The Ramsey Show - App - Other People Are Your Emergency Fund for Life (Hour 2)

Episode Date: November 20, 2020

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Live from the headquarters of Ramsey Solutions, broadcasting from the Dollar Car Rental Studio, this is the Dave Ramsey Show, where America hangs out to have a conversation about your money and your life. I am John Deloney, here with my good friend and co-host, Anthony O'Neill. We're here to take your calls about your relationships, your money, your life, everything in between. Yeah. Anthony, how are we doing? I'm doing good, man.

How are you doing, man? You are just winning right now with the Dr. John Deloney Show. You drop in new episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on YouTube. I mean, you are just really, I mean, your numbers are through the roof. Let's just be honest. We're having some fun. No, no, no, no, no. You're so humble. Let me be arrogant for you. You're doing numbers like 20,000, 30,000, 50,000. And even one of your videos got like 300,000 views. We're doing good, man. And you're a rookie. Hey, trust me. You can watch that show and you can find out real quick that I'm a rookie.

But what I'm saying is those are not rookie numbers, man. I'm just excited to have you on the team because here's what, America, this guy is helping people and helping people get their mind and their mental perspective correct. And so I just want to say live on the air in front of

17 million people, thank you for what you do and it's so cool to be on this team so i'm grateful for you man you've blazed the trail see my god he's like yes i agree with him anthony you know like i like him i like him man but honestly america check out his show y'all check out his show that's not why we're here today but that's right so give us a call at 888-825-5225 888-825-5225. Nah, you make me all blush, Anthony. Yeah, don't blush. I'm already pale enough, man, and it's not.

I'm blushing. We're two men here. There should be no blushing. All right, let's go to Miller in Athens, Georgia. Miller, how are we doing? Doing well, John. Ditto to what Anthony said. Thank you for everything you do.

Well, I appreciate you. How can we help today? So I have an 11-year-old stepson. He's been – I've been his stepdad since he was two and a half years old. And I just feel like I'm not being the stepdad that he needs. I'm a little harder on him than I am on my actual biological kids, and I can tell. He was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago. We've got him on some good medication for while he's at school to help him control his impulses. He's very impulse. He doesn't really have a great inner monologue. Um, but he's, he's, he's just full of life. He's great. He's inventive. He wants to be an engineer. He loves to build

things, but I know I'm harder on him than I should be. And I just want advice, um, on how to be a better stepdad. Now, hold on, hold on Miller Miller, explain to me why do you think you're harder on him? Give us an example of why you think you're harder on him than you are to your son. I know that there's sometimes, so he can be a little argumentative, which, I mean, he's an 11-year-old boy. He's getting close. He's probably starting puberty and getting that way. But he does question things a little bit more than what I would probably like. Sometimes I don't really – I jump on him before I let him talk.

I just get on to him a lot sooner than I probably should. My wife has tried to talk to me. I need to pick my battles and things like that, which I feel like I've gotten a lot better at. But, you know, I just want to be better for him. I want him to look back when he's in his 20s and say, you know, thank you for being my stepdad instead of looking back and resenting me thinking thinking that I wish I had had somebody else or I wish I was able to live with my real dad or anything like that. I know I could be better for him.

Miller, I want to just tell you, dad to dad, I am honored to be talking to you today. If every father in America, much less stepfathers, had the heart you have, have the desire to want to raise a remarkable young man, the way you do, the world would be a better place.

So just the fact, Miller, that you are asking this question is a gift. The second thing is, let me ask you a couple of questions. One, is his real dad in the picture? He is. He lives about three hours away from us.

And his dad is in the medical field. So he is busy a lot. And he doesn't get to see him as much as I know my stepson would like. But, yeah, he's in the picture. He FaceTimes. He calls. We have a great relationship. So, yeah, he's still very much in the picture.

What other kids are in the house? I have a 12-year-old daughter, and then we also have a 3-year-old little girl and a 1-year-old little boy. Very cool. So a good blended family here with a dad, two dads who've chosen to be grownups and to honor each other for the sake of these kids. Man, you are so far ahead of the curve, Miller. Here's a couple of things I can tell you.

I haven't gone through this. I've walked alongside people, but I haven't experienced it. And Anthony, you've lived this as that little boy, and so I'd love to hear your insight. Here's a couple of things I would tell you about being around a young boy who is 11 or 12 and is struggling with ADHD and is connecting with his dad. Number one, your relationship with your daughter is going to be different than with your son. And so I would hesitate. I'd give yourself some grace in comparing the two.

It's easy to compare it thinking it's biological, but there's also going to be a gender gap there. And so give yourself some grace. Lean into high touch, high connection with this boy as opposed to high information. The temptation that especially men when they're trying to raise other men, we only have a few tools in our toolkit most of the time. And those are volume and strength and information. And one of the greatest gifts we can give to a young boy, especially one who has processing challenges, which is what ADHD is, just a processing issue. It's a connection issue, is letting him know every day, hey, I chose to be your dad.

I met your mom, and you came with her, and I chose to be your dad, and I'm so glad I did. If you will say that sentence to him for the rest of his life, he will grow roots, deep, deep roots. If you will say every morning, Hey, before you leave, before you go upstairs to zoom school or whatever y'all are having to do there in Athens, come give me a hug. And you squeeze him hard and say, I'm so glad I get to be your daddy. I'm so glad that I chose to step in here and be your dad. And then remember this third thing here. Every time you're about to cut him off, every time you're about to give him information, every time you're about to scold him,

remember this. He is watching you way more than he's listening to you. And so if you want to model for him, what a caring husband looks like, what a caring dad looks like, what a compassionate father figure looks like, then I want you to remember that you're, you're, you're giving him a picture as opposed to what, what you're, what the words you're coming out of your mouth. Right? And so do this Miller. I want to get Anthony's take on this. I'm going to hold you over the break. Cause I want to follow up here.

Cause I've got some academic info, but Anthony's walk this walk. So stay tuned Miller. This is the Dave Ramsey show. Life sure has a lot of twists and turns. Unlike a roller coaster, we never know what's around the bend. The same can be true with unanticipated medical bills. That's why Christian Healthcare Ministries, or CHM, is a great option for those who are faith-focused and budget-conscious.

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visit online at chministries.org slash budget. That's chministries.org slash budget. This is the Dave Ramsey Show. I'm John Deloney, joined here with my co-host Anthony O'Neill. We're talking to Miller in Athens, Georgia. And Miller's a stepdad. He's got a biological daughter. He's 12 years old.

He's got a wonderful, energetic, exciting stepson who's 11 years old. And he just called in because he wants to be a better stepfather. What are some things he can do to be a better stepfather? Is that about right, Miller? That's correct. That's awesome. So before the break, I gave you a couple of thoughts about looking at ADHD as a connection issue. It's not a brain disorder.

Your son's not broken. He's been through a lot. And normally kids who have been through a divorce season, your daughter's probably experiencing this too, quite honestly, just it manifests itself differently in different kids, is that kids backfill that tension in the home with it must be my fault somehow.

And it will manifest its way in perfectionism. Kids who double down on straight A's, it will manifest its way in perfectionism, kids who double down on straight A's, it will manifest itself in excitability, and I'll get your attention through movement, through shaking, through being loud, so on and so forth. And you are, as far as I'm concerned, dad of the year, just for even asking the question. And often men lean into little boys with information and strength and focus and discipline. And little boys are just like little girls, and they need connection. So we talked about connecting with your young son, but I'm blessed here to have Anthony with us who has lived this. He's walked this walk.

And so, Anthony, when you're hearing me talk to this dad, when you're hearing this extraordinary father here, let us know what's going on in your heart and mind. Yeah, you know, right before the break, man, I'm glad I didn't go before the break because this is kind of an emotional conversation for me. Like it even brings tears to my eyes because my stepfather and stepmother, I refuse

to call them step-parents. My parents, I have four loving parents who I look at them all equally. Miller, I want to ask you a question, man. I want you to be honest with me. Do you love him the way you love your son that you

actually birthed? with me Do you love him the way you love your son That you actually birthed Absolutely Do you Feel as if Even a slightly A little Difference like okay yeah that's my son And that's my stepson I love him but you know that's still

My son like you can say here on the show In front of 17 million people And not just us but in front of God, that you genuinely love that young man just as much as you love your other son. I do genuinely love him. I do. Then what I want you to

do is for yourself, stop calling yourself a stepfather because there's nothing step about you. You are a father. And I think that one of the greatest things that both my other parents did was they showed me love more than told me how much they loved me and especially on my other mother i treated her like crap and she was there from day one. My father, other father,

was the first man that I knew because my biological father was fighting overseas. And to this day, I heard you say something earlier that you want your son to get in his 20s and say, thank you, Pops pops miller and i can assure you that before he's in his 20s he will say thank you dad if you just sit there and you just love him um don't even bring up adhd because i tell America this, uh, the world said I had ADHD because I was just like your son.

You know, I was, I have a lot of energy still to this day. Some people look at me like, is this boy crazy? Like, is he sick? No, I just have a lot of energy and I got to remind myself that I have to focus. And my mom was like, maybe we should put him on medicine. Do you know who told my mom? No, not my other dad, my stepfather, my other father. And he said, no, we are not going to do that. There is nothing wrong with Anthony. He is going to be okay. I am going to step up. I am going to be on him harder

than Yvette, which is my sister, harder than my brother, which is my younger brother, John, you know, and I'm going to make sure that he is okay. And that's why in my book, Debt-Free Degree, the first chapter is proper prior planning prevents poor performances because my father, other father, will wake me up every night and will make sure that I was focused and that I was focusing on my future. And so Miller, we don't have to tell you how to be a better father

because you are already a great father. I think this call was to encourage you and all the other fathers out there who are stepping up to the plate and filling in that role as the biological father that you all keep doing what you're doing. And right now you may not feel appreciated right now. You may feel like you're not doing enough, but I promise you you're doing more than enough. And before this young man graduates high school, he will look at you in your face and say, thank you for the role you've played in my life as a father.

And I'm trying not to cry because I'm going to hang up this phone and call my daddy, my other daddy, and tell him thank you. Because to this day, I am that man. And I am a man because of the roles that all four of my parents have played. And so, Miller, man, I am. How old are your kids? Twelve, eleven, three and one. Cool, man, because because because I just love what you're doing, man. I'm going to say on the phone, I'm going to send you a copy of my book, Debt Free Degree, because you got young kids that need to go to college debt free. And with everything that you're doing right now, I believe that you'll do that. So stay on the line with Kelly.

That's my gift from you because I wish I could do so much more, man. Thank you, Anthony. Yeah, man. We need more fathers like you. So, Miller, we are in a season of thanks. And it's a great time for you to do this one exercise tonight. I want you to write a letter to this little boy and I want you to prepare to read it to him on Thanksgiving.

And while you're at it, go ahead and write one to your daughter, go ahead and write one to your wife. And I want there to be a new, um, a new, you know, um, a new tradition in the Miller household. And that's where dad stands up and says,

I'm grateful for the folks sitting around this table, and here's why. Wow. And if you're like me, I'd have to write it down because I couldn't get through it just off the top of my head. I'd start crying two seconds in, and that would be it for me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I want you to lean into that, and I want you to let that little boy know, I'm so grateful that I chose to be your dad.

I'm so grateful. And you know what? Can I add something to that? You can add anything you want to. Can I change that a little bit? Absolutely. Sure. Yep.

And if it sucks, tell me it sucks. Okay. Instead of forgiving it to him on Thanksgiving, give it to him when he graduates high school. I say both. I like that. Little boys can't hear enough that their daddies are super proud of them, that they love them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I would say, yeah, I would definitely do that because when he's 17, 18, he can really understand that more.

That's right. And to all the dads out there, remember, remember, they're watching you way more than they're listening to you. Yes. They're watching you way more than they're listening to you. Yeah. And I want to say this, too. Right here on the Dave Ramsey Show. We just praise all the fathers and stepfathers stepping up.

If you're a father and you're not fathering, you need to step up. If you have kids out there that you're not helping the mother take care of them, you need to step up. Because the reason why young men are just making some of the poor decisions in the world today, not just young men but young ladies, is because of the lack of fathers. Well, even more than the lack of fathers is the dads who have been stressed out fried out burned out by covid this year you're exhausted you're worrying about your job you're worrying about this and this and your temper has gotten shorter and shorter and you've started treating yourself poor and poor and that makes it easier to spend another night in front of netflix another night in the recliner, another night disconnected from your kids. They're not present.

Be present. Yeah. Whether you've just abandoned them completely or you are alone in a crowded room in your home, this is the season to turn it around. Be an engaged dad. Be a dad that says, I'm sorry. Be a dad that says, I'm going to do better. Be a dad that says, I'm so grateful that you're my kids. Yeah.

So grateful that you're my kids. Yeah. So grateful that you're my kids. This is The Dave Ramsey Show. Blinds.com's 100% satisfaction guarantee means even if you mismeasure or pick the wrong color, they'll remake your blinds for free. You get free samples, free shipping, and with the new promos they run every month, you'll save even more. Use promo code Ramsey to get the best deal. Rules and restrictions apply. All right, Anthony, today's question comes from Jessica in New York. Jessica writes, I've been working through Baby Step 2 and I'm exhausted. I'm currently working six days a week and I've had a series of Murphy issues happening besides

COVID, such as pest issues, car repairs that I've had to cash flow. I'm so tired of the schedule and working a job I hate to pay debt. How do i overcome exhaustion and depression while in baby step two well you know when it comes to you know the exhaustion depression part i want you to talk into that but for me i want to respectfully say jessica welcome to life i mean everyone's being hit with all kinds of things from covet this year. I've had some car issues come up. I haven't had any pest issues, but I've had a lot of different issues come up. And the key thing that I've learned from myself is to instead of allowing me to get overwhelmed with this, just to sit down and write down the priorities. OK, what do I need to take care of first?

What is priority? And just go down that line i think a lot of the exhaustion depression um anger comes from self-inflicted stuff it's like hey okay listen you're on babysat number two so you're paying off your debt this means you should have a thousand dollars in emergency fund um pest issues and car repairs as you say you've already had a cash flow you know um the pest issues you don't want mice and stuff running around your house. So you need to get that fixed. So it's okay to pause baby step number two, go to your $1,000 emergency fund,

take care of this pest issue, get your $1,000 back up, and then jump back on to baby step two. One of the key things that I think is so important to hear, and John, I really want you to talk to the exhaustion and depression side of this. But from the baby step perspective is we know something's going to come up. That is life. When it does come up, just step back, breathe, and attack what's important. And then just go down that list and then get right back going to the

baby steps so anthony i had this moment the other night my wife and i and i'm gonna get choked up here um did y'all argue no no my wife and i put the kids to bed oh and we were read the books we did the whole thing the you can picture my house the lights are out my wife headed to the bedroom and i was piddling around in the kitchen one light bulb on it's a dim lit kitchen and i heard my son's door open and i started to roll my eyes thinking oh here we go another bedtime issue you know what i mean i'm gonna ask him what are you doing up and he's gonna give me some excuse we're gonna go on that down that rabbit hole and he turned the corner and i his face, and he had tears running down his face. And I said, Bubba, what's wrong?

And his school had just been shut down again. Oh, wow. And he just came walking fast to me and hugged me and said, Dad, when does this stop? Wow. When does this stop? When does school getting shut down and not being able to go to church and not being able to hang out with my friends and you and mom are worried and stressed and Thanksgiving. When does this stop? Yeah.

And Jessica, I hear what you're going through. Everybody is exhausted. Yes. They're just fried. Yeah. Right? Yeah. And that's when my son had an important advantage.

He had other people. And I tell folks all the time, Anthony, other people are your emergency fund for life. Yes. You've got to have other people. Because in these moments when you become overcome with exhaustion, tired's in your head, exhaustion's in your soul. That's good. When you get exhausted, that's when you call somebody and you say,

I can't do this anymore and they say, yes, you can. Yeah. Or they say, I'm going to put together a Frito pie and I've got a half a bottle of wine,

I'm coming over. Yeah. Right? Or I'm going to put something on your doorstep because we're not supposed to be hanging out or whatever it is.

And I also want to lean into this word depression. We live in a culture now that we have sucked all of the nuance out of it. We've sucked all feelings out of it. We used to have sadness, frustration, anger, rage. We used to have all these emotions. Now we've got anxiety and depression.

That's it. And so be careful throwing that word around. Because I like what you said, Anthony. Unless you've got a diagnosis, unless you were working with a doctor, you're probably not depressed. You're probably just sad. Yeah. You're probably, this just sucks. Yep. You're probably just exhausted and worn out and you need other people to pick you up, to be there for you, to lean into you a little bit. And then it's your turn is going to come, right? Your turn is going to come, but this is life. This is hard. I want to flip this around,

Jessica, and high-five you. You're in baby step two. You had pest issues. You had car repairs, and you didn't just pull out a credit card. There you go. You cash floated. It's hard to see that you're winning when you're in the middle of it, but you are. You're taking steps in the right direction.

They're little steps, not near as fast as you want. You are exhausted. Get some people around you who love you and keep going and keep going and keep going as dave always tells us he reads the story the tortoise in the air every year every time he reads that book the tortoise wins yep one step after another just keep going we're with you we're with you jessica all right let's go to christian in mcallen texas christian how in the world are you? Let's see here. Whoops, I went to Chris in Atlanta.

Sorry, Chris. Chris in Atlanta. I saw Chris, and then I hit the wrong button there. Chris, but we're going to you, Chris. So what's up, brother? Not much, guys. How are y'all? Good deal.

Doing good. So this has got to be God's end, because y'all are the two that i was aiming to get to talk to i've been listening to y'all's podcast for about four weeks now four weeks on a long drive home every day and uh so my question is i'm on board man i'm all hyped up about starting i sold my four-wheeler for Baby Step One, sold my toys, and I'm all hyped up. But my wife, we're on two completely different pages. So she is not hyped up. She's Dave Ramsey's cuss word.

Every time we talk about it, we argue about finances. And where it stems from for her is her mother passed away a year ago quickly. Found out she had cancer, and four months later she was gone. And she's in this mentality of, you know, she's living for the moment, and, you know, she doesn't want to sacrifice anything in order to not do certain things like vacations or something. It all kind of comes from her mother passing so soon, and I don't know what to do. Well, one, Chris, first and foremost, thanks for being a husband who loves his wife, and thanks for reaching out. Appreciate you, and that tells me you've got a good heart around you and that you love your wife.

Anthony, what do you tell couples as they're wrestling with how are we going to get on board together? I don't really talk to a lot of married couples because, you know. But here's the thing I do want to suggest is this, Chris. I would look at how you are presenting it, and I can understand why another man's name who doesn't live in this house is like a cuss word. Because Dave Ramsey's name will not be stronger than Anthony O'Neill's name in my house. Okay. And so I think that how we present a better financial future is, is, is the wise way to go. So instead of her saying,

Bay, Dave Ramsey says, or Bay, Dave Ramsey was suggested. No, just say, Bay, Hey,

can we become debt free? You want to go on a vacation? I want to take you on the best vacation. Instead of going to Florida, we need to go to Italy, but we can't go to Italy racking up a bunch of debt. So my suggestion is, Dr. John, is that how do we package this, this conversation to where it's more attractive to his wife and that way she will get on board. And then here's what I am going to say. I'm going to say this. If your wife never wants to get on board, this plan is not worth you losing your marriage over.

Your marriage is the number one priority. Okay? And I believe together they can get there, though. That's right, Chris. It's about painting a picture just like Anthony said. Here's where we want to go. Here's where we want to be. That might be you being vulnerable and say, hey, all this debt scares me.

That might be you opening up to your wife in a way you never have. But it's about painting a picture about where you want to go. Not about what you're running from. I love what Anthony said. Not about what Dave's going to make you do. About who we are going to become together on this new adventure going this way. And your heart's in the right place, brother. Yeah.

This is The Dave Ramsey Show. This is The Dave Ramsey Show. I'm John Deloney, joined with my good friend and co-host, Anthony O'Neill. You're taking your calls on life and money. Now let's go to Christian. I'm going to hit the right button this time. Christian in McAllen, Texas. How are we doing, Christian? I'm doing well, John.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today. And for hitting the right button this time. So how can I help? Hey, yeah. So I've been down in Texas for about almost a year now. I've been deployed or mobilized with the Kentucky National Guard, and I'm 19 years old. I have been investing the entire time I've been down here. I've put away about $35,000 and I've had a tremendous year.

I've made about $24,000 in the stock market. I'm doing long-term five-year outlooks on all the companies I invest into. My question is, I'm about to be home in about a month now and I'll be starting college. I'm going to University of Kentucky for a finance degree to be a financial advisor. And I wanted to know, until next fall, should I be going out and looking for just job experience, or should I just keep on that grind of making money and investing it while I can at a young age? Christian,

how are you paying for school, bro? The Kentucky National Guard's got it covered. They've got my tuition completely covered. And after this deployment, I'll have what's called the 9-11 GI Bill. And they'll actually be giving me around $700 a month to go to school. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. So your main question is, what should you be doing between deployment and going to school? And so what are your options right now to work and continue stacking money or what? What's your other option? Just to go out and look for experience, get better at sales, just build up those crucial life skills and business skills, because I also like to run

my own business one day. Okay. So I like two of these things. I think you can do both of them at the same time. I'm saying work, stack up some money so you can invest some money because you already have $35,000 saved. I will sit down with a smart investor pro and see how you can you start sending some money into like a growth site mutual fund covered by IRA to start investing into your future. Would you say you're already doing that? So I would continue doing that and start investing a little bit more into that. But here's the flip side. I'm not really concerned about the actual trying to get the work experience. I want you to network. I want you to get out there and build relationships in the career field that you're trying to get into. Ken Coleman wrote a book that you need to read,

and I want you to stay on the line because 19 years old, $35,000 saved. You deserve a free copy of Ken Coleman's book because it will bless you. It's called The Proximity Principle. And one thing Ken talks about is if you really want to land your dream job, you need to be around some of the people who are doing what you already want to do. So don't focus on trying to get a job. No, get around the right people. This way, if you're building those relationships, tell them, hey, can I just come sit down with you for a day and just see what you're doing and just build a relationship with you and learn some things from you? Yeah, son, come on over.

You know, find two or three people and just build that relationship. Take them out to coffee, man. You got enough money saved and just ask them a bunch of questions. And when they talk, you listen and you just keep asking questions and show them that you're hungry, show them that you're passionate, tell them you're about to go to school to learn this. And what you'll find is when you go to school and you get that education, you're going to have three people who are willing to put their name on you and vouch for you. OK, so that's what I would really do. Work a little bit over here so you can generate some income. And then on the flip side, really focus on trying to build some business, some business relationships that will benefit you in the future.

So I want you to stay on the line. Kelly's going to give you a copy of King Coleman's book, Proximity Principle. And then also, too, I think you need to listen to King Coleman's show, Monday through Friday, because he will definitely walk you through the process and the journey on how to land your career job. He's the number one career expert in the U.S. right now. All right, let's go to Caitlin in Pittsburgh. Caitlin, how are we doing? Good. How are you guys? Good. Thanks for hanging out with us. What can we do to help?

Yeah, thank you for taking my call. So I just got accepted into medical school for next year. Congratulations. Thank you. And I just worked really hard the last few years to pay off my undergrad debt because I did the typical thing of taking about a lot of loans and going to a private school and I'm trying to not do that with medical school since like the medical school debt is a big conversation nowadays so I just wanted you guys's advice on whether or not you think it's a good investment or what are some tricks or ways to avoid medical school debt. Well, there are no tricks. Let me just be real with you, Caitlin, all right?

One of the key things that I'm teaching people is just stop saying I'm trying to not take out student loan debt and just go ahead and take debt off of the table completely. So when you take debt off of the table completely, it's going to force you to look at different options. Okay, so let's go down that path. Okay, if I'm not going to take out student loan debt, student loans are out of the picture. What are your options? And let me tell you right now, it's not going to be a lot

and it's going to be hard, okay? But you can do it. Now, you say you've already been accepted into a school. What school have you been accepted into and how much is it going to cost you? Uh, yeah. So I got into my school in Atlanta and they gave me an academic scholarship of 50% tuition. It's just the other half. I'm worried about cashflow because I just paid off all of my undergrad loans. Okay. And how much is that? How much is it going to cost you? Let's say a year to cashflow that. How much will you need a year? A year is looking at like $25,000. Okay.

And how much do you make a year right now? $70,000. Okay. you are you living on your own are you living with family um i'm living on my own okay all right so let me ask you this question if it's hard if you can pick up a side hustle if you can get online and find some scholarships let's say for example you can find another ten thousand dollars and i'm giving my website and if you really do the work i promise you you can find at least ten thousand dollars scholarship I'm giving you my website. And if you really do the work, I promise you, you can find at least $10,000 scholarship. Can you cash flow the other 15,000? I, I believe so. I I'm doing the baby steps right now. Cause I I'm a recent listener. So I don't have a lot of credit card debt. I have about like 500 left on a credit card. And then I'm in a lease that I'm trying to get out of. So definitely if I work on that aspect, I think I can do it.

I'm just worried about the next three years, like after this additional year, because I won't be employed, obviously, after this year. Okay. All right. So here's the thing. Here's the next question you got to ask yourself. It's going to be a hard one. Is it time for you to go to medical school right now? That's the question that you got to ask. And then you have to be a hard one. Is it time for you to go to medical school right now? That's the question that you got to ask. And then you have to be honest with yourself.

Now, let me give you some things that I'm seeing working. There are certain states, there are certain hospitals in certain states that are low on nurses, doctors, nurse practitioners, that if you can go to those states, if you're willing to transfer for two years, if you go over to my states, if you're willing to transfer for two years, if you go over to my show, the Anthony Neal show on YouTube, I interviewed two doctors that went to school 100% debt free because they were willing to go to a rural area and serve in that community. And that hospital paid for their medical degree. And so maybe going to school right now is not the best option,

but if you're really looking for it, from scholarships to possibly moving to a state or a city that you may not want to be in so you can get your experience, so you can get your degree and then come back to your state or city after like two years,

that might be an option. But if you're telling me you can't cash flow $15,000, then we have an income problem that we need to address first, then we need to look at the medical school. Make sense? Right. Yeah, that makes sense.

Yeah, so I would ask yourself, and honestly have a hard conversation with yourself. You don't have to answer it here on the show because I think that's something you really need to ask yourself. Look yourself in the mirror. Is it time for me to go to medical school right now? And if the answer is no, take a year, pay off the rest of your debt. And then if you're making $70,000, your income should go up next year to $75,000. You can cash flow $25,000 and be done with your program within the next two to three years. And Anthony, you hit on an important point.

When it comes to law school, when it comes to med school, people get so excited when they get accepted. Yeah. They will just get in line and do any next thing. Yeah. And you can ask for a deferral. You can say, hey, I got in. I got this scholarship.

I want to roll it over, start next year. Yeah. And now I'm going to crush. To answer your question, $25,000 a year for med school is a good deal. It's a good ROI on that. Have the cash to figure it out. Thank you so much for the call. Go to med school and do some good things for some good folks.

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