The Ramsey Show - The Ramsey Show Live From Orlando

Episode Date: October 28, 2025

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Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 What's up. What's up. Common sense is weird. So we're here to help you transform your life. From the Ramsey Network, live in the Beacham in Orlando, this is the Ramsey Show. Now we're talking. That's what I imagine everyone does at home
Starting point is 00:00:48 when they're listening to the show in their car. Oh, this is so fun. Thank you for being a part of this. We got a lot of people watching this at home, and we're just grateful to be out of the house. I got a newborn, and let me tell you, I was like, babe, I got to go to work. I don't know what to tell you.
Starting point is 00:01:01 The people need me. Well, let's get to what you guys came here for. This is The Ramsey Show Live, and we are going to take your questions. Who's our first question? Oh, yeah. There she is. Step right up. We have a little stage for you.
Starting point is 00:01:14 Tell us your first name and where you're from. Hello, everyone. My name's Michelle, and my husband and I have been married for five years, and debt is something that we have tried our best. to tackle time and time again. And every time it feels we've taken two steps forward, it feels like we take three steps back. Tomorrow I'm actually going to be laid off from work.
Starting point is 00:01:42 Sorry. Are you good? Take your time. And it feels very scary. We have a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter who lives special needs, and she does various therapies. and we have a lot going on with her, right? I was the full-timer to be available for her.
Starting point is 00:02:09 My husband is part-time right now. We also have a small business that we are still growing, but it's not enough yet to pay us full-time. So I think there's just so much going on. So I'm just kind of like, what do we do? what do we focus on first because we don't know how long it'll take for me to either get another job or for our business to really take off or anything like that like what would you focus on first four walls and you've probably heard us say that but it gives so much peace to say the first things
Starting point is 00:02:46 the most important things are shelter right that's that's your rent or your mortgage making sure that's the top thing right and then after that we're just going through the line of priority yeah you got to make sure the utilities stay on, right? You need AC, right? All that kind of stuff. You need to make sure there's food and cabinet and you need to make sure there's transportation. Those are the first ones.
Starting point is 00:03:07 And then after that, there might be other priorities. Maybe there's daycare. Maybe there's insurance payments, right? But you can prioritize those down the list. But when you do that, it kind of puts a stop on everything else. And it's okay to do that. It's okay to tell the other stuff, let's talk to the hand. Like, I don't have it right now.
Starting point is 00:03:22 And they'll be strong. They will be fine. I have been where you're at right now and it feels intimidating to know that, you know, your money. But you also have the power to say not right now. And that's okay. This is a season and you'll come out of it, but really just dialing in and saying,
Starting point is 00:03:40 okay, with the money that we do have coming in, how far does that get us? And sitting down tonight or, you know, first thing in the morning and saying, the money that we have coming in from the small business, from your husband's work, how far does that get us as far as what our actual needs are in the budget and what's that gap, right? And putting real numbers around this so it doesn't feel like just this cloud of uncertainty, right,
Starting point is 00:04:06 floating over your head. I think that's going to give you a lot of peace. And then you can get about the work of saying, okay, how can we fill that $700 gap? How can we fill that $1,200 gap, right? But at least you know exactly what the gap will be. And not only will you know the dollar amount, but you'll know, and that $1,200 gap is these, you know, six items or these five items. And that's going to give you peace as well.
Starting point is 00:04:29 Yes, thank you. It's also okay to pause trying to get a business off the ground. It might be husband looking across. This might be the moment that you say, this can never happen to us again, right? This might be the moment that catapult you all into taking control of your financial life. But it might be, like I love what Jade said about, it's really. easy to get into dream job or career or small business those are all real big passiony things feeling things you all have a really serious emergency math problem and so tomorrow he becomes a guy
Starting point is 00:05:07 with four part-time jobs because he has a math problem to solve not a career not a passion not we have to solve right and we're going to knock on every door we can find because we have a math problem right and it takes some of the some of the smoke out of it and we just start putting out that fire you got a good community around you people you can lean on absolutely yes awesome please don't be afraid to ask for help yeah please yeah my wife went to the ER today I'm out of town I'm like scrambling and next thing another 17 people texting me showing up bringing meals watching the baby and so just know that like I know you feel like weird asking for it and there's shame and you just want to be alone but now is the time to lean on your people and they will show
Starting point is 00:05:49 up for you. And we're praying for you to get that job real soon. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Praying for that baby. Thank you so much, Michelle. All right, something we like to do in the show, Jade and John, is we like to help couples out by settling debate. People call and say, can you settle this debate? I think I'm right.
Starting point is 00:06:08 Prove me right. And usually the person calling in is wrong. Most of the time? They're trying to justify and go, Jade, you're on my side, right? And you're like, oh, actually. So we thought it would be fun to do this live, which is a little scarier. So do we have a dawn in the crowd? Are they here tonight?
Starting point is 00:06:27 Please tell me that one of them doesn't know this is happening. Come on up. Give it up for them. That's nerve-wracking. Welcome, guys. Okay. What's the debate in your house? So my name's Tom.
Starting point is 00:06:42 I'm a stave-aholic. I haven't heard that term. Yeah, Steve-a-holic. It's my wife doing. I'm a give-a-holic. I'm a pleaser. And nobody's spending money in this house. It's just we're saving and we're given.
Starting point is 00:06:56 We're the nicest people on earth. That's not true. But we're a baby step seven for about a year. And, you know, I make low six figures and we do okay. But I, she likes to give to our kids, you know. We're a blended family. He had three children. I had three children.
Starting point is 00:07:18 We've been together 10 years. It's been a 10-year process of blending and coming together. And our family trips and our family time has really, that's how I measure our wealth. I think it's more about with me, like, we do these trips. We spend $5,000 to $10,000. And they've been great trips. But every single time for me, it's like, oh, it's like every, you know, whether we want to go, spend a few hundred bucks to supper with all the kids.
Starting point is 00:07:51 It's like, she's like, let's do this. And I'm like, I'm always glad after. But it always is like, oh, every time. So that's the debate. Like, I need to figure out how to be okay with spending. You know what I mean? It's like me and money don't... How do we budget it?
Starting point is 00:08:07 I think that's our biggest problem. I don't think that's the biggest problem. Now that we... I mean, now, where is step eight, nine, and ten? That's when you give back today. I'll send you as Venmo. There's no struggle here. It's not like you're not going to be able to retire because of this.
Starting point is 00:08:26 It's just more that Tom is feeling like we should be doing more over here. We could be doing more over here and we're just spending willy-nilly on the family funding this fun life. Is that kind of it? What's behind that, Tom? It really took a long time between the two of us
Starting point is 00:08:44 to get, you know, I've been to the same company for 38 years, working my, ass off and it's just like we're here now and it's like I want to just keep saving and make sure that there's enough and but I know there's going there is enough yeah my my guess is you guys are probably multi-millionaires by now Tom is that right there is enough okay so on paper if you sat down with a financial advisor would they be like yeah you could retire bud yes they have and they've said it yeah they've said it out loud yeah well my my brother-in-law is a financial advisor and he's like yeah you know, by the time you have 75, he said, you'll have...
Starting point is 00:09:20 Say it. But we... Is it like $25 million or something stupid? Okay. We have six children. Hold it down. We want to just... We want to make them a priority while we're alive.
Starting point is 00:09:35 We want to live and give while we're alive. We want to see the difference made while we're alive. Can I feel an alternative? Yes. Is there a chance? It's a very common thing when there's blended family. families. That means that somewhere along the trajectory, the forever plan changed. And there's hurt and there's fear and there's, I want to make sure everybody's okay. And one of the ways I can make sure everybody's okay is to clear the deck of any possible challenge. And if you marry somebody and y'all together, y'all now have resources that maybe you've never had, I want to begin to buy laughter and joy. And it's not a bad impulse. But in a weird way, I end up using that money and those experiences to make me feel less guilty, less sad, less painful for the memories I had when they were little, right?
Starting point is 00:10:29 When they were asking those hard, hard questions, like, where's this and why do we have to live, those kind of things? And so it's almost a both-and, which is practicing. I hate to use that word because we turn these into moral issues and character issues. I think it's a practice. And I made a joke earlier. I think this is where a budget can really help. Like your spiritual exercise, man, is I'm going to budget fun money. I'm going to practice exhaling and saying, thank you, God.
Starting point is 00:11:02 Thank you, hard work. And I'm going to budget joy. And you begin to practice. I'm going to begin to look in the mirror and say, I'm a good mom. I've done a good job, and I'm worth being loved just at a table with a bunch of delivered pizzas, not at some five. The five-star, those are awesome, but also you're worth being loved, and your kids, and their kids, and their kids will have tons of fun. They'll tell the story at your funeral about the time you ran out in the backyard and sprayed them all with the hose, not the seventh vacation that y'all spent $20,000 on. And so it's both of y'all practicing.
Starting point is 00:11:44 We've done good. Let's practice this next layer. And y'all get to ask yourselves that question. What do you want this to look like? You've worked real hard. I just made me think of this quote. You can't spend your way into a meaningful life, and I'll flip it for Tom.
Starting point is 00:11:56 You can't save your way to a wealthy life. It just goes so far beyond that. And so I think you both have some homework to do. And so for that reason, I think the judge is going to preside and say, this is 50-50 right here. It is. Both guilty is charged. Congratulations.
Starting point is 00:12:10 Welcome to marriage where nobody wins. Thank you. Great question, guys. Thank you for trusting it for that. Can I petition to be one of the kids? I mean, you already got six. What's seven? I mean, add me to the vacation.
Starting point is 00:12:24 You'll have to understand, though, that when George Camel tells you, y'all should spend some money, that's something. Yeah. Well, what we found, John, there's a great book for you, Tom, by the way. It's called Die Was Zero.
Starting point is 00:12:36 This is a true book. What'd you think of it? Excellent book. Excellent book. Okay, the premise is that you don't need to leave $5 million to your kids when they're in their 60s. Use the money now to have these experiences. That's what's going to create more meaning than just like, oh, cool, I inherited $5 million when I didn't really need it.
Starting point is 00:12:53 Set your kids up now in their adult life when it matters more. It's good. So it's a decent principles in there for guys like Tom. Love it. Let's help the people. Can we do that? We have another live question coming up. We get that lined up.
Starting point is 00:13:06 Give it up for them, whoever they are. Oh, this is fun. She's running down because prices right. This is right, yeah. Why is that our only reference to someone running down in a game film? I don't know. All right, tell us your name and where you're from. I am Caroline Goens, and I am from Winter Garden, Florida.
Starting point is 00:13:21 Lovely. So here's a little bit, and then I'll tell you my question. So my dad has recently decided to spend time with me after not being there for most of my early childhood and up to now. I feel like I should spend time with him because it's the right thing to do, but part of me feels like, why now? where should I keep my boundaries? Good question.
Starting point is 00:13:44 Tell me about the word should. Who gave you that story? He kind of did, I feel like. Okay. So when somebody opts out of our lives and they knock on the door to come back in, I always want to ask myself, what I want my house to feel like?
Starting point is 00:14:04 And is my body, like literally, not sounding like woo-woo, but like, is it excited to open that door, or is it scared to open that door? And if it's scared to open that door, I often, this is me personally, up in my bag, up in the room back here, I have a journal that I keep with me, and it's just a stories journal, when I start telling myself stories, it's all coming down, I need to do this, I should have done this, I'll write it down, and I just ask myself, is this true? Am I scared because he might hurt me again? Do I not want to see him because he hasn't changed? Or am I scared that he,
Starting point is 00:14:38 He, there's still a seven-year-old in the driveway watching him drive off, wondering, what did I do, Dad? Like, what was so bad about me? And asking yourself those questions, and then those usually frame your boundaries, which you can open the door and say, I'm not ready yet. Or I can open the door and say, I need you to know, I still haven't figured out why you left. And I want to have that conversation before you come back. Or if you come back and you've been drinking, you have to go. or you can't come in this door, but I'll meet you at another place for a while,
Starting point is 00:15:12 or thank you for the invitation, but not yet. Right? But it's often when, especially with our parents, when they do something when we were kids, right? They leave, they were in a different faith, whatever. When they call, my dad can call me, and I go back to being nine like that, right? And I got a good dad.
Starting point is 00:15:36 My dad's still around, right? still around, right? And so it's remembering I'm not in the backseat of his car anymore. I'm in the front seat of mine. And that transition can be hard, but it's just spending a little bit of time with yourself. And sometimes a great text message back or an email back is I'll be in touch in 24 hours. And that's a tiny way that you can reclaim autonomy. I'll answer you tomorrow or answer you later, and that'll give me some space. I don't feel like I have to jump back in. But often, I don't know about you, I go right back to people pleasing. It's all going to be okay or fear or whatever those things are, right?
Starting point is 00:16:13 Why'd he go? He cheated on my mom. Did she send him away or did he leave? He left. Out of shame and guilt or he wanted to start a new family of someone else. Maybe both, I'm not sure. And maybe that's the question to start with. Yeah, that's a scary hard one.
Starting point is 00:16:33 How much of you wants to reconnect? and reconcile and how much of you was like not interested at all? I think my heart wants to but my brain's like well, hold on.
Starting point is 00:16:45 So I think it's more like I feel like I have a very open heart where my brain is like the logical like I want to put some boundaries there or something there. And probably both are true.
Starting point is 00:17:00 And both will lie to you also, right? Yes. How old are you now? 28. Do you have a dream of 35-year-old you, having him over for dinner? I do. That's usually a cool place to start and slowly reverse engineering it back to, okay, what must be true tomorrow for that 35, that seven years from now dream to come true?
Starting point is 00:17:20 Do you have kids? Not yet. Not yet? Okay. Do you have a dream of him holding one of your babies one day? Yes. Okay. And by the way, if that wasn't fair, that was a hard question I just asked you.
Starting point is 00:17:31 And the fact that you answered it quickly like that is awesome. I would listen to that voice. I don't think it's all or nothing. I think it's just, like John said, just taking that one little step. Let's test the temperature in the water here. Okay, we'll take one step in instead of just rushing in or blocking forever. I think we just need to stare, step into it as you feel comfortable. And hopefully that trust and healing starts to happen.
Starting point is 00:17:54 And remember this always. You're in the driver's seat of the car. You get to choose what happens next. And it's so easy with people that left us to want to go back and please, I get to decide what happens next. It's awesome. I'm proud of you, dude. That's cool. Thank you.
Starting point is 00:18:08 Awesome. Thank you. Thank you. Question, Caroline. All right, we're on the road. We can't travel with the whole crew, but we had to bring arguably the most important person to the show who's behind the scenes, and that is producer James.
Starting point is 00:18:22 Would you guys like to meet him? Come on out, James. There he is. This is fun. I feel like you need your own music when you come on. I should have thought about it. about that. Yeah. What would it be? I am glad that John and I wore the same outfit. Yeah, I got James texted me and he's like, hey, bro, you want a Twinsie up? And I was like, sure, man.
Starting point is 00:18:44 James keeps the show on the rails and we thought it would be fun to have him come out for a segment that we've never done on the show, which involves a fishbowl. Yeah. So, you know, obviously most of the questions tonight are from you guys about your situations, but we also got a bunch of fun questions that are more for y'all to get a little bit of a peek behind the curtain. Kind of dangerous, but there's some fun questions in here. So we've got maybe 10 or 12, so maybe we can do like five or six of them now and then we can do some more later. Yeah. But I think this would be fun.
Starting point is 00:19:09 If they're okay with it, it's their show. That's true. Okay, let's do it. All right, let's do it. Thank you. This is the biggest fishbow I've ever seen. Okay, here we go. Jade can do, okay.
Starting point is 00:19:19 Wow, God, this like very, very out of course, scared of her. Let Jade do it? You better listen to her. I was going to pass it down. I was going to say, do you want me to just get the card out and hand it to him or? No, you read it. The patriarchy is dead, Jade. Read it.
Starting point is 00:19:34 All right She wants you to sing it Describe your co-hosts in three words Oh, that was fun I actually really enjoyed that That was more like a jingle Describe your co-hosts in three words Sorry, you never should have done that
Starting point is 00:19:54 It doesn't have to be like consecutive I know, I know, okay Different words is fine Yeah, it doesn't say consecutive It says describe your co-hosts in three words Okay, and just top of mind Don't think about it too long, John, go John.
Starting point is 00:20:04 What do you think of me? Awkward. Intentional. OCD. I'll allow it. Great friend. Aw. That was four words, so you're out.
Starting point is 00:20:20 I was going to say. You lost the game, but that was very kind. Hyphen, very short. All right, Jade. Wait, John has to describe me. Oh. Ah. Okay.
Starting point is 00:20:31 I thought we're going to be all about me first. Oh, wait. You want to do it that way? No, no, it's fine. Let's ask her. What do you think? She'll allow it. Describing Jade.
Starting point is 00:20:42 This is one word. Do I need to come up with another jingle? Truth teller. Lots of hyphens, the most talented person I know. Incredibly beautiful. Oh. My dog. So nice.
Starting point is 00:20:58 Okay. George first. I've said this before I'll say it again. intellectual I will go with funny and conscientious wow thank you that's so kind
Starting point is 00:21:16 yeah George is an extremely hard worker anybody who knows him knows that he puts a lot of effort into everything he's doing I just called that OCD but yeah you can see that hard work thank you okay John I'm going to go with genuine I wanted to say fun, but that sounds so just, like, trite.
Starting point is 00:21:35 I'm like, you're way more than fun. You're like jovial. There we go. How about that? And I'm trying to think of a word that describes how smart you are without just saying smart. I was going to go with...
Starting point is 00:21:48 I was going to say academic. But, yeah, that doesn't have any cachet. Like, you've got, like... I was going to say, like, savant, brilliant. Prodigy. Take one of those. You put your John Ness on everything,
Starting point is 00:22:00 and I like that. That's good. Okay, Jade, I'll go quick. Fierce. Yeah. Poised. Never do that again, Jade. Okay.
Starting point is 00:22:12 Infectious. There we go. John, I'm going to go tardy. You know John. To know John, it's to know John is tardy. Generous. Indeed. Hilarious.
Starting point is 00:22:31 I'll take it. That's it. That's all I got. I agree. I'm going to do one. Don't be mad at me. We'll pass it around. We'll spread the love.
Starting point is 00:22:38 Okay, but you have to sing this one. You have to come up with a jingle. This is so long. Get it. I'm not going to... Listen, the people, they didn't pay to hear me sing. That would cost way more. You can stream my album on Spotify,
Starting point is 00:22:53 and I wish that was a joke. If you had to pick one restaurant to spend all your eating out budget on, where would you go? Something Italian. Why are you looking at me? I don't know. I'm not going out to eat with you.
Starting point is 00:23:07 Oh, that's true. Publix? It's at a restaurant. I mean, we don't love a pub sub, but relax. A pub sub? Yeah. You've never heard of a pub sub? Thank you.
Starting point is 00:23:25 I can't tell if you're elitist or two-quarter shop in Publix, John. Man. At the deli at Publix, you can order sandwiches, and they call them Pub Sub. Famously, there's one that is technically human food. It's just chicken tender. Chicken tender. Inside of a sub. That's the one.
Starting point is 00:23:43 And this is why America is the way it is. I was going to say. I'm always going to have a job. Always. All right. What is the restaurant? Where would John eat? I've never seen John eat.
Starting point is 00:23:53 Yeah, what's your favorite even, like, kind of food? Without question, like a low-fired. shack that does seafood right by the water. Like of any kind. Like any animal that just came from the water and then we're going to eat it. That's my favorite. Or straight up like OG San Antonio Mexican food.
Starting point is 00:24:18 That's a good answer. Italian. Hit me with some kind of pasta, some kind of pizza, sauce. You just saying those words, gives George's special gluten-free tummy gas. I know. I know. I know. Gosh. What about you? I'm, you know, I've Middle Eastern descent,
Starting point is 00:24:40 and that's the food of my people, and so I got... This is not technically accurate, but I'm going with, like, a Tiziki's Kava type. Like, I could just eat that all day. Yeah. Okay. There you go. All right, down to John. We got... We'll do one more here, because John takes forever. Which personality would you trust the least with your debit card? It's me. It's me. I mean, clearly me. Do you trust yourself the least?
Starting point is 00:25:04 You would have more money in your account when I'm done with it. That's actually true. Which person would you trust the least with your debit card? I don't know why I want to say Rachel. Oh, we didn't include Rachel. That's true.
Starting point is 00:25:20 I mean, we can include... She's not here, but we can include her, right? Yeah, but she's buying, like, earrings on Amazon. John's buying, like, guitars and Amazon. That's also true. That's a good point. No, but hold on. Rachel posts the Amazon purchases.
Starting point is 00:25:33 You don't see her drive up in the $400,000 car and the bags made of a live alligator, like, whatever. Like, so... I'm still going John. I'm picturing John, like, finding my debit card. I'm like, dude, we're going to have some fun. You know what I mean? Or is Rachel, like, we need to return this to George.
Starting point is 00:25:48 He's probably worried about it, you know? That's true. If I found your debit card, there's a hundred percent chance I would buy some of the most gonzo things than of them shipped to your house. That's true. I trust me the least with my debtor.
Starting point is 00:26:01 Like, why am I getting boxes of diarrhea medication? Exactly. Why? I did not order it. You just see Whitney being like, George, there is a pallet of hemorrhoid cream out here. Are you okay? I'm so, uh, there's, um, y'all, just, I'm going to do that. That was fun.
Starting point is 00:26:19 We had a good time. Hope you guys did too. We're going to do an anonymous question now. One of you in the room submitted this, but you wanted to, uh, you know, not put your name on it. And we actually had two that are really simple. So this is one of the questions that hits it hard. I have been married for going on a decade, and we're on baby step one. I love my husband, but he is not engaged in our finances,
Starting point is 00:26:40 and whenever I ask him to work with me on it, we get into an argument. Our finances aren't combined, and we aren't working together on a team to pay off our debt. I don't want to give up hope and pursue a divorce, but I'm so tired of always pushing him. I mean, my first question would be, have you had any form of counseling? like have you sat down with a counselor at any point to discuss this with a third party, right? That'd be my first question.
Starting point is 00:27:07 Yeah, what I found that was unique to like coming from the world I came from to the Ramsey world is a lot of people watch the Ramsey stuff and they get inspired by the plan. And one of two things is true. They have always been a plan person. Like they brought home a bunch of Avon one time and now they're like heard that essential oils can cure liver cancer,
Starting point is 00:27:32 so now they've got a bunch of, like, it's always another plan and their partner just checks out. Like another scheme. It's another scheme. Or they come at somebody with a spreadsheet, like, here's the numbers and here's the debt. And we always find ourselves challenging people on air with that question beneath that, or that conversation beneath that, which is sitting down with your spouse and saying, I don't feel safe in my house.
Starting point is 00:27:58 I can't breathe in my own house. And I need you to help participate in helping me feel safe. And if your spouse says, I'm out on that, that's a question. Like, that to me is the question beneath the question. And if a spouse says, I'm not participating, then you're going to end up in one office or another, either a divorce office or in a therapist office, but you're going to have to involve professionals because that's somebody that's completely unplugged. Most of the time when somebody says, I don't feel safe, I'm out.
Starting point is 00:28:28 house, their spouse is like, oh my gosh, I didn't get it, right? That was me. Like, that was me. My wife was so, like, I'm just an out of control person. But it was when she said, like, when I said, I feel like you're creating a life without me. And she said, I have to. That sentence, I have to, was like, oh, like, I'm so erratic. I don't keep a budget. I don't have any sort of stability. She's having to carve stability out of nothing because I'm, so that was the line that's like, I got to go get help for me so that I can be more stable in Mount House. All right.
Starting point is 00:29:02 I'm going to play devil's advocate on this. This is a real conversation. You guys can handle it. So the truth is, yes, to all of that. And the truth is, because I'm talking from a personal experience of a best friend of mine. The truth also is you can have a spouse who you've said those things to and say, well, what makes me feel safe is being able to spend money on these things, I want to be able to live
Starting point is 00:29:26 my life. The truth is you can have a situation where one spouse wants to do the Ramsey plan and the other spouse is like, I'm all for doing certain things with our money, but I don't want to go to, quote, these extremes, right? And the truth is you can't make anybody change, right? You just can't make, you could tell them everything in the book. And she was like, Jade, what do I do? And I'm a firm believer. I'm like, there's always something you can do to better your situation. And you can't make this person change. And I told her, I was like, listen, if I were in your shoes, I would keep having the conversation, but I would do what I'm going to do.
Starting point is 00:29:59 And I would share, I would share what I'm going to do, I would do it, and then I would share again. And so for the next decade, she did that. And she paid off $90,000 of debt without her husband's true help. He was around, but he wasn't really helping. And when the last $10,000 was to be paid, they went to some conference
Starting point is 00:30:22 and somebody mentioned the Ramsey Plan, over the stage, and the light clicked on for him. And for the last $10,000, he helped and was on board. And so there's part of this where there's, you shouldn't be rendered completely helpless, right? You still have to go do the next right thing. You still have to go do the next right thing. So I would hate for somebody to feel like,
Starting point is 00:30:43 well, they said, you know, we have to do it together. You do. That is the best possible way to do this plan. Together, aligned on one accord. But at the same time, it could take a decade, right? It could take whatever your marriage situation is. And just because somebody doesn't want to do the Ramsey plan, you're not necessarily going to divorce them, right?
Starting point is 00:30:59 And move on and go do your own money. So what can you do in the meantime? And I think that's the question that people really want to know is, if this takes five years, am I rendered helpless for five years? No, you're not. Share do you share. And then the hope is that they get on board. And in the meantime, you're in counseling.
Starting point is 00:31:17 But don't do nothing waiting for your spouse to do something. That's a good line. on my show especially I always ask when somebody says this or that one of my first questions is always are you going to leave them right and if they they're instant no it's okay then you've made you've made that choice and so then what are you going to do inside that inside that choice you've made but if I ask that question are you going to leave them and there's that long pause right that tells me there's a deeper issue yeah yeah I found that there's such a wide spectrum for this question of basically
Starting point is 00:31:50 how do I get my spouse on board? You've been married a decade and they've made it clear they're not going to opt into this. You kind of have your answer. If you've been married a day, there's probably some hope that we can do this. Did you just hear about the Ramsey plan?
Starting point is 00:32:02 Are you just excited and they don't get the vision yet? That's one thing versus someone who's actively dragging you down as you're trying to get out of debt because they're going further into it. Right, right, right. So it's so personal to your situation. But at the crux of this
Starting point is 00:32:16 is a couple who has marriage issues for a decade and money's just the simple. And so that's the hard part when we say, well, this is a marriage problem, not a money problem. We mean it. Because until you get the marriage under control and they respect that person and what their dream and vision is and what their feelings are, then they're not going to change. Why would you? That's true.
Starting point is 00:32:36 So that's a tough one. Whoever submitted that, I appreciate that. I know that there are probably dozens more couples in here who have been there or maybe are sitting in this season right now. All right. Let's get to another live question. Tell us your first name and where you're from. My name is Serena, and I'm from St. Augustine.
Starting point is 00:32:55 All right. What's your question? What are some tips to stay focused on pushing through Baby Step 2? I'm finding it difficult to get out of the YOLO mindset when I'm confronted with the tomorrow isn't guaranteed internal voice. Oh, good. That is good. So like a YOLO thing would be like you're in Baby Step 2 and you buy tickets to come to a club?
Starting point is 00:33:19 then watch the Ramsey show? Yes, precisely. Cool. So all cash paid. But instead of, you know, sticking with Baby Step 2 and you think, okay, I really should save for this over here and pay this off, but, you know, I really want to, I have the opportunity, so this is what I want to do.
Starting point is 00:33:37 And it's hard to stay focused on the right thing. How long is this journey for you? Like, what are we looking at? Is this seven years or is it one? So I started with you guys, I say you guys, I started listing to Dave Ramsey in 2021. So we are four years in and still in the same spot. How, like what percentage are you done? Because you haven't moved, you're saying.
Starting point is 00:34:04 We haven't made progress in four years? Little progress. Little progress. I mean, I can tell you from my perspective. So for Sam and I, it took seven and a half years to pay off our debt. And I think for us, the mindset had the shift. from, there's more ways to enjoy life and there's more ways to get the most out of life. And generally, that has to do with the people that you're around and the relationships that
Starting point is 00:34:27 you're investing in more so. Like, don't get me wrong, experiences are a way to enjoy life. Going on a trip is a way to enjoy life. But at the end of the day, I'm still coming home to Sam Warshaw, whether we went to Paris or we sat at home and made a pizza and it was delicious and we watched Sister Act, right? Either way, that's a really great experience. and there's ways to create memories and there's ways to truly enjoy and get the most out of life and it doesn't require spending a bunch of money.
Starting point is 00:34:56 And that's the truth. So I think it really is a mindset shift that you're going to have to make and it sounds like you spent four years not seeing, you know, it's like you're doing all this toil but no traction. And I think that's probably
Starting point is 00:35:09 what's got you feeling some type of way more so than the YOLO part of it, right? Right. What's the thing you've tried in the past that you've been really successful at? As far as... Athletics, academics. Like, give me an example.
Starting point is 00:35:23 Well, both. I'm seeing athletics. I'm looking at your guns right now. And listen, gun show. Don't embarrass me. Don't embarrass me. Yeah, so a healthy lifestyle, definitely. What does a healthy lifestyle get you?
Starting point is 00:35:37 No pain in my bones. The ability to live life and not have to depend on other people. So how does it translate to, I'm going to take autonomy and ownership of my body, my health, but I want to depend on a bank and a car dealership? It is true. That is true. What is it about this journey that's harder than this one? Because they both seem rooted in freedom, autonomy.
Starting point is 00:36:09 I think it's the being independent, being single, being responsible for yourself, when you think, okay, I'm going to take all of this extra and pay it on this debt, then it takes it out, and I've heard this before too, but it takes it away from being available for groceries because I depend on myself for all of those things. So it is that shift of using the cash that you have to pay off the debt,
Starting point is 00:36:45 but then you may not have what you need for your necessities. So budget-oriented? That's a budget question. Yeah, I love that you framed it up that way because I feel like now we're getting to the nitty-gritty. If we're budgeting properly, you're doing the other things out of excess, right? So if you're starting with those four walls and you're like, hey, when I get paid, I know I'm paying for my rent, I know I'm paying for my utilities, my transportation, my food, and then on down that list of priorities, right? And then if there's money left, okay, now I can do, yeah, now I'm going to go to the movies. I'm going to go, you know, Teenage Mutantage Turtles came out.
Starting point is 00:37:21 I'm going to go see that, you know. And now you're able to do those things and actually feels a level of peace about it. Or you're able to say, I'm going to take this extra money and I'm going to throw it at this extra debt. And I know I've budgeted to do that. And it's written on paper and I've done the math and I can feel good about that. So I think it's a little bit of both. And I just want to hit this because I think it's worth noting. And John was getting at this too.
Starting point is 00:37:42 I feel like your fear is based on what if I don't do these things I want to do? What if I live my life and I don't take that trip? But there's also a fear that should be considered of what if I don't do this plan? What happens when I wake up at 50 and I still have the same debt only now it's higher because the interest stacked up? So allow yourself to play that out on both sides and I think that's going to inform what really matters to you and what truly the greater fear is. Are you lonely?
Starting point is 00:38:14 I am single. I do have a German Shepherd dog. That's an outstanding deflection. Are you low? It is, isn't it? It's great. It's so great. You don't have to answer that.
Starting point is 00:38:23 No, that's okay. It's a hard question. It is a hard question. There is a depth to, I want to hold on for this just in case. This just in case. What if they call? What if there's an opportunity? And spending or another workout or another protein powder or I have a supplement.
Starting point is 00:38:42 not a cabinet. I've got a supplement, like, it's embarrassing, right? But that can all serve as a Xanax to. And so I wonder if you became with the same intentionality you are about fitness, about taking care of yourself. If you were that intentional about, I'm going to put myself in positions or I'm going to meet other people
Starting point is 00:39:04 and I can become a driver relationally and that will free up this, what if, what if. I'm going to take the what if off. the table and I'm going to start inviting people over. I'm going to get weird and awkward and ask people from work to come over. I'm going to find people in my neighborhood and have Taco Tuesday, whatever weird thing, like whatever the thing is, that begins to heal all the way at the root of that, which is I need to hang on to some, I'm not going to pay out this debt. I'm going to try to get as much fun as I can out of each moment because kind of all I've got
Starting point is 00:39:34 and I've got to make, manufacture my own fund through spending, through cars, or whatever. Well, and you, and with even the world that we live in right now, it's so hard to know, am I going to be here tomorrow? Yeah. So it's like if I have the opportunity to go on trips with, you know, with friends and do all of these things, it's hard to say no to that to sitting at home and let me, you know, add this extra to this debt
Starting point is 00:40:01 because I may not be here tomorrow. I think at the root of this, there's this like FOMO versus Jomo, which is the joy of missing out. And when you're very clear in your goals, you're not like, oh man, I could have eaten seven, pizzas tonight. Instead, you're like, man, I'm glad I took care of myself tonight. I'm going to feel so good tomorrow. And so to John's point, the chances of you dying tomorrow, slim to none. The chances of you staying the same in this sort of like mediocrity, not making financial progress,
Starting point is 00:40:27 there's a high chance of that because that's how most of America lives. And so you've got to kind of choose your heart here, and you're going to have to say no to the big trips, but we can redefine what, you know, the fun looks like in this stage of our life. And knowing that two years from now, it's going to look very different. And you get to define that later on, too, if you have that delayed gratification now. So, beautiful question. Thanks for being brave. Can I, can I, can I, I got to flip this on its head for one second. And I'm nervous. Listen, I'm just going to go for it. Can I just state the obvious? Because here's, here's what I'm thinking. The truth is, if you die tomorrow, you're going to be in heaven
Starting point is 00:41:01 eating a sandwich. You're not going to be thinking, oh my gosh, I didn't climb that mountain when I was on, you're going to be in heaven, like, living it up. I'll be meeting Jesus. So, right. You're right. You're saying, like, if you're going to say, like, if anything, the other folks are going to be like, oh, man, we miss her. Do you see what I'm saying? Like, you're thinking, you're thinking that when you get to heaven, you're going to be thinking about all the things you missed out on earth. That's not what's going to be happening. And I think that's really worth you taking some time and thinking about this, this is not the home. Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, this is the temporary.
Starting point is 00:41:33 Yeah, for sure. Beautifully said. Thank you for the question, Serena. Thank you for being here. Give it up for her. Thank you. All right. We thought it would be fun to play a little superlatives. Because as you guys know, we all have our personal brands. What's that mean? Listen to the show.
Starting point is 00:41:48 That's a fancy word for Most Likely 2. You know, when you were in high school? Senior superlatives? Most likely to, I don't know, for you, it was probably run a marathon slash drop out of college. And you are. You've never ran a marathon and you have like three master's degrees. Boo-yo. See, it worked out good.
Starting point is 00:42:05 Two PhDs. So we're going to have you guys vote. And this will also include Ken Coleman and Rachel Cruz. who are not with us right now. But you're going to shout out who you think is most likely to do this thing. You with me? All right, lightning round.
Starting point is 00:42:19 Here we go. Who is most likely to show up late to the studio? That was too easy. Most likely to use a coupon at a restaurant or order a kid's meal. That's hurtful but true. I've been with you when both things have happened. All right.
Starting point is 00:42:36 Most likely to make a caller cry in a good way. All right, I'm hearing a lot of John, a little bit of Rachel, most likely to make a caller cry in a bad way. Dave. All right. Shout out to Dave. Just glad I wasn't in the running for that one. All right, Jay, will you read a few of these off?
Starting point is 00:42:58 Sure. I want to see what's off. Let's see. Where'd you leave off here? Number, all right. Oh, boy. Number four, get the giggles and not be able to recover. Rachel.
Starting point is 00:43:10 That's a easy one. He's giggly. Leave their mic muted accidentally at the start of a segment. Ken? Wow. No, that's 100% me. I was going to say, I thought it was me. That's great.
Starting point is 00:43:23 I'm glad you didn't notice. All right. Tell an 86-year-old to get a job. Who would do that? Heartless, whoever would do that. That's a hypothetical. Use the word hemorrhoids on a call with a 52-year-old mom. Oh, boy. Oh, this one's good.
Starting point is 00:43:43 Ask for a bottle of tums. Ken Coleman. He loves, he gets a little heartburn after an intense call. He got, I got to get a bottle of thums. Yeah, that was good. That was good. I've been working on my Ken and brother. Thank you. That was good. Oh, gosh. Innocently drop the worst innuendos on air without realizing it.
Starting point is 00:44:02 Ken Coleman. Oh, I was going to say Dave. Oh, Dave has done that. Listen. We call him Kenuendos. Here's the thing. Ken is like the most thoughtful person and the most compassion and he's the most like decorum, right? There's a way you talk to people, especially when you're being a professional, and it just comes out.
Starting point is 00:44:24 Yeah, it does. It's awesome. It's a good one. And what's awesome about James and his team, literally you can say something and you can watch the show. The other co-host will just look over at the booth. and by the time this segment is over, our phones are already buzzing. Someone's turned it into a meme
Starting point is 00:44:42 and the whole company has it. It's awesome. Oh, yeah. That's my favorite thing to do is when somebody says something sideways. I love just looking at James. Like, did you hear what I heard? That's half my job now
Starting point is 00:44:52 is just keeping track of a quote book of what you guys say. It's going to be a memoir one day. I love it. All right, let's get to some more live questions. Let's see who we have next. We've got, is there a Jean-Pierre in the crowd? Hey, Jean-Pierre.
Starting point is 00:45:05 You win for coolest, fanciest names. today so far. Thank you. All right. Where are you from? I live here in Orlando, Florida. Wonderful. Thanks for being here. What's your question? Thank you. It's a privilege to be here. Just a little context. So I've heard of Ramsey when I first graduated from college like seven years ago. So I didn't know anything about finances until a buddy told me about Ramsey. And like, wow, this is actually something. You don't learn this stuff in high school. And fast forward, several years in the future, now I guess. I recently graduated from grad school in May, and in that time leading up to grad school, you know, we didn't have a lot of money.
Starting point is 00:45:44 We were saving up so I could go to grad school, my wife and I. And now it's done. And now that we are done, you know, we're on baby step six. I have, we're very blessed. My wife and I, we have two kids. How do we grapple with the poverty mindset now that we are out of that now? I love that question. Well, Jade, you've been writing about this, haven't? I mean, you got...
Starting point is 00:46:08 Uh, yeah, you know, yes, I have been writing. Not specifically about this, though. Um, but I do like this question because I, I feel like I understand it. And I feel like it's relying on, I kind of have like this checklist that I go through mentally. Because I feel that. Like, there's times where Sam will want to do something and I'm like freaking out, like, why would he want to spend this money or vice versa? And it is. It's like your mind goes back to a mode from the past. That's no longer the case, right? Yeah. And it's like, if I do this, it could throw everything on. the rails, right? And so I kind of go through this checklist where I'm like, okay, am I, it's what I call a financially responsible adult checklist. So it's five questions to ask yourself, and it's based on the baby steps, right? So you're asking yourself, okay, wait a minute, am I on a budget? Like, am I utilizing my budget every single month? I'm still doing my thing on that green light, right? Then the next question is, am I out of debt and is what I'm wanting to do going to put me in debt? No, it's not going to put me in debt. I'm still out of that, okay, yeah, that's great. All right, am I a person who values saving? Am I saving in all the right
Starting point is 00:47:10 ways, right? Do I have my emergency fund? Is this going to affect my emergency fund? Is it going to affect my 15% that I'm investing? Is it going to affect me, you know, putting more money on my house, which is a forced savings account? If the answer is no, that's a green light, right? Like, okay, I can spend this money. Then you're asking yourself, am I carrying the proper insurances, right? Is this, did I do everything that I was taught? Do I carry my term life policy all, you know, do I have the right coverage on my home and my auto? Green light, yes, I do. And then finally, am I still a person who's valuing and prioritizing generosity? And is this going to affect where that stands in my life? And if the answer is no, you've got five green lights that are
Starting point is 00:47:50 showing you, I have proven that I am a financially responsible adult, and this is the guiding principle. I'm not sacrificing that in any way. And if that's true, listen, get into it, get involved. Go ahead and spend the money. And I think when you do that, it reminds you of what's kind of what John was saying earlier. It reminds you of what's actually true about the situation. Everything's not on fire. You're not going to screw up your life. You're not going to go back to the hard place you were in before. And that's really good to remind yourself of that from time to time. What was childhood like for you financially? I didn't come from any money. My parents are two immigrants that came here with two suitcases, and I was born here,
Starting point is 00:48:29 and I got to live out the American dream. I love that. That's cool. Amazing. Awesome. What's a practical way you feel like you're still in that poverty mindset? What's something recent that's happened? We're like, man, why can't I can't click out of this mode? I think it's, you guys always say there's a spender and a saver.
Starting point is 00:48:49 I always have that saver mentality, and it probably comes back from childhood, that scarcity mentality, and just, I don't know, fighting against that. I'm going to challenge you on that. If in your situation, the way you grew up, it's not a mentality. It's wired into your nervous system. It's life or death, right?
Starting point is 00:49:11 You grew up in a home where two people said, we're going to make a run of it. We got two suitcases, and that's all we got, right? So it's easy to beat yourself up. Like, I just need to change my mentality. This is in you. And so it's got to be something that you're going to have to feel like I feel my body trying to take care of me it's been to the
Starting point is 00:49:30 other side where we got nothing right and I have to know that's not true and so I'm going to not just like try to think my way through it or change my mentality I'm going to practice I'm going to put like we talked earlier like I'm going to put money in the budget that we are going to just literally go blow we're going to go have fun we're going to go dancing and before we go go go I'm going to feel uncomfortable and that's okay and then I'm going to go do it anyway and what you'll teach your body over time
Starting point is 00:50:01 it's like the Instagram meme's like how do I get more confident like you just got to feel confident no that's so stupid you got to go do things and be successful and teach your body confidence right and so I'm going to teach my body it used to be and now it is we weren't safe and now we are
Starting point is 00:50:18 and a lot of first gen folks who find that follow this Ramsey plan I hear there's also this quiet, sometimes loud, but often quiet voice of guilt. Yes. Why me? And it's not fair. It's like joy as some zero.
Starting point is 00:50:34 If I have joy, it somehow takes from somebody else, and that's not how joy works, man. Joy lifts everybody, right? And so it's being really grateful about what happened, and then I'm going to go practice. We're going to be super generous. And it's, practice this and come back in five years, man. You're going to have
Starting point is 00:50:50 like a feather bow, and you're going to be like, what a? It's going to be awesome, man. Have you used the words subconsciously? Well, I don't deserve that. Yes. Yeah. So a way that I fought against that is to literally put it in the budget and use my accountability partner, my wife,
Starting point is 00:51:04 to force me to go, hey, do you actually spend the money on that thing that you were scared to spend it on, that hobby that you want to invest in, that purchase, the experience? Do you have a thing in mind that you're like, that just takes my breath away a little bit to put the money there? Nothing at the top of my mind right now. But yeah, the instances like that come up. Does your wife have those things?
Starting point is 00:51:21 And you've said, I don't think we can do that right. now? A lot less now that I'm out of school, but yes, it was definitely a lot over the years, absolutely. I'm really, really proud of you. That's awesome. You change your family tree. Thank you. I'm so proud of you, man. Thank you for being here. Thank you, guys. All right. We got another question here from Miguel. How can I prepare myself at 19 years old to buy a house? You're 19? Yes, sir. You got a full beard, bro? Thank you. Listen, you sticker than George, puberty is coming. Just keep praying.
Starting point is 00:51:55 They keep saying that. Hang in there. Hang in there, George. Oh, my goodness. Okay, so you're 19. You've got some goals. Yes. Are you working full time?
Starting point is 00:52:04 What's your situation? You in school? No, I'm not in school. So my family owns a food truck for a long time, and I've always worked with them since I got out of high school. And so he pays me a salary. And I also do, like, I guess, hobbies that I get some good money from weekly. Some side hustles.
Starting point is 00:52:22 Yes. Okay, what do you want to be doing long term? I'd really like to open up my own food truck and eventually a restaurant and just be my own boss. And I've always liked customer service and serving people food. So that's my passion. You're 19? Yes, sir. I'm just...
Starting point is 00:52:41 I was just trying to get somebody to go on a date with me when I was 19. Hold on. Did you have a childhood or was it like I'm 12 and working in the food truck? You grew up fast, didn't you? Okay, so your next goal is to buy a house? I think about, you know, long-term goal, and I think I'd love to, you know, get into a marriage with a house
Starting point is 00:53:06 or getting into a house. Like, that's my goal, you know, before I get married or, you know, a couple years after I get married. I'd like to have a house. Can I ask why that is? For you, is it a security thing? Is it a wealth-building thing? Is it a nobody in my family ever owned?
Starting point is 00:53:20 house thing. It's a, it's a security thing and also wealth building because I just, I really like the idea of having something that's mine. I love that. Do you have any debt? Did you? No, no. I mean, I got a credit card when I was like 18 and then I cut it up after I watched your video. I love that. I love that. I love that. When I was 18 yesterday. All right. All right, that's fantastic. You're doing great. How much you have in savings? Um, I have like $5,000 in savings right now. Fantastic. Good. Good job. Okay. So you're watching. working on the emergency fund. That's great. That's Baby Step 3. And then beyond that, you could be in Baby Step 3B or 4. It's kind of a choose or an adventure if you want to
Starting point is 00:53:58 stack up cash. I would say at 19, there's no reason you should go get a four-bedroom house tomorrow. But I would work towards that and just stacking cash. Like, keep living on less than you make. Do you have any fun hobbies that aren't side hustles that bring in income? I'm working on it. Like hobbies like that don't include like making money. Just Yeah, well, in the hospitality world, like, you're just like, I'm working 14-hour days, then I go to bed and wake up and redo. So I'm just trying to make sure that you live life as a 19-year-old, too. Yeah, yeah. Because it's hard to meet a lady other than, you know, a customer at the food truck when you're in the food truck for 14 hours a day.
Starting point is 00:54:33 Right, yeah. I'm working on that. I'm doing, like, you know, kayaking. I like riding four-wheelers, stuff like that. Cool. Good gosh. If there's any single people here, he'll be outside in the parking lot when the show's over. Okay, so my temptation to tell him this is the moment he found somebody, the moment they got married,
Starting point is 00:54:54 they're going to want their place. And she's going to want input on that place, like a wife someday. I would love to see you have your own food truck that you own outright. Like, so I'm going to start investing in this. Not so I have stability. Like, I want to have roots and this is mine, but I have found buying a house. with my wife is a thing that we do together. It's a tree that we plant. And not to say if you're single, you shouldn't buy a house, that's not I'm saying at all,
Starting point is 00:55:21 but like at 19. But man, if you have that degree in whatever, or in your case, I've got my food truck. I own it outright. Nobody owns Miguel. And I'm a provider. I'm here. And that to me feels where I would direct a 19 year old. Yeah. I guess I'm not worried that you're going to get a house. It's like, dude, you're so incredible that I'm like, sure, we'll say, up and get you a good down payment, get a 15-year mortgage, 25% of your take-home pay. I have all the faith you're going to do that. And so to John's point, I would be focusing on how am I going to build a sustainable career for myself where I own it?
Starting point is 00:55:56 And, man, that food truck's going to cost a pretty penny because I know you're paying cash. Yes. What's that going to cost to get your own food truck up and running the whole thing? I mean, the physical truck, the marketing, supplies. Yeah. What's that going to cost? If I build it myself and use, like, my father's business name and just make like a part two, it's like $15,000, $16,000. If I want to buy it from a dealer, like $22,000, $25,000,
Starting point is 00:56:20 brand new. I like investing in like a 401 Miguel for the next three years. Yes. Thank you. You know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, compound growth, you have all the time on your side. If you didn't start until 25 investing and working on the house, you'd still retire a multi, multi, multi, multi, millionaire. So what I don't want you to do is get the house and you're tied up and you're working on maintenance repairs and you don't have the money for the food truck and so you're going to take on a loan because you think it'll pay off and work out. I think that's just going to add stress to your life. And so to John's point, I always love when young people are just invest in themselves, especially people as sharp as you that I'm
Starting point is 00:56:51 like, I'm not worried about the income and the money. Like, you have an amazing work ethic. You're living on lesson you make. You're staying out of debt. And so I would focus on career at this point. And this is your college, except instead of paying money to a college, you're making money and using it to invest in yourself. So, man, I'm so proud of you. Thank you. This guy's incredible. Give it up for him. All right. Man, I'm inspired. You guys are incredible.
Starting point is 00:57:19 All right. I was such a bum at 19. I know, that's right. Yeah, I'm just like, dude, what were we doing at 19? A, I was staring in the mirror wondering, will I ever get a beard? No. I was taking out student loans. I was in an indie band and working at the Apple Store.
Starting point is 00:57:37 So, yeah, Miguel's crushing all of us. He is. He is. Good job, Miguel. All right. If you listen to the radio show for some time, you know that we've had some great moments on air, some hilarious calls, some crazy calls, some heartbreaking calls. And so we're going to play a little game. We're going to play two truths in a lie, but with Ramsey Show calls. So we're going to tell you the headline of the call that we actually took on air, but one of them was not a real
Starting point is 00:57:59 call, okay? You ready to play? So I'm going to do ABC. Tell me which one is the lie? A, is it okay to work as a stripper if I'm making good money to put toward my debt snowball? all. B, I'm allergic to budgeting. I break out in hives. Or is it C, I have 35 credit cards. I'm hearing a lot of B. Is that fair? I break out in hives. That's the lie. That was the lie? I don't think we've taken that call where someone has a physical reaction. Interesting. But the stripper call was you and John. That was one of the calls on the way home. I was like, I think we actually helped somebody today. All right, next one. Which one is the the lie. A, my husband's been hiding $15,000 in the closet.
Starting point is 00:58:43 B, my husband is having sleepovers at his ex-girlfriend's house, or is it C, my twin sister stole my identity? Oh. Very mixed crowd on this one. I heard a lot of A's. Make some noise if you think it's A is the lie. Okay, make some noise to think B is the lie about the sleepovers at ex-girlfriends. Make some noise if you think it's C, twin sisters. The twin sisters stole the identity.
Starting point is 00:59:11 That's pretty equal. That's a perfect split. Okay, it's C. My twin sisters stole my identity. We did not take that call, unfortunately. That would be a great call. But Deloney took them. My husband's been hiding 15 grand in the closet.
Starting point is 00:59:22 I remember that. I guess there's worse problems to have. Like, I just found out there's all the savings lying around. I'm like, all right. There's tons of wives that were like, really? Do you do you? It's like, nah, no.
Starting point is 00:59:33 Better than finding you get 15 grand in debt, you know? The question is, what was he using the money for, or going to use the money for. Listen, George. That's where the call is. It's all coming down. We've got to have $15,000. Yep.
Starting point is 00:59:44 The cash. Who was the, uh, who took the call about the ex-girlfriend? That was Dave. I was going to say, that sounds like a you. That was an old one. Old school Dave call when he was solo. Wow. My husband's having sleepover to his ex-girlfriends.
Starting point is 00:59:58 Yeah, we got to go Google that. By the way, you can literally just type all these into YouTube and find them later for your own enjoyment. All right, next one. Which one's the lie? A, I make $700,000 a year, but I'm miserable. B, I was scammed by a NASCAR impersonator Or C, my daughter embezzled $80,000 from our business B, I was scammed by a NASCAR impersonator
Starting point is 01:00:20 Happy to tell you that was a real call I was on that call, I believe that I believe that It was a lot of money he gave this guy No, the lie was A, I make $700,000 a year But I'm miserable Oh, interesting A very believable call
Starting point is 01:00:34 It is over the NASCAR impersonator So if you ever get a Facebook message from a NASCAR driver. Just know you're about to get scammed. All right, next one. My ex-wife and baby mama are now friends. Our kids' sports are costing us 20 grand a year and we're $150,000 in debt.
Starting point is 01:00:51 I believe that. Or C, we haven't paid our bills in six years. Which one is the lie? You guys could not be more wrong. A and C are real calls. B, our kids' sports are costing us $20 grand a year. We're $150,000 in debt. It's $50,000. Come on, y'all.
Starting point is 01:01:06 Yeah, it's way more than that for kids. sports. All right, our next lineup, which one's the lie? A, my friend wants me to spend three grand for her bachelorette trip. How do I tell her no? B, should I give my misbehaving spouse on allowance? And C, we're homeless and it's my wife's fault. Once again, you guys couldn't, we really planted these well. It's A, my friend wants me to spend three grand for a bachelor trip. But I feel like we've taken very similar calls. I feel like I took that call. James did us dirty on that one. James, wait a second.
Starting point is 01:01:37 Yeah, Deloney was on the, should I give my misbehaving spouse an allowance? I just don't like the word allowance I hate it. I hate it. I don't even like it on kids, honestly. I don't like the phrase my misbehaving adult. Yeah. That's how they titled it. It may not be their words, but there we go. No, that's literally what they said. Oh, gosh. We got problems.
Starting point is 01:01:57 I think of Austin Powers, like the O-Beave. That's all I think of it. That's all I think of. Next one. Which one's the lie? A, I inherited $1.25 million from my boss. B, I spent almost $500,000 on med school and didn't pass the boards or C, I have rats living in my walls and my landlord won't do anything about it. C is a lie. What was, what was B? I spent almost $500,000 on med school, didn't pass...
Starting point is 01:02:22 I remember that, I was on that. Well, Dave took that one. I think it's an old school Dave call. Oh. I took that I inherited $1.25 million from my boss. I had questions. Yeah, that's... What is the relationship like with the boss?
Starting point is 01:02:34 Makes you wonder. What do you think we'll inherit from? from our boss. Precisely, zero dollars. Precisely. Yeah. He's like, you are inheriting. It's called a salary.
Starting point is 01:02:42 It's a job. Yeah, you get a job. Congratulations on the inheritance. Rachel's not here to defend herself. Okay. All right, let's get to another live question. What's your first name? Where you're from?
Starting point is 01:02:53 I'm Doug and I'm from New York, but I moved to Florida like 10 years ago. Cool. My question is, I'm engaged. Me and my fiancé are going to be married, hopefully, by September. I just opened up in LLC and we want to know how the best method for combining finances.
Starting point is 01:03:13 We have shared goals. We're already in premarital counseling. So if you could give me some tips on stuff, maybe we wouldn't get from practical or traditional advice. That'd be great. September of the next year? Yes. Like 2026. Is she here?
Starting point is 01:03:29 I plead the fifth. I'm just telling you right now, I'll perform the ceremony right now if you want to just do it. He's done it. No, we're huge fans of your show. Every Monday, Wednesday. Are you getting married today? I would love it. Harry, would you?
Starting point is 01:03:44 I don't think it's going to happen. All right. I was going to say. You did roll right here. You did roll in here in short. No, y'all do the plan you had planned. Do the plan you had planned. That would have been epic.
Starting point is 01:03:57 So you want untraditional advice on how to combine finances? Yes, please. Or like the best method. You know how untraditional it is to combine finances? We get so much hate for telling people, hey, what if you had like a joint checking account? No, my independence. So I'll just tell you what my wife and I did.
Starting point is 01:04:16 I had a checking account. She had a checking account. We moved the money into mine and made it a joint account. Kept my account number and she shut hers down. We have a joint high-ield savings account. That's it. Now, as far as the business goes, is she part of the business? Yes.
Starting point is 01:04:30 Okay, then she should be on the business accounts as well, even business checking, business savings? We got to open that up. And I'm doing the work. She's just, like, helping me with all the admin stuff, which sounds horrible. I just realized that. No, I said, oh, do all the word.
Starting point is 01:04:43 I'm doing all the work. Yes. No, I get it. That's what I'm not like that. Yeah, this lady over here is going to come after you, which we're not careful. But I heard, I think it was, I'm sorry. I was going to say, here's some untraditional advice.
Starting point is 01:04:52 Yeah. Don't combine money until you're married. Okay. And here's why. It's not like a church answer. I can make a case for that. But this is a, and again, I'm only saying this. I think y'all are going to go be married for 75 years.
Starting point is 01:05:06 You're going to live to be 140 years old. It's going to be awesome. Yeah. But if you're married and you end up not making it, there is a legal process for dividing assets. If you're just dating or you're engaged and you all start mixing stuff up, it is a nightmare to untangle it. Can we do a pre-pre-nup on that?
Starting point is 01:05:29 I wouldn't. Okay. What's a pre-pre-nup? I don't know. I thought there'd be something. Just making up new legal tools. Yeah. I would have an LLC in your name, and you $10.99 her, and you pay her as an employee.
Starting point is 01:05:44 Well, I heard Dave Ramsey, or it was you, John. One caller didn't know where her husband was spending the money, and immediately I was like, Ari, you got to know, I want you to know every dollar that comes in, which isn't a lot right now, so it's easy. But, like, no. You can tell her, though. Yeah. So, all right, so I'll tell her.
Starting point is 01:06:03 and then once we're married, then we do it. But, like, because we heard a lot of different ones where, like, we live off one person's salary and invest the other. Like, is there a way, have you guys ever heard of that? Is there a way to ease into that? There's really no benefit of doing that because when it's combined, it's both people's salary.
Starting point is 01:06:22 So then the question is, well, what are we trying to accomplish? Are we trying to invest? And then if we are, then, yeah, we're taking 15% of our money and doing it like that. Now, mathematically, it could work out to end up being, oh, that happens to be the amount of money that you make. But that's just kind of a coincidence at that point. So it's really looking at the hole and saying, what baby step are we on? And then what amount of our money does it require to accomplish that baby step?
Starting point is 01:06:50 Okay. Thank you very much. I can't tell you the importance of changing from mine and yours to ours. Oh, we're all about that. I got debt free because of you guys. I got my... No, you got debt free because of you. You, brother. That's awesome. It's awesome. No, one line you said that stuck with me, we were just dating then, and she was going through a lot,
Starting point is 01:07:10 and I just said, what can I do to help you feel supported? Game changer. We're engaged now. Yeah. She said, put a ring on it. That made me feel supported, and he did. Way to go, man. That's awesome. Thank you very much, guys. Yeah, we're rooting for you. Congrats, brother. All right. Let's get to some more fish bowl questions, James. Where did the fish bowl go? John has it? Okay. Let's pull a few more out, John. If you weren't doing this job, what career would you want instead? I know mine. What's that?
Starting point is 01:07:40 The singing chef. Well, I already did the entertainment thing. I'd be a chef. I'd open a restaurant. You got a name for it yet, or you'd not want to leak it? Miguel's Food Truck Incorporated. I have some ideas, but I'm not ready to share them tonight. Okay, so we got chef.
Starting point is 01:07:59 George, what would you... And I like the way it says. What would you want instead? What would I want instead? I mean, I think right now there's probably some gaps in the late night show host field, so I'd probably put my hat in the ring, you know? It just feels fun.
Starting point is 01:08:14 Like the rioters write, and I do the monologue, I interview some celebrities, we have a good time, sneak in some personal finance advice in there. I could see you doing that. You know, just give people some hope, and part of that is comedy, and part of it is encouragement and fighting against cynicism and nihilism,
Starting point is 01:08:28 which is what we're up against with young people today. So that's what I think I would attempt to do. I'd probably, it'd really, really be a YouTube channel. TV doesn't exist anymore. What would you do? Man, walking into this room, like into this, this is like an old, like a rock club, right? Like walking into this room reminded me like when I was 19,
Starting point is 01:08:50 I so badly wanted to be the lead singer of like a punk rock band that would fill out rooms like this and just have chaotic evenings and then just go to the next town. So I'd want to do that. But after the last year or two, if I could make a living travel in the country as a stand-up comic, that'd be fun. That's just a super fun time.
Starting point is 01:09:08 That's a blast. Fantastic. Okay. Do you have a frugal habit you'll never give up? George's entire life. Oh, man. So, I mean, all of them. But namely, after being in Chicago two days ago and now, Orlando,
Starting point is 01:09:22 I will circle for parking for a good 15 minutes. If I'm with my wife, 10, if it's just me, 15, and I'm willing to walk at least a half mile to get free parking over a paid lot. That's my frugal habit. That's good. And I stand by that. I will not be bullied by the parking lots. Oh, man.
Starting point is 01:09:45 Are you thinking? He's like, I've never been frugal. Yeah. I can think of one. I hate throwing away food. I mean, I'll, I've been known to eat some questionable food in the refrigerator. Just to make sure it doesn't go in the garbage. I am the garbage disposal.
Starting point is 01:10:06 Listen, 11 days doesn't phase me. I will get into it. What'd you say? I said 11 days doesn't phase me. Like, lasagna? Come on. It's the gift that keeps on giving. George is changing color right next to you. Dude, I'm like three days.
Starting point is 01:10:24 I'm like, hey. No, most things are good like seven to ten days. It took Jesus three days to rise from the dead. I think we can throw away the food now. No, man. George throws it away 48 hours before the expiration. That's what the microwaves are for. They just zap it.
Starting point is 01:10:38 You need a poisoning once to go, never again, never again. A frugal habit I will never give up. I guess, oh, man. I have a thing where cars and trucks and clothes and shoes, the price of those things is frozen in my head at the age of 20. And I remember buying a truck that I could not afford for $17,000 when I was 20. And I went to get a truck a few months ago. And I looked at the guy and I was like, you need to go on the parking lot and set yourself on fire for just like.
Starting point is 01:11:17 And so it's stuck in my head. And I think the habit I would give up, I went ahead and bought the truck because I'm insecure. But like the habit I'll never give up is like dramatic. exasperated dad anger over the cost of everything. That's my habit. That's strong. All right, pass it down to Jade, because I don't want this lady to yell at us.
Starting point is 01:11:42 All right. Here we go. What do you think your life would look like if you weren't following the baby steps? What a great question. I've thought about this actually many times. So because of COVID specifically, because when COVID happened, I remember looking at Sam being like, I'm so grateful that we did the baby steps.
Starting point is 01:12:07 And I'm so grateful we're debt-free and we don't, you know, everything is safe like we can because I told you, entertainment shut down. So without it, listen, I don't even know. Number one, I hate to say this, but we may have gone through a time where we literally would have been like homeless and had to live with our parents. But neither of us can live with our parents. So we might have chosen like that. I'm dead, homeless, we'll take seat.
Starting point is 01:12:31 Yeah. Listen, it wouldn't have been good. Terrible. Yeah, I'm trying to picture, like, going through it. Like, I probably have bought too much house too soon. 30-year mortgage gone, well, I guess I'll be, you know, 60 when that's paid off. Probably would, like, be leasing, like, the newest Tesla, like, it's an iPhone upgrade. I'd be finessing credit card points and convincing myself that I'm the smartest one. That you're winning?
Starting point is 01:12:57 Bragging about, like, the hotel I got. for free, not realizing that I spent 60 grand to get that free hotel. So I'd probably be like just that insufferable bro who like... You would have a mustache. An insufferable bro. Really tighter jeans than you have on right now. Yeah, probably still single.
Starting point is 01:13:13 I think fiscal responsibility is one of my only attractive traits at this point. So I think that helped get my wife. See, I would just be an insufferable guy bragging about how I'm like, I'm finessing the system, but secretly I'd be stressed out. I would be, no question. I would be institutionalized.
Starting point is 01:13:31 I'd be insane. That's not me making a joke, I'd be insane. I hear you. Like I owed so much, and every second, there were these hounds that were coming after me, and it was such an insane, anxious mess, and my life was so out of control. The most frustrating thing for me,
Starting point is 01:13:54 as a scientist, as a guy who did research for years, and as a professor was to meet this guy named Dave who came up with a neuroscientifically accurate plan to pay off your debt, but also reclaim stability in your nervous system. And so, like, following that plan also got me into a gym, and it also got me into a therapist, and it also got me, like, sitting down across from my wife
Starting point is 01:14:22 saying, like, we can choose a better marriage. Like, all of those things, because it, gave me, it gave me freedom, and that allowed me to take up deep breath and then think about what was next. So, yeah, I'd definitely be not allowed out in public. I love that. Yeah, I found, like, when people do their debt-free scream, one of my favorite things is, like, they're like, oh, and I lost 50 pounds, and my marriage got better. Like, there's something where discipline begets discipline, and what I love about the debt-free scream is, yes, you got out of debt, that's great, but it makes you realize how much agency you have over your life. Yeah, yeah. And
Starting point is 01:14:57 once you have that, you're like, what else can't, why can't I have a better marriage? Why can't I have a better career? And so it's one of my favorite things about the baby steps is it's really just like a little hack to realize that you have more control than you think. Well said. All right. What do you guys talk about during the commercial breaks of the show? Tell them about the game. The game? It's time. They can know. What game? You guys play a game without me? No, you and Ken taught me the game. Oh, like the Ramsey after dark? Yes. Okay. What we would have said. Oh, oh, okay. What we wanted to say.
Starting point is 01:15:30 What you muttered under your breath in the car that you couldn't say to your kids, that's kind of what we do during the breaks is the real talk. They're like, just the frustration, the anger, the hilarious thing that we could have said but may have been inappropriate. Well, I thought it'll be fun
Starting point is 01:15:45 to end the night with something that is one of our favorite moments on the show, and that is the debt-free scream. Can we end with that? All right, we have someone that we've hands selected who we think would be a wonderful way to end the night. Would you help us welcome Jessica to the debt-free stage?
Starting point is 01:16:03 Give it up for Jessica. All right, Jessica, this is a different debt-free screen. Yes, yes it is. You look like you're having an out-of-body experience. Mm-hmm, yep. How much debt did you pay off? I paid off $127,611. Let's go.
Starting point is 01:16:26 Okay. What kind of debt was that? Oh, most of it was graduate school loans. I also had a car loan, medical debt, and credit cards. Wow. A little potpourri. Oh, and I cash flowed an emergency appendectomy. Oh, wow.
Starting point is 01:16:43 Yeah. Okay, nothing's stopping you now. Not anymore. What was the grad degree for? I got my master's in international affairs. Wonderful. What do you do for work? Right now, I work for grants in research for a local law enforcement agency in Tampa.
Starting point is 01:16:57 Very cool. Thank you. Okay, how long did it take to pay off? Was that 127 grand, you said? $127,000. Yeah, it took me just shy of five years. Wow. Okay, and what was your range of income during that time?
Starting point is 01:17:09 Started at 43 and ended at 72 at that time. Wow. You're amazing. That is impressive. You're amazing. Wow. How did you do it? You lived on nothing.
Starting point is 01:17:21 Were you selling stuff? Were there side hustles? How much did you sell that appendix for? Listen, if I could have. Have. No. I did do a couple of side hustles. There was a limited option for overtime at my work. So I did happen to that. I did do a side gig of grant writing. I also did a lot of dog sitting over the course of that time. I did get a promotion and that's why it jumped up. That was about two years ago. So halfway through. But yes. Yeah. But honestly, living way below my means. Like honestly, all that budget is key. If you're not on it, get on it. But living below my means was incredible, having really understanding family and friends that when I said I couldn't go out to eat, but can we do a pot look? You know, that sort of thing.
Starting point is 01:18:08 What got you on the Ramsey plan to begin with? So around COVID, I hadn't heard of y'all quite yet, but we started getting these checks from the government for different things, and people were buying pelotons and water coolers, and I didn't want any of that. I had a lot of anxiety for my school loans, and I just started to, you know, pin tree. getting out of debt, because that's my generation. That's fantastic. Okay, so you get on a plan, and you're making, you know, $43,000,
Starting point is 01:18:35 and you're like, all right, let's start cleaning up a six-figure mess here. Yep, started. I started with the checks with my car, and then I snowballed my credit card, my medical debt, and then I had three different student loans. Two of them were federal, and so I tried to take as much advantage of that pause in the interest rate as I could. And then the last one was my federal, or excuse me, my private loan, which was about 60,000, and that did not have a pause on it.
Starting point is 01:19:01 So I just had to flow that through. You just plowed through that thing. So five years is a long journey. I mean, Jade and her husband, Sam, it was like seven years because with a whole bunch of dead, almost half a million. Like, speak to the person who has that longer journey ahead of them, who's like, two years, sure, but five, I can't stick it out that long. Yeah, it was just shy.
Starting point is 01:19:21 It was three months shy of five years. So I completely understand that mentality. It was hard, but I had, I think it maybe was you, Jade, on the call. You're going to be somewhere in five years. Where do you want to be? And I really wanted to be debt-free. I did not want to live the life that I was living. So I was like, what needs to be true for me to get there?
Starting point is 01:19:41 I love that. Listen, you've got the mindset. I'm curious because we're kindred spirits on this. What was the craziest thing that you did that you were like, I don't care, I'll do it if I have to get it. Was it something you cut from your budget? Was it a job you did? Yes.
Starting point is 01:19:58 Okay, so it does have to do with the appendectomy. So I was dog sitting at the time. And I was at work at my day job, and I went to the gym, and I was like, something doesn't feel right. I think I ate too many chips. Not that. It turned out that I needed to go to the hospital, but I was dog sitting, and I was like, if this is what I think it is, I'm not coming home, and I really don't want to lose this money,
Starting point is 01:20:19 this tip. So I went back, walk the dog. figured out everything with the dog, and then drove myself to the hospital. You left the hospital to walk the dog? Well, I didn't go to the hospital first. I went, you know. You waited.
Starting point is 01:20:30 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Knowing that this was, like, exploding inside of you. And you're like, we've got to walk the dog. I need to walk the dog so the dog doesn't explode inside my house. I wasn't going to get the full amount because I wasn't going to stay, you know, for the agreed upon time. But I really, I really wanted that tip.
Starting point is 01:20:43 I got you, girl. I'd call that gazelle intensity. Yeah. Yeah. Is there any chance you're around 19 or 20 years old? Me? No. Sorry, Miguel.
Starting point is 01:20:52 I tried, brother. Dang it. This was feeling like perfect. Set you up, brother. So you had some cheerleaders. You said friends, family. Yeah, yeah. My family was really supportive,
Starting point is 01:21:07 specifically my parents and my siblings and their families. And then I got connected to a really good group at my church. Some of my work family supported me as well. I love it. So what do you tell people the key to getting out of debt is out of all that stuff you did? man I mean aside from the budget you have to know your why unless you have a bigger wife of getting out and for me it was just I knew what I wanted to I knew what I wanted in my
Starting point is 01:21:33 30s to look like and it didn't want to be beholden to the man it wanted to be free for the generosity that we've talked about and just the bigger planes of doing whatever I want so I kept that in mind when the times were hard wow you're an inspiration I love it amazing oh let's get to the moment we've all been waiting for. You ready? This is a special debt-free scream because usually the person doing the scream has like seven people in the lobby. You get 300 new best friends to cheer you on. All right. It's Jessica from Florida. $127,000 paid off in five years, three months less than five years, to be exact. Making 43 to 72, count it down. Let's hear a debt-free scream. Three, two, one. God provides you.
Starting point is 01:22:20 It's I'm different! We've got the disco lights out here for you. That's something different. Okay, thank you so much, Jessica. We've got a parting gift for you. We're going to gift you a year of every dollar premium, the all-new one that coaches you along this. Baby Step's journey. That was a key to your debt-free journey. And I feel bad doing that in front of
Starting point is 01:22:56 all these people. So I feel like we should give it to more people. Don't you think we should give it to a few more people? Okay. Look under your seat. We've got a year of every dollar premium for everybody in here tonight. Yay. No, that's for real. Look under your seat. It's seriously there. This is our Oprah moment. Congratulations. It's taped under your chairs, guys. You get it. You're all getting one year of our all-new every dollar. It's more than just a budgeting app. Now, we just released the newest version that will coach you guys along the journey. It's got a digital coach experience recommendations. You got group coaching. So that's our gift to you to say thank you for being a part of our live audience tonight. Give it to someone if you already have it.
Starting point is 01:23:33 Guys, this has been so fun. Did you guys have a good time being a part of Ramsey show live? I'm inspired by you all tonight. The way you're living out the Ramsey plan, the dreams you have, the visions you have for your life, the people you want to become. come, the people you've transformed into already, like, it's just, it gives me hope for America that we're going to be okay because of people like you who decided I have agency over my life. That's what this represents tonight. So thank you guys so much for being here. And hey, I'm just going to say this as directly as I'm not trying to be silly, but like right now leaving your house and joining a room full of strangers on a shared mission.
Starting point is 01:24:18 is an act of courage, and I want to thank everybody who came out and who said, I'm going to go into a room and meet a bunch of new people and hang out with a group of people that we listen to, and we're going to get to see them and experience them. Thank you all for being brave. Thank you for being courageous. This right here, leaving your homes and being around like-minded people that share the same mission as you, that's how this whole thing changes. And so thank y'all for leaving your homes and coming and being a part of this tonight. It's awesome. You guys are incredible. Thank you, Orlando. We love you guys. Have a great night.

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