Podcast Summary: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

Episode: Jay Must-Listens: 3 Easy Money Habits That Will Change How You Save, Spend & Grow Your Money
Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Jay Shetty (iHeartPodcasts)

Episode Overview

This episode of On Purpose curates insightful conversations with top financial thinkers, including Scott Galloway, Jaspreet Singh, Cody Sanchez, Lewis Howes, and other guest experts. The core theme is demystifying money management through simple, actionable habits—specifically on saving, spending, and growing your money with discipline and intention, rather than hacks or quick fixes. The episode is both motivational and practical, guiding listeners on how to establish a healthy, empowered relationship with wealth—whether you're starting from scratch, rebuilding, or aiming to pass down generational security.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Hard Truth: Money Management Begins with Earning and Discipline

• Saving Requires Earning: Before you can save, you need something to save. Start by observing where your time goes—reclaiming even 8–10 hours a week from distractions (like social media or gaming) can dramatically shift your financial path.

  "Saving isn't about willpower. It starts with having something to save." – Scott Galloway [02:57]

• Automate Your Discipline: Set up automatic deposits/transfers. Only 17% of Americans use this simple hack, yet it’s the most reliable and least painful way to grow savings.

  "It’s not intensity, but consistency, that builds true financial freedom." – Host [03:57]

• Forced Savings: Use tools like Acorns, 401(k)s, or government-matched accounts. Never let money you want to save pass through your hands—it will get spent.

2. Avoiding Common Financial Traps

• Three Habits That Keep People Broke (Jaspreet Singh) [16:25]:
  1. Spending/saving all your money—without investing, you’ll never build wealth.
  2. Blindly following the system without questioning whether it really works for you.
  3. Not understanding how money actually functions (the difference between currency and a true store of value).
• Danger of Saving Alone: Savings only make you poorer if interest rates can’t keep up with inflation.

  "Your savings are just making you poorer each and every day." – Jaspreet Singh [18:45]

• Ownership Over Appearance: Instead of investing in looking rich, invest in assets—stocks, real estate, businesses—that generate passive income.

3. Understanding Wealth vs. Looking Rich

• Social Media Distortion: Most people appear wealthy online but are actually living paycheck-to-paycheck.

  "We're basically having credit card debt as a trade for Instagram posts, which last for a minute." – Scott Galloway [49:29]

• Don’t Chase Trends: The “real flex” is peace of mind, autonomy, and making your money work for you.

  "The number one thing that you can do to change your financial future is to not buy into what you see on the Internet." – Scott Galloway [49:29]

4. The Stages of Investing: A Practical Roadmap

Scott Galloway lays out a clear four-stage framework [48:03]:

1. Invest in Yourself: Skill-building, education, and self-improvement have the highest ROI when you’re starting out [42:12].

   "If you have only a little bit of cash, the best returning asset class of all time is you." – Scott Galloway [42:12]

2. Diversified Index Funds: Use platforms like Vanguard for simple, low-fee, diversified investing. Avoid overcomplicating with day trading or options.

   "You never want to have all your eggs in one basket in anything in life, but certainly in investing." – Scott Galloway [43:56]

3. Private Investments: For more advanced investors, branch into private equity, alternative assets, or direct real estate.
4. Building/Buying Businesses: The path to real wealth for those who go all-in.

• How Much to Invest: Aim to put away at least 10% of your income automatically.

  "Pay yourself first...at least 10%...otherwise you'll never pay yourself at all." – Scott Galloway [48:25]

5. The Importance of Mindset and Relationship with Money

• Manifestation & Awareness: Lewis Howes encourages treating money as a dynamic partner, not a static object—be open to opportunities, respect, and gratitude [55:39–61:58].

  "Treat money with respect, live beneath your means and focus on really feeling abundant. That's true wealth." – Recap of Lewis Howes [55:39]

• Cultural Practices: Jay shares a tradition of picking up coins as a sign of respect to the goddess Lakshmi, reinforcing that our relationship with money must be based on gratitude, honesty, and intention—not guilt or avoidance [63:27].

  "I'm showing respect to the Goddess of fortune by picking it up... I'm not disrespecting the Goddess of Fortune wherever I see her." – Jay Shetty [63:11]

6. Rejecting Get-Rich-Quick and Embracing the Slow Game

• No Easy Money: Chasing hacks is the surest way to lose money and peace of mind.

  "Every time I've tried to do that, I've lost my money and it’s been painful and I’m like, OK, I think I’ve learned that lesson." – Ed Helms [74:10]

• Consistency Over Intensity: True freedom comes from systems and habits—not heroic bursts of effort.

7. Generosity, Healing Money Wounds, and Real Wealth

• Giving As True Wealth: Both Jay and Ed discuss that richness is about what you give, not just what you accumulate. Scarcity mindset leads to fear and hoarding; abundance trusts that what is given returns in new ways [69:20].

  "God doesn't see what you give. God sees what you hold back." – Jay Shetty [69:20]

• Life Beyond Possessions: Joy and fulfillment come from living beneath your means and detaching self-worth from material accumulation [72:32].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Saving isn't about willpower. It starts with having something to save." – Scott Galloway [02:57]
• "It's not intensity, but consistency, that builds true financial freedom." – Host [03:57]
• "Your savings are just making you poorer each and every day." – Jaspreet Singh [18:45]
• "We're basically having credit card debt as a trade for Instagram posts, which last for a minute." – Scott Galloway [49:29]
• "If you have only a little bit of cash, the best returning asset class of all time is you." – Scott Galloway [42:12]
• "Pay yourself first...at least 10%...otherwise you'll never pay yourself at all." – Scott Galloway [48:25]
• "Treat money with respect, live beneath your means and focus on really feeling abundant. That's true wealth." – Recap of Lewis Howes [55:39]
• "God doesn't see what you give. God sees what you hold back." – Jay Shetty [69:20]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:57] Scott Galloway on reclaiming time and forced savings
• [04:40] Forced saving and the power of automation
• [15:35] Workshopping your 20s: permission to forgive yourself
• [16:25] Jaspreet Singh on three habits keeping you broke
• [18:45] The impact of inflation on savings
• [27:01] Jaspreet’s first real estate investment story
• [42:12] Scott Galloway lays out the stages of investing
• [43:56] Diversification explained simply
• [48:25] The 10% rule for investing
• [49:29] Social media and the illusion of wealth
• [55:39] Lewis Howes—manifestation and gratitude practice
• [63:11] Jay on honoring money traditions and respect
• [69:20] Jay on true generosity
• [74:10] Ed Helms on the dangers of “easy money” mindset

Tone & Style

The episode is candid, motivational, and practical, with each expert offering clear, actionable steps alongside personal wisdom and real talk about common struggles and misconceptions. Jay Shetty’s warmth, humility, and integrative approach to both mindset and technique anchor the episode, leaving listeners both inspired and equipped to take action.

Key Takeaways

• Start by earning, then automate saving—don’t rely on willpower.
• Invest in yourself and diversify into simple, low-effort investment vehicles.
• Don’t chase wealth by imitating what you see on social media—seek ownership and equity, not appearances.
• Wealth is not just what you have, but what you’re willing to give.
• Healing your relationship with money is as much about mindset and gratitude as about tactics.
• Real wealth is peace of mind, autonomy, and freedom—not stuff.

For more actionable money wisdom, continue with Jay’s episode featuring Rick Rubin on unlocking your creative potential and building a life (and bank account) with intention and love.