The Ramsey Show - App - Should I Pay Off My Fiancee’s Debt? (Hour 2)

Episode Date: June 12, 2024

Welcome to the Ramsey Show where we help you win in your life. We want you to win with your money, win in your relationships, and win in your profession. I'm Ken Coleman. Rachel Cruz joins me this hour. The phone number for you to jump in with your question is 888-825-5225, 888-825-5225. We started off this hour in Des Moines, Iowa. Kip is joining us there. Kip, how can we help? Hey, so I'm 14. I live out in the country and I have this mini business called Horse Lake Helpers because it started in a little neighborhood called Horse Lake. And my friend and I are wanting to expand out into the city because we think we've gotten most of the customers that are willing to let us work for them. And first,

I just am wondering if you think it's a good idea to move into the city or stay where we're at. And second of all, if we do move to the city to send the postcards to the mail, which is how I want to do it, or how my friend wants to do it, which is just to come up to their house and put the postcard in the mailbox. All right. Well, let me take that part of the question on first because that's illegal. Everywhere in the United States, you can't put something in a mailbox that doesn't have postage on it. However, you ever driven by a mailbox and seen like a flyer stuck between the red flag and the mailbox?

Interestingly enough, that's not illegal. But I love the moxie of your partner on this deal. But let's not do anything illegal. But I think that I'd go another step further. I wouldn't do the flyer on the mailbox. I was just giving you an example of that. I'd be knocking on doors and letting people look you right in the eye and tell them exactly what you're doing. I think the fact that you're 14. Yeah, Kip, how old's your partner? I love that. How old's the business partner? He's 13. What do you guys do? How are y'all getting there? How do y'all get to the city? His dad will be taking us on the days that we have jobs. What's your business again? Horse Lake Helpers. Now, what does that mean? It's just

the name of the neighborhood that it started in and then helpers because it sounds nice oh no no no i'm saying what are you helping people what are you doing what's the business oh okay so we do the three things that we have marketed is walking dogs mowing lawns and washing cars cars. Okay. Which of the three, hold on a second, which of the three do you do, I mean, rank those three services, walking dogs, mowing lawns, washing cars, rank those and how much you're doing. Which one is the most popular service? Definitely the, do you mean by how many times I've done it?

Yeah. Are people wanting you to mow their lawn more than they are wash their car, or do they want you walking their dogs? What's the most popular service? Walking dogs. Oh, really? And what's next? Then probably mowing lawn.

I haven't had a car wash in a while. Okay. All right. Well, that's good. So, Kip, I mean, you're 14. The answer is? Well, when school starts, I don Kip, I mean, you're 14. The answer is? Well, when school starts, I don't know. I'm like the mother hen here.

I mean, I think entrepreneur, we may have different takes on this. There's a part of me that I'm like, you know, I think expanding business and all of that, I think that's all great. I think it's all great. I also don't want you to get in over your skis, as some would say, that you're 14 and you have school and sports. Okay, hold on. I don't know. I think you're doing an incredible job, Kim.

I mean, we are all about this. This is how you make money. Honestly, if you're a teenager, instead of working at a fast food place, do this. You're going to make so much more money. But also, I don't know like you're you're driving to other parts maybe that for the summer let me let me dig in a little bit all right i can't appreciate the mother hand but we got to find out if he's ready to expand okay all right so you and

your buddy want to expand because you feel like you've run out of places to talk to about your three services clearly the car washing thing it's a no-go in your area. Nobody wants your service. So there's a clue right there. All right. But the dog walking seems to be the reason why I asked what's the most popular is I want to know where your market is. And so in Des Moines, Iowa suburbs, people want their dogs walked. Is that what I'm hearing? Yeah. And you've run out of people who have dogs who might be interested. Is that what I hearing yes all right so how far is the city how far of a driver are we talking about uh probably like a 10 minute drive from my house great or maybe like seven from their house all right so we got to talk to dad uh we got to talk to the dad or the adults in your life and go if i schedule some dog walking how is that going to

inconvenience you all? Because to Rachel's point, somebody's got to get you even seven to 10 minutes away to where you can walk Rover for somebody. Okay. Now the, the cutting of lawns, same deal. So yeah, I would, but you know what I would do? I would pick a couple of neighborhoods to target. And I talked to your mom and dad and all the adults in your life. This is what I would do. And I would pick a couple of neighborhoods to target. And I'd talk to your mom and dad and all the adults in your life. This is what I would do. And I would say, what are the wealthiest neighborhoods in Des Moines? Okay.

Or whatever the city is. And that's where I would start because I would want to start and test this idea of expanding. And I'd go walking around the neighborhood and I would knock on doors, maybe put a little money into a nice flyer that show you and your buddy walking people's dogs we had um how long has this been open Kip how long have you guys been doing this probably around a year okay that's great how much by the way do you charge to walk a dog uh it was originally five dollars an hour but our our first client up to $10 an hour over the winter because they wanted to keep us around. So that's kind of become our main for everything else.

I love this kid. That's so great. Kip, you're amazing. I would raise my prices when I go to Des Moines, though. $10. Let me tell you something. I've never lived in Iowa, but I know people who live in Iowa. And when the winter comes, you might as well be at the North Pole. So if I'm walking

Rover in the winter, that's $25 an hour right there. Right? Okay. Anyway, I'm not with Rachel. I disagree with the mother hen here. You should be trying to expand. Yes, in seven minutes it's better. When I heard all this, I'm thinking they're going to

drive 45 minutes to do two dogs. They ain't driving anywhere. He's 14 and his partner's 13 the parent will be driving yes i know i know although i'll say this i i'd ride a bike seven to ten minutes uh made double that to ride a bike when i was your age i'd ride a bike i don't know if your parents would let you do that but we need more of that to school no i never walked to school but i rode my bike everywhere when i was 14 we need more freaking young people in america riding their bikes to walk the dog you could ride your bike into the neighborhood just put the old kickstand down and i'm here to walk rover there is a slight problem with that we live down in the valley in the country and there are giant hills everywhere.

It's good for your heart and your legs. Good for your heart and legs. Kip, I think you're doing a great job. I do, too. And I think if you guys get a couple more customers and you schedule it well, where it's convenient for the parent and your business partner and everything, I think it's great. But wealthy neighborhoods. I'm not, yeah, I'm not trying trying i was not trying to discourage the entrepreneur but also i don't know there's a reality things the the things shift in life very quickly at 14 i love it you're only getting here and we got and

i would say kip i'm i'm with with ken on this if they can put a face with who's doing the work i think it's really big i had i had three girls they called that they're called the three blonde babysitters it was on their flyer these three blonde girls and they're about your age they're 13 came and they knocked on every door in our neighborhood and they're like we're mother's helpers like we can come and help throughout the summer and they were so sweet and i was like i almost just want you guys to come over you know just i'll pay you because it's okay so there's something about kip i think you guys yes i think it's a good um and that's a good move knock on on the doors. Good for you, Kip. Every dog owner I know, including this guy, thinks our dog needs a big walk, but doesn't really enjoy doing it that much.

There you go. There's a need. So I have my teenagers do it. They don't get any money. They get sustenance, shelter. They get shelter and food and electricity. All right. I love the young entrepreneur, Kip. go for it, buddy. This is the Ramsey Show. Hey, you guys, health insurance costs are only moving one way and that way isn't down. And if higher costs aren't enough, the wait times

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with your money. So you get some money questions. Hey, how do I budget? How do I keep more of it? How do I make more money? Happy to weigh in on some of those questions. And speaking of money, you know, we have been talking about this for a long, long time around Ramsey Solutions, helping a lot of people, and almost every money problem, in fact, not almost, every money problem on some level has a budget component to it. It just does. Yeah. And we have created what we believe is the premier money budget tool there is, and we call it EveryDollar. And I know you're

a big fan of EveryDollar as well. What makes it so effective in your mind? Yeah, so EveryDollar, it's a budgeting app. And I think one of the things is the convenience of having an app on your phone, honestly, because we go everywhere with our phones. And so to have everything right there, to get to it, to see your numbers, I think is one big thing. And then the second, just the way that we teach a zero-based budget and how to track expenses, how to give every dollar a name. I mean, all of that, you can walk through it on every dollar and your budget is there. And it's fantastic. And there's great analytics.

Once you've been doing it a while, you can go in and see, okay, where have we overspent here? Or how much have we spent on average with food? Or you can actually start to see your spending habits. And so every dollar, it's incredible. I actually tracked my transactions this morning, Ken. I think it's great. I mean, Winston and I, we use it every single, I mean, honestly, every day I open it for

something to say, okay, how much do we have left here or there? And it just gives you intentionality around your money. I think that's the number one mistake people make with their money is they're not intentional. They don't have purpose to it. So EveryDollar is that. So you can actually download EveryDollar for free in the App Store or Google Play or go to EveryDollar.com. You can do slash Rachel slash Ken.

We'll be there. And to be able to, for you to create your first budget. And you can do that for free. So make sure you guys do that. Because seriously, being purposeful with your paycheck, it's one of the best ways to get control of not just your income, but your entire money situation. All right, let's go to Natalie, who is waiting for us in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Today feels like an Iowa day.

Natalie, how can we help? Well, I guess my question, it's kind of a long one, but to, like, sum it up, I have followed the Dave Ramsey baby steps, and basically, like, I am a huge budgeter. I love staying on track. Like, I'm more frugal. I like a simple lifestyle. I enjoy working. So I have, like, an acreage that's fully paid off.

And I have, you know, like the vehicles that are paid off and I give writing lessons on the side and I work full time, like at a full time position. And then I also teach a lot. So I do a couple of kind of different jobs, but kind of like, okay, so like you always dream of kind of growing up and getting married, but I'm 32 and I'm kind of like, okay, I don't know if that will happen. And I really just want to live for Christ. And like, what does that look like? And then financially, where do I put my money as far as like, if I don't get married, like, where do you go ahead and invest that? And where do you put it? And like, where does it make the most sense? Cause I don't really want to slow down as far as like the speed that I'm going,

but I don't know exactly what the best way is to like maximize resources and stuff at this point. All right. So hold on. I heard a couple of things there and I want to get to the heart of what this call is about. Is this about investing your money or is this about marriage? And can I get married? I mean, what's, cause I'm hearing a couple of themes here and the, and it's come up a couple of times. Yeah, I don't know which direction to like run with, you know, like, cause I definitely, well, like I feel a little bit like burnt out of like, okay, like what am I saving for? Like you're trying to save for like, I mean, I totally am like, okay, having a family sounds great, but like then I'm like, do I really want that? Because at

the same time, I feel like sometimes guys can't keep up with me and I'm like, okay, well, I don't want to slow down my life either. Hold on a second. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. If you had dating relationships, is there some history behind that last comment that the guy can't keep up with me? Or is this just all in your hypothetical based on how so stinking productive you are? Because let me just say this, Natalie, you got your stuff together. I mean, you're an impressive person, but back to that comment, is that coming from history or are you projecting that on yourself? It totally comes from things that other people have told me, whether like past relationships

I've been in or just like family being like, Oh, like, you know, you've achieved a lot. So like, it's going to be hard to find somebody like that can keep, and I don't think that it, like, I don't think that it should be that hard. Time out, time out. I'm doing a little digging here. All right. Your family's telling you this or a dude or multiple dudes that you've been dating told you this, give me the real, real. Both. So like, and so like sometimes, um, like really honestly, only like one or two guys that I was with that was just like, oh, like, you know, you work a lot. And it was like, and so honestly, it's been guys that just don't want to work that hard.

And I have dated guys before that do work really hard. So then it's never been an issue. Okay. No, no, stop. Stop. That's what's going on. Just because you dated a couple of duds doesn't mean that that's your situation. So I don't want to make this whole call about that, but I just kept hearing that pop up, Rachel,

the marriage thing. And you're a go-getter and all that. But if you're dating duds, guys who don't want to work hard, then they don't have that. But let me ask, to me, the ultimate qualifying question. If you met the guy, this guy sweeps you off your feet, he works hard, he's successful, he's got a vision and a plan for his life like you do do you want that and do you want a family i think that's what i want like i think that's why i'm like chasing what i'm chasing like i think it's like i want to like make my family as solid as possible like i grew up very we didn't have much growing up and like not financially speaking and so i think like i want to like make my life as stable as possible. And here's what's going on. I'm going to bring Rachel in. All right.

I'm going to stop talking with all my questions, but I think I'm hearing someone who's burning herself out because you don't think you'll ever have enough. And if my, and if the guy doesn't come along on the white horse or whatever it is, girls your age think of these days, whatever the metaphor is, if he doesn't If the Prince Charming doesn't come in, am I going to have enough? If I don't have a family, will I have enough? And I think that all comes from your upbringing and you're going to have to start to own this and go, I've got this massive fear about spending money or doing anything fun. And that's why I'm working all the time

because I'm just so afraid. Rachel, that's what I'm hearing. What do you hear? Yeah, I think that's totally fair. I mean, yeah, nothing you said, Natalie, makes me think, oh my gosh, you're like in this dire situation and you need to be having three jobs

and all of this, right? And again, and if you enjoy it though, and you're like, you know, I don't really have much else going on. And so I enjoy this and I enjoy that and I'm going to make money. You know, it's all about the motivation. And that's what I think Ken's point was. If the motivation is out of this kind of toxic, unhealthy fear, because I think spenders can get a bad rap of like, oh, my gosh, they're so irresponsible.

That's my I'm a spender. They're so irresponsible. Oh, my gosh. My gosh. I think savers, Natalie, like you can also need to have a bad rap in a sense that since that that saving is not wrong obviously we are we are for saving we are for planning for the future but there is a level where money becomes an unhealthy part of your life where it almost becomes a god yeah you're afraid to enjoy life yeah and you're you're chasing this

number you're chasing this thing thinking okay once i once I get that, I'm going to feel okay. But the problem is you'll get there and then you'll think, oh, I probably should do like one more year of that. And the finish line just keeps moving. So there is a contentment piece and that's not laziness or apathy, but there is a level of peace, Natalie, I want you to have with your money. And people don't have that peace when you're living paycheck to paycheck and you got $20,000 in credit card debt and you're you know losing a job and no emergency fund like there's an unrest that money can cause but your situation and I think Ken went off on his questions which was great so I kind of forgot the beginning of your story of like your situation specifically but you're not in a fine you're not in a dire financial place so no I'm not at all and I did

buy a horse like that was just like a horse that I wanted to buy, and I spent quite a bit of money on it and bought it just for myself. And so I'm going to show her this year. That's awesome. Good. It made sense. So, yeah, I think going forward, Natalie, I would, because you're debt-free, right, and you have an emergency fund.

Yeah, just invest the way we teach. What's your housing situation? Do you own a home? I do. And that's just kind of like, do I, like, I mean, I have three acres. I have an arena. Like, so I just,

I really have the things that I want. But then it's like, okay, do I go a little bit bigger or what do I go back to? No, I think you're good. I think keep investing and keep enjoying. You know, when you get to that point, giving more, saving more and spending more is kind of the three

buckets that you want to tap into. And I would do that, yeah, to enjoy. And I think that there are guys out there, Natalie, that 100% would not be intimidated and would actually value and respect and love that about you. But can I also say, be careful not to try to marry somebody who's exactly the way you are with money. Well, yeah, not unrealistic expectations. Sure, everyone's got their stuff. You're going to end up in therapy, no matter who

you're married to. Right, Ken? Amen. Amen, Kelly. No, I'm not raising my hand on that one. I'm staying away from that one. Stacey. Yeah. Yeah. She's the one that needs the therapy, let's be honest. All right. Quick break. I'll call a therapist. This is The Reaction. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. All right, so I was born and raised in Texas, and I love the myth of the lone cowboy. You know, the guy who doesn't need anyone or anything. It's a fun story, and it's a lie. In our self-obsessed society, we're obsessed about our own diets, our own workout routines, our own jobs, our own social media feeds, everything. It's easy to forget that no one can do life alone. And I don't care if you're an introvert,

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This month, start to build your support system with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash Ramsey Radio to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash Ramsey Radio. The Ramsey Show continues. We are continuing to take your calls and answer your questions about the challenges you're having with your money, in your work, and in your relationships. All three of those areas come into contact, and you want to be winning in all three areas,

and that's the focus of our conversation. You and your life. 888-825-5225. I'm Ken Coleman. Rachel Cruz joins me this hour, and let's get right back to the phones. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is where Drew is. Drew, how can we help? Hey, guys.

Can you hear me all right? Yes, sir. Awesome. Now I'll get right into it. I'm getting married this December, and so January 1st, 2025, our finances are going to combine. I'm trying to figure out, because she's coming in midway through physical therapy school, with $50,000 in student debt and $50,000 more left to pay. Should I be trying to pay down the debt after we're together or cash flowing the school?

I can't do both. Okay. Would it be cash flowing the school in January? Correct. Yeah. I mean, I would. I would look at cash flowing first and then going to pay off debt after that, after she's graduated and everything. Yeah.

Yeah. I would. Even if that means the debt stays and they're at like 7% interest rate so that I just let them's graduated and everything. Yeah, I would... So even if that means the debt stays, and they're at like 7% interest rate, so that I just let them sit there and grow? Yes, because the alternative is what? Taking out a loan for 50 more, and that's not what you want.

Is there anything with... Yeah, I guess my thought was just it would be paid down by then. Go ahead. How much do you have saved? About $35,000. Okay. So i could check that all towards the debt and then yeah no i would yeah no i would i the 20 000 of that is going towards this wedding oh okay perfect okay 15 000 yes i would um yeah i would put it towards tuition and i would do what I could to figure out,

hey, how do we save between now and then to cash flow the rest of that semester for her? Is it one more semester left? Will she be done in May? No, she's done in spring of 2026, so a couple years still. Oh, okay, okay. And the plan is just to continue to take out debt for that? Hers is. I guess mine now, following your advice, would be to cash flow the rest starting January. Yeah, she's got $50,000 left,

and he's saying, do I cash flow that or do I pay down her existing $50,000? Yeah, but she has a whole other year left of school. She's got a lot. Yeah. Has your opinion changed? I mean, is it realistic for you guys to cashflow this school? Um, it would be pinching pennies for sure. Okay. But you could expecting a little bit of a raise and an annual bonus on rice and beans. You could do it. Okay. Then yeah, then I would put this towards, I would too too because she's going to come out earning money yeah and now we only have 50 to pay off instead of you know and i understand what you're

saying i'll pay the 50 off and i'm getting rid of the interest payment but you know she's got a cash flow her way through this this is her professional direction so what's done is done let's avoid it going forward that's our take on yeah for sure i would i would not dig a bigger hole if i could. I would stay in the present. And then once she graduates, and like Ken said, what will she be making when she graduates? I know it'll be another two years.

$75,000 to $85,000. That's fantastic. You pay off $50,000 so fast, it'll make your head spin. You really can't. That's not a huge amount of money. By then, it'll be like $65,000, right? Because of the interest. Is it private loans, I guess, with master? Is it all due now or is it due at graduation?

It's a mix and none of it's due now. But it is accruing interest. It is accruing interest. Is she able to... Payments due, but accruing interest. Is she able to... Yeah, your monthly payments do, but accruing interest. Is she able to work while doing PT school full-time? That's a whole other conversation, but I'll go with no. Oh, I picked a scab there, didn't I?

Oh, I'm sorry. Drew, do you feel like, in general, though, that you guys are in a good team aspect, direction-wise with money as you're heading into this marriage? Yeah, we're both savers for sure. We're both super cheap. But similar in values of a plan. What was that? But like value system-wise, meaning like that we have a plan. What was that? But like value system wise,

meaning like that we have a plan, we're working together, we both want this, we both want to live debt free, we both want, you know what I mean? Like those kind of values. Is that similar?

Okay, great. Perfect. Her idea would be the second she gets a salary, we keep living how we are right now. Gotcha. Yeah. Until all her salary goes to pay off.

Yeah. I mean, honestly, I would do that because if you continue to take on more debt, to Ken's point, it's going to continue to build more. You're going to have a larger amount with that 7% interest, right? Right. Well, I mean, so it's like I'm taking some off that's not, that before it accrues interest

and the same exact is growing. So in my mind, that's 0% interest. So it stays at the same, but it doesn't grow versus if I cashflow it, the current amount just grows at 7%. I get that. That's how the numbers work out to me. Sure. Sure. Yeah. I think there's a, I think there's a mental component to this of saying, Hey, this is our goal for her to get through school. And this 15 grand is going to give us a big jump start toward that tuition to start. That's what I would do.

And let me just circle back one more time, Drew, because I appreciate you're coming at us with that, and that makes sense this way, but let me put it this way. You probably aren't going to be able to pay the $50,000 off in record time really quickly. It's going to take you how long if we went your route and paid off the $50,000 in the debt, the student loan, how long would that take you to pay it off a year and a half same as it would take the cash flow the new schooling right my point is you're not getting away from the interest bug it's still there it's accruing while you're paying it off so the point is we don't want you digging a bigger

hole we're just going to stick with that. Taking on more debt in this situation, I'd rather her work some. I know I brought up a very sensitive subject there. Yikers. But that's the reality. She ought to at least consider some hours, if nothing else, to help you with some of the interest payments and start paying it down a little bit.

Yeah, I mean, I but you know i can't no you can't i know brother you can suggest it and she's gonna go nope i want to study and and this i know this is you probably know this drew but i wouldn't do anything until after you guys are married yes till after december okay awesome perfect i'm married in december uh what's Till after December. Yeah, probably. Awesome. Perfect. Married in December. What's the date in December? 28th. Oh, like a New Year's. We're the 19th. A December anniversary is a fantastic one. Kelly, our producer, is December 2.

It's so great. You'll be so happy you guys got married. Love it. What do you think about three days after Christmas? Why is that so fantastic? Well, I don't know. I just think December, I mean, the after Christmas is a little different than ours. We were the 19th.

But everyone's just happy in Decembercember everyone's just happy go to your anniversary dinner al it's all festive and i don't know it's great so congratulations drew i think it's fantastic i would put this 15 000 towards tuition coming up i would cash flow it and then when she graduates you guys attack the student loan debt. How much money in total you got saved? $35,000, but after the wedding, $15,000. Yeah, boy, I'm going to be Mr. Unpopular right now. I didn't pay it. Are you going to lower the wedding budget? $20,000, not... I'm going to say... See, I would do that if I hadn't already paid like half of it in deposit. Oh, okay. Because I was going to say, if I was in your situation, I'd go down to the courthouse, get the marriage certificate, little private

thing, then do a big celebration after we paid off the debt. Hindsight 2020. I know, bro. Hey, listen, I had to at least throw it out. You can stay for a wedding and have a wedding. I didn't say you, I just said you separate the ceremony from the actual moment. I hear you. Now, I would

not go into, this is not you, Drew, I'm not saying this about you, but to America, I would not, or the world, I would not go into debt for a wedding. But if you have money set aside for the wedding, enjoy the wedding. But I'm just going to say, that's a female point of view. Every dude in America and around the world is with me. You go through all this planning, all the stress, meetings about stuff we don't give a crap about. You go through a ceremony that you barely remember anything except for the vows. through all this planning, all the stress, meetings about stuff we don't give a crap about.

You go through a ceremony that you barely remember anything except for the vows. And you're just trying not to pass out. It's true. And then you walk down the aisle, you have a moment about two minutes before anybody in the wedding party gets you and you go, what was that all about? I just want the honeymoon. I had a great, I had a fun wedding. I did too. Stacey would be so upset with that point of view.. I had a great, I had a fun wedding. I did too. Stacey would be so upset with that point of view. But I'm just like, on behalf of every dude out there. It is a tradition that I think is great. Now, I would not go into debt for it, but I think it's a great tradition if you have the money saved.

I just know how stressed out he is. Drew, you're a good man. Yeah, they're awesome. They're all going to do great. They're all going to do great. We need to get her on the phone and talk about this working while at school business. That's the call America needs to hear. I'm just telling you.

All right, we'll argue about it during the break. We'll be right back. This is The Ramsey Show. Welcome back, America. You're joining us here on The Ramsey Show. Thrilled to have you with us. 888-825-5225 is the phone number. I'm Ken Coleman.

Rachel Cruz joins me this hour. And we are now joined by a very special guest, longtime friend of the organization, and what I believe is truly a great American, here to talk about a really cool American thing. He is Mr. Dirty Jobs, Mr. Mike Rowe. Mike, welcome to the Ramsey Show. Always a privilege.

Always an honor. There it is, folks. The voice. We're going to do our best to just let him talk as much as possible. My whole goal is, you're writing children's books now. You should have him voice be the children's audiobook we had a nine-year-old my nine-year-old daughter did it i don't know what's cuter that's well so it comes down to the nine-year-old i don't know i'm so tired of competing with nine-year-olds

there's always a nine-year-old girl out there trying to take my job i'm telling you i'm telling you uh all right fun stuff so mike here's why you're here uh you you are somebody who loves this country you love history you love the way this country works good bad and ugly and you've got a new project it's fun for a guy who produces a lot of tv now you're getting into the movie business tell us what is going on why getting in the movie business look it's another happy accident honestly i mean every good thing that's happened to me in the last 30 years has been a Forrest Gump-ian kind of misadventure. This happened because I started writing stories eight years ago in the style of Paul Harvey for my podcast. Those stories were turned into a TV show, and now nine of them have been adapted for this movie.

If you don't know the Paul Harvey format, it was called The Rest of the Story, and it was such a great way to learn something you didn't know about somebody you do. So these are mysteries. They're all super patriotic in nature. They're all stitched together with the trip to our capital, where I visit some of the memorials and monuments that honor some of the people that are in the movie. But ultimately, it's a film called Something to Stand For. And I did it because I'm hoping that there's still some things in our country that people on either side of the aisle can look to and agree. You know, we have to be, we have to talk to each other again.

And I'm convinced that there's still a few things that we can all look at and say, yeah, I'd stand for that. Yeah. Mike, for you, because I've followed some of your stuff, and I feel like the way you present things and the way you treat people and the way you go about things, you can't argue it, right? Like, I think there's a lot of kindness in that. I hope.

And so when you say that, when you're like, gosh, I feel like that there is something that we can both agree on, both sides of the aisle, do you feel like you've seen glimpses of that just by talking about this movie and other things in life? Because we just need hope. I mean, we're obviously in an election year. We won't go crazy politics here in the segment. But just in general, you just see the divide more and more when it heats up like this. But for you, this message of hope, I think, is really key.

And do you see that, that it is possible? I mean, Dirty Jobs wasn't a polemic, but when I look back at those old episodes and a lot of the other stuff that I've worked on, it feels hopeful simply because politics isn't in it. You know, if you're in a sewer working with a sewer inspector, the first thing that's going to come up is probably not the policy regarding this, that, or the other thing, right? So, look, I think today the problem is our politics has infected our patriotism. And these two things, they have nothing to do with each other. Not really, you know?

And, I mean, I'll tell you, in 1998, 70% of Americans identified themselves as extremely or intensely patriotic. Today, that number is 38%. Oh, wow. So what happens to a country when the patriotism starts to gently bleed out of the body politic? Under 35-year-old, the number's closer to 18%. So we have to figure out a way to disagree with the other side, but not in an anti-American way.

There's too many. I didn't make this movie for those who are convinced the country is a rotten place. I made it because of them. I want the rest of the people to see that there is still a shocking amount of common ground.

And if we can come together on those elements in our shared past and agree with those things, who knows? Maybe we can stop fighting about the headlines. You're listening to the voice of Mike Rowe here on The Ramsey Show. I'm Ken Coleman. Rachel Cruz joins us. And Mike is here to talk about a new film. And this is a special release.

He'll talk about that in a little bit. It's called Something to Stand For, and it's only going to be out for a short amount of time. More on that in a little bit. Mike, when you look back on this, you talk about the stories that are all mysteries, and they all have a thread that combines with you being there in Washington, D.C. One of the things I learned from you earlier today is there was an unscripted moment, which has happened a lot in your career, which is what's so beautiful about what you do. But it occurred to me when you were sharing it with me that it may have been one of your favorite parts of the filming.

Talk about that unscripted moment. Yeah. And honestly, I hadn't given it much thought until you brought it up. But we were talking about the difference between making a TV show like Dirty Jobs, where all of the cameras are basically behind the scenes cameras, right? We never stopped rolling. We never did a second take. There was no script. There was no casting. There was none of that. It was an honest look at a day on the job.

Well, movies are the opposite of that. Movies are highly scripted. And the stories in these movies I wrote in a very deliberate, very intentional way. And so that's fun, but it's a different set of muscles. And so we were filming in the Capitol, and I was setting up for a shot. The lights were just so, and everything was placed just right, and I was going to walk in and say something extraordinarily profound. And I glanced over, and an honor flight was coming in.

So like a dozen old men in wheelchairs, some with walkers. Their families are with them, the volunteers. And I could see at a glance, these guys are just overwhelmed. And the point of this movie, really, more than anything, is to just elevate a sense of gratitude. And everything I was trying to do on purpose in the film was coming together great, but all of a sudden I'm looking at this real thing. And I said to the director, I'm going to go over here for a minute. Let me bring the cameras.

I'm like, what are you doing, dude? We're trying to make a movie. What are you doing? And I went over and I said hello to some of these guys. And I met a guy named Andy Michael. He reminded me of my dad. He was 91 years old, same age, fought in the same battles in Korea. And he had never been to the memorial. And he was sitting there in his wheelchair in front of this wall of stars, telling me what it meant to be here with friends and family. And when you see tears roll down a face like that, look, I mean, you'd have to be

crazy not to find a way to put that in the movie and so we did and so in the end this is not a documentary this is not a big narrative there are 300 actors in it but they don't speak to each other they're just there to bring my stories to life and now there's also an old man named Andy Michael that's in it who's there because he loves the country too and even though he can't walk he will give us something to stand for that's amazing that's so it's so powerful so out of all the stories in the movie what's which one's your favorite so this is tough Rachel right because the stories are all mysteries and if I tell you right so

give me like because I don't know much about it. So when you're saying all this, I'm like, hey, what does this mean? Is it historical past presidents? Is it like, give me a- What can you tell us about a certain maybe mystery? I can tell you that at its heart, the key to this format is to tell you something you do not know about someone you do. So I'll tell you very quickly, one of the stories we tell has to do with a very famous person who was challenged to a duel,

a deadly duel. He had written something in the newspapers under a pseudonym that caused great offense. Great offense. I know who this is. Oh, man. All you history people over here, I'm like, dad, come on. Pistols at dawn.

Pistols at dawn is what's required okay but our our uh challengee knows something about the protocol of dueling which is the challenger doesn't get to set the terms the challengee does and so this person challenge challenge to a duel says pistols at dawn no that's not how we're going to do it. We're going to do it with broadswords in a pit. So they dig a pit and they draw a line and these two men face off with broadswords. And what happens next literally changes the trajectory of the country. I would even say that as a result of that moment,

we would not be sitting here but for it. How about that for a tease? I'm going to be Googling, Mike. No Googling, no cheating. Go see the movie. You'll love it. By the way, the movie is something to stand for. It is about our country in an election year.

When you don't know who you're going to vote for, you may not like who you're voting for or whatever, vote for this movie. Go see it. It's in theaters June 27th through July 4th. Is that right? That is correct. It's a special release. That is correct.

Go see it. Something to Stand For. Mike Rowe, thanks for being with us. Somethingtostandfor.movie. Check out the trailer. You'll laugh, you'll cry. You'll love it.