There’s more to Bethenny Frankel than a reality star who knows how to show off her melons while shading her frenemies.
She is also a businesswoman.
But in a new interview, Bethenny is saying that many of her co-stars don’t have an ounce of her business sense — and cannot afford their lifestyles.
If you watch The Real Housewives of New York City online or even just follow the ladies on social media, you know the kind of opulent lifestyles that many of them lead.
But in a recent interview with Money, Bethenny says that her co-stars are spending recklessly and could end up poor if something goes wrong.
“They can’t afford the lives they’re living,” Bethenny announces in reference to her fellow Real Housewives.
Bethenny goes on to declare: “and if the music stops, they’re going to get in some trouble.”
In explanation, Bethenny says: “You can’t put yourself in a position where, if the shit hit the fan, you couldn’t pay all of your bills at one time.”
Bethenny says that, unlike some of her short-sighted co-stars, she is prepared for a worst-case scenario.
“If the world came to an end,” Bethenny says, referring to an economic crisis. “I would be able to pay for everything.”
“I might not be left with much,” she admits.
“But,” Bethenny says. “I can afford what I have.”
Good for her!
This doesn’t come from nowhere.
Bethenny was only paid $ 7,250 for the first season of The Real Housewives of New York City, but she made sure that her contract did not require her to give Bravo a share of her profits from her business.
As a result, the Skinnygirl mogul raked in millions that Bravo could not touch.
This stipulation became known as the “Bethenny clause.”
“Everybody else just had to try to play catch-up,” Bethenny says. “After they saw what I did.”
What Bethenny is talking about when she discusses the finances of her co-stars is sustainable spending and keeping a reserve of liquid assets.
For simplicity’s sake, if your paycheck is a million dollars a year and you spend a million dollars a year, that means that if you suddenly lose that job, you have nothing but the property that you own.
It’s good to have cash on hand in case something goes wrong.
We say cash because, as Bethenny suggests, sometimes “the music stops” — meaning an economic downturn.
Bethenny is saying that, if RHONY ended and all of her investments and businesses went to hell, she’d still be able to cover her current bills and continue living.
But she is suggesting that some of her co-stars would s–t out of luck.
Now, a very fair objection is that not everyone is worth millions and, therefore, not everyone is able to set aside a rainy day fund as Bethenny has.
But please notice that she is not suggesting that a minimum wage worker who takes home $ 250 a week is somehow inadequate for not having savings.
Bethenny is talking about other wealthy socialites and reality stars — women with real financial options.
Of course, what they do with their money is their business, but if Bethenny’s assessment is accurate, they may want to curtail their lavish spending.
Bethenny knows what she’s talking about.