Ladies: If You Ain't No Punk Holla We Want Prenups

So you're in wedding planning heaven when your partner drops the bomb on you: he wants you to sign a prenuptial agreement before the two of you tie the knot. Your mind instantly flashes to Kanye West's "Gold Digger," video or to the jersey chasers featured on numerous "reality" television shows. But before you take that deep, "oh no he didn't just call me a gold digger," breath and tell him exactly what he can do with that prenup, consider this: a prenup is about a lot more than who gets what in the event of a divorce. As I've began taking the steps to boost my own credit score I learned that my student debts can become "our" debt whenever I do get married. I've also learned that any judgements (creditors, child support, previous alimony agreements, etc) can become both parities' responsibility once a couple marries. Even if your partner has none of the above credit issues, a prenuptial agreement can protect you against any possible future financial fiascos, i.e the Bernie Madoff scandal. As a result of Bernie's fraud Ruth Madoff had to give up $80 million in assets and can still be held liable in civil court. A prenuptial agreement would have left her safe from that civil liability and possibly secured some of the assets acquired during their marriage. My advice for any woman who's getting married: hire separate lawyers and have a fair, yet very clear prenuptial agreement drawn up. A good prenup will have marital clauses including cheating, infidelity, divorce and even death. But most importantly, a good prenuptial agreement will leave your credit score and finances intact, while also alleviating some of the stress that comes with marriage and joint finances. Me personally, I would never marry someone and have them unknowingly become fiscally responsible for my student loans should I decide to stop making payments. I also know that I am working too hard to reach that credit utopia of 750 and I refuse to let someone else's financial irresponsibilities set me back. I'm not only protecting myself, I'm also protecting my future...So ladies, take control of your financial future and let 'em know, "We want prenups..."

Daddy's Little Girl

So earlier this week Rihanna and Chris Brown made headlines when they released two songs they recorded together. While both of the songs are hot, it's hard to listen to them without instantly remembering the damage he did to her beautiful face. Let's get one thing clear: I believe in forgiveness. Chris Brown made an awful decision and is paying his debt to society. I see no problem with Rihanna for forgiving him, mostly because holding a grudge can be mentally and physically draining. But to (seemingly) rekindle a romantic relationship with him is something I can't support. As a pop superstar she's an idol to many young women out there. And yes we can scream that she shouldn't be, but let's face it; she is. It's no different than the millions of little girls that sang, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody," in their hairbrushes in the 80s. Millions of girls want to be just like Rihanna. They want to dress like her. They want to dance like her. And sadly, they want her relationship. How can we condemn the little girls that tweeted such vile things about letting Chris Brown beat them when Rihanna herself is clearly sending the same message. Are we supposed to listen to the first line of C Breezy's verse on the Birthday Cake remix and not believe that he's singing about Ri-Ri? The exchanging of birthday tweets between the two of them and the pictures of them hugging all point to a reconciliation between Breezy and Rihanna. My question is, where in the world is Rihanna's daddy? How has he not come out and tried to put an end to this? Has he sat down with his daughter and told her how much he loves her and wants her to be with a man who would never do to her what Chris Brown did last February? Better yet, why hasn't he tried to kill Chris Brown? Not literally, but you get the picture. I was recently in a relationship that ended in violence and thank God my father does not live in the same state as my ex and I. And thank God even more for my mom being sane enough to talk my dad out of hopping on a plane and buying a gun once he arrived in Minneapolis. It was that crucial. And it should have been, the situation warranted that type of reaction from my dad. One thing my dad said to me repeatedly was, "I'm your daddy and I have NEVER put my hands on you so ain't no man on this Earth ever supposed to think that he should." And he's right. He hasn't ever so much as tapped my legs and although he hasn't been Dad of the Year, I know that he loves me far too much to ever see me in a situation with a man that puts his hands on me. So I could only imagine what his reaction would be if I were to ever tell him that my ex and I were getting back together. So back to my original question: where is Rihanna's daddy? Doesn't he love his little girl enough to do everything in his power to keep her away from the person who hurt her? Why isn't he protecting daddy's little girl?

Just in case you forgot what he did to her face:

Morally conflicted, cause I can't deny liking the songs...Listen for yourself...

Break Up Boogie

Breaks ups suck. The only thing worse than a bad break up, is listening to the radio and thinking every song was written specifically about the demise of your relationship which in turn brings on massive amounts of tears, typically in public places. What’s even worse is all too often we have our own break up songs that we keep on repeat in hopes of simultaneously singing and crying our break up pains away. As I navigate my way through the jungle of newly found singleness I found myself repeating the song and cry ritual until I (re) discovered Elle Varner. Ms. Varner is part of the BET Music Matters tour and her newest single, “Only Wanna Give It To You,” is the perfect “throw on your summer dress, have a mojito on a rooftop bar and dance” feel good song. The most ironic thing about my new favorite break up song; Elle is singing about falling in lust, like, love; whatever you prefer to fall into. Listening to her sing about being held hostage by this man’s kisses made me realize that love can and should be fun. I look forward to the butterflies in my stomach and wanting that certain Mr. more than a new pair of shoes. Until then, I’ve channeled that heartbreak into rediscovering all of the things I’d abandoned when I became we: dinner parties with my girls, independent films and dance nights that end with pizza at 3:00 am. I’ve since downloaded Elle’s mix tape Conversational Lush, a witty collection of songs that encourage me to get up, dance and fall in love all over again.

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