How to Build $100K in Five Years

Your first $100,000 in investing feels impossible—until you see the math. Today, Nicole breaks down why the first $100K is the hardest money you’ll ever make, what changes mathematically once you cross it, and the path to get there… without a hot stock tip, crypto bro, or dumb luck. Nicole walks through a real, doable five-year plan based on the average U.S. salary —including exactly how much to invest each month, where to put your money, and how the beautiful power of compound interest quietly accelerates behind the scenes.  Try Nicole’s Compound Interest Calculator 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? 00:18 Why Your First $100K Is the Hardest 02:53 Year-by-Year Investment Plan 03:05 Year 1: Building the Habit 04:00 Year 2: Gaining Momentum 04:33 Year 3: Growth Year 04:59 Year 4: Push Harder 05:37 Year 5: Reaching the Goal 06:00 Reality Check: Life Throws Curveballs 06:33 Passive Income 07:20 Your Next Steps and Resources 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.

From Kim Kardashian, J.Lo, and Ariana Grande, Chris Appleton has styled the biggest names in Hollywood, but his journey getting there was not easy. Today, Chris opens up about the hustle it took to go from a small-town salon in the UK to red carpets, and the bumps in the road along the way. Chris shares the financial trauma, internal battles, and deep personal work it took to get to the top—and stay there. He gets vulnerable about the struggles behind the success: coming out after being in a heterosexual relationship, the breakthrough moment with Christina Aguilera that allowed him to beat his imposter syndrome, and why the word “fine” isn’t in his vocabulary. Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources Find video clips from the pod on Money Rehab’s Instagram and Nicole Lapin’s Instagram Check Out Chris’ Book Your Roots Don’t Define You Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole’s company Private Wealth Collective Here’s what Nicole talks about with Chris: 00:00 Money Rehab Presents: Chris Appleton 03:01 Childhood Struggles and Financial Trauma 06:53 Telling the Hater Inside to Quiet Down 10:54 Navigating a Scarcity Mindset 13:44 Chris’ Erewhon Smoothie 16:27 Chris’ Early Hustle Days and Evading Train Conductors  21:52 Moving to LA and Chris’ Big Break with Christina Aguilera 26:07 Chris’ Coming Out Story and Hitting Rock Bottom 32:05 Why “Fine” Isn’t Fine 34:52 Why the Hair Salon Feels Like Therapy 38:01 How Chris Built His Reputation and How to Sell the Sizzle 41:46 Lessons from Kim Kardashian 44:42 Chris’ Take on Marriage, Relationships and Self Love 45:01 The Importance of Self-Love and Selectivity 48:46 Chris’ Tip Listeners Can Take Straight to the Bank

Is kindness an asset or a liability in business? Daniel Lubetsky—founder of Kind Snacks—makes a strong case for kindness as a competitive edge. He joins Nicole to share the behind-the-scenes story of buying out a private equity firm for $220 million to preserve his direction, the difference between being nice and being kind, and why values-driven leadership isn’t just idealistic—it’s strategic. Plus, how he’s helping the next generation of founders build principled, profitable businesses through Camino Partners and Shark Tank. Keep up with Daniel on Instagram Learn more about Camino Partners Read Daniel's Op Ed

Today, Nicole rips the veil off one of the most costly mistakes you're probably making with your money—and no, it's not skipping some secret tax loophole. It's way more basic than that: leveraging how tax brackets work. And avoiding tax talk? It’s bleeding your paycheck dry. Nicole breaks down how the system really messes with you if you’re not paying attention, and how a few strategic (and totally legal) moves can stop the IRS from taking more than its fair share. Bottom line: this episode could be the difference between donating thousands to the government... or keeping it in your wallet.

Today, Jonathan Aguilera who we're calling the “Robinhood of life insurance”—pulls back the curtain on how certain life insurance policies, especially Indexed Universal Life (IUL), are often misunderstood, aggressively sold— or even predatory. Jonathan has gone viral for helping policyholders get refunds on problematic policies, and today, you get to be a fly on the wall during a live call with a policyholder and the insurer, as Nicole and Jonathan work to help this policyholder get back $100K.

Every New Year, the same tired money resolutions rear their heads: “Make a budget,” “Save more,” “Track spending.” While those tips aren’t wrong, they’re also not going to change your financial life unless they’re backed by a strategy that actually works with your brain—not against it. In this episode, Nicole cuts through the noise and shares three New Year’s money resolutions that are rooted in behavioral science, psychology, and real research on human behavior. These aren’t just feel-good goals—they’re practical, proven shifts that will help you create lasting financial change without relying on willpower alone. 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. Paid endorsement. Brokerage services provided by Open to the Public Investing Inc, member FINRA & SIPC. Investing involves risk. Not investment advice. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool by Public Advisors. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. See disclosures at public.com/disclosures/ga. Past performance does not guarantee future results, and investment values may rise or fall. See terms of match program at https://public.com/disclosures/matchprogram. Matched funds must remain in your account for at least 5 years. Match rate and other terms are subject to change at any time.

Women report doing 64% of the domestic labor in their household and the 73% of the mental labor. Eve Rodsky, author of the book and movement Fair Play, has championed not only this research, but also strategies to level the playing field. Today, Nicole and Eve talk about how to make your relationship more fair— and the financial consequences if you don't. Click here to learn more about Eve's work, click here to find Fair Play resources.

Have you ever wondered how Warren Buffett came up with his investment strategy? Today, Nicole pulls back the curtain. In this episode, Nicole breaks down how the investing pros create their investing theses, how they stress-test their own ideas, and three famous real-world examples that paid off. Then, Nicole will explain how you can create your own strategy— and how to easily execute on it... today. Paid endorsement. Brokerage services provided by Open to the Public Investing Inc, member FINRA & SIPC. Investing involves risk. Not investment advice. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool by Public Advisors. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. See disclosures at public.com/disclosures/ga. Past performance does not guarantee future results, and investment values may rise or fall. See terms of match program at https://public.com/disclosures/matchprogram. Matched funds must remain in your account for at least 5 years. Match rate and other terms are subject to change at any time.

Today, Nicole unpacks one of her hottest personal finance takes: buying a house is not always an investment. Today, she breaks down the numbers to show when renting makes more sense than buying.

Today, Nicole breaks down all stock market lingo you need to decode investments —like market cap, and P/E ratio—and shows you how they actually work in real-life trading, using a deep dive into a real example of a stock that got... weird. You'll learn how to spot a stock’s highs, lows, and everything in between… plus why relying on just one type of analysis (technical OR fundamental) is like trying to fly a plane with one wing. Check out Nicole's course The Money School and use promo code MONEYREHAB to secure the course for $99