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Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Imagine going to Disney, the land of escapism and fantasy, just to have someone remind you about your crushing debt. Well, today I am that someone. I'm here at Disney in Anaheim to find out how much debt people have and how much this trip is costing them. And before we get to the harassment shout out to delete me for sponsoring this very expensive field trip. Let's get to it. How much consumer debt do you have aside from a mortgage right now?
Participant 1
Well, 500. Cause I'm almost about to pay off my car.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Oh, man down. So how much is left on the car loan?
Participant 1
400.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
So 400 total is left on the loan.
Participant 1
That's all you can pay it off today? Yes.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
How much you got in savings?
Participant 1
Like 3,000.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
So you could pay it off today and still have tons of money left?
Participant 1
I could pay it off. Why aren't you just waiting? You know, because it's about to be the first of the month, so I'm
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
just waiting for that, waiting for the next payment and then it'll be done. And that's all the debt you have? No credit card debt, no student loans, nothing.
Participant 2
Okay.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
How about you?
Participant 3
I just got me a brand new car. A 20, 20, 25 Acura ADX. I don't know if you know about Acura ADX. ADX? It's a new.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
That's the new one. Yes.
Participant 3
So what does that run out the door? Like 42,000.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Really?
Participant 3
Yes. Credit card? A little 3,000.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay, we're up. We're up to, you know, 45 now.
Participant 1
Yeah.
Participant 3
And then no student loans. You know what? A little Target. Another thousand for a Target credit card. Okay.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
And then we're 46.
Participant 3
That's about it right now.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
So 46 grand in debt. What's the car payment on that acura?
Participant 3
It's about $600 a month.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
And that's for how many years? Do you even know? Or interest rate?
Participant 3
My interest rate is like 6.7 and it's about six years.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Six years?
Participant 3
Yeah.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Are you going to take six years to pay it? Like just make the payment every month or what?
Participant 3
Hopefully I can do a little extra payment, monthly payment, then I'll throw it on the principal.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay. All right, you're up next. How much debt do you have?
Participant 4
My car is like 42,000 also. Yeah, I got a 20, 25 Hyundai Santa Fe.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay.
Participant 4
Because I got four kids, so.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Yeah, they all fit in the Santa Fe. Is that a third row situation?
Participant 4
Yeah.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay.
Participant 4
Third row, yeah.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Nice. And then what's the payment on that?
Participant 4
It's a Little high because I was upside down.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
So you rolled over negative equity from another car because it wasn't worth it.
Participant 4
Like the car I had was almost 19,000 left on it, and the car's worth was like 5,000.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
So you double down.
Participant 4
So I was like, I'd rather get something that I love that I will keep long term and just bite the bullet.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Now don't you be underwater on that already now. Because car isn't worth it because you had the negative equity.
Participant 4
So I sold it. So, like, they took it, they sold it. So I got some money on it. So it made my payment go a little lower.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay, so what's the payment now with all that negative equity?
Participant 4
It's like a seven.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Seven something.
Participant 4
Seven. Yeah. 700.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
700. Okay. Any other debt?
Participant 4
And then I have probably like with all my credit cards, like 10,000.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Another 10. Okay, so she got you beat.
Participant 4
And that's what's being real.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
She's at. She's at 52.
Participant 4
Real. 10,000.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Let's do some math. Let's say you never took on a car payment again. You just saved up and paid cash for your car. And we just invested that payment. So let's. Let's ride this out for 20. 20 years. Let's say 26 to 46 for easy numbers. Okay, so 26 to 46. We're going to invest that car payment instead. And let's say you have nothing in retirement, which you have some, right?
Participant 1
I do, yeah.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
How much do you think you have?
Participant 1
I would say maybe close to 20.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay, great. Let's put you at 20 because that's your real numbers. And then monthly, we're going to contribute that car payment. Which was how much?
Participant 1
435.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
435. I'm going to go with a 10% average annual return. That's what we've seen in the stock market. You'll probably see that in your tsp over 20, 20 years if you, you know, took the average of it. Now hit calculate for me. Let's see where you'd be at.
Participant 1
$400,076 and $887.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
About half a million bucks. And that's just 20 years. Now imagine someone going into their 60s. Cause that's going to hockey stick. Does that impress you?
Participant 1
That does impress me, yes.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
You ever seen half a million dollars sitting in one of your accounts?
Participant 1
No.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
It's going to feel pretty good in this economy. Exactly. Okay. You want to play the game?
Participant 3
Sure.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
All right. How old are you?
Participant 3
I'm 35.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
35. Okay. Do you want to ride it out for 20 years, too?
Participant 3
Sure.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Are you like, I'm not going to 55. Investing.
Participant 3
Every day is a different day. So I. I'm going to say yes today because I'm not at work.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
All right, so you want to go 55. Let's say that you had income coming in, you were continuing to Invest. Okay. For 20 years. 35 to 55. How much do you have in investment so far?
Participant 3
So I have about like $3,000.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay, so we'll put 3,000.
Participant 3
Are we talking about TSP or savings? Oh, no, I have like about. Because I put 10% of my check there. So I have close to 30. $30,000.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Nice. Okay, I'm going to bump it to 30 for you. And how much is that car payment?
Participant 3
600.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
600. So let's say you got aggressive, you paid off the car, and you didn't go back into car loan. All right. You just started investing that payment. Instead. It started building wealth for yourself. Let's see you hit calculate.
Participant 3
$675,463. Wow.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Does that surprise you?
Participant 3
Yes.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
What'd you think it was going to be?
Participant 3
Not. I mean, it's about 200,000 more than hers.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
And that's. If you just invest that. You're already investing more than that with your 10%.
Participant 3
That's correct.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
I imagine it's 15%.
Participant 3
Wow.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
You're probably investing 1,000 or 1,500amonth at that point. Right, right. So. So you're probably going to have seven figures in that account once you retire if you just stay focused and avoid debt.
Participant 3
Correct.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Does that make you change your plans to get rid of this car debt?
Participant 3
For sure.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
How about you?
Participant 4
Oh, yeah.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Cause I'm guessing your numbers would be very similar, if not more, with your.
Participant 4
Because I've been in longer.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
You've been in a longer, and you got a slightly bigger payment, so you start investing that.
Participant 4
Yeah, no, it'd be a lot.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
I'm looking at future millionaires here for today. We're having fun at Disney. Yes. Oh, I got a gift for you guys. So this is every dollar. This is our premium budgeting app so that you can make a plan for every dollar you got coming in. So it's an app. You list your income, your expenses will give you all kinds of personalized recommendations to get more margin in your budget so that you can pay off that faster so you can invest more. And this is our gift to you guys today. So I got one for each of you. That's a one year Subscription, you download the app and just have a heyday. That way you can keep each other accountable with looking at each other's budgets. Have a little budget, you know. Girly pop meeting.
Participant 3
Yes.
Participant 5
Period. That's right.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
You're like, now we're talking. Make it a party. Doesn't have to be boring.
Participant 6
That's right.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
I love it. How'd you pay for the trip today? Was it on a card? Like credit card, cash the trip.
Participant 7
I used the card, but I also had the money saved, so I like build credit that way. So I had most of the money I bought the trip, spent for half of it, and then before we came, I spent the other half on the card, so the trip was good.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
What's the current balance to pay off on all of your cards?
Participant 7
I'm paid off right now on all my cards. Oh, we're not playing that game, dude. I owe a lot of money.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
What's the total balance? You couldn't shock me.
Participant 7
I'm probably about 14 grand into the cards right now.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
On credit cards?
Participant 7
On credit.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
And that's probably, I don't know, 26% APR.
Participant 7
Like that. 22%, yeah.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Do you ever add up the interest and go.
Participant 7
I have. And it hurts. Yeah, I missed the payment yesterday, so it irritated me. Yeah, it irritated me a little bit.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
So they hit you?
Participant 7
Yeah, they got me good on that one. It bounced. Interest hits immediately when they do that.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Oh, yeah, man. Okay. Do you have any other types of debts, like car loans, student loans?
Participant 7
No, we're good on that. I'm paid off on that stuff. I didn't go. I was. I'm a trade worker.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
So you find people in the trade, kids can avoid debt better.
Participant 7
Well, they don't like to tell you you can make 80 to $90,000 a year without owing them 200 grand by the end of it. You know what I mean? I mean, I make a good amount of money doing carpentry, and I didn't pay $200,000 to go to school, you know what I mean? And I still make close to $100,000 a year.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
So what is the vice for people in the trades? Are they getting a big truck with a payment or what?
Participant 7
Well, I mean, if you own the company, everything's a tax write off, right? So if you own your company, you have a license or anything like that, you can write off your trucks, you can write off, as long as it's for your work, you know what I mean? It's a good way around.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Who's writing it off?
Participant 2
You
Participant 7
as an Expense for your business.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay. And you get reimbursed in the end. Yeah, yeah. So what's the game plan to pay off the 14 grand in credit card debt?
Participant 7
Just keep grinding, bro. That's what I do. No, you know, my wife has a good job also, so we kind of pulled together and we've paid off debts before, so we'll get this one knocked down too. But I mean, there's never. There's not really a game. It's just I keep grinding. I try and stay under the interest, don't miss payment. That's. That's what it is.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
You ever think about just cutting up the cards and just going all cash
Participant 7
and debit, paying all the time, seeing what they can do. What can you really do about it? You know what I mean?
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
What are you gonna do, sue me? Actually, y. Jail.
Participant 7
It's real. And that's, that's the funny part, right? Like what are they actually going to do, you know?
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
But yeah, they'd probably get a judgment against you and garnish your wages.
Participant 7
They would do.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
That's a worst case scenario. Take your money. You just force it out of your bank account.
Participant 7
Already taking the money. You know what I mean? But yeah.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Do you guys have any consumer debt right now that you're working on paying off or that's sitting around my car? Car payment. What's the total loan balance and what's the monthly payment?
Participant 8
Total loan balance is going to be 29. That's the remainder. I just got the car.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
What kind of car is it?
Participant 8
Hyundai Kona 2025.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Nice. And what's the monthly payment on that?
Participant 8
It is 450.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
450. Okay. How about you?
Participant 2
I do have credit card debt, totally about 5,000, but that's about it.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
5,000 credit? No credit card. You got no car payment. Here you have the car payment. What about credit card debt?
Participant 8
I think it's 400. That's all I have on my alpha
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
card right now on the apple card. Okay. And no other debt? No student loans, personal loans, medical debt, anything like that? So what's the game plan to knock out the car loan? Like you just kind of pay the minimum payment until it's done?
Participant 8
Well, I've been paying about $600 every month.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay, so like the base, an extra 150amonth.
Participant 8
Yeah. So I know my brother, he was the one that kind of taught me to do that.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
And how about your plan to pay off the credit card debt? What's. Are you doing anything strategy wise?
Participant 2
No charging on it and then pay Double as much as you can and make sure it goes down.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Would you ever consider just like cutting up the card or something after you pay off the debt?
Participant 2
Yeah, I would. Yeah. Of course. I have about five right now, so maybe tricking it down to like two would probably be more feasible when I pay it at all. Okay.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Like when you open the credit card, did you ever. Were you like, I'm never going to go into debt. What was the mentality?
Participant 2
I was just aggressive, like, oh yeah, I have a card. I want to do this and this. I want to do this. I was also happy.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Thank you for the honesty. Because most people do, right. They're excited. It's like, it feels like, ooh, someone gave me some money to spend.
Participant 2
Exactly. And then I learned like, easy. Like they come after you. So it's like, you know, just pay your bills off. And I daily look at my credit score to make sure it's going good, going up, going, you know, staying at what it needs to be. So I'm very active on that too. So yeah, stay.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
How about, you know, your credit score?
Participant 8
752.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Oh, are you. Do you have some credit score envy right now?
Participant 2
A little bit. But I know I earned, I deserve it because I do have a high debt ratio right now.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
You deserve like, you deserve the punishment. Yeah. That's amazing.
Participant 2
I charge a lot on the debt, so you know what, I have to pay it down and I'm sure it's going to go back up to seven.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay. You want to guess my credit score? He's looking at me like this guy.
Participant 2
I will say 695.
Participant 8
I would say like 790.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
That's very generous of you guys. It's so much lower than you would ever think. Really go, I mean, go as low as you think a credit score can go.790.
Participant 2
I mean, I'm sorry, 490.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
It's as close to zero as possible, cuz it doesn't exist.
Participant 2
Oh, really?
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Yeah, I don't have one. Okay. I'm off the grid, man.
Participant 2
Oh, okay.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
I don't have any credit. I don't have any debt. No credit cards open. And so therefore, six to 12 months after you're debt free with no accounts open. Poof.
Participant 2
Oh, wow.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Yeah. Your credit. Invisible is what it's called. Oh. Like a cloak of invisibility. Talking about debt isn't exactly comfortable, but you know what is? Everything from cozy Earth. A sponsor of today's video. Their entire mission is to keep you comfortable all day, every day, even when you're on A tram ride with screaming kids going nowhere fast. I love their jogger set. Super lightweight, super breathable, and their clogs slip on 100% Italian wool with a supportive sole. You can't go wrong with anything from cozy Earth. And right now, when you go to cozyearth.com george and use promo code George, you can get up to 20% off. So go check it out. Going on vacation while you're still in debt can be a real budget buster. But you know what can unbust your budget? Switching to Boost Mobile, a sponsor of today's video. You'll pay just $25 a month forever on their unlimited plan, which, by the way, is cheaper than a single bubble want. So what are you waiting for? There's no contracts, there's no hidden fees, there's no price hikes to worry about. And the best part is you bring your own device, you get to keep your number. And switching could not be easier. So go to boostmobile.com Ramsey and make the switch today. $25 forever requires customers to remain active on Boost unlimited plan. What is your total debt right now? If you added it all up, probably like 300. What are you doing at Disney?
Participant 9
We have animal passes.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Oh, wow. So you come here a lot?
Participant 9
Yeah, yeah, I do.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
How often? How many times a year?
Participant 9
This pass we were trying to go 20 times. I've probably been about 14 times within the past year.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
So you didn't hit your goal? No, it was a huge fail.
Participant 9
Yeah.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
How much does an annual pass cost?
Participant 9
I have the highest, so mine's 1800. Yeah.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
How'd you pay for that payment plan? Oh, a payment plan. Is there interest?
Participant 9
No.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
0%? $1,800. Who do you owe the money to?
Participant 9
Just to Disney.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Mickey.
Participant 9
Yeah.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Are there any other payment plans you wish to disclose at this time?
Participant 9
No, I'm on nothing else.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
You don't do any buy now, pay later?
Participant 4
No.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Klarna affirm after pay?
Participant 9
No.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Can we have anyone verify that you don't have any other debt outside of the payment plan?
Participant 9
Yeah, you can totally ask my mom.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Ma', am, is she telling the truth? Do you co sign on her decision so far?
Participant 9
No.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
No. All right. Mom does not go. How much debt do you guys currently have?
Participant 6
I don't think that I have any right now. I'm too young.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
No credit card debt, no student loans, no car payment.
Participant 6
Luckily, my dad pays my car payment.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
So you do have debt, but dad's paying the bill. Is it in your name or is the debt in his name?
Participant 6
That's A good question. I should probably.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
But he's paying the payment. Do you know what the payment is?
Participant 6
I do not. I don't drive my. Like, it's not my car, and I don't drive it right now, so.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Not your car? You don't drive it? He pays the payment. What is going on?
Participant 6
She's a California girl.
Participant 4
Yeah. So when I.
Participant 6
Basically when I moved, I don't have a car. I guess that's how I save money on payments. I. I have a bike.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay, you bike around. So your car's on the East Coast?
Participant 6
Yes, it is.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Oh, okay. Well, that changes things. Okay. And that's all the debt that you know of so far?
Participant 6
Yeah.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay. Doesn't instill confidence, but we'll continue. How about you? Do you know anything about your money?
Participant 5
I am indebted to, like, an employment program in a way.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
How does that work?
Participant 5
I have to work for them for three years, but because of that, I don't have any.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
I think that's a form of modern slavery a little bit.
Participant 5
But I indentured servants for working my
Participant 6
job, so they pay for her education. She just has to, like, work, like, sell her soul to the company.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Oh, okay.
Participant 7
For that you traded your everlasting soul
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
so you can't leave. No golden handcuffs.
Participant 5
Yeah, but if I did leave, I would be in a lot of debt.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
How much are we talking about?
Participant 5
$120,000.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
No car payment, no credit card debt?
Participant 5
I don't have any credit card debt. I don't have a car payment.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Congratulations. So you feel debt free as long as you continue this job?
Participant 5
Yeah, I feel emotionally full of debt. But in terms of my, like, financial records, as of now, I'm debt free.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Okay, but in the back of your mind, it's looming that, like, hopefully this all works out.
Participant 6
Yes.
Participant 4
Yeah.
Participant 5
I can't get fired. That would be so bad.
Participant 6
Yeah.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
I'm a vacation ruiner, I've been told.
Participant 6
Yeah, a little bit.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Yeah. But you guys are fine. You're gonna be okay.
Participant 4
We're gonna be fine.
Participant 3
I'm not so sure about that.
Host/Interviewer (possibly George)
Well, depending on your definition of fun. That was fun. The debts range from minimal amounts of credit card debt to massive amounts of car loans and student loans. And here's what I found. The common denominator debate. Most people weren't intentional about paying off their debt. They were maybe making an extra payment here or there, but not a lot of planning like it took to plan this trip to Disney. So I want to encourage you to get out of debt, stay out of debt. So that your life is more peaceful and more full of magic. And if you want to use that investment calculator, I'll drop a link in the description below. And if you want to find out if the east coast is just as crazy as the West Coast, I went to Disney on the other side of the country to find out how much debt they had. So click here to watch it next or use the link in the description. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Now time for fun.
Date: June 8, 2026
Host: George Kamel, Ramsey Network
In this lively street-style episode, George Kamel, personal finance expert and co-host of The Ramsey Show, takes to Disneyland in Anaheim, California to ask real park-goers a deceptively simple (yet sensitive) question: How much debt do you have? With humor and directness, George uncovers a variety of debt stories – from manageable car loans to eye-popping credit card balances, and even a six-figure "indentured servant" agreement. Along the way, he crunches numbers, offers quick-fire advice, and reflects on how many people plan their vacations better than their financial futures.
Participant 1:
Participant 3:
Participant 4:
Participant 7:
George runs through the power of redirecting car payments into investments using the classic Ramsey approach:
Participant 1:
Participant 3:
Participants discuss approaches to paying off credit card debt:
Credit score talk:
Disney Annual Passes:
Family & Employment-based Debt:
True to George Kamel's reputation, the episode features a blend of playful sarcasm, friendly nosiness, and sincere tough love. The Disneyland setting lightens the mood around a heavy topic, while real people’s stories bring vulnerability, humor, and “aha!” moments.
George signs off by encouraging listeners to be as intentional with their debt repayment plans as they are with their Disney vacations:
“The common denominator debate. Most people weren’t intentional about paying off their debt. … I want to encourage you to get out of debt, stay out of debt. So that your life is more peaceful and more full of magic.” (15:35)
Want to see how East Coasters compare? George teases a follow-up at Disney World.
If you want some quick inspiration, check out George’s recommended investment calculator (link in episode description).