The Ramsey Show - App - The Law of the Zip Code: Start Where You Are (Hour 2)

Episode Date: June 14, 2019

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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 life and your money. I'm Chris Hogan, sitting in for Dave Ramsey, and I'm joined in studio this hour by best-selling author and host of the Ken Coleman Show, Mr. Ken Coleman. Chris, this is fun, buddy. This is the first time we've done it this way. We've done it a lot together. That's right.

You're driving the train today, and I'm enjoying it. Yeah, typically, Ken is driving the train, and I'm a passenger. And so now we're doing a little role reversal, Ken. A lot of fun. You look good, by the way. Well, I appreciate that. Thank you. Camera tricks work.

Now, you are running and gunning just off of Book Tour. Congratulations on the number one bestselling book, The Proximity Principle. Tell America about this book that is absolutely still rolling right now. Well, you know, this is the very simple but powerful principle that all successful men and women have used to get where they want to go in their career. So this is about success. This is the secret sauce, if you will, a powerful little principle that says in order to do what you want to do, you've got to be around people that are doing it and in places where it is happening.

So it's a formula. The right people plus the right places equals opportunity. And Chris, you know this. This is the American dream, opportunity. It's why men and women for centuries have tried to come to this country and are still trying to get in this country. If you boil it down to one word, it's opportunity. And so this is for people who are starting out.

These are for people who are switching. And this is for people who want to out these are people who are for people who are switching and these are this is for people who want to keep moving up it is the secret to continually moving up and it's intentionality the same intentionality that people use to get out of debt uh you use the same intentionality to move up and this is to make more money so you can get out of debt yes now this is a pain point in america yeah we have i mean i heard heard you tell a stat not long ago about how many people are miserable in their job. Yeah, 70% of Americans unhappy. They hate Mondays because they're going into a place that they just don't want to be there.

And they feel like they're just trying to make it through to the weekend. Wow. 70%. 70%. 70%. Now, add that stat to the reality that Americans, on average, will spend 90,000 hours over their lifetime at work. So it's the majority of your life. Between sleeping and working, that's a huge part of your life. And this idea of, I'm just going to try to make it through, you're going to end up at the end, Chris, looking back, and you're going to be regretting

instead of reminiscing. And so we're trying to help people get on purpose, do what they were created to do, because here's what we know. We believe this at Ramsey Solutions and certainly at the Ken Coleman Show. Every man and woman was created to fill a unique role. That means, folks, you are needed.

But that's not enough. That feels good. But that means you must do it. Somebody out there needs you to be you. So this living on purpose is not just this fun motivational message. It's not about you. It's about who you are supposed to be for other people. That's where the meaning, work that matters that we talk about at Ramsey Solutions, that's where that all comes to fruition.

I want to help people. That's what we hear every day on the Ken Coleman Show. Well, how do you want to help them? Who do you want to help? That's what people are longing for. And this little book has done very, very well because it's a powerful principle. It positions you where you need to be so you can get where you want to be. Now, tell me this, because in reading the book, you also mentioned something about the law of the zip code, right? So what does that mean? Yeah, I love this. This is for a lot of

Dave's audience who goes, wait a second, Ken, I'm trying to get out of debt. How in the world can I change positions right now to make more money? All I'm focused on is getting out of debt. Well, you can do both. But this addresses the fear that people have, Chris, that in order to make the switch, you go, well, I can't move right now. I got a mortgage. I got three kids. We got all this going on. And this idea that I got to move somewhere, my zip code, geographically, I got to move somewhere to go somewhere in my career. So the law of the zip code basically addresses that fear and says that everything you need to get started is already around you. So you don't have to move somewhere, Chris. You can be in red dirt Idaho, or I just made that up. It's not a real

place. But you can be there and say, well, Ken, I want to get into production. Do't have to move somewhere, Chris. You can be in Red Dirt, Idaho, or I just made that up. It's not a real place. But you can be there and say, well, you know, Ken, I want to get into production. Do I have to move to New York or L.A.? No. In fact, I had a guy call in to the Ken Coleman Show recently from Charlotte, North Carolina. And just like on your show, I said, hey, how can I help? He said, well, listen, I know where I want to go. I just don't think I can get there. I need some help.

He said, I've always wanted to direct and produce videos. But I live in Charlotte. And I've got the mortgage families entrenched can't leave and so i didn't say anything other than this i said how many production companies are in charlotte north carolina and he started laughing and he knew exactly what i had done i'd put put him into a reality check of are there successful production companies in charlotte North Carolina, producing and directing videos? He said, yeah. He said, probably a couple dozen. I said, use the proximity principle.

Start getting around people that are in production. Get in places where you're seeing things happening. He did. Eight weeks later, we get an email, read it on the air. He had been hired in a successful production company directing and producing videos. So that's what the law of the zip code is. That's good. I mean, especially because, because again people tend to reach for excuses yeah right uh but to understand that hey you don't need to uproot but you're gonna have to move you're gonna have to

move your body that's right you'll have to go do some stuff that's right and you might have to move eventually right but not to get started that's good because as you know chris there's some learning and doing that gets us qualified so that learning and doing can get started. That's good. Because as you know, Chris, there's some learning and doing that gets us qualified. So that learning and doing can get started right there where you live. We don't have to move because there's some learning and doing

that has to take place. No, and it really does. So America, guess what we're going to do? This hour, Ken and I are going to dive in and we're going to take your questions about money.

Of course, this is the Dave Ramsey show. But if you've got questions about your career, or maybe you're feeling stuck and you want some guidance on what to do and how to move to the next phase, well, call in because Ken's going to be able to help you as well. We are here to be able to help you. Well, Ken, I got a question in on social for you. And this question is from Jacob.

It says, I'm 15 and I want to start my own landscaping business, but I don't have the money to buy the equipment I need. My dad has offered to loan me $1,500 to start up. If I don't take this loan for my money, take this loan from my dad, what other options do I have? Well, this is fairly interesting. I don't know what Dave would say on the loan from the dad, but I think we're talking about a very different kind of loan. Dad's not charging you interest. Dad's giving you some seed money, and you're going to pay him back. And I like that type of loan.

That would be the only loan I'd be able to approve. But let's just say that this young man didn't have that from his dad. Let's address that because that's one of his options. I like the idea of going and borrowing a lawnmower or borrowing some equipment right there's no loan here say hey i'm a young guy i'm 15 if i take care of any maintenance issues or i fill it up with gas and so you go get those first couple of yards right by the way chris that's easy to do hey i'm gonna charge you this much great and so you go get the equipment maybe you just pay them or maybe you pay dad hey dad what if I rent our personal lawnmower?

You don't need $1,500 to get started. He really doesn't. That's the myth, that he needs $1,500 from his dad to get started in landscaping. No, you need a rake, a shovel, some gloves. You need the equipment. I like that thought, though. I'd borrow it. Absolutely.

I'd rent it from dad. Well, Kim, the same thing could be said to someone that wants to get into photography, right? That they need to go spend $30,000 on a camera. That's not true. Absolutely. I'd rent it from dad. Well, Kim, the same thing could be said to someone that wants to get into photography, right? That they need to go spend $30,000 on a camera. That's not true. You can rent that. You can borrow it. You can try to do it a different way. Options are out there. So, young man, as Kim just told you, you can go get

started. You can get into this business right now, and you don't need to take out a loan. You don't need to buy fancy equipment. You just need a client to serve. So get out there and do it. We believe in you. You are listening to the Dave Ramsey Show. One question I get asked all the time is, do I need life insurance? Listen, the whole point of life insurance is to replace your income for someone who counts on you. So if you have a spouse or you have kids, yes, you need term life insurance. It's the only way to protect them until you're out of debt and have built up your wealth.

You're only digging a deeper hole if you waste money on cash value plans since it robs you of the ability to make real progress. And that's why I send you to Zander Insurance, and I have for 20 years. That's where I get all my insurance, and they only offer the plans I recommend. It is not expensive. It's not complicated. And Zander will be there as your guide every step of the way. Visit Zander.com or call 800-356-4282.

You need to get this taken care of. I can give you the advice, and I can tell you where to go, but it's really up to you to take that important step to get your family protected. That's zander.com or 800-356-4282. Hello America, you are listening to the Dave Ramsey Show. I'm Chris Hogan, filling in for Dave, and I've got a special guest hanging out with me. His hair is much better than mine. That is true. Ken Coleman, best-selling author and host of The Ken Coleman Show.

How are you, buddy? Man, I'm thrilled. I've got to return the compliment. My hair may be better, but you've got a better head. If I was bald, I would look like a sunflower seed. So, I mean, you know, we've got to play to our strengths. That's true. We need to.

Well, listen, in the previous segment, we were talking about Ken's new book, The Proximity Principle. And, Ken, I totally forgot to ask you, where does America need to go to get this book? Well, KenColeman.com, DaveRanzzi.com, or anywhere books are sold. You know, you get to kind of choose. It is America, so you can go get it, and it can help you out. This is a great gift, by the way, for your recent college grad, or even high school grad,

or certainly the dad in your life. Fantastic. Listen, if you've got a money question or you have a career question, I want you to call us, 888-825-5225. Again, that's 888-825-5225. Again, that's 888-825-5225. We're going to the phone. Kyle's got a question. Kyle, how are you, sir?

What's your question for Ken? Hi, I'm doing great. So my question is, I'll try to keep it brief, but I recently got an opportunity. One of my friends, I used to work with him before, he was suggesting I go into the pipeline field. But it happened yesterday, so it's kind of short notice, and it's like I would have to basically leave the job I'm at now, and then I have to go to this class, which is like a couple hundred dollars to do it. And it's like it's happening suddenly.

So I'm like, is this the right decision? Do I play it safe? There's a lot of stuff to think about. What are you most concerned about? Because what you're ultimately dealing with, Kyle, is fear or doubt. They can feel very similar. What are you afraid of or what are you doubting? Let's just name it, and then we'll dive into it.

Well, there's a couple things. For right now um i will have to travel and he said i have to move but i'm like that's kind of you know in a way not possible but it's um and with the car i would i don't really trust my car going you know state to state which is what he told me i would probably have to do and um which i don't mind traveling that's that's fine but, like, you know, again, with the car. And then my fiancee, she just got a house. And so it would be hard for me to move somewhere. And then, you know, she already has a little life set up here. And so it's basically something, yeah.

And I don't even know. I've never done anything like pipeline or anything like that. All right. So you have some legitimate hurdles here. But I'm just curious. Forget those two hurdles. And I don't even know, I've never done anything like pipeline or anything like that. Okay. All right, so you have some legitimate hurdles here, but I'm just curious. Forget those two hurdles. Forget that you don't think your car is strong enough or good enough to make the travels. And for a moment, the fiancé issue, let's put that out of our mind. If those things didn't exist, would you want to do this job, yes or no?

Probably yes. I know I hesitated, but yeah, I would say so, yeah. Okay. I know he said the money is good and everything. Yeah, but forget the money, too, because we don't just chase money. Do you think you're going to enjoy this work? What do you know about it? Do you think you're going to enjoy it? I guess that's another thing that concerns me.

To be honest, I'm not even sure. My my passion i guess i would say is like art so that's a big difference okay wait a second so we're talking about oil pipeline or being creative from an artistic standpoint so i think the only reason you would take this job is because of the money because it seems to you it'd be stupid to turn down that kind of money and that what's really going on yes yeah okay you need to say no to this because this is going to be more money and it's going to cause issues in your relationship and it's a job that you don't have any desire to do this is hard manual labor stuff chris and it's not in your sweet spot which is the intersection of what you do best and what you love to do most so if you you take this gig, I'm not against you taking it, but it needs to be a short-term

money grab, Chris, if he takes it. I completely agree, Ken, because he's going to go into this, and as soon as it gets hard, and it's going to get hard because it's pipeline work, he's going to be looking at and thinking about regret. And so, Ken, I think you're absolutely right. I think this is the thing you look at and you acknowledge that, Ken, I think you're absolutely right. I think this is a thing you look at and you acknowledge that, yeah, it is more money, but it could bring more heartache and headache in the long run. And so, again, be clear. You know, you can thank your buddy for

that thought and that opportunity, but begin to think about how do you move. Ken, he says that he loves art, right? I mean, what's a logical next step for him outside of coming and listening to the Ken Coleman Show? Yeah, well, what we would do is we'd say, okay, let's look at where your artistic talents are best manifested. In other words, what kind of art are we talking about? Are you painting? Are you sculpting? Or is it more I'm really gifted with drawing, sketching, and what I'd love to do is graphic design. You know what I mean?

Right. We've got to look at, of the things that you're really gifted at, how do we then turn that into real income? You know what I mean? Right. And so we would begin to look at that simple intersection that we teach on the Ken Coleman Show. How do you use the talent of that artistic ability to actually do what you love to do? So what do you love to most do with the art? Is it design something from nothing, you know what I mean, that is functional?

So that would be a website, you know, or maybe a book cover or, you know, whatever. We'd have to dive into that. And when you figure that out, you go, okay, well, what's the best way to get there? What's the path? And again, that's where the proximity principle comes in. So let's say he just said, I want to be into graphic design. So I want him hanging out with guys that are successful, women that are successful graphic designers. What was their path? How'd they get there? What qualifications do they think he needs? And then we're looking at three basic questions,

Chris. Number one, what do I need to learn to be qualified to get the gig? That's simple. Okay, well, this is what's qualified in this industry. It's what they say that I need from a qualification standpoint. Question number two, how much is that going to cost me financially? And then the third question is, how much time is that going to take? So we look at our financial realities. How much is it going to cost me? All right, can I do that? Am I just paying off debt and I have no margin at all? Am I going to have to wait a year or two? These are the things that once we look at that cost financially, Chris, it obviously then tells us, well, based on what I can do in my financial reality, this is how long it's going to take. And now we have ourselves a plan.

And we can be patient and persevere. Well, and again, I agree with you. And I think when people realize that they're not stuck, that there are options in front of them, it gives them that hope and that desire to want to be able to move forward. So, again, thank you so much for your call, Len. I'm going to continue on the phone lines. I've got Mark on the line in San Antonio, Texas. Mark, how can I help you? Hi, guys.

Thanks for taking my call. I'm a little bit confused. Roth versus traditional IRA. Yes. I'm in a 28% bracket. Okay. And maxed out on my 401k presently. Okay.

But I have some supplemental that I'm going to put in each month. And I'm wondering if it's best to do the Roth IRA or the traditional due to my tax bracket. Okay, thank you so much, Mark. Tell me this. How much do you currently have saved up for retirement? About $1.5 million. Okay, $1.5 million, so you're an everyday millionaire. And how old are you?

I'm 61. I have a retirement at 65 that is uh mandatory retirement okay so after that in four years are you going to retire you're going to move on to something else well probably retire i'd like to my wife is 60 and we're planning on retiring fantastic well i'm proud of you my friend uh You're an everyday millionaire. Looking where you are in the structure, I would look at the Roth 401k. Now, remember, excuse me, the Roth IRA. Remember, Roth is after tax dollars. That means you've already paid taxes on this money. So that's going to give you an opportunity for that money to be able to grow tax-free. But it's also going to give you an opportunity also, Mark, to do some legacy things

with this money, whether you leave this to your kids or to grandkids and to allow it to continue to grow. So it's going to give you options. Again, I think you're thinking bigger picture and long haul right now. You already have a net worth of $1.5 million. You are doing very well. And so looking at it, I would suggest you look at the Roth IRA and really walk through. Now, there's also a thing out there called a backdoor Roth. Typically, if people, if you're a higher income earner, this is an option to talk about with a SmartVestor Pro as well. And

essentially, this is opening a traditional IRA, going ahead and paying the taxes on it, therefore converting it to Roth. So again, if you've got investing questions, reach out to a SmartVestor Pro. They can guide you and they will help you walk through your situation so you can gain confidence. Remember, this investing thing is not meant to be done alone. You team up, you get the right people in your corner, and progress can be made. This is The Dave Ramsey Show. Hello, America. You are listening to The Dave Ramsey Show.

I'm Chris Hogan, filling in for Dave. And I'm joined in studio with best-selling author and host of the Ken Coleman show Mr. Ken Coleman himself and we're having a blast we're taking your calls on money and career so if you have a question you need to hurry up and call us the number to call us 888-825-5225 again that's 888-825-5225 or you can hit me up on social media at ChrisHogan360 or Mr. Ken Coleman himself, also at Ken Coleman. All right, we're getting back to the phones. I have Jennifer on the line in Phoenix. Jennifer, how are you?

I am great, Chris. How are you? Good to talk to you. Well, thank you very, very much. How can we help you today? So my husband and I have successfully completed all the baby steps and we own two homes great job home thank you thank you very much to your help and dave's help and the whole crew so we've been a financial peace university we were gazelle intense and i will

i'm also happy to share that we're everyday millionaires yes that is fantastic so here is my question is the current house that we live in is a larger house that we plan to stay in for another six years while our kids finish high school. And then after that, we want to move to our second property. We'll sell this one, which is paid off. Should we pay off our existing property or should we put our extra money into our continued retirement funds? Okay. Jennifer, I'm curious. What are your ages of you and your husband? 44 and 47.

44. Oh. And we have four teenagers together. We have a blended family. Okay. And so next year, we'll have a freshman, a sophomore, a junior, and a senior in high school. Okay. That is like a quad, and a senior in high school. Okay. That is like a quadruple trifecta or something.

I mean, that's unbelievable. It feels like it. Yes. So young everyday millionaires, you guys are on the ball. Tell me, this current house that you're living in, how much do you owe on it? $375,000. Okay. And what's it worth?

Probably about $650,000. Okay. And what's it worth? Probably about $650,000 right now. Okay. And you would say you all's net worth right now is how much? $1.9 million. $1.9 million. So essentially $2 million. How much is the standard mortgage payment on this home? $1,500, but we double pay every month.

I was going to ask. So we're treating it like a 15 year yeah exactly so you plan to be in it for six more years you guys are already millionaires uh looking at this i think it's smart to continue to pay extra on this thing to pay it off i mean just that focus yeah i mean you you guys you what's your household income right now? Last year, we probably did about $900K combined. See, the reason why I say it's good to have that goal to continue to do what you're doing, you all can cash flow, Jennifer, anything that you're wanting to do.

Okay? You can cash flow. You can cash flow a vacation. You can cash flow a vacation. You can cash flow a renovation. I mean, so the mindset of not paying on this home, it would be a waste. And you all need a target. And this thing is going to get sold. And so you'll get the money back when you sell the home in six years. But just stay focused.

You guys are walking through the baby steps. You're funding college. You're doing things. Keep paying on this house. Yeah, that's the adage. You've got to have a target, Ken. I think you're right. I mean, they've got so many options.

Can we talk about how beautiful that question was? Yes. You like getting those questions. Oh, I do. Because you've got people that have been very, very focused. It's not an accident that they're winning. I love that. Jennifer, thank you so much. And I tell you what, you're already an everyday millionaire, but I'm going to send you and

your husband my book, a copy of everyday millionaires, how ordinary people built extraordinary wealth and how you can too, because you all have a unique opportunity to be able to set up and to be able to allow your kids to be able to pass the blessing forward. So thank you so much. Okay. Going on the phone scans. We've got to got to stay here. Avla is in Houston. How are you? Hi there. Hi. Thank you so much for taking my call.

Yes, thank you. Yes. How can we help you today? Well, I am needing a little bit more direction in my career path. I feel like I'm just out of the pocket right now now and I just don't know which way I should go. Okay, but you have a couple of options. Is that why you put it that way? Which way to go? Tell me what you're looking at.

Well, I have a few passions in my life. I love beauty. I love the spa industry. I love hospitality, but I also like traveling and networking and resourcing. So I'm a little bit on the fence on how to get everything together and how to kind of set up my life for the future. All right.

Let's switch gears for just a moment. We're going to come back to passion, and we'll look at those. But let's play this experience out of looking at the sweet spot where you use what you do best to do what you love to do most. What would you say that people who know you best, if I interviewed them about you, and I said, tell me, is it Ayla? Am I saying that right? Yes, that's correct. It's Ayla without the K.

Great. What would Ayla, what does she do better than anything else? What would they tell me your top talents and skills are? Well, I'm a quick learner, and I a people person i'm i'm really outgoing and i love to network and and i work really well in a fast-paced environment and i just i'm very whatever you put whatever assignment or project you put me in i'm there i'm gonna put all everything in love it my, everything in. I sacrifice my weekends, my

days, everything. I don't care. If you need it done, I'll do it. That's it. You are absolutely amazing. You get after it. Okay, so let's have a fun experiment here. I don't want you to think. I want you to feel this answer, okay, Ayla? Okay. Let's say that I could snap my fingers right now and I give you a great paying

job using those talents. You're connecting with people and you're in the hospitality industry or you are in the travel industry. Which one? Excuse me. Hospitality. Sorry. Hospitality. I said travel.

Or the beauty industry. So you're in that spa, salon, makeup world. So hospitality or that beauty industry. Which one do you take? I think I would take the hospitality. Why? The spa and just being able to want to create a spa where people can come in and they can relax and get away from the world and just connect to reconnect themselves again.

Yeah. See, there's something deeper there, isn't there? It's not just about making them feel beautiful. It's about making them reset. You love serving people in that way, not just connecting with them because you're just an outgoing, positive person, but you want to serve them in a way that resets their perspective on themselves and make them feel special.

That makes you feel special, yes or no? It does, yes. So how did that make you feel when for just a moment you said, this is what I would want to do? It felt amazing. It was like a wave. Good. So what we did was just a quick experiment, and what we did was we gave you clarity.

So in your sweet spot, the intersection of your talent and passion, that right there is the dream gig. Using those talents of people, connecting with people, being a people person and serving others and loving on others. So now it's about what's the best way for you to get there? What is the dream? Would it be to own your own spa or would it be just to work? I think it would be to own my own spa. If I'm looking in the future, I think I'd rather want to own my own spa than... Good.

So here's the homework, okay? I want you to use the proximity principle, and we're going to give you that book, okay? Brand new book, bestseller, and I'm going to actually walk you through the process in the book, okay? So Kelly will get that to you, but here's what your homework is. I want you to identify some people who own successful spas in your area. And you need to find a way, whether through a friend of a friend of a friend or somebody who's a client there. And you go in and say, hey, listen, if I bought your lunch or bought you coffee, would you give me 30 minutes so I can pick your brain? Because I want to be where you are one day.

And I know you can tell me some things that I need to hear and do. And that person is going to feel very valuable when you say it that way. You go in there, you be grateful for their time, you be really hungry, get a pencil, piece of paper, and you go to school on them. And they're going to tell you what works, what doesn't work. They're going to tell you about qualifications, things you need to do. Then you take that information, go do the research, answer these three questions. What do I need to do to eventually get there? And I'm telling you right now, you need

to be working full-time in that industry. That's your next step. Then you're learning, doing, connecting within the space, Chris, and she wants to have a business. That's how you do this. It's not as scary as it seems. It gets people excited, Ken, because what you're doing is

you're pointing them in a direction and you're telling them, yes, you can. That's right. And that's amazing. Ayla, thank you so much for calling in. You're listening to The Dave Ramsey Show. Hello, America. You are listening to The Dave Ramsey Show. I'm Chris Hogan, filling in for the big man. And I also have best-selling author and host of The Ken Coleman Show, Mr. Ken Coleman, in here with me.

And we've had a blast. We've talked about money. We've talked about career. And I know you're out there, and I know you've got a question. I know you have in the back of your mind a desire to shift or move in your career and you don't know how to do it. Ken's in here. He's able to help you. So call us. That number to call is 888-825-5225. We are here for you. All right. We're getting back to the phones because that's what we do. I've got Heather in Kalamazoo. Heather, how are you? Hey, Chris, I'm doing well. How about you? Oh, I'm focused and not finished. How can I help you? Well, I kind of have a business end of the career question.

Okay. I work at a company and I'm the daughter of the owner. And we have a situation where we have a couple who were working together at the company and then they broke up, a dating couple, and they broke up. And so far it's been kind of an uncomfortable situation where the ex-boyfriend is actually in a management position but not managing this lady, but he is a general manager of the company, and he is, you know, sending kind of vengeful texts and really affecting her work performance, just, you know, her mental health and stuff like that. So we'd really like to know if, you know, you guys have kind of like a code of ethics for the workplace.

Wow, that's a great question. And let me ask you this. The young lady that he dated, is she in a separate department than from him separate but they work together on a daily basis okay all right so and ken i'd love for you to chime in on this but i i think first and foremost the the gentleman the person that is in the management role there needs to be a clear conversation had where we're really kind of putting all the cards on the table and talking about how we're going to conduct ourselves and handle things moving forward inside and outside the workplace.

And I think it's totally fine within the realm of being very direct on that. I mean, the thing that's alarming to me are the threatening texts or, you know, inappropriate things in that nature. This is a work environment. And I would let that person in the leadership role understand the expectations, what you all have for a person that's in a leadership position. But then at the same time, meeting with both of them to let them know, you know, this is a personal situation. You guys need to deal with that away from and outside of the job.

We need everyone to be professional here or you're going to have to find another place to work for sure yeah and this is really brought up you know um i mean some of the texts just happened last night and it's brought up like you know maybe this person should not be in a leadership position um especially if you know these true colors are showing yeah. Yeah. I mean, how long have you guys been dealing with this situation? I believe the breakup, it happened kind of over a month, and that was probably a couple months ago. Wow. What is your role, Heather, in the company?

I am the sales manager, and so I'm the manager of the young lady. Okay, and then who leads? Is it your dad that leads the uh the guy in the situation yeah yep it would be my dad is the president and then i'm the sales manager so i'm kind of on the same level as this other man are you and dad on the same page about what should be done completely yeah he just wanted me to reach out to you guys see what you know you could add about how what legally we can say and do. Let me say this.

From a legal standpoint, you need to consult your HR company. Chris and I aren't HR experts, but I will say this. Chris was very, very diplomatic in how he said that. If I'm your dad, I'm pulling that dude in the office today, and I'm saying, this stops now. This stops now or you're gone because uh this is not this is not activity that's becoming of a leader we're not going to send out uh disparaging text negative text about any other co-worker whether you're dating them or not it's not acceptable

but i would have some grace and mercy attached to the conversation. I would be super clear. But I also want to say that you made a comment, and I would not paint a picture of this guy, a new picture based on what he has done. You said, this came to light last night, makes us wonder if he should be leader. He's hurting. So let's remember that hurting people hurt people it's not an excuse however understand that he should be given the

opportunity to own this fall on his sword as it were make it right with her and with you the leadership of the company and it needs to cease and it needs to never come up again so you know i'm not going to say that it's it automatic let's fire him but it needs to never come up again so you know i'm not going to say that it's it automatic let's fire him but it needs to stop and this is concerning is this because you're hurting or is this some person that we didn't know and i think that's how i would address no i agree with you ken and i think you know it it stopping and that direct conversation needs to happen and the tone it needs to be uncomfortable for everybody heather for everybody sitting in the room but for him to know and then you know you all can look at whatever

your hr guidelines are but i would do an official write-up on this situation as well so it goes in his folder and he understands this is the final conversation on this right this is it and then outside of that because you got potential legal issue if he's threatening her via text, that could become a police related matter. And so we just want to be clear. But Heather, I think you and your dad are on the ball and very, very clear with this. And so I just say thank you very much for calling in to tell us about this, because, you know, this is one of those things you don't want to lead alone. You know, that's why we talk about our Entree Leadership brand, to be able to learn the steps to take so you don't have to be by yourself. And so if you're a leader out there or someone that wants to be leading, you need to check

out our Entree Leadership brand. Go to EntreeLeadership.com. There's information on there about Dave's number one bestselling book, Entree Leadership, which is how we run our company. The leadership of this company actually follows those principles. And there's also an opportunity for you to get plugged in and learn more with some mastermind groups and a way through all access through Entree Leadership as well. So again, if you're leading or want to be a leader, go check that out.

All right, going back to the phone, I've got Brian out in California. Brian, how can i help you hey guys how's it going uh doing fantastic how can i help you my friend okay so um just want to let you guys know real quick that thanks to you guys and your team uh as of monday this week me and my wife, my family here, we're finally debt-free. Yes. Fantastic. That is awesome. How much did you pay off? Starting last year in April, until now, we paid off 50 grand.

Unbelievable. What was it? Was it credit cards or student loan? It started off with credit cards and the baby steps, and um it was an impulse vehicle that we bought i got rid of that and then the wife stopped talking to me for a while when i sold it and um yeah um student loans i was so happy when i paid off that one and And we went to Financial Peace, and we got on the same page. And we were just, my job, we were kicking off with a lot of overtime, and then all of a sudden it froze up with overtime.

Right. We just started hiring all kinds of people. And then I looked at my car, which was paid off, and I said, God, please honor my sacrifice. And I sacrificed, and then we were debt-free. That is fantastic, my friend. Well, I'm very proud of you all because that's not an accident. You don't stumble into getting debt-free, Brian.

You all work toward it, and you sacrifice. And I'm very, very proud of you. Congratulations. And I'm glad to hear that Financial Peace University was a part of helping you all in your journey. So I understand you have a question for me as well. Yes. So the question is, at my job, we have a pension. They take away 10% of my gross pay towards the pension.

And you know how the pension works. I can't get rid of it. I can't opt out of it. So in the baby steps, when I start building my retirement at of 15 of my take-home pay should i add that as in part of the 15 or should i no matter what just do 15 of my take-home pay okay so right now you're saying in the job they are are they taking 10 out of your check or are they just contributing 10 well so i get my gross pay and then you know Uncle Sam digs in his dirty hands and touches my check, and then all my benefits, because I work for the state.

I'm a police officer. And so whatever's left over is my take-home pay. Okay, gotcha. So, yeah, you want to be at 10. So if it's 10% that they're coming out of your check, then yes. You want to make sure you're contributing five more to get to 15. If it's not coming out of your check, then you want to be contributing 15% yourself. Well, listen, America, thank you so much for calling in. Ken, thank you for joining me, my friend. Thanks, Chris. Again, you can locate him at KenColeman.com.

And I want to thank James Childs and our associate producer, Kelly Daniel, and especially you, America. This has been The Dave Ramsey Show. This is James Childs, producer of The Dave Ramsey Show. Did you know you can now listen to The Dave Ramsey Show on Pandora and Spotify? For all the ways to watch and listen, check out our showcase at Dave Ramsey.com slash show.