George Kamel - Millionaires In Cars Getting Coffee with Rachel Cruze

Episode Date: December 6, 2023

In this episode, I’m taking a spin with Ramsey Personality and New York Times bestselling author, Rachel Cruze, to talk all things life and money. Links: I’m Glad for What I Have by Rachel Cruze Check out Smart Money Happy Hour—the show where Rachel and I talk about pop culture and money Preorder my new book, Breaking Free From Broke, and get more than $100 in FREE bonus items.  EveryDollar budget deal: I love a good deal, and when you sign up using this link, I’ll hook you up with a 14-day free trial and $15 off your first year of the premium version of EveryDollar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's up, guys? Today, the George Camel channel is getting a whole lot classier. And no, it's not because of this dry cleaning job, although I gotta say, the crisp collar isn't hurting anybody. I look good. I mean, really good. I'm talking about Ramsey personality in New York Times best-selling author, Rachel Cruz, who graciously agreed to take a spin with me in the old Tesla to tuck all things money, life, kids, and contentment. And like me, Rachel is passionate about helping people get out of debt, build wealth, and actually have fun in business. process and have fun we do, just like on the set of our shared podcast, Smart Money Happy Hour.

She is a class act, she's a good friend, and did I mention Dave Ramsey literally raised her? Raised by Ramsey, coming soon to the Magnolia Network. J.K., that'd be a killer show though. Chip and Joe, if you're watching. Shut up and take my money. But hey, you're in for a good time today and let Rachel know that you love her with a click on that like and subscribe button, and share this with your partner in crime who you love to LOL with.

Oh, man. I feel like I'm in like the George Camel. You're in my universe. World. You're in the Spideyverse. Which never happens. Congratulations. It took you 10 years to finally get to the pinnacle of your career being on my YouTube channel.

Okay, so people are very curious. Obviously, you grew up to A. Ramsey's daughter, but you've been a Ramsey personality now. For almost the entire time you've been there, you had a really interesting kind of career trajectory stepping into that role. How did it all start? So I started speaking with. with my dad when I was 15. I learned early on that I enjoyed public speaking. You enjoyed being on stage in front of people.

But then you go off to college to UT Knoxville. That's right. And you get a communication degree. Yes. And during that time, realizing, oh my gosh, when I learned about money, people my age had no clue. Like, they were sent up for credit cards. The stuff that you were used to hearing your dad talk about.

Your friends were like, what? Yeah. You did a credit score, Rachel, what are you thinking? Yeah. I remember thinking, you know, I'm 19 years old. I don't know everything. But I know enough that could really help college students, maybe high school students. So when I graduated from college, I was like, that's what I want to do.

I want to get on stages and talk to high school students and college students about money. So for probably five years, this is before Ramsey personalities existed. I just came on board. It's kind of a one-off and just said, hey, I'm going to travel to high schools, do high school assemblies, church camps. So talking to the next generation to help them avoid. It was more Dave was like the emergency surgery. and you're preventative medicine. I'm the preventative medicine, that's right.

Love it. Just fix me. Okay, so what has shifted in how you give money advice or the money advice you give over the last 10, 13 years? You know, it's funny because the overarching just principles that we talk about stay very much the same. But there would be things like the budget. Like, there's no budgeting app.

People didn't do, you know. It was Excel spreadsheets and paper, like pen and paper. That's all we had. Yep. So like the way you budgeted has changed. This feels very like, horse and buggy. Like, well, back in mind, we didn't have these cars. We got a paper.

Winston I did paper budgets forever. Wow. Yeah. That sounds horrible. So, Rachel, you notoriously don't care about coffee. Like, you're like, cool, I'll have coffee, but it's more about the caffeine and the vibes. Exactly. You don't really care about taste.

Like, you will drink curing or Folgers and not complain, which makes you, I think, a good person. Truth. I wish I was that, I don't know, I had that low of a standard. Thank you. You know what I mean? Is that supposed to be a compliment? What's your go-to order? What are you gonna order right now?

I know. Well, what I usually order is a chai tea latte. Okay, that feels very Rachel. Do you do a dirty chai? No, but people suck to tell me again. It has espresso. So dirty chai means they add- Should I do that?

Yeah. I've got an event tonight. I gotta be up late. That's right. Okay, this is very exciting. Yes, do a dirty chai latte. Okay. I truly love when I get to like teach you a new thing.

Not out of like a event. condescending, but like it feels special. There's a lot of things in life, George. I feel like you're like, you don't know about this. This is someone's first time experiencing a dirty chai. Yeah, here we go. Here we go. All right.

I can't wait. Hi, what can I get to? Season's greetings. Hello. Hello. Can I, for my friend here, do a dirty chai latte? Is it a medium? We'll do it tall.

Okay. What, you said medium? You're allowed to say that? Yeah, we're allowed to say medium. Whoa. Okay. Okay. I love you for that.

I'll do the pumpkin cream cold brew. That's my favorite. Hello. Hello. I'm the worst. Please don't ever do that again. You are the worst. You know what? This is really awkward. Can I, can you spot me today? You got your card? Oh my gosh.

I realized I didn't bring my wallet and I figured you're good for the money. You got your debit card? I do have my, yeah, go debit. Good. Thank you for your generosity. You know what? She loves being generous. Can we start a little pay-it-forward thing? We're starting a pay- for yours.

Okay. Approved. Woohoo! All right, let's talk business. You ready? Hand back. Well, this segment is called Millionaires and Cars Getting Coffee. So was becoming, you know, you and Winston, obviously net worth millionaires, which just means that you have a net worth of one million or more, meaning your house, your retirement accounts, your bank accounts, all that adds up to more than a million.

Was that a goal for you, too? Like, how intentional were you in getting there? Or is it just a natural byproduct? Yeah, I'd say, yeah, it was not a goal. We were not like, oh, we're going to shoot for this number or something. Okay. But I will say one of like our house, right, it was a big part of our net worth. And we, I don't know if lucked out's the word, but we got our house on a short sale.

So we started off ahead. And granted, George, I'm going to, you know, I'm not unaware of the fact that like we started off well. Like Winston didn't have student loans. I didn't have student loans. Like I understand like. Yeah. How do you address that? Because a lot of people go, well, Rachel, you're Dave's daughter, so you can't talk about money because you had it so good.

Totally. How do you respond to those people? I did. I mean, I'm like, I did. You're like, yes. Because I think it's a both-in. But isn't that what they want to do for their kids? Like, how would you not want to set up your kid for success?

I know, I know. So, yes, did my parents set us up well, started us that mutual fund, pay for college, all, absolutely. But Winston and I, we do live below our means. we do invest for retirement. Like we, we are doing the things that we need to do to be successful long term.

And we work hard. We, you know what I mean? Like, all of that plays into it too. Well, you're a very content person, and you talk about that a lot. You're flaunting how content you are, how grateful you are. Why did that become a thing for you?

Like, you have a book called Love Your Life, Not Theirs. That's focus on contentment. When did you become passionate about this idea? whereas money meets contentment? Probably out of myself. I'm like that my natural bent is not to be content.

My natural bent is to just want more and more. I don't have this yet. Yep, yep. I'm a spender. So for me learning like, oh my gosh, this stuff is not making me fulfilled. And I know that mentally. That's what's crazy. It's like you can know it in your brain,

but you still are like looking for that. But creating a habit. Because you talk about it as like a practice. habit that you have to. Yes. So then I realized, you know, money. Yeah, even if it's in your budget, what's your intention? Why? Why? Why do you want it? Like, what's the motivation behind it? Which led to your other book, Know yourself, know your money. It's all coming together. It's all clicking. The contentment journal. Yes. Because it's such an important part of money. It's the emotional part. That's not the facts and figures, but it's who you are and who you are when you're

handling money is so key because you're the one that's handling it, right? So when there's a big mistake or or a big win, it's because you've done it. Like, you've chosen to invest in that thing or you've chosen to save or you've chosen to give. Like, you're the one that's putting your money into action. And so when you can control you and you as a person are content, not looking for that stuff to fulfill you.

It's just a, it's a more joyous life. That's beautiful. And what do you say the antidote to discontentment is? You have a great quote around this, and I can't think of it. Oh, in a heart filled with gratitude. There is no room for comparison. Paris and discontentment. And that's where the contentment journal comes in that you released.

That was, hey, if you just make this a practice to sit down and like, hey, what am I grateful for? Yes. You become more content with what you have, which leads me to your latest. The most exciting, maybe the most life-changing product you've ever released, Rachel. It's a new book. Thank you, George. I'm glad for what I have. Your first children's book.

It is. That is just beautifully. I mean, the content is great. Like, it's such a great, well-written story. Let me just read one little part from my first. Oh, this is exciting. I've never been read to in a car. I might fall asleep.

Was there room for a camel in the children's book? Oh, we did not do a camel. We should have, George. Did you put a llama in there? I'm sick of llamas getting all the good peal. So all the little ones want stuff, right? So like the opening line is... Give me a taste.

Yeah, not long ago, in a forest of trees, a little squirrel said to her mom and dad, please, may I have a new ball, a teddy bear too? I just want some more toys, just anything new. So all the animals bought more and more. They gathered as much as their boroughs could store. So then they end up buying everything, but it ends up filling up their homes.

They can't see their table, their couch, their floor. Oh, my gosh. And so in all of this mess, their things become lost. Their toys start to break, and it makes them feel gross. Why does this happen? Why are we sad? Shouldn't new toys always make us feel glad? I'll tell you a secret.

It's a good place to start. It's God's love and kindness that fills up your heart. And then it walks through understanding that, like, something happens inside of you and you don't need something new and what really fulfills you. What is the thing that really fulfills you? Is that not precious? And the new sweet little animal. It's so like nostalgic in a way. It's so pretty. So I wanted a message, George, that was like great to speak over kids. I'm like, I want kids to get this drilled into their hearts of who they are. But as a parent and you'll probably learn this with Mia very soon when you read. Do you read to her? Do you don't read yet? Not yet. She can't even make eye contact, let alone understand any words.

I know. When you start to read her books, you will have your favorites. And usually it's the ones that you're like, oh my gosh, that's a message I needed to hear. It's written for my four-year-old, but like, I needed to hear that. It's like the kids movies that actually the adults are like, that's such a good message. Like in Conto, the gift is you. You know, like all of those lessons. Well, I think everyone should get a copy. If you have kids, you know people with kids, someone's expecting. Or maybe you just need the message and you want it with colorful illustrations. That's right. You know, Donald Trump, this is a great book that he can. I'm just quickly. He likes a picture book. Pick this up. I didn't know that. I just, you're telling me now for the first time.

I'm nervous about raising an entitled brat of a kid. And not because the kid is bad, but because the world we live in, technology, social media, and we're at a place where we can gift this kid anything that they want. How do I curb that? Yeah, I can't speak on the social media side because my kids are too young for that. But I will tell you this, the hardest thing that I've had to realize, and I've had to pull back as a parent and as a spender is I could just replace stuff or get like or if like we're playing dress up and you know and they're like we want jewelry. I'm like, oh, y'all don't have fun short. Oh, just Amazon some. Because

it's only $9.99 and you get a whole pack of it and that's so fun and we'll like, it's so easy to jump right in and want to fix a situation or add to a situation and buy something. Just through spending. Yep, through spending. So I had to even harness back and be like, oh my gosh, Rachel or like something with break. I'm like, we'll just, we'll just find new, like, we can just go on Amazon. But I think your patterns day to day is what's going to set me up for what she's going to remember. And then there's going to be the exceptions, the fun trip, maybe the great purse when Christmas when she's 16 or like, do you know what I'm saying? Like, it's, it's the one-off exceptions that I think you're going to be able to do and that you're going to want to do. And, you know, I feel that with my

kids. But what's the pattern day to day. And that's what I want to establish. The pattern day to day is be like crazy this crazy life okay um before we go in honor of our shared podcast smart money happy hour i thought it'll be fun to do a guiltiest charge here's the guiltiest charge question of the day okay have you ever stalked someone on social media and accidentally liked or commented on an old post while scrolling yes oh no but they were a i think and i can't remember i remember unhearting so fast. You know, the worst stalking I ever did. What's that? We were going on vacation like, this was years ago. And I kept looking up at the place that we were going to like see what it looked like and other people posting photos to it that were there. You know, you can click the

location. I was doing that. And then there was a wedding. And I was like, huh? The wedding was so glamorous. So then I like saw the bride in group. So then I start stalking the bride. And I went all the way down, George. I like knew what her dad did for a living. Oh my gosh. Like I I went crazy. Why? I don't know. I don't know. Just a dark curiosity.

But I went all the way down in this girl's life. And I'm like, I don't even know who she has. She's not even like famous. But she had like this extravagant wedding. So I completely stalked. Oh, gosh. Well, no shame. We've all been there.

Have you? You're still a better person than all of us. Oh, 100%. I mean, X's, you know, you name it. And people from high school, you're just like, well, are they? Oh, gosh, their life imploded. But it's kind of like, you're kind of just like one. Like, I don't want to see, but I don't want to see.

Rachel, where can people find you if they want to follow you, watch all the things you're doing? Follow me on social at Rachel Cruz or my podcast, The Rachel Cruise Show, or Smart Running Happy Hour. Her favorite thing she does. It is very fun. I did tell some good time. Well, it doesn't feel like work, if we're going to be honest. It's so great. We're just chatting and having a good time.

George, this is amazing. Thank you for doing this. Well done. We get to work together a lot, but this was on my turf. I know. I appreciate you jumping into my unit. The George Camel world. It's pretty great.

Can you ask the people to like and subscribe? Because you have a lot of those subscribers. You guys, like, subscribe, comment, review, do all the things with this channel. Is it so great? And y'all love George. I know you do. So just tell them. Admit it.

Just admit it with your fingers. It's all you got to do. Oh, hey, cheers. Cheers, George. A little different than our normal cocktail. I know. We got a little coffee coffee. But hey, this has been fun.

If you want anyone else that's friends with the friends with the other, Rachel. She knows a lot of famous people. So let me know who you want to see on this series. And maybe we'll get Rachel and the whole crew in the back. Who knew? They were back there. Millionaire Club. That's what's up. That's it. Thanks, Rachel. Huge thanks to Rachel for hanging out today. If you had as much fun as I did, please check out our podcast, Smart Money Happy Hour, which is on YouTube as well. This is a show where Rachel and I get to talk pop culture, what's going on in the world, how to afford a life you love, all with a drink in hand. I'll drop a link below to that podcast as well as her new

children's book. I'm glad for what I have. You better believe this is a jewel on little Mia Camel's bookshelf. Can't wait to read it to her. Make sure to let us know in the comments what your favorite part of this conversation was and who else you want to see in this Millionaires and Cars Getting Coffee series. As always, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.