The Ramsey Show - App - I've Got Truck Fever! (Hour 2)

Episode Date: August 17, 2020

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Live from the headquarters of Ramsey Solutions, broadcasting from the Dollar Car Rental Studios, it's the Dave Ramsey Show, where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice. Ken Coleman, Ramsey personality, host of the Ken Coleman Show, and career jobs expert, is my co-host today here on the air. Open phones at 888-825-5225. That's 888-825-5225.

Jaron is with us in Fort Worth, Texas. Hi, Jaron. Welcome to the Dave Ramsey Show. Hey, Dave. Hey, Ken. How are y'all? Great, Texas. Hi, Jaron. Welcome to the Dave Ramsey Show. Hey, Dave. Hey, Ken. How are y'all? Great, man. How can we help? So, I've got a situation. So, I've got

a 20-year-old F-150 I've had since I graduated high school. And I'm in baby step two. And I'm spending on average probably $500 to $600 a month and just keeping this truck continuing to go on. So you've about got it broke in, do you?

I've got it broke in. I just replaced the tires, put a new battery in it. Not that I'm not mechanically inclined. I don't mind working on the truck. I kind of see it as a half-time hobby. Sounds like it. But as much as I'm spending on a truck at $500 to $600 a month, it's hard for me, and I know how you feel about purchasing a new car,

and I've been looking at used cars and i'm i'm trying to see what's a good point to what would be a good used car for me to get into i know what i need to get into but i'm i'm thinking that i'm probably going to need to be right around 22 000 good lord get into a new car you're driving a 1500 truck and you're going up to $22,000? Well, it's 20 years old. I know. But what justifies a move from $1,500 to $22,000? Well, reliability.

You've got to be kidding me. You're probably right. I am kidding you. So, yeah, you're really pissed. You are really pissed off about this truck breaking, and you have got truck fever now. Yeah. Yeah. That's probably the best way to put it.

I don't blame you, but I don't think we're going to. I don't think the way you punish the truck is by getting one and making yourself bankrupt. So, okay, so what do you make a year what do you make a year so i'm a self-employed contractor yeah so my my my growth or my net is between 20 to 50 i've got 72 000 in the bank the bank. I'm finishing paying off. I'm on baby step two. I'm about to finish paying off this $8,000 loan here towards the end of the month. I've got $60,000 in retirement. You have no debt except your only debt is eight thousand dollars and you have seventy two thousand dollars in the bank right okay well let's slow down a minute because baby step two the way that works ken is you take all the money that you don't have in

retirement and you pay off your debts so we're not going to wait till the end of the month you write the eight thousand dollar check when you hang up. Okay? Now you're debt-free. Now you're debt-free. You're on baby step three. And we need an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses. Sounds like $15,000 will cover for that. And so we're going to move up. I have $22,000 already in a separate account. Okay.

On top of the $72,000. Yes. Okay. Okay. So you got it. Now I understand a little bit more where the truck fever is coming from okay now we're down to you have your emergency fund funded and you're debt free okay now we talk about paying cash for a truck and here's the guideline two guidelines

well one of them has to do being out of debt so it doesn't apply because you're out of debt we just took care of that a minute ago and then the next one is that unless you have a net worth in excess of a million dollars and what you described to me doesn't indicate that you don't buy brand new you buy used and you don't want to buy a anything with motors all the things you own with motors and wheels don't need to add up to more than half your annual income so what did you pay taxes on income wise in 2019 in 2019 uh i only made 25 000 what will you make this year uh this year i'm on track to make over $137,000. That's all the money in the bank.

Okay. So what do you think your average income is going to be for the next five years? My average income for the last five years is... The next five years. The next five years. I would like it for it to be between $75,000 to $100,000. Okay. So you can buy a $22,000 truck then.

I will recant. You don't hear that very often, but I just backed up. Well, to be fair to you, you didn't know that there were $75,000. I didn't know there was $75,000 laying in the bank either. He's got $64,000 left over after he pays off the $8,000. Yeah. Plus a nice emergency. Yeah, but I wouldn't buy a new truck.

No. I'd buy a one-year-old, one- or two-year-old. Wouldn't let someone else take the butt kicking on the depreciation. Right. But I just reacted to 1,500 to going to 22,000. But, yeah, you've got your value out of that first one. And I would, as long as you're, here's the trick, okay? We all, all of us, and you're in the construction business.

I grew up in the real estate business. We have a tendency to rationalize purchases of things with motors. And you have to be careful with that. And I thought that's what you were doing, okay? You don't have a history of doing that, but I thought that's what you were doing. And you were a little bit. I did before I found you. Yeah, you would have, I mean, because, and if you don't look up history of doing that, but I thought that's what you were doing. And you were a little bit. I did before I found you. Yeah, you would have.

I mean, because if you don't look up, you've got, because everything that has motors and wheels goes down in value. And you can't get rich putting all your money and stuff that goes down in value. It's kind of a basic math thing. Right. and so that's where the ratio comes to limit your purchases of things with motors and wheels total to be less than half your annual income and so you know what is your annual because you just they go down in value if it's got a motor on it or wheels on it it goes down in value and so it's okay to buy those things i've got a bunch of cars and boats and crap, but they all total up to considerably less than half my annual income. And it's not prohibiting me then from building wealth. And

that's the principle that you're doing. In your case, now that I got a better picture, I think he's okay to buy a truck. What do you think? I think so too. The only thing I challenge him with is he's doing very well. I mean, this is a young man who got his baby steps out of order, but he's going to pay off the eight grand right now, and now he's in really good shape. He's on baby step four, and the kid's already doing that. He's already doing baby step four, essentially, it looks like, with his retirement. Here's the only thing I challenge him with. I want to know why he felt like he needed the truck.

And so if he says, well, can I haul a bunch of tools because of the construction nature, I'd look into something my father-in-law has done, very successful. He's got about a $10,000 SUV, and he's got a very nice trailer that keeps its value because he carries all of the tools in the trailer. So now the value stays the same because the trailer is something that is a piece of equipment that will haul. Well, a truck on a construction site, it's one thing. Yeah. Beat up. That's it.

So I don't know. Does he have to have this stuff? So the brand- new Silverado going through a mud puddle is a Chevy commercial. Out here in the real world, some Daryl and his other brother Daryl back a Bobcat up into it. That's the truth. Or throw a concrete block in the back of it. That's what will happen out here in the real world.

You can tell I've been around that. Alright, this is the Dave Ramsey Show. Most people's money problems come from not paying attention. That's why before I spend a dime of my money on something, I do the research and make sure it's going to live up to what it claims. Recently, I got a great pair of sunglasses from a company called Shady Rays. When you're looking for sunglasses, it feels like your options are limited. Name brand sunglasses cost too much, and the cheap knockoffs are ugly and really don't protect your eyes. Discovering Shady Rays is a game changer. With Shady Rays, you can count on premium sunglasses that protect your eyes and are affordable.

They give people the best overall value in sunglasses. They also replace your shades with a brand new pair if you lose or break them from day one of your purchase. And they guarantee your sunglasses for life. Plus, they offer an exclusive for Ramsey Show listeners. Go to ShadyRays.com and use the code RAMSEY for 50% off two or more pairs. That's ShadyRays.com, code RAMSEY. Ken Coleman, Ramsey Personality, is my co-host on the air today. If you've got questions about career or jobs, we've got just the guy in the house to help you. We talk about life and we talk about money, and that includes your career, includes how you make money, open phones at 888-825-5225.

We'll talk to you about whatever you want to talk about. This is your show. Well, in a sense, it's our show, but we want you to come on it. 888-825-5225. You jump in, and we will talk. And, Ken, the career piece, it has evolved around Ramsey as a natural growth out of this because there's two sides to this equation, the income side and the outgo side. And so oftentimes I tell somebody they've got to work on their income side. That's right.

And we want people to not just have a good job. We want somebody to be in a place where they're in the role that they were created to fill. You know, we believe that every man and woman was created to contribute. And so if you look at the way, look at work the way that Ramsey Solutions, Dave, myself, all the other personalities, we believe we were created to work. And we don't just work to live to be able to pay the bills and maybe make a few memories. It's to be a blessing. You told us again today, remind us, we all said it together, we are blessed to be a blessing. And so that's where we come at this work thing. It's, hey, you can actually do work that you're good at, that you love, and that creates a

result that matters to you. That's the formula, talent, passion, and mission all coming together. Rachel and I were talking in a different show, Rachel Cruz and I, about her four-year-old had swept the kitchen and got a dollar and did something else, got another dollar, ended up with six bucks and decided to buy a Polly Pocket, right? And she's walking around like she's just gotten the Pulitzer Prize in economics. The kid is.

Yeah. Little Amelia. And kid is. Yeah. Little Amelia. And so work gives dignity. When you're working, it gives you, and you see it physically in a little kid. A little kid will stick their chest out. The pride, physically, their body language changes. They throw their shoulders back, stick their chest out, and go, Mom and Dad, I did this. Yeah.

And they're looking for affirmation. Work gives dignity. It's a very good point. There's two parts of work. So it's not all about us. So work does create this dignity and this sense of meaning that we see. I earned this. See, the paycheck is not even about the money.

It's that we earned it. I worked, and little Amelia, she swept the floor. Mom checked the job. She's good job. Amelia, she gives Amelia a dollar. And all of a sudden Amelia realizes I earned this. And that's why she feels so good. Her shoulders go back and she feels great. But then the next level is when we realize that all work is honorable and work creates a result. And when we see the result of our work connect to other people, we oh this isn't about me i'm giving my effort i'm giving my talent away to make my world a better place then true meaning happens and that's

significant you know you can as i say on the ken coleman show you can do work that you're just good at no passion the mission the results of the work doesn't connect. But you can do that, and you'll be successful. You can do work that you're good at and that you love. Well, but this is sadly most people. They see work as a utilitarian task. I do this, and I get money. Now, you can also do work that you actually love the work, but it doesn't create a result that swells your heart, that makes you feel like you are on mission, and you be satisfied but significance comes where again you use that formula i use my talent as a tool to perform work that i just love the work it's not about notoriety for dave it's not about money for dave dave loves teaching men

and women principles that'll help make their life better. He loves teaching. We've talked about it many times off the air. Dave's a teacher. He loves the actual work of instruction. But it is when you instruct people with life-changing wisdom that helps them do the things that changes their family tree. See, that's the result of the work. So talent is what we use to do work we love, which is passion, to produce a result that matters deeply to us because we see the results of the work. And there's a connection to it. And that's what everybody at Ramsey Solutions is focused on. We all are here no matter what our role is to provide hope.

Yeah. Well, fishing's good. Golf is good. But too oftentimes when someone retires, two years later they're dead. Yeah, you can only play so much golf. Because, well, the golf or the fishing didn't kill them. No. It was lack of purpose.

That's it. They had nothing to live for. The flame has been extinguished. Quote, unquote. That's right. And it changes. You need to have something that you're putting your hand to, and it doesn't necessarily have to tie to an economy, to actual money exchange, but there has to

be some sense of dignity to what you're doing with your life, and that's why I've told the gang around here. I mean, there'll be a day that I will not be the CEO here, but I will be on the air as long as I make sense, and I will be in the building spreading hate and dissension as much as I can, so it's like a gift of mine, so it's time for me to do that. Open phones at 888-825-5225. Karen's like a gift of mine. So it's time for me to do that. Open phones at 888-825-5225. Karen's in Tempe, Arizona. How can we help, Karen? Hi, Dave. Thank you for taking my call. So the question I have is I have three rental properties.

One I owe free and clear. The other one I owe $95,000 on. And then the third one I owe, you know, like 210. And I'm thinking about selling that one. And I should net after fees and taxes, I should net about $60,000. And my question to you is, should I take that 60 and put it on the rental property that I owe 95,000 and try to get it paid down? Or should I just keep that money and put it in an investment or in savings? So you're debt-free other than this? Yeah, I don't have a car payment. I live with my boyfriend, and he pays the mortgage on this house. Our money does not commingle, so I pay for groceries and things like that. Yeah, and I have a student loan debt.

Sorry, I do have a student loan debt. How much do you owe on the student loan? $11,000. Okay. $11,000. Do you have any money in the bank? About $6,000. Okay.

All right. Well, we teach a thing called the baby steps, and, Ken, that would lead her to first get rid of the student loan. That's right. But we want her to, she sells that house, takes that $60,000, pays off the student loan. Then we want her to put her three to six months emergency fund, get that fully funded because she has no debt. $6,000 is not enough for a rainy day fund. What would be three months of your expenses? Well.

How much? I don't know. Probably like $3,000 a month. Okay. Well, you're close. $10,000, $12,000, something like that needs to be in the emergency fund, not six, and you're debt-free. And then I would start working to pay the other rental off with any other money I've got left over after that. Okay. So the main goal is to got left over after that. Okay.

So the main goal is to always be debt-free. Yes. And the reason is because when you don't have any payments, it's easier to build wealth. Uh-huh. Well, that's what I was thinking, too. It's like if I don't have that money going out, that's more money that I can save. It is a simple formula. That's it. That's the one. And you save. It is a simple formula. That's it.

That's the one. And you don't overcomplicate it. That's how people build wealth. It's the shortest distance between where you are and an additional layer of wealth for you. So very well. Very well. Open phones about 888-825-5225. You jump in.

We'll talk about your life and your money. Tiffany is in Flint, Michigan. Hi, Tiffany. Welcome to the Dave Ramsey Show. Hi, Dave and Ken. Thanks for taking my call. Sure. What's up?

I guess I just have a lot of things on my plate right now, and I'm trying to figure out the order and how to get through it all. I'm currently going into my last semester in the fall to get my master's in public health education. And I also have 25K left on my student loans that I am working to pay off. And the jobs that are available to me, because I'm obviously applying for jobs now because I'm through with all my main coursework, the jobs that are available to me because I'm obviously applying for jobs now because I'm through with all my main coursework. The jobs that are available to me without any experience because I don't work in that field right now are about what I'm making right now. I currently make about 42 or a little bit less. So it's kind of, I don't know if I should, I don't want to stay in my current job. It's kind

of like what you were talking about earlier. It doesn't fulfill me at all, but I'm good at it. Okay, cool. I'll tell you what. When we come back from this break, we will unpack that for you and try to help you out with that. And then we've got a debt-free scream. This is The Dave Ramsey Show. Thank you. Families all over the country are discovering a faith-based and budget-friendly way of meeting health care costs, whether they're anticipated or completely unexpected. For example, take the Olcheski family from LaGrange, Texas. Jeff and Carice had just celebrated the birth of a new

baby boy. Shortly after, they had another expensive medical issue come up. They could have faced a huge financial setback, but thanks to Christian Healthcare Ministries, the Olcheskis were spared from a ton of medical bills. As members of CHM, they're part of a group of believers who financially and spiritually support each other. CHM is the longest serving health cost sharing ministry and is a Better Business Bureau accredited charity. It's Christians helping other Christians and it shared nearly $97,000 to help the Olcheskis.

To be a part of Christian Healthcare Ministries, visit chministries.org. That's chministries.org. CHM is a proud sponsor of Dave Ramsey Live Events. Ken Coleman, Ramsey personality, host of The Ken Coleman Show, talking about careers careers and jobs is my co-host today as we talk about your life and your money we're talking with tiffany coming into the break tiffany is in flint michigan and has the opportunity to make the same money but going over into her field at 42 000 is that a fair summary what you told us so far yeah i yeah and some of the jobs that will take limited experience are a little

bit less. So I guess I'm wondering, is it okay since I'm still paying off my debt to go down to be able to go up, or am I settling in my debt journey and my career? Why don't you take the one that's even? They're a little hard to come by with no experience, I guess, is what I'm seeing. Okay. So we thought that you could get some lower level positions that would be the same money. How much difference is there? So the ones you're talking about, we have to go down a little bit, be specific. What does that mean? How far down? how much less money are you making um well i make 20 right

now i'm seeing like 15 to 17 but that feels like kind of a big jump to me what is your degree in i'm getting my master's in public health education so are these entry-level public health municipalities you know so are you single married do reason I ask that is, do you have the time to be able to work an extra job plus the schooling to make up the difference? Because you're talking about three grand on the 17, five grand on the 15. So if you can make up the difference, it might be worth it, but that's a time issue. Do you have that time i mean after after i graduate i would this next couple months i'm going to be finishing my like capstone well then here's what i would tell you i think you need to finish the degree keep going on the baby steps you're not you're not putting yourself behind

in the life journey here this is a situation where your debt plus your schooling are dictating what you need to be doing right now. So here's the deal. Relax. You're doing a great job. You're on a wonderful track. You're going to be out of school. You're going to be debt free.

And then we look to make the move into the career field. Right now, stay put. Yeah. If you can make more money or the same money, that's fine. But when you're taking a 25% pay cut, when you go from 20 to 15, that's a 25% pay cut. That's not going to be okay. To start with, you weren't making any money to begin with. And now you're down at the poverty level when you start talking about that.

So, yuck. All right. On the debt-free stage and Ramsey Solutions Lobby right here is Miguel and Emily. Hi, guys. How are you? Hey, Dave. We're so excited. Thanks for having us. Well, we're honored to have you. Where do you guys, how are you? Hey Dave, we're so excited. Thanks for having us. Well, we're honored to have you. Where do you guys live? We live in

Mineola, Kansas. Fun. Welcome to Nashville. And here to do a debt-free scream, how much have you paid off? It was $135,000. How long did this take? 17 months. Whoa, that's impressive. Making what kind of money during that time? We started out at $90,000, and then we got Emily on board, and we jumped up to $140,000. And then now we're kind of back to $115,000. Okay, cool. So Emily took a position? Is that what happened? Yes, I had a second job.

Oh, a second job. That's a nice second job. $50,000. It took a little bit to get there, but we got there. Wow. Okay. What kind of debt was the 135,000 it was uh sally may we kicked the old woman out good give her her eviction notice yes i like it

so how old are you two i'm 27 and i'm 24 and you paid off all of your debts your debt-free millennials you kick sally may out you're not victims of Sally Mae. You took her down, threw her butt in the street. Way to go. Thank you, Dave. So proud of y'all. Very, very cool. How long have you been married? Two years. Okay, cool. So tell me about this. Tell me the story. What happened? After you get married, you got a few months are going long, and then you're like, uh-oh, this just got real? Well, it started about four years back. I just graduated college. I had $30,000 in debt. And luckily, I went back home, and I started farming.

So I got a job getting $50,000 a year, and I thought, I need a new truck. Of course. You're like, hey, I'm making more money than I ever thought I would. So luckily, my previous boss, he was the farmer I was working under. He said, before you do that, how about you go listen to Dave Ramsey? And I'm like, who's this guy? I've never heard of Dave. And so sitting in the tractor, I was like, all right, let's listen in.

And everything you said just made sense. And so I said no to the truck. Wow. And I paid my loans off. And then about a year and a half after that, I paid them off. And then we got married. And then it was her student loan. He inherited all of my debt.

I love it. Very cool. So, Emily, what does all this sound like to you? Because you're marrying this guy who's been riding in a tractor listening to a crazy gal on the radio. Yeah. At first, I was like, are you kidding like i just got out of college i haven't had any money ever at this point you know now you're telling me i can't have any money exactly yeah wait a minute i'm broke i got 135 000 in debt and i i didn't do it right

either like everything you say don't do i did uh so the first two to three weeks it was bad it was bad fighting quite a bit i was listening to you every day and she's like nope your name was a curse word in our household it's all your fault um but luckily she got a degree in nursing so like you say that's one of the jobs where you can always work some more so once she got on board it was it was pretty pretty easy okay so emily what converted you to from being a customer from me us being a cuss word are you thinking this might be a good idea it obviously wasn't his skill at relationships um well i was thinking you know later we want to have kids and that is one thing we could wipe off our plate and not have to worry about anymore

as far as, like, our fighting over things. That would be one thing we could just do away with and be stable there. Okay. And so you started going, well, tell me a little bit more, even though I don't like you right now. Exactly, exactly. Yeah. That's how it goes.

I mean, Sharon and I, we got in a huge fight over how much food money goes in the food envelope. I'm like, what are you buying over there? Gold bricks? She's like, genius, you go over there and try to shop for a family of four with that amount of money. We're dying over here. And I'm like, spend money like nothing. We had this horrible fight over the envelope system way back. We were not a lot older than y'all when that happened.

And broke it all up, changed it around. Way to go, you guys. You did it. You're totally weird. I mean, you paid off everything. How does it feel to be free? It's fantastic. It feels amazing. We can do so much more now. Wasn't a government program.

It was a Miguel and Emily program. Just roll up your sleeves and get her done, huh? Yes. I'm curious, real quick, Dave, how have your dreams changed now on the other side of this debt and this being still a very young married couple? You're in the early stages. How have your dreams changed?

That's a good question. I think in the beginning, you know, we were like, oh, we're going to settle down and have a family. And then we kind of started looking at the numbers and we were like, okay, maybe we should dial back and start from square one, get rid of all this stuff that we don't need, which is the debt. And then at that point, now we feel free to do anything because now we can have kids and not worry about that extra. And we have big plans to someday adopt and you know foster and so it's now it's like that's attainable we can do that now and so it's an amazing feeling to feel that way

you know yeah cool Miguel what was your degree in I actually psychology so I quit farming about halfway and then I started in social services. So I work to kind of keep the kids in the home from hard situations. Which gives you the heart for adoption and fostering them. That makes sense. And I was adopted, and so it's kind of like we want to pass that on forward to somebody else. Very neat. Very neat.

Who were your biggest cheerleaders? We actually brought them along. Oh, wow. It's Emily's parents, Tina and Curtis. Very neat. Very neat. Who were your biggest cheerleaders? We actually brought them along. Oh, wow. It's Emily's parents, Tina and Curtis. Very cool. They were really, really supportive. And they, you know, we couldn't go over there all the time, and they kind of understood that, so they came to see us quite a bit. That's perfect.

We also had my parents and some friends, Don and Marty, who let Emily stay when she worked seven in a row. Let her stay at her house so we wouldn't have to travel. Great. Well, we got a copy of Chris Hogan's book for you, Everyday Millionaires. $135,000 paid off in 17 months, making $90,000 to $140,000. Count it down. Let's hear a debt-free scream. Three, two, one.

We're debt-free! We're debt-free! That's how it's done, baby. I love it! That is so awesome. Well done, you two. Very, very, very well done. This is The Dave Ramsey personality is my co-host today here on the air welcome to the Dave Ramsey show

Josh is with us Josh Josh is in Chicago. Hi, Josh. How are you? Hi, Dave. How's it going? Hi, Ken. Hey, how are you? What's up?

I'm good. Nothing much. Just give me a phone call. My wife and I have been on the Baby Step plan since December now, and we're on Baby Step 2. Good. plan since december now and we're on baby step two good um and i'm giving you a phone call because we're in a weird situation now uh we live in chicago and we found an apartment last year that was pretty affordable uh for the city and for the location however the maintenance is terrible um

we found another place uh which is about three, four miles south of us, which is not like the most ideal place, but it's a nice area, and the rent is about $200 cheaper. We just want to know, should we take a quick pause and use the money that we saved to pay something else off to go towards moving? So you're moving why? For $200? Yeah.

You said the maintenance was terrible? The maintenance is terrible at the place I live now in Chicago. Yeah. Okay. So what are you paying in rent? Right now I'm paying $875. And your household income is what? $93,000.

Okay. And so what's it going to cost you to move four miles? About $700. Okay. So you don't break even for four months on that, right? Right. Okay. But after that, you're saving $200, and you're in a better situation, right?

How much debt have you got? We had $105,000. We paid off $48,000, so we're at $57,000 now. Good job. Very cool. Well, I mean, it makes sense to have a cheaper rent and a better place, and you're not talking about spending much money to move, so I don't – do you see anything? i don't see any problems at all and you can always save you know you might lose some friendships over it so maybe get some really strong acquaintances to come help move you never ask good friends to move dave but if they're mediocre friends and you could do life without them you could always save a little money and have your friends come over uh pizza and some 12-packs or whatever and some good guy friends that will help out.

I jest a little bit, but you can always save money on a move like that across town. But $700 with his income, we're not talking about a big pause there. No, and you're saving enough on the rent to recoup that. If you told me you're going to spend $3,000, well, now you've got 15 months to recoup, and I'm thinking, eh, not so much. Probably deal with it and talk to the landlord about the maintenance issues, but I think I would move, as long as you're not breaking a

lease. That's the other thing. You can't afford to have a former landlord chasing you while you're trying to get out of debt, either. That doesn't work. Ben is in Springfield, Illinois. Hi, Ben. Welcome to the Dave Ramsey Show. Hi, Dave. How are you? Ramsey Show. Hi, Dave. How are you?

Great. How can Ken and I help? Thanks for taking my call. So a little background. I'm a recent four-year college grad. I spent a month or two after graduation just mass job applying for a career job related to my field and no luck. So I started a part-time. We retail job about three to four weeks ago. I've only been on the floor for about a week or two after my training.

I applied to this job under the guise that I could probably and potentially be there for quite a while full-time, just as long as I didn't find a good salary job, obviously. Um, so then in the last week or two, uh, I heard back from one of the places that just took forever to, um, get back to me. And I've had two interviews so far, and it sounds like I'm on the top list of, um, prospects. Um, I should be hearing back in the next couple of days. It has full benefits, which my current job does not have. It has a very comfortable pay for me being a single guy just right out of school. So I'm intending to take the new job offer if I'm offered it,

especially if it's on the higher end of the pay that I'm expecting. But that being said, I have really enjoyed the retail job so far. It's a department I enjoy and a kind of field that I'm passionate about. The staff are really friendly, and they were in need of employees from my department. So ideally I would take this new salary job and then I would work the retail store part time on evenings and weekends for at least six months or so just so I didn't feel like I was leaving them hanging. But I also just started there and so if they were under the impression that they were hiring me just to be full time and stuff, i don't want to leave them hanging so my question just applies to this job

um that i very likely could be starting soon or if i how old are you i'm not the top candidate how old are you 22 okay and the uh the job you're up have applied for pays what kind of money? The one that I might be starting soon? Yes, yes. They said they haven't decided yet. Typically, the average field or the average position in that field, which would be a marketing kind of marketing director position online, it's telling me somewhere between $30,000 and $50,000, which I would definitely be happy with right out of school. So, Ken, if they've not even discussed money with him,

he's not getting close to an offer. Yeah, so what you're doing is you're giving us a hypothetical. So if they come back and they offer you this job in the field you went to school for, and the salary makes your heart flutter a little bit, you're asking, what should I do? Am I a jerk if I leave the part-time retail job? Let's address that first, because that's really the heart of your question. That's a good question. It's a very good question.

A person of integrity asked that question. It's high values, high character person. And the answer is you're not a jerk if you get a full-time offer at a company in the field you went to school for, and presumably you want to stay in that field. Now, that's the only question that I would really have is that, is there a ladder at this opportunity? Not just, well, it's got better benefits and better pay. Does it have a ladder, meaning that either there's opportunity to grow there at that company, or this position gets you that entry-level experience you need to actually

get you prepared for the next rung on the ladder, maybe even somewhere else. But we get this question a lot of the Ken Coleman show, and here's the deal. It doesn't make you a flake or a jerk. You applied for this gig before you got the part-time retail thing. Things change. I think the offer to work part-time, which you already are, for a season until they can replace you and not leave them hanging, what a wonderful gesture. You're single, 22, you got the time. That's a nice touch. Not necessary.

You don't owe somebody penance. What you owe them is honesty, transparency, integrity. And if you say, look, I applied for this. It's now here. It's in my field. I want to do it. I feel badly. Don't want to leave you hanging.

How can I leave well, replace myself, or work for a while until you find somebody? I think that's all that you really have to do in this situation. That's more than anybody else in retail does. Retail turns over people like underwear. They turn into ghosts. Like underwear. They just don't show up the next day. It's just gone.

You're a good dude. Yeah, yeah. So you're way ahead of the scope on that. I will warn you about one thing. I heard three times in the way you described this that you're measuring this by the money and the benefits. Yeah. Money and benefits will come to those who find their what ken coleman calls sweet spot and you get in this area that you're good at and you lean into it

and you're passionate you're creative you're growing you're learning money and benefits will come to those so you need to find something where you're lining up with that and if that's what this is that's wonderful and i would definitely do it But this idea that there's a, quote, good job when you're 22, that is going to be what you do the rest of your life with that exact company, exactly the way it is. Average person has 14 to 17 positions in their life in America today, right? That's exactly right. And the only time I heard him use the word passion in that phone call was actually talking about the retail position. That's what he actually referred to. He said, I'm really passionate about this kind of work. So what happens

is... The other one felt like he was training it for a J-O-B. Well, it's the same. For a check. Yes, because here it is. We've trained young people, our culture has, that you take the safe job, the smart job. And in this situation at 22, if it's not something you want to do the rest of your life, don't do it. Yeah. Stay in the part-time gig until that becomes full-time.

That's the only time I heard passion in the conversation. Don't be so responsible that you're miserable. You'll end up calling my show 15 years from now like we hear every day. Worse than that, 15 months from now. That puts us out of The Dave Ramsey Show. You can listen to Dave, Rachel Cruz, Chris Hogan, or the rest of the Ramsey Network anywhere with the Ramsey Network app on your smartphone. Catch all of our full shows, browse by the Ramsey Network app on your smartphone.

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