spotme and are subject to monthly limits. Terms and conditions apply. Go to chime.com slash disclosures for details. Now for some more money rehab. And so how many years ago was that? And how many engagements do we have all together now? That was like, I don't know if it was 2018. And then sometimes during COVID, he proposed to me again on the roof of our house. And he got me a black diamond. That's like a heart cut black diamond.

And he got down on his knee that time. So did he ask permission? Uh, I don't know if he technically did, but he like got to know my dad really well. So, and my dad already knew we were engaged because I proposed. So, but, um, it was interesting. Cause I, he didn't get down on a knee the first time when he gave me the emerald. But this second time he gave me a ring, he did. And it was like a moment that I didn't know I needed. And I like burst into tears. Yeah.

I'm about to burst into tears when I wasn't even there. Yeah. Wow. It was very sweet. What was it about that moment that you didn't know you needed? I, I guess I just didn't know that I, I needed that just getting on your knee and asking somebody to marry you is like a powerful thing to do. And it makes you feel so wanted and so loved. And I didn't even realize that until it happened.

And then I was like, I felt so loved, you know? And now you just want to do it over and over again. I understand why. And now I just want to keep having these moments because they're just so beautiful. And yeah. And I also love jewelry yes and you're gonna propose to him again yeah it's my turn now i love this honey we have a

change of plans around here inspiration by skylar yes he like, I have to do this again. Yeah, but it's your turn then, right? So you get a ring. Oh, I do have to get a ring. Okay, so what's the,

what's the advice for getting a man engagement ring? Just, I really thought about like his personality and also what he wears, like what would go

with everything that he, because he's like a cowboy, like drives tractors and we have cattle and stuff, but then he's also like a businessman and he wears suits and does real estate deals. And, um, he's also a musician, singer, songwriter. So it's like, what is going to fit with all of these different hats that he wears basically and so I was inspired by that to make him this gold um emerald cut diamond ring that's like a brown stone because it looks good with everything you know I love this so much one of my best girlfriends proposed to her husband actually

three times but this is the only the second time I've heard about this and it's so badass that's all full stop so badass yeah it's really cool I mean I don't live by anybody's rules I just follow my heart in life and that was one of those things I didn't even think about it. I didn't even think like, this is weird. I'm the girl like getting down on me or anything like that. I just knew what I wanted and I did it. Not much more thought to it than that. For today's tip, you can take straight to the bank. All the single ladies, put your hands up and get down on one knee and propose. Like Skylar says, why wait? My recommendation on how to protect yourself from an ugly divorce has always been a

prenup, but I also love how Skylar offers another solution. You don't need a marriage certificate to prove that you have a loving and lasting relationship. Sure, by not getting married, you lose the tax love that you get if you tied the knot officially, but you are also spared the process of preparing a prenup and a potential divorce. Like Skylar, it might be the right option for you. Money Rehab is a production of iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Nicole Lappin. Our producers are Morgan Lavoie and Mike Costarelli. Executive producers are Nikki Etor and Will Pearson.

Our mascots are Penny and Mimsy. Huge thanks to OG Money Rehab team Michelle Lanz for her development work, Catherine Law for her production and writing magic, and Brandon Dickert for his editing engineering and sound design and as always thanks to you for finally investing in yourself so that you can get it together and get it all you spend my money money money