The Rachel Cruze Show - 5 Signs You’re More Financially Responsible Than You Think

Episode Date: March 13, 2026

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!   Caring about your money is the first step toward lasting financial peace. And if you clicked on this episode, you’re already more financially aware than the average Joe. So today, I’m sharing five signs you might be doing better than you think! Next Steps:  🎥 Watch my video How Do You Compare Financially to the Average American (2026 Edition). 📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   Connect With Our Sponsors: Learn more about Christian Healthcare Ministries. Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. Go to FAIRWINDS Credit Union for an exclusive account bundle!   Explore More From Ramsey Network: 🍸 Smart Money Happy Hour 🎙️ The Ramsey Show  💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights 🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 💰 George Kamel 🪑 Front Row Seat with Ken Coleman 📈 EntreLeadership   Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All right, hot take here, but if you're watching this episode, you're already more financially aware than just the average Joe. That's right, caring about your money is the first step towards financial peace. But here are five signs that you might be doing better than you think. Make sure to like, subscribe, and show this episode with a friend. First and foremost, you live on less than you make. Yeah, what do I mean by that? It means that debt is not funding your lifestyle. So if you do have tons of credit cards and car loans and student loans and helox, all of it. What can happen is all of that is so normalized in our culture. And so the idea of living paycheck to paycheck or even spending above what you're making to not create a lavish lifestyle,

it's not that, but just to keep things moving, that is so normal. So if you're not doing that and you are living below your means, meaning you have margin with your income every month that you can use to save or invest or give or whatever you want to do. But when your lifestyle is below your income, you're doing great. Number two, you have savings. Yes, this one is wild. Close to 40% of Americans can't cover a $400 emergency in cash. So having any kind of savings, you're doing amazingly well. Okay, so the first goal really with this is to get $1,000, and that's your starter emergency fund, then pay off all of your consumer debt, and then you can bump that up to three to six months of expenses. So if you have

any of that, right, like any more than $1,000 save just for the just in case, like you're doing and awesome. And then, not to mention retirement, when you're investing in retirement, I would love for you to invest 15% of your income into retirement after you're out of debt, but that there is something to be said about people that are focused on their retirement savings, and they're doing more than just their match. Like they really are putting efforts and strategy towards it. You are doing awesome if that's you. Number three, you plan and track your expenses. So this is something that is really big because a lot of people just spend throughout the month. They don't really think about it. They can, you know, maybe they check their checking account.

we're good, we're fine, just keep doing what we want to do. But people who actually plan and actually track their expenses and know where their actual money is going, like every single dollar of it, you are way ahead of the curve. So every dollar is one of my favorite budgeting apps. It's here at Ramsey, and it's amazing because it not only looks over your entire financial picture, but it helps you so much with the budget, creating that plan and tracking your expenses because it connects to your checking account. So every time you swipe your card, use Apple Pay or whatever it is, any card connection, to that account gets plopped into every dollar, and then you get to drag and drop the transaction

so you know how much you have left in each category. I mean, that is a nerdy plan. So I'm telling you, if you do any kind of budget, you're doing awesome. You're doing great. And if your personal information is protected on the internet, you're definitely doing better than most. That's why I love and use delete me because it helps safeguard my family's private info online.

You may not realize it, but scammers and spammers are constantly buying and selling your data online. And the last thing you want is for your name, address, and other important information to be left exposed because it's just waiting out there and internet creeps will find it and use it without your knowledge. And Delete Me steps in and wipes those sites clean

so you don't have to, and that piece of mind is priceless. You can get 20% off an annual plan at joindeletme.com slash rachel, which checks out to be $9 a month. And it is so worth it. again, that's join deleteme.com slash Rachel. Number four that you're doing better than the average person is you have future financial goals. The average person is just surviving, living paycheck to paycheck, trying to get to the next paycheck.

The stress is high. So if you have any level of mental room in your mind when it comes to money and to look at the future and dream and plan, that's amazing. I mean, genuinely, like the survival of. of today's world is so real of people, like, just month to month. But if you are in a place again that you probably have financial margin in order to do this, make it realistic, but also just the bandwidth mentally to know that you're going to be in a better place in the future, when you have that hope and that aspiration, you're doing incredible. And last but not least,

number five, I'm going to say if you're generous. I mean, choosing to manage your money is a really powerful indicator that you are someone who is responsible and has, I think, some good work ethic, right? Because again, money's one of these things. It's just easy just for it to go through. But when you say, yes, I'm going to manage this well, that motivation is huge. And people that do that and see their money as something that's not just about them, but it can be used to help others, it is the most fun that you're ever going to have. And so there are not a lot of people that are generous. And I would say even, like, in the church space, if you will, the amount of people that don't even give to their churches as Christians is very high. Like a lot of people just do not give.

And again, it might be because of the margin. It might be because it's just something they don't think about. But if you are someone who lives life with an open hand, I'm going to say you are doing better than the average person with money. Now, if you're still a little unclear about where you stand, be sure to check out my episode. How do you compare financially to the average American, the 2026 edition. I'll leave a link down below. All right, you guys, remember to take control of your money and create a life you love.