The Ramsey Show - App - My Husband Wants To Put Us in Debt for a Tesla (Hour 2)

Episode Date: August 24, 2021

Debt, Savings Sign Up for a FREE trial of Ramsey+ TODAY: https://bit.ly/3rZTUAx Tools to get you started:  Debt Calculator: https://bit.ly/2Q64HME Insurance Coverage Checkup: https://bit.ly/...3sXwUn5 Complete Guide to Budgeting: https://bit.ly/3utmVXi Check out more Ramsey Network podcasts: https://bit.ly/3fHhbVE

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music
Starting point is 00:00:16 Music Music Music Music Music Music Live from the headquarters of Ramsey Solutions, broadcasting from the Dollar Car Rental Studios, it's the Ramsey Show, where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW
Starting point is 00:00:41 as the status symbol of choice. I'm Dave Ramsey, your host, Dr. John Deloney. Ramsey Personality is my co-host today. Open phones here at 888-825-5225. Elizabeth starts this hour in San Antonio. Hi, Elizabeth. How are you? Hi, I'm doing great.
Starting point is 00:01:02 So, what's going on? I actually wish I was calling to say to do my debt-free scream. I've been wanting to do that for a long time. We are debt-free. The house is paid off. The cars are paid off, everything. I am working full-time and as a student also. And then in about a year, I'll go full-time where I won't work also for nursing.
Starting point is 00:01:27 And my husband, he works full-time. He's a Ph.D. scientist. And then we have an 18-year-old son who has moved out and started a business. He didn't want to go to college. Cool. Elizabeth, how can we help today? Sorry. Okay, just wanted to lay the foundation.
Starting point is 00:01:51 So we've got everything paid off, and my husband wants to buy an all-electric vehicle. And we were going to save up for it to pay cash. And currently we have two Prius that are not the plug-in kind. And suddenly now, today, he wants to go purchase it he feels like there's a sudden need that we need to do it now because of everything that's going on in the world and that this is the time not wait so we're also cash flow in my school and so we do have what's going on in the world that demands that you get a plug-in vehicle today. I didn't watch the news this morning. So he feels like we, like, potentially in the future. We're going to have no gas.
Starting point is 00:02:36 Yeah, yeah, and that we would be better off getting it now. We haven't really talked about getting the electric vehicle. Wait a minute. Are you telling me the guy has a Ph. phd and he truly believes there's going to be no gasoline no not no gas no just okay so we're both very frugal and we um so you know what is going on in the world that demands that you buy an electric vehicle you said he think with all that's going on in the world what the crap does that mean well that the demand for electric vehicles is going up and that they are harder and harder to get and there's a long wait list for you know all the ones that are on the market right now
Starting point is 00:03:14 um in other words i want an electric vehicle and i don't want to wait not a long way and so i'm just now i'm making up crap to worry Okay, so what's your household income? So our household income is about $155. He makes $113. I make about $43. Okay, and what are you buying? What kind of a car is he wanting, like a Tesla? So we're between the VW ID.4.
Starting point is 00:03:50 The Bolt was just recalled on Friday, so we can't get that one, which was much less expensive. And then our only other option really is the Tesla. Okay. So let me help you with the math to start with. You can drive that freaking Tesla to the moon and back and mathematically you will never justify how much more you've spent on the tesla than you're paying on than you than the value of your prius you know how much time it's going to take you to recoup 45 000 in electric and gas savings the rest of your freaking life. Okay?
Starting point is 00:04:31 So let me just tell you, mathematically, this is asinine that we're using the idea that we're saving money because we're frugal to get an electric car. Now, if you want to go get a Tesla, fine. Go get you a Tesla, but pay cash for it. But you don't say, oh, everything that's going on in the world and we're frugal people because both of those things are stupid butt statements because they don't have anything to do with reality okay that you know everything that's going on in the world they're making teslas you can get a tesla i mean there's not you know and they're not going to be like not able to get one and if you're not able to get one like a delorean that means you didn't want one because they went broke okay and elon didn't make it you know but um
Starting point is 00:05:10 but the uh but if you get one which is fine i got several friends that have bought them um i prefer a motor but that's okay get you one it gets you a battery it's okay and so but but the point is you guys make enough money to pay cash for a $60,000 car. Here's what I think. In cash, and you wait till you buy it. When our brains go to fight or flight, when we're scared, it actually has a cool bypass mechanism in your brain that turns off your critical thinking part of your brain. Because it didn't want you sitting at the front of a cave
Starting point is 00:05:45 wondering, is that a nice tiger? Is that a fluffy one, a petting tiger? It just wanted you to run or to grab a stick and go to war because if it happened to be a mean tiger and you thought it was a nice one, you were going to be dead, right? And so it's a cool little feature our brains have
Starting point is 00:06:01 where it trades speed for accuracy close enough and it sounds like you've got a husband who loves you loves your kids and is consuming 24 7 365 news and he's worked himself up in a panic and he's sitting there at home and at home and at home and what i need to do i need to do something i need to do something and he can go down a rabbit hole that's gonna shoot him out one media uh slide that's gonna tell him we're gonna be out of oil it's gonna be 111 a gallon it's gonna be this and that and then he comes up with a solution that makes no mathematical sense rational sense climate it makes no sense but it feels like it's the right thing to do. And what I need that guy to do is to close the devices, get connected to a human being,
Starting point is 00:06:51 go sit down and tell somebody, I'm terrified and I'm about to make a wild decision that doesn't make any mathematical sense, doesn't make any rational sense, that I'm not okay with that. And it's contrary to my goals. It's not where I want to be. The goals of this family have been to become and be debt-free.
Starting point is 00:07:09 And out of left field, Mr. Ph.D. dumps into the middle and goes, Ah! We've got to finance a Tesla! I'm going to buy a depreciated computer. Because there's not going to be any in everything that's going on in the world. You're right. His brain is completely shut down. It's devoid of critical thinking skills.
Starting point is 00:07:23 Let's go to the end thing here. Let's say we do run out of gas, Dave, or gas becomes 170. I'm just having fun for a second. It's not fun. And it does. Having an electric car will be the... Your neighbors will line up in your driveway to shoot you if you're the only electric car. So the world that you are predicting that you're going to solve for is not going to look like the world you have now, plus you have an electric car.
Starting point is 00:07:45 So it's okay that when I panicked, I bought bullets. I'm not saying that's okay. I'm saying that... Yes. Way to go, Dave. So what I'm saying is, when you solve for chaos, you're solving an improbable math problem.
Starting point is 00:08:02 Right? So, what does that mean? It means you're not okay. Yeah. Your husband spun out. Yeah. And he needs to put the computer down, put the debit card down, and go sit down and talk to somebody. He's not okay. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:08:12 Or get some friends in his life. This is, this is, yeah. Whew. Stop the panic. Stop the madness. Yeah. And I'm just shaming him straight up for his panicking. I mean, for his lack of critical thinking skills. Because it's just silly.
Starting point is 00:08:25 Stop. Stop. It's just silly. Stop. Everything that's going on in the world. A drama queen. You know? Come on.
Starting point is 00:08:31 Seriously. This is The Ramsey Show. Hey, I'm Christi Wright. Listen, I know how easy it is to feel anxious in our crazy, busy world. That's why I want to tell you about an app called Glorify. Glorify is the number one daily worship and well-being app, and it will give you tools that will help you ease stress and anxiety in your life. Just search for Glorify in your app store. It's free to download and use. And if you like it, you can access their entire content library at half price by using the promo
Starting point is 00:09:22 code Christy. So so download glorify today you picture your life with no payments maybe that's tough tough right now. Maybe you're living paycheck to paycheck. You're worried about money chipping away at debt. I know it's overwhelming. But let me tell you, when that debt's gone, you know what you get? Peace, security, options, freedom, the ability to build wealth, the ability to be outrageously generous. When you don't have any payments, you know what you can do?
Starting point is 00:10:05 Anything you want. And you can do this with Financial Peace University. It's our step-by-step plan that teaches you how to save and spend wisely, how to build wealth, and how to be outrageously generous. And it comes with the EveryDollar budgeting app, the premium version, and you get it all with a Ramsey plus membership nine lessons you go through the class this is the class that's on sale right now at a deal thirty dollars off the 12-month membership for ramsey plus and this is the class that millions
Starting point is 00:10:38 and millions and millions of people have gone through to start your free trial of ramsey plus text trial to 33 789 text trial to 33 789 so john let me ask you something tom i was thinking about that last call um the guy who's wanted to buy a tesla but i mean i've talked to people i i remember i had a guy that um he had this classic oh man it was like late 60s truck and it was perfect antique truck and he was a truck driver and he drove over the road five days a week and so he would drive his old truck to the uh terminal get in the 18 wheeler drive all week and then drive his old truck home he was in it twice a week and it was two miles to work so i go over there one day and i had always loved this i lusted after this old truck is it was
Starting point is 00:11:40 beautiful it was gone he had traded it for a brand new thirty thousand dollar ford pickup and i'm like dude why did you buy and he financed it of course i'm ready to kill him what what why did you buy a thirty thousand dollar pickup gas mileage was killing me four miles a week two over two back for a truck payment and he traded it for i mean there's no possible mathematical equation you know but isn't it weird how uh you know we in sales we used to say people buy emotionally and they uh they justify intellectually so there's that wasn't a fear based thing that guy was not in a panic he was not having the world's coming to an end and you're not gonna be able to get a tesla thing he'd not worked himself up into a watching too much of cnn and he's lost his dadgum mind or something it was not that he just got truck fever. He just got a Jones for a truck.
Starting point is 00:12:46 He saw something that he wanted, and he backfilled an argument. He went searching for an argument that validated his point. He found one. And it didn't. But in his head. All he was looking for is. But that's different than the flight or flight thing shutting down your critical thinking skills. No, that's when you go searching for a a a problem that backs up your
Starting point is 00:13:07 answer i need a new truck it's like jeopardy yeah i need i need to state the question yeah i like that's the answer i already know the answer and i got to state the question yeah so when we go looking for things in the world as a great famous quote there um whatever you go looking for the world you will surely find it. And so we do that with people we don't like. We do that with people we're angry with. We do that with people that we love. People stay in toxic relationships because I'm just going to only focus on the good stuff
Starting point is 00:13:37 and you'll talk to them and they'll say, well, yeah, he's only cheated on me four times and he doesn't hit me anymore. And your mouth's dropping open. But I've decided I'm only going to look for this. I'm not going to look at the full picture. Same with I want a new truck. I just look at that brand-new truck.
Starting point is 00:13:52 I can't afford that new truck. And then you start thinking, well, what about this truck do I not like? This gas mileage is killing me. And now I've painted a picture that's going to backfill the outcome that I want. We do it all the time. And that guy might have done that instead of panic. Do you think the Tesla guy? Potentially.
Starting point is 00:14:08 Usually when somebody comes home and starts laying out a case for... Like, I really like this Tesla. I think it's really cool. And so now I'm going to backfill the answer and go, well, the world's coming to an end. You're not going to be able to get a Tesla because the lithium and the batteries... There's a possibility. You know, the slave labor children aren't able to get enough lithium out of the mines, and so we're not going to be able to have batteries. There's a possibility you know that the slave labor children aren't able to get enough lithium out of the mines and so we're not going to be able to have batteries there's a possibility
Starting point is 00:14:26 more realistically though somebody's done they start beautiful minding it and they will look at this data point and this data point and that one will string them together and create a picture that's not true but that feels right and it justifies this panicked response we got to do something right now yeah and then you have this poor wife who's just going to school the guy in the movie with a beautiful mind's mind was not that beautiful no that's that's the irony that's right i mean it's he was he was crazier than a bane he's just struggling man but you start pulling together disparate data points to paint up whatever picture you want right and that's a big turn off the electronics sometimes just stop yeah well and it it does it is a little bit of affluenza the the flu-like symptoms of affluence ah yeah and so it's this
Starting point is 00:15:15 thing if you get the fever i got a fever for a tesla i mean you're fast those things go 060 yeah well but but you, there's battery shortages. Stuff is happening in the world. And then you just get stupid. Right. And you just, every one of us do. I catch myself doing it. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:15:36 At different times in my life. But it's just an interesting dichotomy to me because personal finance is 80% behavior, people. It's only 20% head knowledge knowledge i did it with you have to learn to deal with the idiot in your mirror to ever have any freaking money i did it with a guitar recently i have a guitar i've coveted for years somebody i work with cody back here says oh man i'm just about to sell mine i said well of course i got to see it so he brings it up to the office and we're me and james have a cool little band, and we're late. And now you're really coveting. You've gone full into biblical coveting.
Starting point is 00:16:09 It plays better than I could have imagined. Oh, yeah. And I'm thinking, why do I need another guitar to cost this much for once a year when I actually pull it all out and play? And how am I going to – you know what I mean? So it just begot – I began to backfill. I can create an argument for this. And at the end of the day, I have no need for this at all. None.
Starting point is 00:16:29 Zero. None. None. You walked away. Walked away. Well, James has it now. I sold it to James. So I can buy it any time I want, and he has the copy.
Starting point is 00:16:40 You know what? I haven't bought it yet either. But, yeah, it's – we do it all the time. Well, the thing about affluenza is that the more inputs you have on your computer, the more hours you spend on your computer, the more hours you spend in front of any screen, television or otherwise, the more advertising that happens. And you're getting about 4,000 to 6,000 ads a day.
Starting point is 00:17:09 Wow. If you're a typical consumer of television and computer time. And if you add to that only hanging out with people who think like you or at least don't love you enough to go, that's the stupidest thing I ever heard. If you don't have those people in your life life you just have a bunch of yes people around you yeah bro people in your life yeah bro then you're just gonna continue to reinforce what happens right before you do something really stupid yeah yeah yeah bro so it's it's it's all of the language yeah it's just been able to back out of that that's why it's something so simple like having
Starting point is 00:17:45 a budget yeah it just says you got something that are facts that hold you accountable accountable it's right and it doesn't have to be some friend that knocks you upside the head but it wouldn't hurt yeah but but you got a little piece of paper here that says when my brain was working this is what we agree this is what we agreed on right oh and it's if it doesn't align with that then possibly i need to back up my brain might not be working is there a gap between impulse and action yeah that's what a budget gives you that's what a friend gives you that's what a good spouse gives you that's what taking a walk around the block gets you is there a space between you know wait overnight or in in that guy, a minute ago, he's got a good wife.
Starting point is 00:18:25 Yeah. Who's saying, Ah, did you lose your mind, by the way? We just spent all this time paying off everything. Would you go find that brain? You left it outside on the sidewalk, I think. And you got to call each other out on it. And you go, that just doesn't make sense.
Starting point is 00:18:38 And if you know yourself like I know myself, I put barriers between me and... Right? Yeah. And, again, we're sitting here saying that we have both faced exactly the same stuff. But I've got to tell you, folks, the less television and computer time you have, the less financial stupidity will be in your life. Yeah. Because you're not getting impacted with as much advertising.
Starting point is 00:19:02 It's a pretty simple equation. This is The Ramsey Show. People always say, when I get this promotion, I'll be able to make a real impact. Wrong. When you make a solid plan on how you need to grow, you can become the leader you want to be. And that's why Ken Coleman, America's career coach and national best-selling author, wrote his new book, From Paycheck to Purpose, The Clear Path to Doing Work You Love. And it's available for pre-order right now.
Starting point is 00:19:44 If you want to grow or create a legacy in your career, you need this book. It's not just a concept. It's a proven, clear path that will walk anyone in any industry through a step-by-step plan to take their career to the next level. Plus, if you pre-order From Paycheck to Purpose today, you'll receive our Get Promoted bonus pack for free, which includes the audio book, e-book, disc assessment,
Starting point is 00:20:10 an exclusive talk from Ken, and access to our live event and more. Pre-order from Paycheck to Purpose at RamseySolutions.com. dr john deloney ramsey personality is my co-host today open phones at 888-825-5225 in the lobby of ramsey solutions on the debt-free stage in person. Britton and Allie are with us. Hey, guys, how are you? We're doing great. How are you, Dave? Better than I deserve.
Starting point is 00:20:51 Where do you all live? We're actually moving from Chapel Hill up to Minneapolis at the moment. Oh, wow. Yeah. We've got a trailer out in the parking lot. I love it. Well, just to do a little drive-by debt-free screen. Yeah. I like it.
Starting point is 00:21:01 How much did you guys pay off? So we paid off $140,000 in four years. Wow. Congrats. And your range of income during that time? We started making around $70,000 and then down to about $40,000 for a while and then up to around $110,000. Wow. Okay. What do y'all do for a living? I guess I've done everything from flying drones to selling bulk fertilizer to pest control, professional yo-yo entertaining. Pretty much anything you can think of. What are you going to be doing in Minneapolis?
Starting point is 00:21:29 I've actually got a job as a maintenance director. Okay. Great. And I'm a preschool teacher and I work with animals as well. I've also been a barn manager. Cool. Cool. You found something to do in Minneapolis already?
Starting point is 00:21:39 Yeah. I'm currently in the job interview process. Wonderful. What took you all to Minneapolis? What was the reason for going there? So I grew up in southwestern Minnesota, went to college in Minneapolis, and then Alia grew up just north of Minneapolis, and we went to the same school there. So it's going home. Going home.
Starting point is 00:21:53 Going home. Yep. We only moved down to Chapel Hill for a year just to kind of get out of the cities for a little while and experience something new, and then we're going to be going back to the family farm. Oh, wonderful. Yep. Good for you guys.
Starting point is 00:22:05 That's fun. So what kind of debt was the $140,000? It was around, I want to say, $110,000 in student loans and then a car loan on top of that. Oh, wow. Yep. How long have you guys been married? Four years.
Starting point is 00:22:18 Oh, wait. Right three. Three years. Oh, yeah. I didn't forget. The wife is the one that forgets. It's all right. It's okay. You're kind of on the spot forgets. It's all right. It's okay.
Starting point is 00:22:25 You're kind of on the spot on the radio and everything. It's okay. Yeah, that's fine. All right. So you've been married about the amount of time you've been working on this debt. Yep. Okay. And so tell me the story.
Starting point is 00:22:39 What made you guys, as soon as you get married, you say, we're going to knock out $140,000 in debt fast? So for me, we both went to the same school. It was in-state, but it was not cheap. Kind of went through that whole pushing it off until later process until we graduated. And then as a graduation present, my older brother gave me the audio book copy of Total Money Makeover. And I remember the note that he sent with it said, I could have bought you a wallet, I could have bought you a belt, but those things will fade away. So instead, I'm going to give you something that if you apply it, it's going to change your entire life. Wow. He's always been one for good advice. So, you know, I sat down, listened to it. And I remember sitting on my bed in my parents' basement thinking,
Starting point is 00:23:16 this is the key to get out of the mountain of mess that I've made for myself. Yep. And he kind of dragged me along kicking and streaming at first. I grew up with a lot of medical debt in my family, and I always thought that's just how you live, is you have debt and medical problems come up and you can't get rid of it. And I always say that I'm going to cry, that he saved our marriage before we even had problems because if he wouldn't have got us on this path, then we would be where a lot of people are
Starting point is 00:23:50 and where my family is, and we have freedom because of him. That's powerful. That's incredible, man. I love it. We saved my marriage before we even had problems. Yep. And let's be honest,
Starting point is 00:24:04 he may have sat down and brought it to you, but you got along the journey, problems. Yep. And let's be honest, he may have sat down and brought it to you, but you got along the journey, right? Yep. And I guarantee there was times you drug him
Starting point is 00:24:11 kicking and screaming the other way too. Probably. Yeah. So how has it been? You guys have been somewhat nomadic, right? You lived where
Starting point is 00:24:18 you knew everybody and that comes with its own set of challenges. And then you said, forget everybody, we're moving to the woods in the south. And then you've had about enough. We're moving to the woods in the south. And then you've had about enough of that.
Starting point is 00:24:27 So now you're headed back. What's it been like going back and forth and having these conversations and deciding who we're going to be when we're free from all this? Yeah, well, actually, this past year was probably the best thing that could have ever happened to us. We have always planned to kind of leave the state for a little while because we always knew that we would spend the rest of our lives there but we um up and moved last september and just literally packed up our whole lives and drove across the country had breakdowns literally in kentucky and had to leave my car there and then drive the rest of the way and um but if we wouldn't have moved we actually shaved off a year of our debt just because of the move. And we lived with nothing. Like we didn't even have a microwave. Like we had nothing and we saved and like paid off all of our debt.
Starting point is 00:25:11 And it's been amazing. But you also proved to yourselves what we can live without. And what laughter and joy looks like without all these things we thought we had to have. And now you've got a new picture that is untethered to stuff and untethered to debt. And it's just you two taking on the world in Minnesota now. Yeah. Yeah. It's been life changing.
Starting point is 00:25:29 That's incredible. Good for you. Very powerful, y'all. Very powerful. How does it feel to be free? It's unbelievable. It's indescribable, definitely. You know, the past, I guess, since we started taking out loans eight years ago, it just
Starting point is 00:25:42 started piling up. Didn't really see the end of it. And then at the beginning of this year, I was sick and tired before, but decided I was really sick and tired now. So I talked to a couple of the guys that I knew that were doing handyman work, you know, making $150,000, $200,000 a year, just crushing it. And they gave me some great pieces of advice. And one of them was charge more. So I quadrupled what I was charging, and I was getting calls day and night, working weekends, working afternoons after work. And I remember sitting down at the kitchen table,
Starting point is 00:26:10 just adding up all the numbers. And she was in the kitchen and I got to that final number and I said, babe, we've got $3,000 left. And coming from where we started at 140, that it was peanuts compared to the amount that we started with. I just have a picture of my head of you at a birthday party surrounded by screaming little kids with a yo-yo just thinking, one more. One more birthday party and we're free, man. You're going to be throwing your yo-yos out on the highway on your drive back to Minnesota.
Starting point is 00:26:37 What an amazing journey you two. Congratulations. Thank you. Yeah, very well done. Very well done. What do you tell people the key to getting out of debt is? I mean, like most people always say, it's definitely the budget. But for us, there was something that, you know, you can't explain with numbers,
Starting point is 00:26:53 and that was keeping God at the forefront of our relationship. At the beginning of this year, we kind of made a decision to strengthen our relationship with God, and we did an in-depth Bible study every single week, you know, like clockwork and looking back on it, that's exactly the time that our debt payoff shovel tripled in size. For us, that was no coincidence. Yeah. It's been, um, quite a journey with God on this way. We started our marriage that way. We, um, started our vows like God is first and then we always say family second and work is third. And we just have always kind of trucked along that way. And it strengthened our bond and our love for each other.
Starting point is 00:27:31 And I feel like connection is one of the reasons that we made it. So if we wouldn't have pushed each other and supported each other and been there through all the tough times, because we've had some really rough times this past four years, but we wouldn't be here without him. And, yeah. Wow. Well, congratulations, you guys. Thank you.
Starting point is 00:27:52 Very, very proud of you. You are absolute heroes. Very well done. And if you've done this by now, I mean, the future is so bright. You guys can do anything. As John said, you're so tethered to the right kinds of things here, obviously, spiritually, but then that sets up the financial, and it sets up the careers.
Starting point is 00:28:12 So very, very well done. We've got a copy of The Legacy Journey for you, because that's the next chapter in your story. You've changed your legacy, changed everything. And a copy of The Total Money Makeover. You can give that away with a nice note to someone and start their journey the way your brother started one with you. That's a great note from your brother.
Starting point is 00:28:29 Very cool stuff. Very cool. All right. It is Britton and Allie. Newly or recently of getting ready to be again of Minneapolis, Minnesota. $140,000 paid off in four years, making $70,000 to $40,000 to $110,000. Count it down. Let's hear a debt-free scream.
Starting point is 00:28:48 Three, two, one. We're debt-free! Yeah! That's how they roll in Minneapolis. Powerful. Very well done. You had a young couple who hadn't been married
Starting point is 00:29:07 five years. For those of you who are listening and can't feel it, inspiring two old married men in his room. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:29:15 Just looking at it and saying, wow, that's what it looks like, man. Yeah. Well done, guys. That's very well done.
Starting point is 00:29:21 And that guy's got a way cooler, bigger brother than my little brother does. I did not think to get my little brother something that profound. Good grief. I'm going to call him and ask for a do-over. Wow.
Starting point is 00:29:38 Too late. Great older brother. This is The Ramsey personality, is my co-host today. You can also join him on the Dr. John Deloney, Ramsey personality, is my co-host today. You can also join him on the Dr. John Deloney Show. Email askjohn at ramseysolutions.com with your question. And Kelly and the team that produces that podcast will get back to you. It's Monday, Wednesday, and Friday right now. We're releasing those three days a week.
Starting point is 00:30:41 And it's all about you calling in and asking questions about your life, your relationships, all kinds of mental health things, boundary things. The show is a lot of fun. I always learn something listening to it, but I'm always also entertained because, you know what? You guys are just entertaining out there. That's what it amounts to. So same is true on this show, right? So you can also leave a voicemail for John and join that show at 844-693-3291. 844-693-3291. Now, on September 18th, we're going to be doing Financial Peace Accelerated,
Starting point is 00:31:20 which means we're doing the whole curriculum in one day. So you remember like in college you could do mini-term or summer, and it was like you could jam it all into one little thing, but we're going to do the whole thing in one day here at our headquarters. And, of course, we're going to be putting in the can some new videos to add into Financial Peace University and to replace some of the ones that are there. And if you want to be part of that, the tickets are a whole $20. You will be a studio audience, and you will be here in our headquarters at Nashville.
Starting point is 00:31:54 And so check out RamseySolutions.com if you want to plug into that. That's the next thing. And John will be part of that. I'll be part of that. Rachel will be part of that, and George Camel will be part of that. We're working on that this morning. be part of that and george camel george will be part of that we're working on that this morning i'm excited there's some new stuff in there that's going to be neat yeah there's a new lesson or a complete turnover of an old lesson but it's a update that makes it all brand new and it's really excited about that the one you and george are
Starting point is 00:32:19 working on i believe yeah and that's that's going to be excellent excellent some of the old standards will be there as well i'll be doing those and we're going to be teaching all day so it's going to be a fun day on september the 18th christopher is with us in miami hi christopher welcome to the ramsey show hey john hey dave how are you guys great man what's up well i got a question i've been following you for years um Finally got to baby step six. All my debt's gone. Everything, cars, I had a line of credit. All gone.
Starting point is 00:32:51 Everything's gone. Only thing left is the mortgage. Got about $52,000 left to pay off on it. And I have about $110,000 in savings. I'm actually working, technically working two jobs right now, thinking of transitioning or just doing the one, working for myself full-time. So I don't know. I mean, I really want to get rid of the mortgage. I want it gone. I want it dead because that's it. And then after that, I'm free. So I don't know if it's worth just grabbing $52,000 and throwing it at the bank and
Starting point is 00:33:23 saying, see you later, bye, or waiting it out. I guess maybe it's fear, the prospect of going out on my own full time kind of scaring me and wanting to hoard money a little more. So I would love to get your thoughts on that. Well, I mean, you said you've been listening to me for years. Yeah. That part was true, right? right yeah you're actually the first guy when i first got paid so you you tell me what am i going to say you're going to say to pay off the mortgage yeah and why haven't you already and listen here's the thing if you pay it off and
Starting point is 00:34:01 you get really really really scared and the world starts to come to an end. You can go get another mortgage. Sure. If you hate being debt-free, if you wake up in the middle of the night and go, Oh God, I'm debt-free! Then you can go get another mortgage. They'll be happy to loan you money
Starting point is 00:34:19 against something you already own. And you know what? That's never going to happen. I'll give you a money back guarantee on this it's not gonna happen i mean it's kind of silly you know that right right and so the weird thing is is your fear should not increase when you pay off the mortgage it should decrease right yeah true and i can't think of a better way
Starting point is 00:34:45 to go into business for myself than already have established clients, already have an established gig, $60,000 in the bank, and I don't owe anybody anything. Right? Yeah, that was the goal. The cash flow,
Starting point is 00:35:00 I kept looking at cash flow and I said, I need to be cash rich at this point. I can't have anything tied down in case there's ever a you know an up or a down or whatever it is so yeah that was exactly i i can i can promise you this uh i have never had in 30 years of doing this show someone call me back and go you know what i paid off my mortgage and it ruined my life it's just never happened i mean i got 22 million listeners today listening to this conversation right now none of them are going to call me and go you know dave you ripped me off man i mean you just you completely conned me on that mortgage thing
Starting point is 00:35:36 i felt so horrible when i paid it off that i had to go get me another mortgage or it's just never come up i just started a new business and i didn't have a mortgage payment and that really pisses me off dave never never heard that ever kristin's in midland texas hi kristin how kirsten hi kirst about but thanks yeah i'm pretty excited about it but uh yeah about a month ago um i ended up having to uh i faced an emergency and had to dip into my emergency fund and uh moved to midland and um i'm in the process of getting my emergency fund back up to $1,000. But I'm trying to decide because I have a medical situation that's urgent that I'm facing, but I also need to be moving out in six months. And I'm not sure should I be saving towards both
Starting point is 00:36:42 or, like, focus on the medical issue because i'm not willing to go back into debt over my medical stuff um yeah okay i i don't know i mean for me um medical things are because i'm a complete coward um they're all major so uh i you know i mean if you don't go do this medical thing what happens um like we die or i mean no i i mean sorry this is cast well i need about six teeth removed um and it's gonna be expensive and i don't have self-insurance. Okay. So what do you make?
Starting point is 00:37:29 What's your income? I make about $18 to $28 an hour. I work mostly off of tips, but the months that I've worked so far, I've averaged 18 to 28. So what will your dental surgery cost? I'm not sure I'm going to be getting the initial, like, what's happening with my mouth appointment pretty soon here, probably within a week or two.
Starting point is 00:37:57 Okay. I want you to get two different opinions on that. Okay. Two different quotes. Because it's going to be as expensive as putting a roof on your house and you you would get two quotes for the roofer and so you do the same thing with your dentist okay maybe three maybe three if they're far apart okay because i have found that the dental world is like a lot of other worlds that that the pricing is very, it's a wide spectrum.
Starting point is 00:38:28 So you may find a lot of difference in the two or three quotes. So I want you to do that. Then once you have that number, then you also need to put a number down that says what it's going to take for you to live not where you are, because you said, I have to, quote, move out. Are you with family or something? Yeah. My brother, he's the one who helped me get out of debt by using y'all's program.
Starting point is 00:38:58 He's letting me rent from him for six months to help me get on my feet. Good. Very nice of him. What a good guy. I want you to work. I want you to work all the time, as much as your body will allow you to work, and I want you to pile up as much cash as you can pile up,
Starting point is 00:39:14 because I think you can make enough to do both of these things in six months. Okay. You have two goals. Partying is not one of them. Going onying is not one of them going on vacation is not one of them fixing your mouth is one of them and getting on your feet
Starting point is 00:39:33 in a sustainable situation is one of them and you can make enough at 20 bucks an hour to do that in 6 months but that's all you're you're not going to do anything else and sometimes it gets real scary when you don't have real data to work with. So get those numbers in front of you.
Starting point is 00:39:48 Get those numbers in front of you and then apply your income to that. And you can see that what I'm saying is correct. And then you'll calm down and go do it. Yeah. This is The Ramsey Show. Hey, it's Kelly, associate producer and phone screener for The Ramsey Show. If you would like to do your debt-free scream live on the show, make sure you visit theramseyshow.com and register.
Starting point is 00:40:18 We would love for you to come to Nashville and tell Dave your story.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.