6 Months After the LA Fires: What Nicole Wishes She Knew Before Her House Burned Down

Summary

Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin Episode: 6 Months After the LA Fires: What Nicole Wishes She Knew Before Her House Burned Down
Release Date: July 11, 2025

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Introduction

In this heartfelt episode of Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin, Nicole shares her deeply personal journey six months after her home and office were destroyed in the devastating LA fires. Through candid conversations with her executive producer, Morgan Lavoy, Nicole provides listeners with a blueprint for financial recovery in the aftermath of a disaster. This episode not only recounts her struggles but also imparts valuable lessons for anyone facing similar challenges.

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The Devastating Impact of the LA Fires

Nicole begins by reflecting on the emotional and logistical turmoil that ensued following the fire. She emphasizes the importance of preparedness, especially concerning essential documents.

Key Points:

• Loss of Home and Office: Nicole's house and newly established business office were consumed by flames, leading to significant personal and professional setbacks.
• Rebuilding Efforts: The process of rebuilding has been slow and fraught with obstacles, making the six months since the disaster feel interminable.

Notable Quote:

“The first six months of building Money News Network went by in a flash. This has been the longest six months of my life.” — Nicole Lapin [02:58]

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Navigating Logistical Challenges

Nicole and Morgan delve into the immediate challenges of replacing essential documents and establishing a stable living situation post-disaster.

Key Points:

• Essential Documents: The importance of securing vital records such as driver's licenses, passports, and birth certificates. Nicole regrets not having a digital backup, which would have streamlined the recovery process.
• Driver’s License Renewal: Confronting the difficulties of renewing an out-of-state driver's license without a permanent address led to additional stress and delays.
• Digital Go Bag: Learning the hard way, Nicole now maintains a digital repository of essential documents accessible via a password-protected cloud folder and a USB stored in a fireproof safe.

Notable Quote:

“The digital go bag has all of these records. I didn't have one before the fire, but I do have one now.” — Nicole Lapin [08:55]

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Financial Struggles and Insurance Woes

A significant portion of the episode addresses the financial hardships Nicole faced, highlighting the complexities of insurance claims and government aid.

Key Points:

• Insurance Coverage: Nicole's comprehensive insurance policy was canceled the year before the fire, leaving her with minimal coverage when disaster struck. This oversight resulted in substantial out-of-pocket expenses.
• FEMA Assistance: Despite navigating FEMA and SBA processes, Nicole and her husband have yet to receive expected aid, exacerbating their financial strain.
• Small Business Impact: As a small business owner, Nicole sought business relief programs but faced over 30 rejections due to technical issues like their business mailing address being tied to a burned-down PO Box.

Notable Quotes:

“FEMA is supposed to give you $770 in a disaster... We haven't gotten any aid for our small but mighty business.” — Nicole Lapin [11:08]
“Insurance companies are the worst... They only pay out what's on paper.” — Unnamed Speaker 2 [13:02]

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Legal Battles and Advocacy

Nicole discusses her ongoing fight with insurance companies and the legal avenues she has pursued to secure the aid she and her family deserve.

Key Points:

• Insurance Disputes: The denial of additional living expenses coverage prompted Nicole to engage legal assistance to contest the insurance company's decision.
• Mass Torts: Participation in mass tort lawsuits aimed at holding negligent parties accountable, although these cases are protracted and complex.
• Legal Support Networks: Collaboration with organizations like Policyholders United and Pepperdine University's Caruso-funded pro bono law clinic to navigate legal challenges.

Notable Quote:

“Insurance companies have been sitting on cash and fighting to not give you money. So kudos to you for having the patience to go through all of it.” — Unnamed Speaker 3 [27:55]

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Lessons Learned: What Nicole Wishes She Knew

Reflecting on her ordeal, Nicole shares crucial insights that could help others better prepare for and recover from similar disasters.

Key Points:

• Document Preparation: The necessity of having a comprehensive digital and physical backup of all essential documents to expedite insurance and aid claims.
• Inventory Documentation: Taking detailed videos and photos of home and office contents to provide clear evidence for insurance and FEMA claims.
• ** insurance Policies:** Understanding the fine print in insurance policies to ensure adequate coverage and avoid being underinsured.
• Asking for Help: Overcoming the hesitation to seek assistance, recognizing the value of community and professional support in times of crisis.

Notable Quotes:

“If you don't have a video like this of your home, please do it today. I would have saved thousands of dollars and a lot of migraines.” — Nicole Lapin [24:28]
“I wish I had done is take a video on my phone of me walking through my office and my home.” — Unnamed Speaker 2 [24:30]

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Advice to Listeners

Nicole offers practical advice to listeners on safeguarding their financial and personal well-being against unforeseen disasters.

Key Recommendations:

• Create a Digital Go Bag: Store digital copies of all essential documents in secure, accessible locations.
• Maintain Comprehensive Insurance: Regularly review and update insurance policies to ensure sufficient coverage.
• Document Everything: Keep a detailed inventory of possessions with photos and videos to support insurance claims.
• Seek Professional Help: Don’t hesitate to reach out to legal professionals and support networks when dealing with insurance and recovery processes.
• Stay Informed: Understand the eligibility requirements and application processes for FEMA, SBA, and other aid programs to maximize the chances of receiving support.

Notable Quote:

“It is deeply unfair to people who can't make ends meet without the aid that they are entitled to.” — Unnamed Speaker 2 [26:16]

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Conclusion

Nicole concludes the episode on a note of gratitude and resilience, acknowledging the support from friends, professionals, and the community that has helped her navigate this challenging period. She emphasizes the importance of learning from these experiences to better prepare for future uncertainties.

Final Thoughts:

• Gratitude for Support: Appreciating the kindness and assistance received from others during the recovery process.
• Commitment to Helping Others: Nicole reiterates her mission to support and educate others about financial resilience, especially in the face of disasters.

Notable Quote:

“After learning about finance the hard way, I just want to bring back buckets of water for those still in the flames.” — Unnamed Speaker 2 [31:10]

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Closing Remarks

Nicole invites listeners to engage with the Money Rehab community by sending in their financial questions for potential discussion on future episodes. She underscores the importance of investing in oneself as the most critical investment one can make.

Call to Action:

“Email us your money questions at [e-mail] to potentially have your questions answered on the show or even have a one-on-one intervention with me.” — Nicole Lapin [31:08]

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This episode serves as both a personal testimony and a resourceful guide for anyone recovering from a disaster, highlighting the intricate dance between emotional resilience and practical financial management.

Transcript

[Nicole Lapin]

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[Unnamed Speaker 1]

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[Nicole Lapin]

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[Unnamed Speaker 1]

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[Nicole Lapin]

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[Unnamed Speaker 1]

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[Nicole Lapin]

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[Unnamed Speaker 1]

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[Nicole Lapin]

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[Unnamed Speaker 1]

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[Nicole Lapin]

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[Unnamed Speaker 1]

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[Nicole Lapin]

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[Nicole Lapin]

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[Nicole Lapin]

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[Unnamed Speaker 1]

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[Nicole Lapin]

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[Unnamed Speaker 1]

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[Nicole Lapin]

I'm Nicole Lapin, the only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand it's time for some Money Rehab.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Well, it has been six months and one day since my home burned down and I lost everything. In the time since then, I have been rebuilding and rebuilding some more and it has been slow. Normally I wouldn't have said that six months is a long time at all. The first six months of building Money News Network went by in a flash. This has been the longest six months of my life. As the anniversary got closer, I knew I wanted to put out an episode that basically put together everything that I've done to rebuild in the last six months so that anyone else listening who, God forbid, goes through something similar has a blueprint for recovery. And I wanted to share the things that I wish I did before the fire, the little easy things that would have saved me a lot of time and most importantly, money. When I started talking to our executive producer, Morgan, about this episode, she asked that we do a little planning session on Zoom so that she could help me organize my thoughts. And as we started talking through all of it, I realized that we were actually just creating the episode we wanted to make. So today you're going to hear chunks of our conversation and I'll fill in some of the blanks. But here's where we started.

[Morgan Lavoy]

All right, so the place that I want to start is just with some logistically ones. Like what were all of the, like, records and pieces of paperwork that you needed to get after the fire?

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Oh man.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

I mean, ideally we would have had like some form of identification that would.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Have been really helpful.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

But all the Ds, credit cards, debit cards, like global entry, passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate, like all the certificates. And for Sloan first for Sloan, although she was a baby and she didn't have them yet, so we got those for the first time. But I think there's an office that does like marriage, birth and death, like.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

All the essential documents.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

But yeah, we got all of those major documents. And then Jared, my husband, went like full doomsday prepper. I think he felt really, I don't know, disappointed in himself. He obviously shouldn't have felt that way, but he thought he didn't do a.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Good enough job taking care of the.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Family with all of those logistics. So he got, like, a special case for all of the paperwork and, like, this doomsday sort of prepper stuff. He got a generator, a starling like this. Not real gun, but, like a very.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

Aggressive BB gun type situation.

[Nicole Lapin]

No way.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

So all of our important documents are now all in this little container, which.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

We didn't have before.

[Morgan Lavoy]

So which ones were the first ones that you tried to get?

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

I tried to get my driver's license first, but that was from New York, and I wasn't planning on ever changing it from New York, even though I.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Haven'T lived in New York since the pandemic.

[Nicole Lapin]

It was just a really good picture.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

And honestly, I didn't want to change it until I had to.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Yeah, you tried to help me with this. You can't get an out of state license renewal.

[Morgan Lavoy]

So what did you do? Did you have to take the driver's test?

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

What did you do? I did.

[Nicole Lapin]

I did.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

So the New York DMV sent over some record. I had to take that record to the California dmv, and then I had to take the written driving test, not the parallel park driving test.

[Morgan Lavoy]

You take the written driver's test again?

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Oh, my first time. It was also, like, so obvious.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

It would really scare me if someone couldn't pass.

[Morgan Lavoy]

Yeah, okay, fair, fair. But at the time, you didn't even have a permanent address. So when you have things like your driver's license where you have to list an address, what did you put down? And also, like, where did you say that they could send these things?

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

I have my Airbnb address on my driver's license now, which I don't want.

[Nicole Lapin]

But it's really hard to get one.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Form of identification without any forms of identification.

[Morgan Lavoy]

Yeah. How did you do that?

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Not sure.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

I'm really not sure.

[Nicole Lapin]

What.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

What was lucky for me, actually, was.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

That I grew up in California, and.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

So my very first driver's license was a California.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Oh.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Id. And so I was in the system.

[Morgan Lavoy]

So what did Jared do? Because he didn't. Right. He had a New York license or something.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

I don't know what he did. I think he had his passport in his backpack, so I think he used that. But I didn't. I didn't have my passport or anything.

[Morgan Lavoy]

I see.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Which makes me really sad, because obviously you can replace the passport, but you cannot replace the passport stamps. And I always loved my passport stamps.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Replacing documents has felt like the hamster wheel I can never get off I needed document A to get document B, but I didn't have document A.

[Nicole Lapin]

And in order to get document A.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

I needed document B. Rinse and repeat.

[Nicole Lapin]

I wish.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Before the fire, I created a digital go bag for my records. The fire happened two weeks after I had a baby, so go bags were very much top of mind at the time, but for a completely different reason. We, of course had a go bag for the hospital that had things like change of clothes and speakers because my husband really wanted to bring the vibes at the hospital. But anyway, the digital go bag has all of the things that Morgan and I were just talking about. Digital copies of my driver's license, passport, Social Security card, birth certificate, marriage license, all of the essential paperwork that is a logistical nightmare to replace.

[Nicole Lapin]

The digital go bag is just a.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Folder that holds all of these records. Obviously I didn't have one before the fire, but I do have one now. I have my digital go bag accessible in two places.

[Nicole Lapin]

First, I have it stored in a.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Password protected folder in the cloud, and second, I have it on a USB that I keep in a fireproof safe we now own. But recovering lost paperwork was just the beginning.

[Nicole Lapin]

The part that has really eaten away.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

At me has been the financial relief, or lack thereof over the last six months. I told Morgan some bits and pieces of it, but I tried not to bother anyone with all the bits and pieces of it.

[Nicole Lapin]

So in the next part, you'll hear.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Me fill her in for the first time.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

And even then I don't share every dizzying rejection. But here's most of it.

[Morgan Lavoy]

And I've just been hearing bits and pieces about all of the crazy stuff that you've been going through trying to get aid and like the normal kind of aid that you should expect as somebody who has insurance, but also as somebody who, like, is a small business owner. And so there are small business relief programs when things like this happen, class action lawsuit stuff. Like, I've just been hearing bits and pieces about how it's all going horribly wrong.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

What's happening?

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

Oh my God.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Okay, so let's see. I didn't know any of this. Like, I never read my insurance policy. My really comprehensive insurance canceled the year before. So I had like bare bones insurance. But I thought we're never going to need it, obviously. Famous last words. And for our office, I was going to get insurance after I came back.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

From having a baby.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

And so that was too late for that, sadly. So on the government side, there's FEMA and sba, and then that's the federal government. Side and then below that there's the county and like government adjacent agencies like the Chamber of commerce.

[Nicole Lapin]

Spoiler alert.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

We haven't gotten any aid for our small but mighty business that was just built right in the fire zone. Why this is is the most frustrating, maddening thing. So FEMA gives you or is supposed to give you $770 in a disaster.

[Nicole Lapin]

But there are these two other buckets.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

From FEMA that are I think $42,000 for underinsurance of personal property and under insurance of additional living expenses. So when you have a renters or homeowners policy, it's divided into a personal property limit. So all your stuff and then some sort of hopefully additional living expenses. Ali component loss of use.

[Morgan Lavoy]

You mean that you can only insure a maximum amount of stuff or there's a maximum value of stuff you can insure.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

So for personal property the coverage I remember when I went through the broker process to the insurance and I got the lowest one, which I still have not forgiven myself for. The higher the premium usually like the higher the coverage. So you can you know, say that your personal property is up to 50,000 or 100,000 and your premiums every month would be higher for higher coverage. So let's say it was $50,000. You would need to show all of the proof to get you to $50,000. And then once they paid that out, which insurance companies are the worst and their whole job is to not pay you out for what you are owed, then it's, it's done. So like assuming you had more than $50,000, if you had $100,000 of personal.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Property, which most people don't know until.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

You have to know. So you know, pulling receipts from Amazon, from your emails from, for clothes, for you know, stuff that you can value that you had in the house. There are a bunch of templates that people have used like going through photos you have to provide and then once you hit that limit you're considered underinsured for the rest. FEMA allegedly helps you up to 40,000 I guess. So if you had $100,000 of contents, you had insurance for $50,000. There is supposed to be additional help. Getting that is a whole different process. Jared met with the FEMA person at.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Our burn down home.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

We still haven't gotten any, you know, FEMA assistance. It's been six months.

[Morgan Lavoy]

Do you have to go to the site with them?

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

I think so. They have to like verify that it's gone.

[Morgan Lavoy]

Jesus, that's so bleak.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

And then with the, the ale they're supposed to give you what the insurance doesn't cover for, like additional child care or if you're in temporary housing that doesn't allow dogs and dog boarding or, you know, what you would spend above and beyond what you normally spend for food because you might not have a kitchen or stuff like that. We haven't gotten any federal anything despite going through this process. It gets, like, just so much red tape. And then the SBA is, is for loans, low interest loans. There are ones for your home that you're underinsured for and ones for business. So so far we got a loan that was two and a half percent interest. So low interest rate loan. The interest you have, you have to start paying after a year and you get like 30 years to pay it off. And then we did not get anything for the business, for a loan. I'm still fighting with them for all these government grants or loans. I've been rejected maybe 30 times on each. And each time you have to write like a let of reinstatement or, you know, provide more information. It's definitely like financial, logistical colonoscopy. I've used this before on the show. And having no actual paperwork, like we had our business lease on paper that got burned. It's really hard to pull a ton of this information that they ask for because they ask for a ton. And our issue was moronic. My taxes personally and for the business went to a P.O. box that also burned down. And we did that for security purposes, you know. Yeah, we have some special snowflakes out there. It's in the rules that if your tax return doesn't go to the affected address, you're disqualified. Basically, I could not get through to anybody who wanted to make an exception or could understand nuance. So I wouldn't do anything differently. I, I mean, I would just suggest to people to keep something like that in mind, but I'm gonna open another PO Box. Hopefully lightning doesn't strike twice. But, you know, like, using a PO Box is, is legal and legit for, for a business, for mailing address. But for a lot of this disaster coverage, they're not about it.

[Morgan Lavoy]

Have you been rejected from FEMA or from the additional aid or. They're just like, we'll let you know.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

We're fighting with company about ale. So until that's finished, FEMA doesn't kick in. But we are fighting with them. And so it sounds like that will preclude us from any FEMA additional living expenses.

[Morgan Lavoy]

What's that? Fight with the insurance company.

[Nicole Lapin]

Oh.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Oh, my God. The first fight with the insurance company is around them rejecting our new living situation because technically it's two leases and together it would be the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms and stuff like that that we previously had. But the amount per month was more. So now they, and in LA at this time it's impossible to find a rental, you know, and so it was just a logistical issue with the management company, but now they won't pay the delta. So basically you're responsible for the amount that you had previously paid and they're supposed to pay the delta of. So let's say, you know, your rent was $5,000, your mortgage and now you have to pay 6,000. They're not going to pay 6,000, they're going to pay 1,000 of what's on top of your regular payment. And that can last for a federal disaster, I think 24 months with potentially 36 month extension. The way my policy happened to be written was that there was, it was unlimited. But I thought that that was a good thing and it's proven not to be. It's just like at their discretion. And so they rejected that. And if I had to go back, I, you know, I, I would have kept more receipts like right after the disaster of what we bought. But like you're in such a daze and like you're of course dealing with so much that like having all this paperwork and all this stuff is just.

[Morgan Lavoy]

You'Re already like looking for other paperwork and doing other paperwork and like just trying to find the receipts for all of the things that you lost. Not necessarily accumulate more receipts for the things that you're doing in that moment.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Totally. And like not having itemized receipts, like they really went through every line item. Like they won't pay for alcohol if you went to a restaurant. Like they'll take out a glass of wine or something as an additional living expense, which is understandable, but it's like super, super granular. Like you find yourself. Yeah, so. So for the insurance we're probably going to get a lawyer to fight for our additional living expenses coverage that's been denied. I also put a complaint into cdi, which is the California Department of Insurance. So once you have issues with them, they are supposed to step in and mediate. So originally I had like a lawyer friend help write some letters that wasn't taken super seriously because he wasn't known in this space. Now we've found a lawyer who is.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Really known in this little niche thing.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

As well as this company called Policyholders United that has really helped this woman, like, should come on the show. She just helps people, like, navigate this as well as Pepperdine University had a Caruso funded pro bono law clinic that we used to try and help us navigate some of this stuff. So that's like one lawyer that we need to fight with our insurance. And then everybody who had been affected needs to find a lawyer who's doing mass torts. So mass torts is like class action, except everybody's damages are different based on what you lost. So having this itemized list of all of the things that you've lost, you know, they'll take out the amount that you got from insurance and the amount you got from other kinds of aid like FEMA or whatever. And then the delta of that is what you're hopefully going to get and made whole for, minus the cut for the lawyers. So they're all on contingency. And everybody. There's a bunch of WhatsApp groups to help guide people to sign up for one of the major law firms in the area. And it's supposed to take like three or four years to go through and sue Louisiana. DWP and the city and the county and all that stuff. The county had some grants. We were rejected for the business one because of the address. Fluke, stupid issue. We did get a small $2,000 grant, but now we're being told that the paperwork that we signed to get that grant has language in it that indemnifies the county from any future lawsuits. So now people are really upset because they've, like, signed over their rights and nobody reads all of that fine print, which I completely should have. And so that's problematic. But, like, these mass torts are going after apparently not just the county, but what happened with Lahaina, they ended up getting damages years later, but against the utilities company and, you know, the city for the reservoir and the empty, you know, fire hydrants and all that type of stuff. But, like, I have. I've just been trying every angle because I. I can't understand, like, where all the funding has gone. And I think on principle we should get it. We just haven't foreign.

[Nicole Lapin]

Hold onto your wallets. Money rehab will be right back. And now for some more money rehab.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

The finances of it all has been keeping me up at night, literally. I have nightmares about FEMA and paperwork and lawyers. And part of the reason it feels so unbearable is because I'm rebuilding our studio and it is expensive. I should have money from FEMA and my insurance company to help me, but I do not. Another part of this is guilt. I feel shame, honestly, for not insuring the office, and I feel a lot of pressure and responsibility for making it right where I can. But even more than all that, it is just so deeply unfair. I know that it sounds small, but that's what's gnawing at me. It's unfair for me, but it's unbearingly unfair to people who can't make ends meet without the aid that. That they are entitled to. What I wish I would have done is take a video on my phone of me walking through my office and my home. This is something that would have made a dramatic difference in the process of submitting claims to my insurance company and to SBA and to FEMA and all of the agencies.

[Nicole Lapin]

Now, I know that you're supposed to.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

Take these videos documenting all of your belongings, walking through every room, going through every door. I knew this, and I did not do it. So I cannot stress this enough. If you don't have a video like this of your home, please do it today. If I had something like this, I would have saved thousands of dollars and a lot of migraines. So you might be wondering, what's the big point I'm making here? Morgan asked that, too.

[Morgan Lavoy]

So for the episode, do you want it to be sort of like an update episode?

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Yeah, I think. You know what, what would be interesting is, like, what I wish I knew before my house bur down was, like, a lot of this logistical. Like, also all the PO Box stuff, which was a complete nightmare. Like, the UPS store is not part of UPS and there's no forwarding, so if your PO Box burns down, you're. That I didn't know. I didn't even think about. And all of this address stuff, like, I. I don't know how I'm gonna try to safeguard against that in the future. But, yeah, it's like, what I wish I knew about these policies and what I should have looked for and what I should have done. Like, it's never a fun day to go through inventory of everything you've ever owned. And then, you know, being so massively under insured, trying to figure out how.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

To be made whole.

[Nicole Lapin]

And then also your.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Like, a lot of these policies are reimbursement, so you're out of pocket. Like, a lot. Like, and a lot of people don't have access to cash to pay for this stuff and then get reimbursed. I think it's, like, deeply, deeply unfair.

[Morgan Lavoy]

Because then people, like, go into credit card debt, and then if they're reimbursed Are they reimbursed for the interest? Probably not.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Totally. Yeah, totally not. And, like, then Liberty Mutual is just, like, sitting on a bunch of cash and paying people to, like, fight you to not give you money. So, yeah, I think, like, what I wish I had done or knew.

[Morgan Lavoy]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

And then, like, where. Where is the money gone? And then I got identity thefted because a lot of people have been targeted. I don't know if it was because of that or something else. So going through that process, somebody tried to open loans in my name, and then I had to file a claim for that. But their insurance company, that's supposed to also cover you from identity theft, they say in, like, some of the documents that they cover, like, child care, that it took you to go through this and lost wages. But I put in a claim for that because my whole year is all about filling out claims and shit. And they rejected it because apparently it's not lost wages for identity theft. It only covers up to the amount if the scammer was successful.

[Morgan Lavoy]

That's crazy. It just sounds like there's just so many catches that no one ever gets anything.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Yeah, so many catches.

[Nicole Lapin]

So many.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Like, the rules are exactly this, and if you don't have exactly this, then you're sol. Because they claim that these programs have been taken advantage of by fraudsters. I don't know how a fraudster could get through the programs with the logistics. And honestly, if they could, like, they.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

Should get the money because I'm completely legit and can't get through the system. So, like, kudos to you for having the patience to go through all of it.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

Yeah, it's. It's. It's. I just. I still can't believe how much of it is not resolved. Six months later.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

This is what I think about when I think about the unfairness of it all. I am one of the lucky ones. I did take out a loan from my business to rebuild, but I'm not going into credit card debt to put food on the table for my family. So this is why I'm obsessing, truly obsessing over these questions about where the aid is going. Because my fear is that my story is just the tip of the iceberg. The system is impossible to navigate.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

I was the valedictorian of my college.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

And I'm not saying this to be obnoxious. My point is I can follow instructions, I can fill out paperwork, I can ace assignments. I know this. I cannot ace the rebuilding process for the life of me. And if I can't with all of the privileges of being educated and having a platform, who the heck can?

[Morgan Lavoy]

Yeah. And so is there anything that we haven't talked about yet that I should note as something that you wish that you knew?

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

I just really feel like I was on it as much as anybody. Like, I. I certainly should have gotten our office insured before I gave birth.

[Unnamed Speaker 3]

So as soon as you get an office, insure it.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

I did not, which was my fault for sure, because for so many years, I overpaid on insurance. Like, I was so over covered and.

[Nicole Lapin]

And I never had a claim.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

And so when you don't have a claim, you're like, why am I wasting thousands of dollars on, like, insurance until you really need it? And so I was feeling, like, pretty bearish on gratuitous insurance. You know, I am mad at myself every single day about the insurance situation. That would be like something that was. It felt so like, out of anyone who is supposed to get insurance, like, I should have practiced what I talked about. I don't. I don't know.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

So this is where I'm at right now. It's not pretty, it's not whole, but it is better than yesterday. And that's all I'm aiming for right now. I think the last thing that I wished I knew was that it was okay to ask for help. I wasted a lot of time not picking up the phone because I didn't want to burden the person on the other line. But once I got over the discomfort of accepting a helping hand, I got to appreciate just how lucky it is that. That there are so many good people in this world who truly just want to do good. And so six months and one day after losing my home and my office and everything, that is what I'm most thankful for. If you've listened to the show for a while, you've probably heard me say this verbatim about my mission.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

After learning about finance the hard way.

[Unnamed Speaker 1]

I just want to bring back buckets of water for those still in the flames. And that has a whole other meaning at this point. So for people who did this for me, for la, literally and figuratively, thank you. Thank you.

[Nicole Lapin]

Money Rehab is a production of Money News Network. I'm your host, Nicole Lapin. Money Rehab's executive producer is Morgan Lavoy. Our researcher is Emily Holmes. Do you need some money rehab? And let's be honest, we all do. So email us your money questions moneyrehaboneynewsnetwork.com to potentially have your questions answered on the show or even have a one on one intervention with me. And follow us on Instagramoneynews and TikTokoneyNewsnetwork.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

For exclusive video content.

[Nicole Lapin]

And lastly, thank you.

[Unnamed Speaker 2]

No, seriously, thank you.

[Nicole Lapin]

Thank you for listening and for investing in yourself, which is the most important investment you can make.