Keeping A Ferrari Engine Secret?

Exotic Car Hacks Ferrari 30 Buyers Guide

red head assets.rebelmouse.io

I hope you know that I immediately thought of you when I read that Axios article you sent me about keeping financial secrets from your spouse.

Black's Head Black assets.rebelmouse.io

Why me? I sent it to you because the survey supports my position that people in serious relationships should exchange credit reports so that there are no surprises. Not to mention, they need to be open and honest about money.

red head assets.rebelmouse.io

Well, it reminded me of how you told me about lying to your husband when you blew your Ferrari engine. It was years ago, but I’ll never forget it. In fact, I still laugh and shake my head in amazement.

Black assets.rebelmouse.io	You really do need to get a life.
red head assets.rebelmouse.io	Admit it, there aren’t too many people that have “replace Ferrari engine” as a line item on their credit card bill or monthly budget.
Black assets.rebelmouse.io	Well, it was not a planned expenditure. Although when the engine blew on the racetrack, I was prepared in terms of knowing where to safely pull over and quickly exit the car.
red head assets.rebelmouse.io	Of course, you were. But, at what point did you decide to lie to your husband about the cost of the engine? I still don’t know how much that engine cost, but he could easily afford to replace it. He was already paying for you to race Ferraris. So, why did you choose to pay for half of it yourself?
Black assets.rebelmouse.io	Trust me, even half was a big number. And, the 360 Ferrari Challenge had one of the best V-8 engines they ever made.
red head assets.rebelmouse.io	You’re avoiding the question.
Black assets.rebelmouse.io	When we got married, he made sure to keep all our assets totally separate. He knew I had some money of my own, although nothing on the magnitude of his, so it was not like I was hiding money. My racing was already costing him so much, so I thought paying half was the least I could do.
red head assets.rebelmouse.io	But did you tell him that, or just lead him to believe that his “half” was the “full” amount?
Black assets.rebelmouse.io	What difference does it make?
red head assets.rebelmouse.io	Is there a reason you didn’t want him to know you were trying to be considerate? Especially because when I went through my crisis, you always talked about the importance of having open and honest communication, especially about money.
Black assets.rebelmouse.io	I still feel that way, but a conversation requires more than one person. Since I handled most of his money for him, including the interface with his wealth managers and tax accountants, he made it very clear there was nothing more to discuss. And, any time I tried to bring up the topic of money, he would cut me off and just say, “Everything’s great.”
red head assets.rebelmouse.io	Well, it was. At least financially.
Black assets.rebelmouse.io	Yes, if you only look at the numbers. But, we had very different attitudes toward money, and that was something he would not discuss. Many people, regardless of financial status, are not comfortable talking about money.
red head assets.rebelmouse.io	I know my natural tendency is to avoid what I perceive as difficult conversations, which definitely includes money, but surely not everyone feels the way I do.
Black assets.rebelmouse.io	Initially, did you avoid financial conversations because you felt intimidated and confused, or because you were trying to avoid conflict?
red head assets.rebelmouse.io	Back then, both. Now that I have a better understanding of money, it’s just an awkward topic. Especially since most people don’t talk, they argue, about it.
Black assets.rebelmouse.io	Or, keep secrets or avoid the topic entirely. Which may seem “helpful” in the short term but are not long-term solutions.
red head assets.rebelmouse.io	Says the woman who ultimately got divorced. So, tell me, if you had to do it over again, would you have handled the situation with the Ferrari engine any differently?
Black assets.rebelmouse.io	Hindsight should be 20-20. Looking back, there were probably things I could have done to avoid blowing the engine.

money

Animation

Safety Is Boring!

RED+BLACK - Safety Is Boring

youtu.be

When was the last time you thought about safety (whether being prepared in case of a fire in your house or merely trying to avoid preventable injuries at work or home)? Yes, it’s boring … but the time to think about it isn’t AFTER the fact.

P.S. – Did you know that June is National Safety Month? Although we could argue that it should be every month.

safety

Quotes & Feedback

Don't Take Our Word For It

We all know that when people post quotes or testimonials, it’s often a marketing device. But the truth is, getting feedback, and especially stories, about Red & Black from others is eye-opening. And often what keeps Red going when she faces days of frustration (and piles of paper) with all the work associated with Red & Black being a start-up company.

Every time someone tells Red how her crisis, and how she learned to take control of her life, has helped them, it gives her a warm and fuzzy feeling. And how does Black respond?

Great quote. Save it somewhere. And, make a note that we need to create a form to make it easier for people to give us feedback — both positive and negative, as how else can we improve?

So, when creating the Quotes & Feedback section, we thought about playing off our tagline “real sisters. real life.” and calling it “real feedback.” Which, as most things do, got us on a (slight) tangent about “why” (Black’s favorite word) Red & Black is resonating with people. And although that may become a post one day, it doesn’t change the fact that we love hearing from those of you who have experienced Red & Black because you speak from a place of authenticity and credibility.

Looking back (which Red loves to do, while Black prefers looking forward), if we had realized the journey we were about to take when Black turned Red’s crisis into a brand, we’d have saved all the feedback in one place. And Black would have probably used an Excel spreadsheet to organize it. Instead, we often find it when looking for something else.

It has come from “real people” who’ve looked to Red & Black for their own enjoyment, but also from individuals (educators and students) in education settings, as well as community and religious organizations. But some of the most eye-opening feedback has come from those in the criminal justice world – both on the “inside” and “outside”.

Sign up on the sticky bar at the bottom of the page to be one of the first to receive our feedback form, as we really do love hearing from you on all things Red & Black! Plus, it’s an easy way to get a little bit of Red & Black delivered to you every week.

quotes & feedback

Ask Red & Black

Real Questions. Real Answers.

Design by Sawyer Pennington

JUST LIKE MOM?

One of the things that drove Red crazy growing up was when our mother asked everyone questions. Lots and lots of questions. But that was because Red was a quiet, unassuming child who disliked attention of any sort. However, as she grew up, she realized how else do you find answers? Black, on the other hand, rarely asks personal questions, figuring if you want her to know something, you’ll volunteer it. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t ask questions. Lots and lots of questions. (WARNING! Her favorite one is, “Why?”)

OUR FAVORITE QUESTIONS …

Our favorite part of Speaking Engagements is when we open it up to questions from the audience, and, more often than not, we run out of time before we run out of questions. Many times, the questions are predictable (Did Red’s husband ever get a job?) and sometimes they’re not what we expected (What did Black learn from Red? FYI, she had to pause before answering). However, given Black turned Red’s crisis into a book — a brand — a business, we haven’t gotten a question that we refused to answer. (Note: Please do NOT take that as a challenge.)

We’ve also done countless media interviews, and the questions from media professionals are not very different from the ones at speaking engagements. However, many of them provide us with an opportunity to share food for thought and “instantly actionable” suggestions, so we’ll share the “better” questions with you.

QUESTIONS WE ASK EACH OTHER?

If you’re wondering if we ever generate the questions, the answer is “yes.” Why? Because sometimes one of us wants to know how the other one would answer it. Typically, Black’s curious about Red’s self-proclaimed “mere mortal” take on a topic, but sometimes it’s Red needing a non-emotional perspective.

SEND US YOUR QUESTIONS!

We love questions. And, yes, you can submit one. (Red gets very excited when they arrive in her inbox.)

If you receive our newsletter, you’re part of the group we invite to send questions to Red, Black, or both of us.

We read them almost immediately. (Red insists.) From there, we select the questions most likely to resonate with our community — ones that are useful, thought-provoking, or simply fun.

Because the goal isn’t just to respond. It’s to make it worth sharing.

P. S. — If you want to be part of this community, sign up on the sticky bar at the bottom of this page.

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