George Kamel - The Secret Sauce For Becoming a Millionaire With a 9 to 5 (Money Expert Reacts)

Episode Date: September 12, 2025

What’s the secret sauce for people who want to be millionaires? Today, we’ll learn the answer—courtesy of my two favorite modern philosophers: Dave Ramsey and Theo Von. I’ll also be reacting to a handful of other money-related TikToks that my team has rounded up.    Next Steps: • 🎥 Watch my video You’re Cooked If You Have a Job? • 💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! • 📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   Connect With Our Sponsors: • Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. • Get up to 40% off Cozy Earth with code GEORGE. • Go to FAIRWINDS Credit Union for an exclusive account bundle!   Explore More From Ramsey Network: 🎙️ The Ramsey Show 🍸 Smart Money Happy Hour 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights 🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 💡 The Rachel Cruze Show 🪑 Front Row Seat with Ken Coleman 📈 EntreLeadership   Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's the secret sauce for people who want to be millionaires? Today, we'll learn the answer courtesy of my two favorite modern philosophers, Dave Ramsey and Theo Vaughn. I'll also be reacting to a handful of other money-related videos that my team has rounded up. And as usual, the advice will range from, that's a great idea, to how is this person allowed to vote? So without further ado, let's hop into the abyss. Costco doesn't accept MasterCard in store,

so you have to use a visa card. So you could buy anything off Costco.com, have it shipped to your house with a mastercard-based credit card, have it shipped to your house and go into the store to return it. But because they don't accept master card in the store, it's called a force return. They have to return the card back to a different card because their systems wouldn't allow it. Meaning, you could just continually buy thousands of dollars worth of stuff and you're getting a two or three percent multiplier on that. So it might be like, hey, you buy five brand worth of stuff and a three or four percent cashback card. you're getting $150 net.

Item comes to you, you just go to the store, you return it. Like, oh, well, hey, we can't return it to that card. You have another card we can return it to. You give them a debit card. Again, you get that money. So that method works at a ton of stores. It doesn't quite work that exact same way with Costco, but like Sam's Club and jewelry stores

and just almost like almost any retail store nowadays it almost works at. Got it. Okay. Yeah, that's on the line of morally acceptable. Maybe bordering fraud. Who am I to say? Electric chair. But I do know that that's an insane way to live your life, is to go, oh, I'm going to spend

$4,000 at a jewelry store so I can get $100 and cash back, but then return the jewelry, get the money back to a different card so I get to keep my rewards over here. It's insane, and it's not worth to squeeze. A lot of effort for almost nothing. But that's part for the course for, you know, people obsessed with hacking credit card points. let it consume their life, it lives in their head rent-free, and they think they're finessing the system. No thank you.

And let's check out the comment section to see if they think this is immoral, fraudulent behavior here. Ah, interesting. Costco doesn't accept MasterCard credit cards, but they do accept MasterCard debit cards. Bazinga to you, good sir. Checkmate. Nerd!

So that solves that problem. One person said that's a good way to get banned from Costco. It happens to people that abuse the return policy. See. Sounds like he got banned from Costco. What that sounded like. Very helpful. They discovered the process of living on less they make, living on a budget, starting to invest, being generous, paying off their house, that kind of stuff. And they follow that process. And that's what got them there. It was not that. The interesting thing is, one third of them, 33% made less than $100,000 a year. Wow. They were not making bank. They were not earning their way into it, really. Yeah, because you would think teachers, you always hear we got to pay these teachers more, you know? And we do. I mean, that wouldn't be bad. at all. But there's the way the teachers' brains work, they do process. And that's the secret sauce. All right. Good stuff from my boss, Dave Ramsey, who I think has been stealing my outfits.

Dave flattered. Good stuff, though. That's true. So what's the secret sauce to become a millionaire? You got to be a process-driven person, which means you're consistent. You're doing something over and over a long period of time, like investing into your employer-sponsored retirement plan, which we found eight out of 10 millionaires, that's exactly what they did. There was no get rich quick. It was just get rich slow, baby. Crockpot instead of a microwave. That's the key between all these careers that we found

were in the top tier of millionaire status. So, it's that simple. And I think even Theo was taken aback, I think is the right word for his reaction to Father Dave in that clip. And it's that simple. Follow a process, follow a proven plan. And for me, that's the Ramsey plan.

Get out of debt. Don't owe people money. have money save for the future, like for emergencies, invest and build wealth, and you're going to be just fine. Eventually, you'll become a multimillionaire if you follow the stuff that I teach on this channel. Thanks, Dave, and Theo. Next.

I gave my kids a $50 budget for all of their snacks and their lunches while we're at Disney World, and today we're Animal Kingdom, and here's everything that my 14-year-old daughter spent her money on. Now, I did tell the kids they could do ice water or refillable water, but they still insisted on doing bottled water, so she started off her day with a bottle of water and an ice cream sandwich. Then after her second bottle of water, it was time for lunch. So we did actually go to a sit-down restaurant.

Now, I know it wasn't exactly the most convenient, but I did do a separate check for the kids so they could learn how to do a tip for the waiter and pay for the bill and all that stuff, which I feel like is such an important life skill. After lunch, she had her third water bottle of the day. And for her last treat of the day, she did a frappuccino, which I thought was a perfect ending to her day,

and she even let me have a sip of it. Wow, that's cute. So did she spend the 50 bucks? That's what I want to know. I mean, I guess. She gave her a $50 budget. That's a fun video. I like that.

Let's see. We ate breakfast at the hotel and I just paid for dinner to clarify. This is money I gave them. They aren't spending their own money. They just get to choose how to spend it. I think that's good parenting right there. I don't know how the comment section reacted, but considering this had 563,000 hearts,

I'd say most people love this concept. Let's read some of the top comments. Lisa said snacks, yes, lunch, no. That's a parent responsibility. Okay, Lisa. You're not gonna be the cool mom with that attitude. In-and-out employee, one. Your daughter is choosing to drink three bottles of water instead of buying soda. That itself you should be proud of. That's great parenting.

Shout out. You're just sticking with clean, clear, liquid. Zero calorie, zero sugar. That's how we like it. Go back, said, tip, why is it so necessary in America? Praying emoji, crying emoji. Rose dying? Why is a dying rose an emoji? Lucy, why aren't you encouraging her?

to refill that wager bottle each time rather than rebuying. Hey, Lucy, before we make snap judgments, let's use a little spell check. And finally, shows 2007. Y'all are hating, but learning responsibility is important. Yeah, I agree. I think people miss the memo if they're trying to judge a child's spending decisions. Let me judge your spending decisions, bro. Did you need the lifted truck?

Yeah, let's maybe ease off on the little girl. All you're teaching this kid is that you've got to have a plan for your money because everyone else in the world, every company has a plan for it. So you better be first with a plan for your money and spend it how you want to with intentionality. And so I like that she had to kind of divvy this out and go, all right, I got to figure out how much money I have left over. I'm going to have enough for the Frappuccino for a little end-of-day treat to a little, what's it called to close out the night? No, nightcap. Nightcap and Magic Kingdom.

Sign me up for that. I'm impressed. I hope to do the same as a parent. And maybe I'll make them earn that 50 bucks first. That way you feel it a little more. You know what I mean? Like, dang, that was nine hours of babysitting I did to make that 50 bucks. But I'm not gonna make judgments on a child.

If she wants to get bottled water all day, be my guess. But you're gonna burn through that cash, sis. Get that refillable cup, save some coin. I digress. Next up. Hey, my son here. Hey there, is planning to buy a house. Congratulations! But first, I will need to check his credit score. Please don't be upset if it's low.

He's just turned 18 and hasn't had that much time to build a credit score. Oh, I think you're in for a surprise. Wait, is this right? Your son has an 800 credit score? Yep. Well, I certainly can't approve. can't approve his loan and with a score like this he would save thousands of interest payments. Thanks dad. No problem son. So you're probably wondering how we manage this. It's quite straightforward.

I took advantage of a simple hack years ago since I'm good with my credit. I added my son as an authorized user to my credit card. He was only a teenager then. He never even saw the card. But because he was on my account with me, his credit score got a huge boost. Parents do this for your kids. And don't do that for your kids. Please do not add your kid as an authorized user and go, well, they're going to get my credit score. It's going to be awesome. Yeah. And if you mess up, your kid pays the price. They'll have a terrible score if you make any financial mistakes. And if your kid messes up, you pay the price. And it teaches your kid the wrong money habits. How about instead of having a score, we have like money. We avoid debt, have a bunch of money in the bank, save up a solid down payment.

You're going to be just fine when it comes to buying a house. Because what he didn't mention is, can the kid actually afford a house? That's the bigger question, not will the bank loan him enough money to make a terrible financial decision, because they will. Great charisma from this fella, but I'm not buying the advice. I'm not adding my kid as an authorized user to Jack Squad. It's a kid, okay? If you're still pooping your pants, you're not going to be on my account. Let's move on, shall we?

Here's one of the fastest ways to get rich. Start making money. A lot of people don't know this, but one of the best ways and easiest ways to get rich is to make money. Before Elon Musk was rich, he wasn't making any money. Then he started making money. That got him to be rich. Jeff Bezos, he wasn't making money at one point.

Then he started making money. What happened? He got rich. One of the things you need to do if you want to be rich is to find ways to make money and lots of it. I can't just make a little bit of money because a little bit of money won't get you rich. Right now I'm providing a course online to teach you how to get money. If you buy my course, you will find one of the first steps I provide and the instance. that I provide is that you need to make money.

Thanks for following. Subscribe for more content. Thank you very much. Oh, I love this guy so much. Okay, clearly this is a parody comedy content creator. He's actually very accurate and sounds weirdly like to get rich quick gurus, but way more likable. I would actually buy his course. That actually is very appealing to me.

Let me see what some of the comments said. Liam, this is a little confusing. Could you sell a course for $27.99 a month to elaborate? Very helpful. Victoria, like, stop focusing on not making money. and focus on actually making it. Now we're talking. Dapper said, start making money, of course.

Robert, the true path to wealth is to become wealthy. Wealth said. Audreus. Who's naming these kids? Making money by buying 50 houses to start, a human being said, also before you start making money considering being born with money. Life hack. All jokes aside, and you know I love the jokes,

it's true. Your income is your greatest wealth-building tool. But here's the key. You can't just make the money, because plenty of people make money. great money. So here's the thing. More money doesn't always equal more wealth. What you need to do is make more money, live on less than you make, and invest the surplus. That is the key to building true wealth. So if you make seven grand, spend three grand, invest four grand. Now we're

talking. But we found that the more you make, the more you spend in America. That's called lifestyle creep. And it's why most people are living paycheck to paycheck, regardless of their income. Let's get to more. $50 to spend on groceries for the week. This will be easy. Milk? $5.00. Eggs. Six dollars. Oh, I've been wanting some of these little tacos. I'm already up to $20 after tax and I've only got enough for two meals. Isn't that the same price is eating out?

Right for sandwiches. That's like the cheapest thing, right? $6 for ham, $4 for ma'am. $5 for cheese. So much happening here. $2.2 ingredients for six sandwiches. Each sandwich still costs $4 each. But I could buy a cheeseburger for that price and I wouldn't even have to make food.

I've only gotten eight of my 23 meals for the week and I only have a measly $7. Which means I can either get seven chicken pot pies, 23 bananas, or my contact solution. for $7, which I need because if I can't see, I can't drive to work to make the money that I need to buy them. But I'm not even making enough money to buy food. New plans. 43 chicken pop pies and one bottle of contact solution. Oh, dang it, I need some coffee so I can stay a week at work. $6 coffee, $7.28 bananas, $7 contact solution, and about $37, $1 chicken pot pies.

And no little tacos. This isn't what I imagined when they asked me where I saw myself in five years. But at least I'm good to math now. Oh, that was good. That really explains the Gen Z anxiety crisis that we are facing. Okay, this is what's happening. This is the mental load that Gen Z experiences on a daily basis. So before you rag on them, no, this is what they're doing.

Do we get the contact solution or the Dollar Chicken Pot Pie so I can survive to fight another day with a toxic boss who doesn't even know how to use Excel? It's exhausting. I'm exhausted watching that. Like, I have a lot of empathy for Gen Z after seeing that video. And I do want to see what? what the general consensus was in the comment section,

because I think that's very telling. Is it a bunch of Gen Zers agreeing? Or is a bunch of boomers saying, rah! That's usually what they're saying in the comments. Just brah! Let's find out. Jordan with a Y, clearly a Gen Z. Sorry.

There's no boomers named Jordan with a Y. People here are seriously missing the point that we shouldn't be doing mental gymnastics to feed ourselves. Told you. Babs said, why on absolute earth are the price labels, not just including tax on them? Like, what even is, America, I'm sorry. That's what we're upset about here?

Is, am I on the right video? Why is everyone talking about taxes? So many people are missing the point. What is the point? Don't buy name brand, that's the problem. I don't want data farms and AI. I just want milk to be $2 again. Okay, everyone's talking about I guess I missed the tax part here. Guys, this is why, I mean, you thought the videos on the internet are rough? Check out the comment section. This is a scary place. All right, so here's the deal. You don't need to be overwhelmed and to go grocery shopping. You don't need to complain that prices are out of control. You need a plan. And rolling up to the store and trying to figure it out on the fly, if you're going to get a dollar chicken pot pies or make sandwiches, just come up with it

ahead of time. All right, I use an app called Every Dollar to plan out how much I'm going to spend on groceries each week. You can even chat GPT meals, which I've done for a whole week. And you can check that video in the description below. I'll drop a link to that. And here's the key to smart grocery shopping. Choose where you shop wisely. I choose to go to a grocery store like Aldi, because they have the lowest prices of any national grocery store. I choose to make a meal plan. I choose to stick to a budget. And I also try to eat fairly healthy. Yes, I can eat cheaper and get junk, or I can step it up a notch and eat pretty well and eat pretty clean. Or you can go to the fanciest of fanciest stores and get the organic grass fed, whatever, and spend twice as much. So all that to say, be smart about it, but don't

complain about it. Well, hey, before we get to the next video, let me ask you a question. You ever walked into a big bank with marble floors, chandeliers, pens that look like they cost more than your first car? Yeah, guess who's paying for that? Spoiler alert, it's you. And that's why I'm pumped to announce a new partner for the show, Fair Wins Credit Union. Get this, Fair Wins literally put up billboards, encouraging people to get out of debt. Meanwhile, most banks are trying to shove another credit card in your face, so you'll take out more debt. But Fair Wins gets it. They want you to win with money. They want you to win on the Ramsey plan, and with over 33,000 free ATMs and 5,000 plus credit union partners nationwide,

you're covered just about anywhere. So if you're sick of being another account number and said you want to be a person and be treated like one, go check out Fairwinds at fairwins.org slash Ramsey or click the link in the description below. And another thing. If you aren't taking steps to protect your personal data on the internet, you've got a big target on your back. And that's why I use and love Delete Me, another sponsor of today's video.

Delete Me helps keep you safe from online scams by cleaning up your digital. digital footprint. They comb through hundreds of sketchy data broker websites to keep your personal info away from spammers and scammers. Plus, they send you custom reports every few months, letting you know what they've done and how much time they've saved you. And right now, you can sign up and get 20% off through annual plans by going to join deleteme.com slash George or just use the link in the description below. And as is tradition with these videos, my producer sent me one that I have no clue about that may not even be money related. We'll find out. Generation Z in order to combat high coffee prices,

has discovered a brand new trend, the home cafe, where they, let me make sure if it's right. Yes, they invite their friends over to have coffee at home, or at least in their tiny apartments. And this is a new trend. It's only a matter of time in order to combat high eating out prices. They discover a new home restaurant trend where you make dinner at home in your kitchen. Zoomers are the boomers of millennials. Zoomers are the boomers of millennials? What? Okay, first of all, saying the whole name, Generation Z,

makes you a Gen Xer, bro. And I'm not taking it from a guy wearing a sleeveless sweatshirt. Who are you? What are you doing out here? But I actually love this trend. Now, yes, does Gen Z think they invented everything that exists because they just rebranded it with a snappier, cooler name? Sure.

Am I mad about it? Not really, because what they're trying to do is save money, but make it look cooler, which is exactly what we need. We need a rebrand of the common sense money principles that have caused people to build wealth. So calling it a home cafe and inviting friends over, love that, way cheaper than everyone going out to spend money at restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. So make fun of them all you want, and it is funny they think they invented the home cafe by just making coffee at home.

But I love the concept. And as a person who has way too many coffee appliances, I will say, you're invited to my house, and I will make you coffee. Do you want an espresso? Do you want an espresso? Do you want an aeropress? French press? ChemX? I got a clever coffee dripper. I got the OXO Coffee Maker.

We got it all at the camel house. Do I use any of it? No. Is my wife mad at me? Yes. But I have no hobbies. Your boy's not golfing, but he does like the idea of being able to make any type of coffee he wants it, any moment.

All right, I have officially maxed out my tolerance for financial Tom Foolery today, but lucky for you, the chaos continues. So keep watching to see me react to a guy who believes you're financially cooked if you have a job. You can click right here to watch it or use the link in the description. Thank you for watching. Be sure to like, subscribe, and maybe even say a little prayer for humanity's financial future. See you next time.