Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel - 10 Signs You’re Doing Better Than Most Americans

Episode Date: July 16, 2026

✅ Connect with one of our Ramsey Trusted providers.  Sure, the world feels like it’s on fire, but hear me out: What if you’re doing better financially than you think? Consider today’s episode the unexpected reset you need! Next Steps: ·   🎙️ Catch our episode 10 Jaw-Dropping Money Stats About the Average American ·   🍸 Follow Smart Money Happy Hour on TikTok: @smartmoneyhappyhour ·   📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it.  ·   💵 Create a free budget and find more margin with EveryDollar.   Connect With Our Sponsors: ·   Check out the FAIRWINDS Credit Union exclusive account bundle. ·   Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. ·   Get up to 40% off the exclusive bundles with code SMARTMONEY at Cozy Earth.   Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍾 Sauv Blanc Spritz Recipe By: cheesegal -       3 ounces sauvignon blanc -       1 ounce elderflower liqueur -       1 ounce fresh lemon juice -       Lemon seltzer water -       Lemon wheels, for serving   Instructions: In a glass filled with ice, add the sauvignon blanc, elderflower liqueur and fresh lemon juice. Top with lemon seltzer water and stir. Garnish with lemon wheels. Serve and enjoy!   Explore More From Ramsey Network: 💰 George Kamel 🎙️ The Ramsey Show 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights  🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 📈 EntreLeadership   Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hear me out. What if it's all going to be okay? Stay tuned to find out if you're doing better financially than you think. I'm not an animal. I cut it into slices first. You're not as impressed with that story. My jaw was on the floor. If you stick around with the end of the episode, at the end, I'm going to eat this lemon rind. Oh my gosh. Hey guys, I'm Rachel Cruz. I'm George Camel. And this is Smart Money Happy Hour. Cheers, George. Oh my gosh, we got a full blast today. Full hearts Oh

summary in light Well this is the show We're two friends Who happened to be money experts Talk about what you're talking about So everything from pop culture, Current events and money And before we talk about what we're talking about

Let's talk about what we're sipping on, Rachel It's the Sauvblanc Spritz Yeah Lemonie And whiny What a shock Well I imagine the Sauvblanc part's a giveaway there Altogether

There you go We're going to give you our rating And reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode, so don't leave early. All right, real quick, George, rapid fire. Who said these famous lines? Are you ready? Oh, gosh, like movies?

Shall I do my impressions of the actors? Please. Laugh is lack of box of chocolates. Forrest Gump. Uh-huh. That's all. No idea. That's all.

Tell me what that one is. Miranda Priestley. Oh, there we go. Okay, that's why I didn't know it. Not my forte. I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. Dorothy. Wizard of Oz

That's it I'm not going What transatlantic accent was that That's it I'm not going That's it I'm not going Wait is that Is that Shrek the donkey

Is that the donkey from Shrek? No No but it is a character He is green Max That's another favorite You're losing me Christmas

Think Christmas It's the The Grinch. Oh, the Grinch. Okay. That's it. I'm not going. What did he say, though?

That's it. I can't cancel that again. That makes more sense. I'm not a good actor. That accent actually was pretty good now, realizing it was the Grinch. I'm playing it back to my mind. To infinity and beyond. That's Buzz.

Tim Allen all the way. Oh, this one's scary. Why so? I can't even do it. I'm just going to say it. Why so serious? The Joker. Yeah.

Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Swimming. I just want you to keep going. No clue. I know it's swimming related. Ocean related.

It's an oceanic reference. You don't know this? I'm a grown man. Come on Disney, Dad. You gotta get on it. Okay, what Disney movie is that? Fish are friends, not food. Oh, Finding Nemo?

Yeah, good. Yeah, Dory. Just keep swimming. Okay, Finding Nemo is a little bit like after my time as a kid. That in between. Can I tell you, though, that in Zootopia, I think is one of the, they are the funniest movies to me.

I need to watch them. It is funny. Dory, Ellen's Generous doing the voice, y'all. Can I come over for a movie night at the cruise household? Yes. Because my kids aren't allowed to watch like movies yet, you know? So I need to watch it at someone else's house. Winston, hit me up. All right, last one, better than I deserve.

David L. Ramsey the 3rd. We got them. We got them. We got them. Wikipedia, that's real. Didn't make that up. That's right. That's all right. That's a classic line from Dave. Can you admit even on our worst day? Most of us are still doing better than we deserve. Yeah, and I'll take a step further, and I'll say even financially,

most people are doing better than they think they are. Oh. They are. There's some hope out there, you guys. This is the episode of hope for most of you out there. Because I think you kind of get down and out, right? And I think when you're working the plan and it feels like there's not a lot of margins some months, I don't know, things are a little bit tighter than you want them to be.

You're like, it's all this working? You know, am I doing the right thing? And then you've got to like pan back and look and see, wow, trust me, you are probably doing it a lot better than you think you are. Well, and the problem is everywhere you look, it seems like everyone's doing better than you. Yeah, that's a good point. So you never like achieve this homeostasis and contentment. It's always like, well, that person has way more money. That's a great point.

So apparently we aren't doing that well. Yes. So true. So, so true. Well, did you know that nearly 40% of Americans can't cover a $400,000 emergency. In cash. So we'll start off there. If you have more than $400 saved, you guys, well done.

Good for you. You're doing better than... You're doing good. You're in the, I guess, 60%, 60%? Yeah. Six out of 10 people do have $400. So look, let's flip the stat. You never go positive with the stat.

60% of people can cover a $400 emergency. Look at that. That's good. Actually, over 60% if it's nearly 40. It's not quite 40. True. Mass. Close to.

You've got to be specific on those stats. Here's a few more stats that blew me away recently. And guess whether these are true or false? Me? Okay. Why I would put false stats in here? I'm just that kind of guy. Yeah. Yeah.

It's a game, George, I know. All right. In the first quarter of 2026, U.S. household had a combined student loan balance of $1.66 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Yeah, I think that's true. That is true. Yeah. Not a fun true, but it is true.

One point to me. Keep going. All right. This one's a little more positive. In 2025, the average wealth per U.S. adult was the second highest in the world just slightly under the average wealth of Swiss adults. I'm going to say false. Oh, okay. Good. Good, good, good, good. I'll be honest. The average wealth per U.S. adult. So we are number two in the world as far as average wealth.

I thought it would be a little lower. I thought we'd be like three, four on the list. What country do you think would have been doing better than us other than the Swiss? I mean, the Swiss are sure. But they got Toblerone. Is that even a fair fight? You know what I mean? It just feels we don't have Toblerone. What do we have twigs? What is to- is that a candy? It's a chocolate. Oh. You've never seen Toblerone?

It's in like the triangle box. Oh, okay. Maybe so. I don't know the names of them though. Well, don't punch down on Toblerone. Well, you sound like Trubidor. That's where I went in my head. Trombador.

Sorry. I base a country's worth on their chocolate. It tells me a lot about a country. I base it on the food. Mexico, you're winning. Love your food. What's a country's food you would say? Love a chips and salt.

Looks like they're losing. Is there a food here? It's like, I am not a fan of this cuisine. Man. There's no good answer here. You're going to lose. No, it's fine. I can be honest, though.

Let me think. Just not your taste. Yeah, I'm going to go like the Finland route. You know, it's not quite Mediterranean. What are they eating in Finland? Mostly fish? They got a lot of, yeah. They got a lot of, yeah.

Sardines? Sardines. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Okay. I don't know. Sorry, Finland. Enjoy your cold fish, you weirdos.

What about you? What, like Italy and Mexico. So good. Right? Yeah, Italian food, Mexican food. I love Mediterranean food. I was going to see Mediterranean. Like if I could do without one? Sure. Or one country that you're like, eh, I'd go, it probably won't like get like full. I'm usually not like, ooh, let's get Indian food tonight.

You know? Oh, that's fair. Now that'll, yeah, you got to build up to that. Yeah. You do. some dishes I love, but overall, I would say it's not like a... That is a real thing that when you visit India, they talk about this, our neighbors, their parents are from India, and they go and visit, usually like every other year. And she has, like, build the kids...

Tolerance up? Yes, because you can get sick, like, truly, really fast. One, there's a spice level that we are not prepared for it. It's a lot. It's a lot. All right. Yeah, that's a fair one. There you go. There we go.

But yeah, second wealthiest, on average per U.S. adult. Swiss. Well done, Swiss. That's how we got here. Well done. All right. Social Security funds may run out by 2035. By 2035? I'm going to say false. You're correct. It is false. May run out by 2032. Now that's like the trust fund. It'll be reduced by about 20%. It's not like no one's getting any money. You know, though, I'm going to say if you're under 40, under 45. Let's not bank on it.

Probably I can bank on it. I don't know. If we get it, gravy on top, as they'd say in the South. Graving the arteries. That's what I say. The ironries. All right, last one. The median age of first time homebuyers has reached 40 years old. You know, I feel like I read that recently, and I think that is true. You did read it. Okay.

It is true. I heard that. Oh, that's a tough one. But also, if you're not a homeowner and you're under 40, this should be good news. You're like, I'm not alone. You're doing better than you think you. I'm not the only one who doesn't own a home. Because it can feel that way when you look around all your friends and they're buying up homes left and right.

Yeah, and you're like, what are you doing? Okay, before we dive in too deep into the financial. stuff, George. I want to know from you, what is a part of life that you're like, oh yeah, I'm crushing that. Like, I am doing better than I think I am. I will say parallel parking for me me is a strength. I love, I'm not scared of it. We're in the big city. Yeah, I can do it. Cars are behind me. One try. You learn to line up mirror to mirror. Is that how you do it? You know what? I go kind of bumper to mirror. Bumper. Oh, okay. So I go mirror to mirror. I don't need to go that far. Okay. You can zip it in.

You know, I do miss the all like one hand. I know, because we got the little yokees. Yeah. I know. How about you? What are you better than you think you are at if that was even a sentence? If I ask Winston. She underestimates her ability to blank.

Yeah. I'd say there's a lot. But I do feel like, I feel like I'm crushing it. Like I'm like, oh, I'm good at life. when like dishwasher is unloaded, laundry's put away, I've got my meal plan for the week, it's Sunday, and it's like 8 o'clock,

I'm getting bed, and I'm like, oh, I got like two out, what am I going to do? Wow. And I'm just killing it, you know? So you're domestic skills. I feel like I'm in control of my life when that is happening,

and it feels great. Wow. I will say I'm really good at folding clothes. I mean, when you see my pile, like when I fold my wife's clothes, it is expertly done. Okay, that's Winston, too. That's so funny.

Do you know, like, the first year we were married, he, like, did our laundry one of the times, and he was folding it, and I told him, it's a joke now because we say it all the time. I told him, it's like, you know, I think laundry's like your thing. I think you should do this more. So now he's the laundry, man.

But he's a meticulous folder. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, it's like, everything's neat, so. I think Winston and I, we like things done the right way. Yeah, and I have zero need for that. You could not care less. No, I'm fine. Just put it in the right drawer, and we'll find it.

And then we'll reorganize every, like, I don't know, twice a year, you know? Yeah. That's where I'm at. I do know, though, once laundry's done and I do get into my bed, when I get into my bed, and I got those bamboo, cozy earth sheets. Oh, my gosh. Well, cozy earth was kind enough to let us create our own bundles, which was super fun. So what does your bundle include?

Yes. So the Lux bath sheets. So it's, like, bigger than a standard towel. Love. The bamboo act, like the bamboo pajamas. So not the sheets, but the pajamas. So you're in bamboo, getting in bamboo. You're double bamboo?

It's amazing. But the pajamas are amazing. And then the kimono robe, which is bamboo too. But it's so soft, so light. I love it. So that's my set. Yours? Mine includes the lakehouse clog, which I wear daily.

As soon as I get home, slipping into the clogs. The first layer of pajama short sleeve tea and short set, big fan of that. And then the essential calf sock four pack. Now, traditionally I'm a no-sock guy from Cozy Earth, but I know the kids these days work half-sock. So I put that in the bundle. I'm a man of the people. Unbelievable.

And guess what? All of these bundles are 40% off for Smart Money Happy Hour listeners. So give the gift of everyday luxury. Head to CozyEarth.com slash Smart Money for 40% off our exclusive bundles. This is a limited time offer, so get yours while supplies last. So great. Okay. So let's talk about some signs that you are doing better financially than you think you are even.

And drop your comments below because we do want to hear from you. So first up, George, we got, you can still have a cushion of cash left over in your account on payday. So you're not paycheck to paycheck. Yes. There's some margin. You got some buffer, which is great. That's a good feeling. Yeah.

And even outside your emergency fund, it's just like in your checking account, there's, yeah, there's money there that you're not running to zero. Because we talk about zero-based budgeting and the every dollar app's awesome if you want to check it out with zero-based budgeting. But it doesn't mean that you take your account down to zero, but some people are at that paycheck to paycheck. They are running out of money. They're accidentally getting to zero and beyond. That's right. And it's on accident versus having that buffer.

But when you live on less than you make, you cut some things out and every dollar. The app helps with this because you're able to see where your money's going. You can cut categories and put that money towards savings. But having some of that buffer, oh, it's a good feeling. And if you can get like a month ahead. I know. That's nice. When the first hits and you have all the money for the next 30 days,

sitting in that checking account. No better feeling. It's great. Yeah, lots of control there financially. Okay, next up, you're doing better than you think financially if you are paying off debt slash working toward becoming debt free. Yes. So just progress. You have a goal to do it. You have a plan to do it. You're being intentional. And you're getting out of the negative. A lot of people live their lives financially in the negative. They owe every month for their entire life. They owe someone money. And if you're working to get out of that, yes, you're doing way better. than the average person out there. Most people are just sitting in the debt.

They're probably feeling a little hopeless, overwhelmed. The interest is accruing faster than they can pay it off. So if you're even making any progress toward knocking down the principal amounts, you're doing the debt snowball, knocking out the first, smallest debt first. That tells me that you're going to commit to this life change. It's going to happen for you. That's right. Yep.

So you're doing great out there, you guys. Keep it up. Those of you that have paid off debt or you're paying off debt. Well done. All right. Next, you're currently living in an answered prayer or a past goal that you have. accomplish. Love this energy.

I do too. I mean, if you think about... You're living in an answered prayer. I've never thought about it that way. I know. Thank God for unanswered prayers, as Garth would say. But we love an answered prayer, you know? That is part of living in the present.

That's like, when we talk about gratitude, right, and being grateful for what you have. Like, there really is something spiritual about that because you are living in the moment and you're able to look up and be like, oh my gosh, this is what's happening around me. This is what I wanted. Like, you know what I mean? whether it's job or friends or family, career, financial,

whatever it looks like. And you have something in the moment that you have always wanted. That's a good feeling. Yeah. And we don't do that enough. I like to think about it. Like if 15-year-old Hugh saw the life you had now, would they be amazed?

Would they be proud of it? Would they be like, oh my gosh, you married her for real? Those are your kids? That's your house? Yeah. That's a cool thing to think about. It's great. Can I tell you the craziest thing?

Okay. This happened. It's been probably 10. years, okay? We are living in our old house, Winston and I, and he gets a letter in the mail, and it's from his high school. But it's his handwriting on the front, like with the high school address and stuff, like in the return. And he's like, what is this? And then it's like someone had typed out our address and it had his name. He opens it. It's a letter. He wrote 10 years before when he's a senior in high school. This high school kept these letters for 10 years,

found, I guess everyone's addresses. I don't know how they did it. mailed it. And in his letter to himself at 18, he was, I think 28 at the time. And it said in there, did you, and it listed all this stuff, did you get married? Do you have, like, all these things

that 18-year-old Winston was wondering about. And he was sitting there, he was like, this is the weirdest experience ever. And it was like, check, check, check. Yeah, it was wild. Most of it was. Yes. That's amazing.

Not living in Nashville, but Nashville was not on the list. I wrote to Ben, and Broadway. Yeah, where did he think he would be living? I think it was Knoxville. working, you know, but he kind of mapped out what he thought his life was going to be like. And a lot of it was.

Isn't that crazy though? That's beautiful. It's very like, what's it called when it's, what's that movie? And you like dive in the future, but then you're still not. I just want to keep this going. So continue. Do you know what I mean? When you dive in the future and you come back, Inception? Yes.

Oh, okay. Doesn't that feel like a little? I don't think that was the plot, but I get where you're going with it. I think she's thinking of inception. Like the past is colliding with the future. You're not as impressed with that story as I was. My jaw was on the floor. I love that idea.

It's like you're coming back from the past. That is cool to see like a past version of you, hope and dream for these things. It does make you more grateful though. It's hard to complain when you realize you have like everything you wanted and more and yet you're still like, why am I complaining? Yeah, why am I complaining? Why do I want for more?

Yes. That's beautiful. Sorry about this bug, by the way. Do you see it? I don't know if you guys can tell at home, there was like a gnat flying around How did a gnat get in here? All around me.

We're like nine doors deep into a building. Like how did a nat get in here? He is going to hang out this episode. Hashtag Nat. But I want to do the Obama and just like first try. Oh my gosh. If you could. Or like if someone threw a shoe at me, I could do the George W. Bush.

Just like you're so quick on your feet. Dodge it. So quick on your feet. That would be. Someone throw a shoe at me. See if it. No. Please don't do that. It will hit me directly in the face.

Well, you may, uh, yeah, you may not be able to kill a gnats, George, but you know what you can do? What's that? Open up another savings account with Fairwood's Credit Union. Because we just did. That's true. Right before we went live. Before this, I know.

I was like, I need to open up another high-old savings account because you can have up to 10 with Fair One's Credit Union with the smart bundle, which is amazing. But they make things so easy and so simple, and we figured it out. You got to go through a couple of things. Make sure you're clicking on the right stuff. And bam, there you go. Who's this one for? I'm doing it for Amelia.

So selfish. I know she's starting to work. What is she doing for work? Isn't she like 10? She's 11 and she's come here to the office and she's helped out on the Ramsey show. It's more of like a commission. Yeah, I'm just going to, yeah. I mean, it's like three hours.

She's not on payroll. A week. No, no, no, no, no. But she really wants to save this money at work, like the work that she's doing in the office. She's like, I want to save. I know. I'll save her. So check out the smart bundle.

You can save for yourself if you're selfish or be like Rachel and be selfless. And save for someone else you love. Get your kids. Yeah. Get your kids savings accounts. Kids work in that 11. Yeah, but the smart bundle, you get a no-feed checking accounts, up to 10 high-yield savings account, and the Ramsey. Dead is normal.

Be weird. Debit card. So make sure to check it out. Fairwinds.org slash Ramsey. All right, back to our list of signs you're doing better financially than you think. You're investing in retirement. Maybe instead of depending on day trading or sports betting or something else to build wealth. That's right.

You're just simply doing the boring stuff. According to the QN state of personal finance in 2020. 25, two-thirds of Americans said that they are working past the age of 65. I think it was because they had to. Yes. Not because they wanted to. No, because they tell us that, yeah, they don't have enough for retirement. So if you are working towards retirement of any level, right, that you're putting any amount of money away, we recommend 15% after you've paid off debt and have a fully funded emergency fund.

But yeah, if you're putting money away, you guys, for retirement, too and great. And the Roth IRA, amazing. Yes. Do it $7,000 this year. I think it's like $7,500 for $2,000. Yeah, it's $7,500. If you get a 401k at work, take the match. Like, there's some great things you can be doing towards retirement. It's like simple stuff, but man, it will make a world of difference,

especially in your 60s when you want to retire. Yes. And whatever's holding you back from investing, get over it, respectfully. If that's debt payments, let's get out of debt. Let's free up that margin to invest. If it's fear because you don't understand investing, Let's learn. You can watch YouTube channels.

You can reach out to a financial advisor. Do whatever you can to learn to be comfortable with it, to understand it. Because it's not that complicated and you don't have to be a prodigy. And you guys, in the rate of return in the past like four years, it's been insane. Oh, it's been nuts. 25%? I think we added it up the last four years. It's been almost 100% return.

Like your money almost has doubled in the last four years. Like it's wild. So put it in. It's great. We talk about passive income, right? It's on income for you right now. but it's passive money growing. Your money is working for you.

So it's awesome. All right, next step. We mentioned it earlier, but it's true. You own a home or you're planning to. So home ownership, yeah, it's getting a little bit tougher out there, George, right? What was it, medium age?

40, yeah. So it's something to work towards, but. Yeah, the home prices versus the household income, it's just not, it hasn't been moving at the same pace. Yeah, it's a little tougher. Home prices have outpaced it. But if that's a goal for you, and you know you're working towards a down payment,

or you own a home now, again, you're doing great. Great, great, great. But do it the right way. Save up over a long period of time. Get the down payment in place. Make sure you're debt free with the emergency fund. Don't rush into it just because you feel like you're behind or somebody told you renting as a waste of money.

That's right. You'll be calling the Ramsey show saying, should I sell my house at 60% of our take home pay? Or my spouse wants to stay home and we can't afford it on a single income. You have options when you buy a home the right way. Yeah. be thinking through it. So whether you're 25 or 35 or even 45, that's okay if you do it with peace. And here's how you know you're doing it with peace the right way. You are buying this house with a 15-year fixed rate mortgage, if you're going to take out a mortgage at all. And the payment is no more than a quarter of your after-tax monthly income. So if you bring in, let's say, $5,000, that mortgage should be no more than $12.50. That's it. And factor out your 401K and health care stuff because that'll help your numbers out with that.

Yeah, for sure. That's so good. All right, next. You have people in your life that you can trust. Oh, that's an interesting one. I love that. Yeah, the loneliness part of life is very real for a lot of people. Dr. John Deloney talks about this a lot. So if you have people, though, you can call, you have friends, you have church community, you have colleagues at work, you have family. Like, if you have people in your life that you trust, it's wild to say it,

but you're doing better than most people. I mean, genuinely. Like, be grateful for those relationships. It's a big deal. And I imagine you are more successful in almost every area of life if you're not isolated. If you have people around you who support you who are also growing. And that also goes for experts in your corner. So real estate expert, insurance expert, investing pros, all of those matter. And if you want to find a Ramsey trusted pro in your area for help with real estate, taxes, and more,

you can jump on a Ramsey Solutions.com and find that. But having people in your life you can trust personally and professionally makes all the difference. really big deal. Yeah. I mean, you do think about it. At the end of your life, like, I know this is a money show. We talk about money because it's such a stress point for so many people. So we want to get you to a place of peace with your money by giving you a plan and let you win financially so it's not a burden or a stress. But you're doing all of that so that you can have a quality life. And I really do think, the older I get, George. And your old age. Yeah, it really is relationships. Like there is something so rich about that of being with people and having people. There's a

quality there and also taking care of yourself like there's other elements of life that are very very important but i think there's stats that you like live longer if you have good relationships and if you're around your family around your grandkids i think also helps you live longer i read that sent it to my parents i was like watch the kids this weekend sharing the kids it'll make you young it'll make you young that's amazing all right speaking of personal and professional here's the next one you have personal and professional goals for the future ah so being a little bit goal oriented in a healthy way. Yes.

You're thinking about the future. You're intentional. You want to grow. You know, you've got two things many people don't, which is confidence and hope. If you're just that forward-thinking person. This is the one I'd struggle with, George.

I don't just like... You've given up. We have a new financial goal, which actually has been fun. Oh, yeah. And I were trying to hit. So that actually has, like, been very motivating.

A little life-giving. Which is really fun, yes. But overall, I'm like, when the New Year comes... You're not a resolution person. Everyone's making... Well, that and just like, all these goals

and all these goals in all these areas. I'm like, oh, sometimes I kind of just want to do the least and enjoy life, you know,

hang out with my family and friends. Relationships, check. Goals for Rachel. But that's a goal. That can be a goal. It's like, I want to have a double date night.

I'm a goal setter. And I'm a goal accomplisher, if that's the case, George. She's done it all. Maybe that's it. Maybe it's just goals I want. Maybe I feel like I have to set goals.

It has to be a certain thing. I know. Maybe I set people are, yeah, people are, you're setting the wrong goals. Set in the wrong goals. Yeah. Yeah.

So that I don't really care about. That's a goal. That's a goal. I could accomplish that goal. You just did it. No, but genuinely, looking forward and planning and being intentional. It is a big deal. Very big deal.

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Yeah. So check it out for yourself. If you want to help protect your digital privacy, go to join deleteme.com slash smart money and you'll get 20% off their annual plans. All right. Next up on the list that you're doing better than you probably think you are, is that you're consistently employed. I like the word consistently there. Yes, you have an income coming in consistently. That's a big deal. And some people have life events, you know, that alters that a little bit for them. But if you look over the span of your life, you're like, yes, I'm a working adult and I am bringing in money, or the household is, right, in general, that's a great thing. So if you're adding value in any way to this world, to the economy, you get dollar bills for that, which is wonderful.

And it gives you dignity to have some purpose in your work and do it with pride and put some effort in. I know work is kind of villainized and corporations are villainized. but it feels really good to contribute. Yes, to do something. We just had a teacher on The Ramsey Show just hosted right before we came in here to do a debt-free scream, yeah. She was a teacher.

They were from California. She just retired. So she's 60 and retired, but her and her husband. And they were precious. And she said, one of the things that they did is she said, I found ways

to do something that feels good to my heart is what she said, that was free. Like, instead of feeling I have to go pay for everything. So she said it was so sweet. I was like, gosh, it's so great. She was like, find someone elderly in your area that you have some connection to and just like take them outside their home. Oh, I love that.

Like sit in the yard with them, talk with them for an hour. And like, that's it. She was like, and it's free and it does something good. I don't know, it was just such a sweet. She was such a great woman, such a great woman. But I thought of that. And I told her, I was like, man, teachers. I love them.

Great hearts. God. And that reminds me, I'm going to text Dave Ramsey and see if he needs to be taken out of the house. Just to get him out for a little bit. Some fresh air. take him to the park. Take him out of the studio. Just here.

Get some vitamin D, Dave. Yeah, I just need some. I know. He may need it. So sweet. He may need it. Respect your elders. Yes.

That service-oriented heart goes a long way, you guys. That's true. I love that. Next, you feel content in life. You're doing better than you think financially if you feel content in life. Yeah, people, we spin our wheels all the time, right? All the time. What's bigger?

What's better? What does other people have? Comparison? Like, it's just a, it's a constant. thing. And when you are just at peace with your life and you are good, you are doing better than most people in 2023. You've told the story, I think, before. But that, like, it's like an old sort of legend has it thing. But the Mexican fisherman. Yes, it's one of my favorite.

And the guy comes in, like, well, you know, if you had more boats, you can catch more fish. And it's like, well, then what? Well, then you could have a whole fleet and then what? Well, then you could be here fishing with your friends and they're all doing the work for you. It was like, that's what I do now. Yes. Yes. Why would I go do all of that work to have the same life I had now. So it's a good reminder. That's a terrible abbreviation. Go look it up. It's much better on the internet, I'm sure. But it's nice to go like contentment doesn't mean I've made it to this certain level. It's right. It's just being content where you are. Yes, absolutely. That's a beautiful thing. That's difficult to do in today's world. And gratitude helps with that, as we're talking about

earlier. That's right. Next is you've recently been generous in some way. I love that. So that could be in money in life and relationships. And service and your time. Yes. Yeah, there is a, I will say, I think this is a part of our world that I wish was captured more because I do think, I want to believe

there is more generous people out there doing great things in our world than we know about. We always see the doom and gloom. It's what makes the algorithm spike. It's what makes the news and all of it. But there's just good people out there doing really good things. And I, yeah, I don't know.

There's goodness out there. always make the headlines. It's generally something done in secret, invisible, because people who are generous tend to not be super showy about it. That's right. Yes. So you may not even know what's happening. It's always behind the scenes, but all of us have been on the receiving end of generosity and it changed our life in some way. And so I think, you know, let's make it contagious. Let's make it cool again. It's true. Yeah. There's something beautiful. So yeah, if you are being a generous person, that is changing who you are in your character. And so you're doing better, better than you think you are in that case. I love it. This was such a sweet episode. It was one of hope. I said it at the beginning,

but I am like all of you out there. You're doing such hard work, you guys. You really are. We've talked to so many of you, so many people always stop. And they're always like, we love smart money happy hour. It's like my number one thing I get. Can I add a bonus to the list? Yeah. You regularly watch or listen to Smart Money Happy Hour. You're doing that. I'm just, I'm trying to think of that person. They can't be doing terribly in life. If they have the time to listen to this show, they're probably doing okay. I'm going to say that too. You're doing okay. Maybe to listen to this while doing the side hustle or while visiting the elderly. Yeah. I know. Watch it with an elderly person in your life. I think they'll get a kick out of this. I think they'll love us. I like that Rachel gal, gal, gal,

I love when she quotes movies. That per snickety camel fella. I don't know about him. I don't know if he can be trusted. Yeah. Oh, so great. All right. Well, before we spill the tea on our guilty charge segments, let's share the details in our rating, George. Yeah, this is the song. Sov Blanc spritz. I think I was a little scared to pick it up because it's just so full. It's really nice. I think it is. Yeah.

It's very liminey. Would you guess what's in it? Savi en block. That's right. That's a white wine. I'm going to go lemon. Fresh lemon juice. Mm-hmm.

Elder flour liqueur. Oh, okay. Elder flour. And then lemon seltzer water. Ah. Add a little bubbles, effervescence, if you will. I think it's fun. Yep.

Comes out to $3.75. This is a fun one. This is a great summer. summertime drink. Like if you're not in the mood for like an apparel spritz, you got a bottle of soft blancs in room. Was it too limine for you? I'm going to be honest. I like as much lemon as you can give me. Yeah, you are a tart. I ate lemons as a kid like just full with the rind and everything. It's like an apple. Yeah. I mean, I'm not an animal. I cut it into slices first. George. That's unbelievable. Like if there's a, I will eat this lemon hole. No, you won't. That is horrible.

Why? You want to do it on camera? You should. I'll do it. If you stick around with the end of the episode at the end I'm going to eat this lemon rind. To prove to Rachel that I'm a grown man. Oh my gosh. What is this fear factor? I'm not eating a scorpion. It's a fruit from the Lord. It comes from a tree.

Okay, I hate to say, I'm going to go six out of ten. I'm going to go seven and a half out of ten. It's not something I would order, but if I had this at a party, I have zero complaints. Okay. That's fair. All right. Get the recipe in the show notes. Give it a try this weekend and eat the lemon if you're not a baby.

All right. now it's time for guilty as charged and this is where we ask each other a new guilty as charged question every week and if we're guilty we take a sip are you guilty of ever losing your cool in public oh boy I'm trying to think the last time I sort of had a had a Karen moment at a store that's usually where it happens is a customer service exchange that is not going my way yes and they are being a little bit rude or incompetent what happened do you remember I was trying to return a heat Okay. Like an emergency heater.

And it was like, oh, no sales final on all emergency equipment, because after that big Nashville storm. But I was like, this is still in the box. This is not technically an emergency heater. You could use it for a lot of scenarios. Yes. And so I fought the manager and then the manager's manager and they called the owner. And I was like, I'm giving you the product back.

I just want the money, just give me a store credit. So finally they agreed to give me a store credit if I wouldn't tell anyone this ever happened. Stop it. So I just told America. Oh, no, your disclosure. So that was my, I think the employees were like, this guy's being a lot. What do we do? But I just, I was firm, I stood my ground.

I was never rude and never, you know, raised my voice. Yep. But I was staunch. Yes. I was not your favorite customer. Not happy. How about you? I can't imagine you having a public rage incident.

I have two that came to mine, though. Whoa. One, I did not publicly do anything, but I think I was a little rude to the person at the store. We even left, and I was, and I said, that woman was so rude. And when someone was like, I thought she was very helpful. And I was like,

I was not happy. We were at the Apple store and we got told to wait at like a certain table. We waited for like 30 minutes. And finally I was like, babe. And he was like, I know, let me go ask someone.

So he went and asked like, oh no, you're not supposed to be there. You're supposed to be at the product tape. I don't know. It was this whole thing. And we'd been there almost, it was close to an hour. Oh, gosh.

Yes. And it was packed. But still, I, and then the lady, I don't know, I just felt so, you know what I mean when you leave a store, but I didn't do anything. But by one, the other one, though, that I remember.

And I was like, oh, my gosh. It was a driving moment. I'm merging onto the interstate. And the car in front of me, it's still, this still bothers me, you guys. When you're on the, I think they call it, like, the ramp, like you're supposed to accelerate. Yes. I call it the acceleration ramp.

I don't know if that's what it's called, but that's what it is in my head because you accelerate. This person was pumping their brakes. and then... While trying to merge onto the interstate? I mean, not yet. We're on the ramp. And I'm like, speed up

because we're about to be on the interstate and you gotta get over. You gotta keep speed to kind of merge into the lane. 100%. And it wasn't happening and I was like, okay, go, go. And then she wasn't merging. So I slowed down

because I'm trying to get over. I finally get over. She basically tries to like get in my lane because she's so slow when I've already... Oh, finally she gets over in and I just did one of these. Oh,

What are you doing? What are you doing? So you didn't do one finger. You did all the fingers. I did all the fingers. Yeah, not one. I didn't do one finger. Family-friendly.

But, and then I thought maybe this is like a little elderly person. Do you know what I mean? Benefit of the doubt. To take outside for the sun. You know what I mean? No, no. She was on her phone. And I just thought, you were irresponsible.

You are irresponsible. Unbelievable. I was so mad. And scared, you know, when they say fear, fear and anger can sometimes be very close. closely connected. That was me. I was a little scared because I almost wrecked

and I almost had to pull over and then my Tesla beep, beep, beep. And I was like, ah, just accelerate people. What's all we need to do? When you get on the interstate, you just got to press the gas,

not the brake. I'm going to go straight. I have a fear of road rage because I just don't trust drivers in Tennessee. You know what I mean? You scared someone else's road rage? I'm scared.

Someone else is willing to risk it all over road rage. See, and that's where... That's where I'm like, I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to... Yeah, no, that's where I get over escalate the situation.

No, no, no, no. Especially if it's a truck, no, thank you. Scared of the truck. Yeah, and the higher the truck? Scarier than me. The less they have to risk. You say that. You know what I mean?

Oh, my gosh. Well, I think we're guilty. I'm nervous just thinking about it. I know. My gosh, crazy. But I'm generally a happy person. I can't imagine you enraged. No.

99.9% of the time you are happy. go lucky. I don't know about that, but, but yeah, but thanks for all your guilty church questions, you guys. Make sure to DM us at Rachel Cruz and at George Camel. We get them. We see them. We screenshot them and we send them to Jenna, our producer, and they make it in. What she does with it, that's between her and God and the writers. Yeah, but we really do appreciate it. It helps us out of a lot. But you could probably pay us to then get yours like a fast pass. Oh, you know what I mean? Wow, a little Starbucks gift card. Yeah. Like tronically through the DM? Amazon gift card for Rachel. Don't do that. No, don't do that.

I'm kidding. You can send those separately, but it's not going to help your question. Yeah. But if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to leave a review and check out our next episode, 10 jaw-dropping money stats about the average American. That was a good one. We will link it for you. And make sure to subscribe.

So you don't miss an all-new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour. Cheers. Eat that one. Oh, that's right. Mm-mm. Mm. Oh. My. You want to spit it out so bad.

No. It's delicious. I can't. The bitterness with the sourness, it's like a sour patch kid. George. I'm telling you, nothing better. That is unfa. Do you eat that at home? Does Whitney cut you? No, because my enamel is like real thin.

Okay. So you're really... A rare moment. You really gave us your all. Well, we appreciate it. I mean, yeah, he just hated it. Okay, well, cheers.