The Ramsey Show - App - Why Interest-Free Car Loans Are a Joke (Hour 3)

Episode Date: March 1, 2019

The show about you...

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Live from the headquarters of Ramsey Solutions, broadcasting from the Dollar Car Rental Studios, it's the Dave Ramsey Show, where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice. I am Dave Ramsey, your host. You jump in, we'll talk about your life and your money. It's a free call, 888-825-5225. That's 888-825-5225. Owees is with us in Omaha, Nebraska.
Starting point is 00:00:56 Hi, Owees, how are you? I'm good. How about you? Better than I deserve. What's up? Thank you. I just want to say thank you for everything you do. I have a little bit of a situation that I thought I could come to you and meet your advice on. Okay. So I am 23 years old. I just recently went back to school, and I just got a house, and I'm paying it off by March of this month.
Starting point is 00:01:26 So I'll be debt-free. And the purpose I bought for that house was for my family. They don't make good money and don't speak any English. And basically, I'm living with them, and I got married. So my wife wants to move to another state because she doesn't like here. And I just wanted to know, is it wise for me to move to a different state? Should I get my first social degree or should I get my full college degree, bachelor's, and move?
Starting point is 00:01:58 Okay. And you're moving to another state. Why? Because my wife, she doesn't like Nebraska. She doesn't feel comfortable here. Okay. Where does she want to move? Kentucky, where her sister is. Okay. And where she grew up, I guess? She grew up in Omaha. Oh, in Omaha. Yes. Yeah. Okay. Um, how long have you been married? I've been married about three years, about two years so far. Three years. Okay. So, so this has been, I mean, you got, you and your wife have been talking about this for a long time, right?
Starting point is 00:02:39 Um, not a long time, about, about a year or so because she, because she's pressuring me right now. I want to move. But I have a good job here, you know, and finally I'm getting things together. The house is going to be paid for. And I was thinking about moving to an apartment for us to be together. It's just that she wants to go to a different state. So is she trying to get away from your family? Not exactly.
Starting point is 00:03:11 She likes my family. It's just that she thinks it's better for us to be independent, like in a different state. Instead of me, like the house I bought is an apartment, about six beds, two. So it's like two beds up and four down. And we live in a two-bed one. What's your country of origin? It's Somalia. I'm from Somalia.
Starting point is 00:03:40 Okay. And so she grew up in Omaha. You grew up in Somalia. The way you're living in this home is much more normal in Somalia than it is in Omaha. So it's blowing her mind that you have people stacked in there six deep. Exactly. And I actually recently moved from Boston, Massachusetts two years ago. So I moved from Boston, Massachusetts to Omaha, but I met her in Omaha, and after we met, we got married.
Starting point is 00:04:15 So now it's like she wants to move out of Omaha. Okay. I'm still, the thing, if I'm in your shoes, it's hard for me to advise you on this, because I still don't understand why she wants to go to Kentucky, other than I kind of sympathize with her on the living situation. So, you know, just I want to leave Nebraska as a vague general statement. I don't get that, okay? I'm going to have to have a little more information than that if I'm in your shoes.
Starting point is 00:04:45 And so I do think you need to. What I would say is this. We might move to Kentucky. We might make that decision. But for right now, for at least six months, let's try it here by going and getting an apartment this weekend. This weekend. Go get an apartment and set up your own household on the other side of town she is not used to having people all over her the way the family is set up with you and so
Starting point is 00:05:16 you need to give her some physical space some distance um and then let's see how that works, because her leaving the city she grew up in is unusual unless she's going to something. But I don't even hear that. There's nothing. I mean, the only thing in Kentucky is your sister. I mean, there's nothing wrong with Kentucky. Go to Kentucky if you want to. It's a wonderful state. But I just don't.
Starting point is 00:05:42 I want to hear that you guys actually have. She has some kind of a plan other than I don't i i i want to hear that you guys actually have she has some kind of a plan other than i don't want to be in nebraska that's not much of a plan okay so let's just talk this through and say where are we going why are we going and what what is our game plan overall and then develop a plan and over time you may make the move to kentucky that would be okay but right now i don't hear any reason to do that. So I do hear good reason for you to get an apartment this
Starting point is 00:06:09 weekend. Darlene is with us in Annapolis, Maryland. Hi Darlene. How are you? Hi Dave. I'm wonderful. Thanks so much for taking the call. Sure. How can I help? I appreciate all that you do. I've got my two sisters and my two sons are all doing a total money makeover,
Starting point is 00:06:25 and we're really excited about changing our family history. Very cool. Our legacy. But that being said, I'm kind of in a bit of a pickle, and I think I just need some reassurance from you. Okay. So I'll be 53 this year. I have very little in retirement.
Starting point is 00:06:43 I'm in baby step two. I've got about $66,000 of debt. And then I've got to do baby step three, which is to get my emergency fund. I'm nervous about not starting any retirement contributions for another three to four years. What's your income? I'm at about $122. Okay. Why would it take three to four years?
Starting point is 00:07:13 Why would you not be debt-free and have your emergency fund in two years? My living expenses are really high. Why? So I rent my home here in Annapolis, Maryland, and that's like $2,100 a month plus all the utilities and things that come with. Are you single? I am single. Children? Adults. Okay.
Starting point is 00:07:33 So go rent something cheaper. Well, so I'm contemplating that. I am contemplating that. The other piece that kind of snags this for me a little bit is I have a father, an elderly father, he's in his mid-70s, who lives in a family home that many years ago I mortgaged to cover some business debts that he had. And he's also kind of in those beginning stages of dementia and things like that. So he wants to stay in his home. I'm still covering the mortgage on that.
Starting point is 00:08:07 And as well as living here where, of course, I'm closer to my employment, etc. So I am going to try to move some things around, but I'm kind of like... Here's the thing. If you start moving, you're going to make... The more afraid you are about not being in retirement, the more you ought to be dramatic on moving some of these things around. Because I think you ought to be debt-free in two years, and that is going to mean you move to a cheaper place.
Starting point is 00:08:31 And it may mean that dad has a different living arrangement. There may be some dramatic things like that. But you make $122,000 a year. If from 55 to 65 you save 15% of that, you'll be okay for retirement. But you can't screw around with this for another six or seven years. You do need to get on it. There's nothing smart about smartphones if your wireless plan is blowing your budget each month. Pure Talk USA offers smarter wireless with unlimited plans starting as low as $20 per month.
Starting point is 00:09:05 You never pay data overage fees and we never turn off your data. No contracts, no hidden fees. And if you're thinking our low cost means less coverage, think again. Our voice and data service covers 99% of Americans. And our 4G LTE network provides the fastest internet speeds like more expensive carriers we operate on the largest gsm network in the u.s to ensure you receive reliable coverage virtually anytime anywhere plus you can keep your same phone and number and add multiple lines to save more we're so confident you'll love pure talk usa that we invite you to try our service risk-free. Visit puretalkusa.com or call 844-862-3677.
Starting point is 00:09:48 Enter promo code SAVEDAVE and receive 50% off your first month. That's puretalkusa.com. Thank you for joining us. Matt is in Chattanooga. Hey, Matt, welcome to the Dave Ramsey Show. How are you today, sir? Better than I deserve. What's up? I wanted to ask about paying off a mortgage versus taking money and investing it. If I'm only going to be in a house for, say, another three to five years.
Starting point is 00:10:40 Okay. So the balance on the mortgage is less than $100,000. I have been adding additional principal to get it paid off sooner. And other than a car loan that's instant free, I really don't have any other debt. Okay. How much money do you have in savings, not counting retirement? About $20,000. And how much is owed on the car?
Starting point is 00:11:08 Nine. Okay. The way I answer questions on this show, Matt, is knowing what I know about building wealth and the shortest path to building wealth is to be debt-free. What would I do if I woke up in your shoes? I would take $9,000 and pay the car off in 20 seconds, regardless of the fact that it's interest-free. And I wouldn't fall for that crap again, because the only way you get a zero-interest car loan is you buy a new one, and when you drive it off the lot, you just lost a ton of value. That's called interest. So you did not get an interest-free car.
Starting point is 00:11:41 That's a joke. Anyway, then from there, I would go ahead and start paying off the house as soon as you have your emergency fund of three to six months of expenses in place. So I want you to have three to six months of expenses. Above that, be putting 15% of your income into retirement. That's what we call baby step four. And then, of course, start pushing and pushing and pushing towards that house even though you're going to be moving here's the thing there's no harm in paying off the house you're making your
Starting point is 00:12:12 mortgage interest rate as a return on your money versus it sitting in a savings account making a 0.09 percent or something like that right and uh so you pay off the house you make three four five percent whatever your mortgage rate is on your money and the money's not gone when you sell your house they give you a check for your equity you get the money back at closing and so it's a great way to stabilize your financial situation while you're making the decision if you're going to move. But now that you're going to move, or when you decide to move, if you have paid it off or you've almost paid it off,
Starting point is 00:12:53 you just sell the house, they give you a check at closing, you move the money to the next deal. But I'm always working towards having your everything paid off, including your house, because think about it. If you don't have any payments, oh, baby, you got money. It's a pretty simple formula. And if you got money because you don't have any payments, then you can give more, save more, invest more, enjoy more, instead of sending it to the bank. And we get caught up in this country like a rat in a wheel where all the money comes in, all the goes back out to some stupid bank it's like we work for bank of america we work for ford motor credit and we
Starting point is 00:13:32 shouldn't spend our lives working for them we should spend our lives building a financial legacy so we retire with dignity and so that we can change our family tree. Tyler is with us in Fresno. Hi, Tyler. How are you? Hey, how's it going, Mr. Ramsey? Better than I deserve. What's up? All right, so I'm a senior in high school right now,
Starting point is 00:13:55 and I'm actually taking a financial literacy class through an ROP program. And I recently just got accepted into UCLA, but my family and where I am at right now, I won't be able to afford it unless I get student loans. So, I mean, I know you say, like, because my teacher actually uses a lot of your principles in teaching about credit cards and how it's, like, it's better to set more money aside to save than to go through the hassle of having to pay off these credits
Starting point is 00:14:26 and possibly getting into more and more debt. So I was wondering how you think I should go about getting a student loan or paying off school. It's $32,000 a year, approximately. Gotcha. Okay. And do you have any money at all? I do have some, but it won't be much after the first couple semesters. How much money do you have? It's about $40,000. Okay.
Starting point is 00:14:53 $40,000. All right. Good. Good. So that gets you through a year. Yeah. Okay. That's good.
Starting point is 00:15:00 Where'd you get that? I've been going there for about four years. Yeah. I was planning that. I knew that. I knew UCLA was a four-year school. And so what do you plan on studying? I plan on studying aeronautics and jet propulsion.
Starting point is 00:15:12 Okay. Because I know they have a very good space program there. Gotcha. Okay. And have you looked at what your curriculum looks like the first year? No aeronautics or jet propulsion in your curriculum for the first year. Yeah, well, the first year is just going to be a lot of general ed that's just required. I know.
Starting point is 00:15:31 Coming straight out of high school, as well as aerospace, dynamics, and physics. Yeah, you'll pick up most of your things specific to your field of study in your junior and your senior year, maybe a tiny bit in your sophomore year. But your first two years are primarily general studies in most degree fields, okay? And that's pretty standard with most four-year universities. Okay, there's two or three things to think about. Number one, I'm never going to tell you to borrow money. The 30-year-old version of you is going to be you to borrow money i you're the 30 year old
Starting point is 00:16:05 version of you is going to be pissed at the 18 year old version of you if you go deeply in debt to go to ucla to get a degree in jet propulsion this is not going to turn out well okay so let's just start with the premise we're not going to borrow money now how in the world can we get through four years of school with forty thousand dollars if we're not going to borrow money. The number one thing that causes people to go in debt is their choice of school. You wisely have chosen an in-state school. However, you can do one or maybe two years of community college, get your basics out of the way, and in California, that's free. Free. Okay? and in California, that's free.
Starting point is 00:16:45 Free. Okay? Not what you wanted to do. You wanted to go to UCLA, move in the dorm, play some beer pong on the weekends. But I'm wanting you to go to community college since you're a broke guy. I've been a broke guy. I don't want you to be a broker guy.
Starting point is 00:17:02 The second thing I want you to consider is how much work you can do between now and the next five years. And I'm not talking about flopping whoppers at minimum wage. Doing something in the jet propulsion field or getting into an apprentice program of some kind or considering, you know, the military as an option or something along these lines to where someone gives you so much money for working that you just work your way through college and you can do that. Especially with a $40,000 head start. Okay, because you got two years before of work to build up the next forty thousand dollars and you can make that delivering pizzas now you're not gonna have party life you're gonna be working dude i worked 40 to 60 hours a week when i was in college and i did not die from it and i graduated in four years most people work while they're in college at least the last three generations up until now. Now people go $150,000 in debt and call it a necessity.
Starting point is 00:18:09 And it's not a necessity. So where you go to school, how you go to school, how much you work. The next one is your new part-time job in addition to your other job is applying for scholarships. I want you to apply for 1,000 scholarships in the coming 12 months. I want you to scour the Internet for anything having to do with your race, creed, color, national origin, your heritage, your jet propulsion scholarships, aeronautics scholarships, scholarships from American Airlines or Boeing for people that want to, because they want people sharp like you to be ready to come into their field
Starting point is 00:18:54 and having studied it. And if you will get turned down for 950 scholarships and get $52,000 scholarships and you go to community college for one year for free or two years for free and you work your butt off all the way through school, ta-da, you don't need a loan. It'll work. Now the question is, are you really going to do that? Are you going to take what you think is the easy way out, which is a student loan?
Starting point is 00:19:25 And you'll find out when you're 30 it wasn't the easy way out. This is the Dave Ramsey Show. We'll be right back. In the lobby of Ramsey Solutions, Phillip and Wendy are with us. Hey, guys, how are you? Good. Good. How are you? Better than I deserve. Welcome.
Starting point is 00:20:15 Where do you guys live? Somerville, Alabama. Oh, just over the line, just south of here. Yes, sir. Very cool. Welcome to Nashville. And up here to do a debt-free scream, huh? Yes, sir.
Starting point is 00:20:27 Love it. How much have you paid off? $63,000. All right. How long did that take you? Ten months. Good for you. And your range of income during that time?
Starting point is 00:20:38 $62,000 to $82,000. Okay, cool. What kind of debt was the $63,000? A little bit of everything. We had a van. We had van payment, car payment, truck payment. We had credit cards. John Deere lawnmower.
Starting point is 00:20:55 Yeah. How much did you owe on the lawnmower? That's embarrassing. $8,000. What did you owe on the cheapest car? Probably about $7,800. what did you owe on the cheapest car uh probably about 7800 you owed more on your lawn more than your car let's see that is embarrassing i love it it's a great tractor though it's a great tractor i love it fun good for you so what happened 10 months ago that got you on this get out of debt journey we uh bought a brand new van and when we got home i'm like we have three car payments and one of them was
Starting point is 00:21:32 it was just stupid we have three car payments three cars and two of us that drive and and a John Deere payment. Oh, my gosh. And so that kind of freaked you out? Yes, sir. Okay. Then what happened? Well, we started just kind of YouTubing some of your stuff, and then I guess a couple months in, we finally ordered some of your program and your daughter's book, Live Your Life, Not Theirs,
Starting point is 00:22:04 and we finally sold the van, the brand-new one. The brand-new one, okay. And the truck. Whoa, sold two of them. Now he's driving the John Deere. Well, we bought me a cheap van. Okay, good. So what did the van sell for?
Starting point is 00:22:21 $22,000. What did the truck sell for? About $7,300. Was it $7,300? $7,000. What did the truck sell for? $73,000. Was it $73,000? $7,300. Okay. So that's like $30,000 of the $63,000 is boom, just those two cars gone, right? Yeah, and then we just got on fire.
Starting point is 00:22:34 Okay. If we were going to drive junk, we might as well. If we're going to live like nobody else, we've got to get out of debt so we can live like nobody else later, right? Yes, sir. Okay, cool. So what do you tell people the key to getting out of debt is now that you've done it? You just have to not care what other people think and know that you're doing this now for you to have something better in the future. Got it. Did you keep the John Deere? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, of course. All right, good. Good man.
Starting point is 00:22:58 Good man. All right, good deal. So what do you tell people, Phillip, the key to getting out of debt is? Working together. Uh-huh. You know, contentment. Uh-huh. And that's a big struggle point for me especially. So tell me the conversation, what it's like sitting at the kitchen table. You two are sitting there talking.
Starting point is 00:23:19 You're kind of in freak-out mode. And when does it come up? Who brought it up that we have to sell the new van? She did. She did. She did. What did you say? I wanted to keep it. Okay.
Starting point is 00:23:31 I wanted to keep it. I told her we would just treat it like a house payment and pay it off over time, you know. Mm-hmm. But she wanted to buy, she wanted to get out of debt so bad, she wanted to sell it and my truck to get out of debt yeah so not only did you do you lost two battles that night got your truck sold too right but it worked out good because the van that we bought when we sold those two was still worse less than or worth less than my john deer so it kind of worked out we've got to keep our priorities straight here. It was terrible. That is so fun.
Starting point is 00:24:09 You guys are a blast. That's fun. So what was the hardest part of the last 10 months for you all? I guess seeing people with brand new vehicles and stuff, especially at Christmas time, everybody got one, it seemed like. And just knowing that it's just what we did for our family. That made you, that gave you a reason to get through it then. Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:24:36 Was it worth it? Oh, yeah. You're glad you're here now? Oh, yeah. Will you ever go back in debt? Oh, no. She says. He's grinning.
Starting point is 00:24:49 You guys are fun. This is great. And you brought the kiddos with you, and their names and ages are what? Olivia is six, Emily is four, and Micah is 18 months. Oh, wow. Okay, cool. So have they been practicing their debt-free scream all the way up from Alabama? Yes, sir.
Starting point is 00:25:08 Oh, so they know how to do it then? We believe that unless they... We'll see if they don't get camera shy then, huh? Yes, sir. Okay, cool. Very good. Very good. We've got a copy of Chris Hogan's retire-inspired book for you. We want that to be the next chapter in your story, that you're debt-free, and now you
Starting point is 00:25:23 move on to millionaire status and outrageously generous along the way. It looks like you've got three colleges to plan for too, right? Yes, sir. Very cool. Congratulations, you all. All right, it's Phillip and Wendy, Olivia, Emily, and Micah. $63,000 paid off in 10 months, making $62,000 to $82,000. Count it down.
Starting point is 00:25:45 Let's hear a debt-free scream. Three, two, one. We're debt-free! Yeah! Yay! The Happy Practice Group! Good job, guys! Well done!
Starting point is 00:26:00 That's how it's done right there. Man, I love it. I'll tell you what, it's terrifying to start selling everything you own like that. It shakes the core of your life, but it gives you your life back. They got their life back. You don't have a payment in the world. Kind of feels good, doesn't it? I promise you it does.
Starting point is 00:26:23 Our question of the day comes from blinds.com. Brand new custom blinds from blinds.com are the easiest and most affordable way to give your entire home a facelift. With blinds.com, you get free samples, free shipping, and with the new promos they run every month, you'll save even more. Use the magic word, the promo code RAMSY, and you get the best possible deal. Blinds.com. Today's questions from Glenn in Arizona. My wife and I are 25 years old, debt-free, have an income of $140,000. We want to buy a house, but we're worried about buying at the height of the market. Should we wait for the market to crash or run the risk of buying at an inflated price now. Glenn, I don't know what makes you think the market's going to crash.
Starting point is 00:27:18 The real estate market has gone down dramatically one time in the last 70 years. One time. I don't, I mean, I think these prices are white hot. I think the market might slow down. But I was selling real estate in 1980 when interest rates were 17%. Prices of real estate did not go down substantially. The market froze. Nobody was buying houses at 17%. You couldn't give them away,
Starting point is 00:27:49 but the prices, the appraisals, did not go down dramatically. Crash. Should we wait for the market to crash? I think you might be waiting the rest of your life for it to crash. At least that's the historical data that's out there. Now, there's a lot of feelings around this, but I'm talking about facts. The Phoenix market where you live is wide open. The Arizona market's hot, hot, hot, no pun intended.
Starting point is 00:28:22 And it was a bit of a bubble in this last crash it was a little bit i mean it was up there pretty high so it took a pretty heavy hit but it's back whatever it lost in 2008 and 9 has regained and then some uh and it didn't take until now to do it either by the way it's been back for quite a while and going on up north of where it north of where it was before so um agreed the market is hot white hot in some markets it's very difficult to to get in on because it's selling so fast and prices are going up does that necessarily mean there's going to be a crash there's no historic data that says that it's just a feeling and uh i try not to make my financial decisions based on only feelings. It'll get you burnt.
Starting point is 00:29:10 So my answer is, if I was ready to buy a piece of real estate, I'd buy it today. If you're out of debt, you have your emergency fund in place, you've got your down payment, and you're ready to buy on a 15-year fixed rate where the payment's no more than a fourth of your take-home pay, I'd buy. I don't know what the market's going to do. Historically, it's gone up all but one time. This is the Dave Ramsey Show. our scripture of the day first corinthians 15 33 do not be deceived bad company ruins good morals. George Washington said, it is far better to be alone than in bad company.
Starting point is 00:30:09 Well, there you go. You do become who you hang around with. You know that, right? I was in New York the other day and I noticed all those people up there have accents. You become who you hang around with, don't you? Yeah, you do. I mean, people even within a certain area You become who you hang around with, don't you? Yeah, you do.
Starting point is 00:30:31 I mean, people even within a certain area of the country, there are different dialects. If you're really attuned to listening for it, you can tell someone who is born and raised in Middle Tennessee versus East Tennessee. The dialect is slightly different. Different twang, different southern, different say sayings um yeah you can hear it it's you become who you hang around with did you know your income will approximate be within 10 to 15 percent of the average of your 10 closest friends income over a period of about 10 years if you hang out with people who make good money, you will start to make good money because you learn to think like they think.
Starting point is 00:31:11 You learn to see the world like they see the world. If you hang out with people who are victims, oh, you can't get ahead. If you come from our side of the tracks, you can't get ahead. The little man can't get ahead. You hang out with people who Eeyore is their spirit animal. Yeah, you'll be a victim too.
Starting point is 00:31:35 If you hang out, you know, and I'm serious because what happens is, is it becomes an echo chamber in a good way. You're hearing back things that you need to hear over and over and over again like you can do it or you can't do it and that's obviously not a good way then so be careful choose carefully who you spend time with now i'm not suggesting you'd be snobby to someone or i'll talk to anybody of me i mean i i i mean i don't even care if you're from kentucky i'll talk to you i'm kidding all right i mean i'll talk to anybody i'll talk to any religion or anything i'm not going to argue with you i'm not going to allow you to be belligerent to me about something but i'll I'll sit down and talk to anybody. I love people. I like the give and take. I like the variety of life.
Starting point is 00:32:30 I enjoy seeing things and listening to someone passionately be wrong. I'll talk to anybody. You know, I'm fine with that. That's not what I'm saying. I'm not suggesting you shun people or you're too good to have a conversation with someone i don't go over there and that's sort of the tricks that's not what i'm saying at all but i'm talking about who your crew is who your internal circle is your tightest five or ten people those are the people that have influence in your life. Your speech patterns will approximate them.
Starting point is 00:33:07 You will watch the same movies and read the same books. You will develop eventually the same belief systems and value systems. If they go to church, you will. If they read the Bible, you will. If they pray, you will. If they're improving their character, you will. If they are working out and taking care of their body, you will. If they're watching their food intake, you will.
Starting point is 00:33:39 The closest five or ten people that you spend the most time with that you can see. Who's going to carry your casket? Those six people. That's who I'm talking about. The ones that are in your life, your crew, your posse, whatever you want to call it. You're going to be like them. You cannot keep it from happening. Do not be deceived. Bad company ruins good morals.
Starting point is 00:33:59 1 Corinthians 15.33, George Washington said, It is far better to be alone than in bad company. If you hang out with whining victims, you will begin to see the world through the eyes of whining victims. If you hang out with triumphant victors, you will begin to see the world through the eyes of triumphant victors, people who are victorious. They're champions.
Starting point is 00:34:33 They're what we call successful. In whatever area of life that it is you want to emulate and cause that to happen. Now, again, I'm more than happy to talk to anyone, but I'm talking about who I spend enough time with that they influence everything down to my speech patterns. We know this because we don't allow our children to run around with juvenile delinquents because our children will become a juvenile delinquent. If little Johnny down the street's a weed head, your kid runs around with little Johnny, your kid's going to be a weed head.
Starting point is 00:35:10 Now, maybe that's okay with you. It's not my value system. I didn't want to raise weed heads. So we didn't let our kids run around with weed heads. Pretty simple, isn't it? You're going to become who you hang around with. You're going to become who you hang around with. You're going to become who you hang around with. Choose.
Starting point is 00:35:32 John is with us. John is in Sioux City, Iowa. Hey, John, how are you? I'm good. How are you? Better than I deserve. What's up? Well, my wife and I grew up with a great inner circle like you're talking about,
Starting point is 00:35:47 so we're very fortunate, and we are on baby step number seven right now. Wow, look at you. Everything's paid for. Yes. How old are you? 29, and she's 27. And you have a paid-for house. Yes.
Starting point is 00:36:04 What's your house worth? Paid $120 for it. It's worth $185 right now. Good for you, man. What's your household income? $135. Way to go. Boom, boom, man.
Starting point is 00:36:19 You're on fire. How can I help? So we have just under $100,000 in the bank, earning pennies. So we're trying to decide if we should take that money and buy a new home with it and sell our current home with an increase in value. Mm-hmm. And pay cash for it? Yes.
Starting point is 00:36:49 Yes? Okay, because we don't want that money just sitting there in the bank not doing anything but we also don't want to get into rentals we don't want to be landlords and we don't want all of our eggs in the stock market either okay so fine i mean if you have a paid for three hundred thousand dollar house instead of a paid-for $200,000 house, and you're 29 years old making $135,000, that doesn't make me anything but happy for you. Okay. Go do it. All right. No debt. This is an awesome plan. Knock it out, man. You got this.
Starting point is 00:37:20 Mike's with us in Minnesota. Hey, Mike, how are you? Good. How are you, Dave? Better than I deserve. I'm short on time. Go fast. So I'm just wondering, I'm 24, I'm working on a family farm, and I'm at the point where I don't know if I should stay in the business or get out. Okay.
Starting point is 00:37:40 Why would you get out? Because I don't have very much control. I do a lot of the labor, and there's a lot of debt. Okay. And why would you stay? Because it's what I love to do. So you love the land and you love farming, but you don't like the situation. Correct. So what if you just did your own deal well it's kind of hard because if i leave i'm going to leave my dad
Starting point is 00:38:14 or my mom and dad in a deep deep hole do you you didn't put them there well no but at 24 years, they're not your responsibility. Correct. But he always says, I bought this parcel of property so that you could farm with us. Okay. Yeah, but did he ask you? Well, no, I was too young at the time. All right.
Starting point is 00:38:47 So he made an assumption on what you were going to do with your life so i i think you sit down and say dad i know it's always been your dream for me to take this farm over and i love farming and i love working with you i'd love to do that um i am unwilling to do this on the way we're doing it so we're going to have to work to get this place out of debt and we're going to work to get where I'm not doing all the work. And I know I'm only 24, and I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but I don't want to plug in to what's going on here.
Starting point is 00:39:14 So we've got to change what's going on here if you want me to plug in. And just have a kind, calm, clear conversation. That puts us out of the Dave Ramsey Show and the books. We'll be back with you before you know it. In the meantime, remember, there's ultimately only one way to financial peace, and that's
Starting point is 00:39:29 to walk daily with the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus. Hey, it's Kelly, associate producer and phone screener for the Dave Ramsey Show. This episode is over, but if you heard about a product or service and didn't have a chance to write it down, don't worry. We list everything that is mentioned during this episode in the podcast show notes section.
Starting point is 00:39:46 Thanks for listening.

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