Bravo Insider Exclusive!

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

Sign Up for Free to View

Hard Work Pays Off

Vicki talks about her family trip to Italy, how to survive in a struggling economy, and more!

By Vicki Gunvalson

 

How to Watch

Watch The Real Housewives of Orange County on Thursdays at 9/8c and next day on Peacock. Catch up on the Bravo App.

Welcome back to week two of The Real Housewives of Orange County…"Woo hoo!" I'm in Atlanta as we speak and am hoping I'll run into one of the Atlanta girls while I'm here.

This week you saw me take my daughter Briana and my mom to Europe to celebrate Briana's graduation from nursing school. We actually went on a cruise for 7 days to Turkey, Greece and Italy and then when we were finished, we stayed in Rome for another 4 days. It was so nice to spend time with my daughter and mother touring Europe. Traveling abroad and building life memories are the fruits of my hard work. In this episode, my mom seemed a little negative or as she said "whatever" - I think she was just really ready to get home after being gone so long. On our flight to Italy, I experienced the first time my daughter using her nursing skills. They had just turned off all the lights in the cabin and people were getting ready to go to sleep when all of a sudden over the loud speaker system, a flight attendant said, "If there is a Nurse or Doctor on the plane, please ring your call button or head immediately to the back of the plane as we have an emergency health situation." By the time I could let the flight attendant know where Briana was sitting, she was already in the back of the plane assessing the gentleman who was ill. The flight attendant came to me and told me how reactive Briana was and that she handled the situation with ease. I thought what an ironic thing to experience as here were celebrating her success of graduating, and she was already able to use her knowledge 30,000 feet above the ocean. She really made me proud and it was very emotional.

I know Gretchen had commented about Lynne needing to be more strict with her daughters and I really don't want to comment either way on this. It seems Lynne has a great relationship with her girls and personally I don't think Gretchen has any right to comment on that. She is NOT a mother, nor does she know anything about raising kids. I know the teenage years can be tough and soon enough this will pass for Lynne and it will be just a memory. I think Lynne did the right thing and told Alexa that she was NOT able to drink at 16 and am glad to see her stick to that. I did agree with Gretchen that she told Alexa that at 16 years old, there is no reason she should be drinking at all. I had a "no tolerance" drinking home until my kids were legal and it seemed to really work for us.

 

When Jeana said my working "15 hours a day isn't the right answer," her comment was not very accurate. Yes, there are some days when I do get in the office by 9 am and don't leave 'til midnight, but all I have to say is at least I have work! Currently, I have over 700 insurance agents across the country that work under us, I have an office in LA and seven full time employees. I spend time taping a TV show, I conduct Retirement planning seminars, and I radio show in LA. With all of these responsibilities on my plate, sometimes I am required to work longer days than others. My company Coto Insurance is successful because I am passionate about protecting my retired clients from outliving their money, protecting them with Life Insurance and LOVE what I do every day. I have a purpose and a reason to go to work every day, and it's a great feeling to know my staff, my clients and my future clients count on me to be there for them and will never let them down. I don't go home until every email is answered, every client file is handled and every phone call is returned. That's why I'm in the top 1% of all advisors across the world. (MDRT, Top of the Table)

I believe that the current economic situation we are in is not going to go away soon. Our previous generations have survived this type of turmoil and have survived it as we too will survive it. I follow and listen to Harry Dent religiously and if you track his economic forecast back from 1993, he has predicted this situation we are in. There are over 80 million baby boomers getting ready to retire which means this is directly tied to spending and the GDP. I believe more now than ever, that we cannot STOP spending because this will only make the situation worse, but we need to be careful ABOUT our spending. I believe everyone should be disciplined on saving every week, every month or however you can to be sure that you have a guaranteed sound retirement plan. I believe we have to find opportunities to make a living as they are still available for those who want it. Visit my company Coto University if you are interested in looking how you can become one of our licensed professional agents.

I'm also excited to let you know that my book will be released next week. To pre-order, visit www.morethanahousewifebook.com

Hope you enjoyed the show!
Love,
Vicki

Want the latest Bravo updates? Text us for breaking news and more!