The Rachel Cruze Show - We Asked 1000 People About Their Money (I Was Shocked!)

Episode Date: February 9, 2026

📈Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   We asked 1,000 people about their money, and the results honestly shocked me! In this episode, I break down the data and share three simple ways to make sure stress and a negative net worth don’t become your normal. Next Steps:  🎥 Watch my video How Do You Compare Financially to the Average American? (2026 Edition). 💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!   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

When you're working on a specific financial goal, it can sometimes feel lonely, but you're never as alone as you think you are. And I'll prove it to you by sharing some recent data that absolutely fascinated me. I love getting stats because I think it kind of lines up like, hey, what is going on in the world when it comes to money? Now, later, I'm going to share my three top tips to make sure that you don't become another negative statistic when it comes to your net worth. So be sure to like, subscribe and share this episode with a friend. All right. So as of late of 2025, research says that 50% of U.S. adults worry daily about their finances. So every single day that someone, half of America is like worried of what is going on with their money, which should clue you

into something. And I think some of those fears can be truly to like the basics of like bills and food and kind of that paycheck to paycheck living and making sure you have enough to cover your basic necessities. And then sometimes people worry about the future. You know, they're thinking about, oh my gosh, do I have enough money to retire or pay for my kids to college. So regardless of what is going on, I think it's really important to have a plan to help kind of mitigate the fear because sometimes the fear is real and it's realistic and it's actually happening. We're like, I don't have enough money for X, Y, and Z that I need to have. That will strike fear in you. And yes, that is true. But sometimes we worry about things that are not.

not in our control or worry about things that are so far in the future that it's like what is causing the stress. So I would say having a plan and kind of putting some numbers to your situation can mitigate that fear. So if it is a fear of like I need to be able to pay off this debt because I don't know if I'm going to be able to afford these bills or I need enough for groceries, right? If it's like that, then you need to be looking at your numbers and knowing how much money is coming in, how much money is going out, where does income need to go up, all of that. And then if it's fears in the future, then again, I do think that there's a level of like, okay, we just don't have the control we think we do. And there's something about letting that go that can also let go of the worry that is unnecessary.

But all that to say, 50% of Americans worry about money. And sometimes it's for good reason and sometimes we bring it upon ourselves. All right, number two, here's an interesting one. 56% of Americans who bought cars paid in cash and 89% of those people were happy with their decision. Okay, that's pretty impressive. And I love this because majority of people that bought cars in cash were like, yes, this is what I want to do. Because what's great is when you make a transaction, especially a large transaction like a car, and it's done like it's paid for, you don't have to think about it the next month. Like everything is done.

There is something that gives you that peace of mind knowing that $4, $5, $600 is not coming out of your paycheck next month. And so when you have a transaction and you complete it, there is something about it now being in the past versus it being in your present. and in your future. And that's true with everything, but especially a big purchase like a car. All right. Next step, 48% of parents have given money to their adult children in the last 12 months. Okay, so this is a big one. And we're seeing this trend more and more of adults helping out their children. Now, you can look at our current state, like literally right now of what's going on. And, you know, the job market, it is tougher to get a job. And life is more expensive. I think still, the lingering cost of housing, whether it's rent or buying a home.

Even food prices at the grocery store. There is something to be said that there is a higher cost of living right now. Like we still are feeling those effects. But also asking, I would ask the parents, like, hey, are you doing this, helping them in a situation? Maybe it's a one-time thing. Maybe it's something that you're like, oh, yeah, we were working towards this and I want to be able to give them this.

That's great. But also, that line of helping can definitely go into enabling and expecting this. And so expecting, you know, how much you're giving them a month. And so having those conversations and making sure as a parent that you financially are in a good spot. I think that's really big. And also, when you do give your adult kids something, I would say, like, make sure it is, again, helping them apply to their life. So whether it is, you know, I know a family and there was a situation where they,

bought their adult child a car. And in fact, that actually, I would say in that one situation, very much helped that adult child because they weren't in a position to be able to buy one, and the parents had the ability to, but they weren't, again, the adult child wasn't leaning on their parents so much because I think there is a level of dignity you have to have. So I think one-off situations, totally fine. But when it becomes a pattern, you definitely want to look to make sure that you're not enabling. All right, 41% of adults would rather enjoy life now than save for the future. Yeah, I get that. I mean, yes, we all want to enjoy life, right? I mean, I think there is something to be said that you can do both. Like, I think you can enjoy life and save for

the future. It doesn't have to be in either or. And sometimes when we box ourselves in these corners of like, I either have to be financially responsible and boring and not have a fun life, that's not true. I think you can spread out. Now, you are going to be, obviously, making some different decisions and have different filters than someone that's just living in the presence and just not worrying about the future at all. But I do think you can be saving and looking ahead of the future and enjoying your life. It does take some planning, but I do think it's definitely possible. All right, next, 49% of Americans believe it's easier to get a loan than to build savings.

I mean, yeah, I think it is easier to get a loan. I probably would be in the 49% meaning, like, yeah, all you got to do is just sign a sheet of paper and, you know, you get $20,000. It's like, well, that's great versus saving, you know, $800 a month to get up to that point. So, like, yes, in the moment it is easier. But what you realize over time being in debt, not only from a stressful situation of knowing, like, oh, my gosh, like I owe someone something, but also watching your paycheck leave a little bit at a time going to this debt and that you don't have control over. So the difference of saving and having the power and autonomy to make your own decisions around your money is huge. But saving is important, right? We talk about having an emergency fund of $1,000, and then once you're completely debt-free,

bumping that up to three to six months of expenses. So all of that is so, so important. So saving is big. But yet, taking out a loan in the moment, quote unquote, is it easier to sign a sheet of paper than to save? Yeah, it is. Okay, now, something that we do use and absolutely love, and it is worth it, is delete me. So are you aware of how much of your personal information is online? well, your name, address, past addresses, family members, personal info,

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Rachel and with the New Year's chaos behind us, now is the time to get your finances in order. And Farrowin's Credit Union is there to help you do it right. Their smart checking is a simple and straightforward plan that keeps you on track. And their smart savings celebrates good habits. When you see your money work for you, it's easier to stay motivated. And don't get me started on the Be Weird debit card. I love this thing, y'all. It is so great.

So when you get that checking account, you get this debit card with it. So having baking tools that aligns with your values matters. So go to fair wins.org slash Ramsey to check out everything that we've talked about. I promise you will not regret it. Okay, so here's the thing that I'm noticing is that a lot of this data is split down the middle. A lot of like half and half, right? Very classic situation. Half full, half empty, all of it.

So it just proves to me that you get to choose your heart, right? Like you get to choose if you're going to play offense or defense with your money. You're going to get to choose the path. Do you sign the loan or do you take time to save up an emergency fund? Like, what are you going to choose? Because both are hard, but in the end of the day, what's going to get you to where you want to go? And for majority of people, it is having that margin. It is having safety with your money.

It is having a plan. It is being debt-free, all of it. So if you're ready to go from a negative to a positive, here are three things you can do today. Number one, decide to only pay cash for big purchases. So this is big. A lot of people can do this, like when it comes to, like, their everyday purchases and all of it, but when it comes to something big, like a car or vacation, that's usually when debt really can creep in because you want that thing.

It seems like it's so big. You're not going to be able to have it. And in order to have it, you have to take on debt. So for big purchases, pay cash. Number two, start preparing for the future. So again, that emergency fund we talked about, even saving up for a down payment for your home. If you're a first-time home buyer, that can be 5%. Investing in retirement, that can be 15% of your income.

into retirement, thinking about your kids, college. So there's a lot that goes into the future, but if you have the ability today and the present because you're debt-free and you have an emergency fund to be able to put towards the future, I'm telling you, there's something about that, that you still get progress, you still get peace of mind knowing that there's progress happening with your money. But also, when you get to that point in the future, it's taken care of, and you don't have to stress about it then. And lastly, I would say to reach all these goals, you have to have a plan for your money, and the day-to-day purchases are really important to know. So that's why I love every dollar. All of this is a budget, you guys. When you think about a budget

and being able to track your expenses, that's going to help you. And in every dollar, you can do that. They make it so easy. I love it. I'll put a link down below if you want to check it out. Now, for more helpful and thoughtful, productive money comparisons, because we don't like comparisons, but sometimes they're good. Make sure to check out the episode, How do you compare it to the average American, the 2026 edition. Yes, you can watch it right here or if you're listening on podcasts, I'll leave a link below. All right, you guys, remember to take control of your money and create a life you love.