Roasting the Latest Financial and Social Fads (Here to Stay?)

Summary

Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze & George Kamel

Episode: Roasting the Latest Financial and Social Fads (Here to Stay?)
Date: May 14, 2026
Podcast Network: Ramsey Network

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Episode Overview

Rachel and George grab their (cold brew) cocktails and have an unfiltered, humorous conversation about financial and lifestyle fads—what’s resurfacing, what’s peaking, and what’s fading. From Pokémon trading mania to health crazes, gold rushes, and cosmetic procedures, they roast the latest trends, question the wisdom behind them, and share personal experiences—all with their signature playful banter and money expertise.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Resurgence of Old Fads

• Pokémon Cards Are Back [01:13 – 02:52]

  • Adults are lining up for collector drops.
  • Rachel admits to not knowing if it's "Pokemon" or "Pokémon."
  • George: "Go back to crypto, guys. They somehow felt better when it was crypto." [01:22]
  • They reminisce about their own Pokémon childhood and the shift from playing-for-fun to high-dollar collectibles.

• Fashion Trends: Low Rise Jeans & Trucker Hats [02:52 – 10:00]

  • Rachel roasts the comeback of low rise jeans and vows to stay with "wide and high" jeans.
  • George notes the wave of trucker hats: "Not on my bingo card." [08:00]
  • Both discuss how trends now move at warp speed, often fueled by TikTok and Instagram.

• Fad Sports: Pickleball & MMA [04:15 – 07:59]

  • Pickleball's explosion (“MLM vibes”).
  • Rachel: "We're at the bottom of the list... if this was kickball, I'd be last on the team to be picked." [07:11]
  • George and Rachel debate if pickleball and racquetball will stick around or fade.
  • MMA and wrestling mix-ups, Logan Paul’s $16 million Pokémon card cameo.

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Food & Lifestyle Trends

• Dubai Chocolate Craze [10:58 – 14:10]

  • George brings in “Dubai chocolate”—pistachio + wheat treats—now a global TikTok trend.
  • Rachel tries it: “…the face is… we’re going south now. I'm gonna say you've offended all of Dubai. This is their national pastime.” [13:02]
  • Rachel: “If it was thinner, I could get on board... but yeah, it’s an A for you.” [14:13]
  • Packaging and price points prompt a humorous back-and-forth.

• The Stock Market Panic Cycle [14:32 – 16:18]

  • Fears triggered by headlines, geopolitics (oil prices, tariffs, war).
  • George’s advice: “Only look at your investment account when the market’s up. I’m a glass half full kind of guy.” [15:17]
  • Reminder to stay invested, not panic sell.

• Health, Wellness, and Culinary Fads [16:18 – 21:36]

  • Canola oil/seed oil hate: “Canola, bad.” - George [16:31]
  • Rachel: “We're all gonna be in the ground at some point, George, so might as well crack open that bucket of Crisco…”
  • Cold plunges, saunas, and Arthur Brooks' input on conflicting science.
  • George champions the Mediterranean diet; Rachel and George praise “balanced” wellness over stressy perfectionism.

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Current Money & Social Fads

• Gold Rush (Again!) [22:25 – 24:39]

  • Precious metal bros: “Relax, you leprechauns.” - George [22:38]
  • Gold up 60% year over year; both see it as a fear-driven, not smart, investment.
  • George: “I would not trade investing in the stock market to go buy a bunch of gold.” [24:35]

• No-Contact/Boundary Setting in Relationships [25:05 – 27:56]

  • Rachel and George discuss the trend of cutting family/friends out over disagreements (COVID, politics).
  • George: “I think this started during COVID. That's my hot take.” [25:27]
  • Rachel: “You're trying to do a healthy thing in an unhealthy way.” [38:02]
  • They gently poke fun at conspiracy theories and their own family dynamics.

• Everything is Bettable [29:13 – 30:32]

  • Sports betting, March Madness: “Why can't we just enjoy things and not have to put money on it?” - George [29:17]
  • Concerns about gambling addiction fueled by apps, normalized betting on anything.
  • Rachel: “It’s a spiral. It’s an absolute spiral.” [31:30]

• Cosmetic Procedures: Shift from ‘More’ to ‘Less’ [31:32 – 35:09]

  • Removal of lip/face fillers becomes new fad.
  • Affordability, payment plans, and proliferation of med spas discussed.
  • Rachel: “Laser hair removal…game changer. Legs, armpit, all of it…It’s fantastic.” [34:03]
  • George jokes: “Never in my life am I going to be like, man, I wish I had more hair on my neck.” [34:40]

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Wrap-Up Reflections on Fads

• Are Fads Mostly Negative? [36:28 – 38:10]

  • Rachel: “If something’s really popular right now, there’s a little bit of me that’s like, well…”
  • George sums up: “Stock market panic…not good. Health and wellness…there’s some toxicity there. Pokemon and Gold Rush—get rich quick, fear based. No-contact boundaries—a good motive gone too far. Everything's bettable—gambling addiction…Overall, not great.” [38:10]
  • Rachel: “State of America…Yeah, we'll see.” George: “Give it a C minus right now.” [38:14]

• Ramsey Principles vs Fads [38:35 – 39:09]

  • George: “Principles and values have stayed the same, consistent…it's not a fad. It is what it is.”
  • Both urge listeners: “Live on less than you make. Stay out of debt. Build wealth for the future. Don’t fall for the traps and the hype and the trends. You're going to be okay.” [39:09]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Fad Nutrition:
  “You're like a D-influencer for the health and wellness space.” – George, [17:44]
• On Market Panic:
  “Only look at your investment account when the market’s up. I’m a glass half full kind of guy.” – George, [15:17]
• On Fashion Trends:
  “You really adopted the trend as soon as Gen Z told you, you were like, I'm on it, girls.” – George, [03:57]
• On Cosmetic Procedures:
  “Once you get a little…it’s kind of like tattoos where you get two and you’re like, well why not get a sleeve?” – George, [35:03]
• On Betting:
  "Why can't we just enjoy things and not have to put money on it?" – George, [29:17]
• On Cultural Trends:
  “Trends move a lot quicker now…as soon as they come, they're gone by the time I find out about it.” – George, [09:48]
• On the Ramsey Plan:
  “Find a video of Dave Ramsey from 1995, and you're like, he's saying the exact same things he says now. Like, he believes it and he stuck with it. I think that's actually such a pro in today's world.” – George, [38:46]

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Key Timestamps

• [01:13] — Pokémon mania returns.
• [04:15] — Sports trends: Pickleball & MMA.
• [08:00] — Trucker hats resurgence.
• [10:58] — Dubai chocolate taste test.
• [14:32] — Stock market panic cycles.
• [16:18] — Health and wellness trends, oil panic, cold plunges.
• [22:25] — Gold rush and precious metals.
• [25:05] — No-contact/Boundary setting.
• [29:13] — Sports and event betting apps.
• [31:32] — Cosmetic procedure trends.
• [36:28] — Overall take on fads.
• [38:35] — Ramsey values and anti-fad approach.
• [39:16] — Cold brew cocktail review.

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Cocktail Review Segment

Drink: Cold Brew Cocktail
Ingredients: Vodka, simple syrup, coffee liqueur, cold brew, heavy cream, caramel

• Rachel: "9.5 out of 10…higher than I thought. I would have that if someone was like, 'hey, you can choose it over an espresso martini.'" [39:33]
• George: "I'll go seven and a half out of 10... I like a stronger, like, coffee feel. This one's more like a vodka latte." [40:04]
• Cost: $2.49 per glass (cheaper than Starbucks!)

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“Guilty as Charged” Segment: Doubting Ramsey Baby Steps [43:15]

• Lorena from Instagram asks if they’ve ever doubted the Ramsey Baby Steps.
• Rachel and George admit the $1,000 emergency fund and pausing retirement investing give them pause, but stand by their effectiveness.
• Rachel: “…if you got small kids, you have one income earner in the house...the instability feels big. I get how that feels…very uncomfortable…but I wouldn’t teach it differently…” [44:15]
• George: “The people that struggle the most with the baby steps are the ones that are so focused on the mathematics and on what happens on paper…money is emotional and behavioral.” [45:22]

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Takeaways

• Most trends are harmless fun, but some—especially financial and health ones—carry risk if pursued for the wrong reasons.
• The hosts encourage skepticism, balance, individual self-awareness, and sticking with time-tested financial principles rather than chasing hype.

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Listen Next

Rachel and George recommend their episode: Ranking the Worst Financial Habits and Admitting Our Guilt for more tough love and laughter around money mistakes.

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Episode Tone

Light, playful, and self-deprecating, with honest insights and friendly jabs—Rachel and George keep it real while offering sound money wisdom in the midst of trend whiplash.

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Transcript

[A]

The trend pendulum never stops swinging. Today, we're unpacking financial and lifestyle fads that we've seen before and we'll probably see again in another 10 years.

[B]

So that was an investment I did, but I got a deal. It was like a Black Friday. Like, get one airy.

[A]

That always worries me. Like, I found a Groupon, though.

[B]

I know, I know.

[A]

Whoa, them fighting words.

[B]

That's a good one.

[A]

Are they trying to get me in hot water? I can't believe you're putting that poison in your.

[B]

Hey, guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.

[A]

I'm George Camel, and this is Smart Money Happy Hour.

[B]

Cheers, George.

[A]

Cheers.

[B]

Oh, that was delicious.

[A]

Silky.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Well, this is the show where two friends who happen to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. So everything from pop culture, current events, and money.

[A]

And let us start by talking about the cocktail we're sipping on. This is a cold brew cocktail.

[B]

Yes. Giving espresso martini vibes.

[A]

It's giving, like, a masculine espresso martini. I like it. Well, stick around till the end of the episode. We're going to give you our rating and reveal the cost per glass.

[B]

So, George, apparently adults are trading Pokemon cards again. Have you heard the fad?

[A]

Oh, have I ever.

[B]

It is happening, the card trading.

[A]

I don't know what happened.

[B]

I know.

[A]

You know what? Honestly, go back to crypto, guys. They somehow felt better when it was crypto.

[B]

A little bit more masculine. Pokemon cards.

[A]

I mean, I used to, like, do Pokemon when I was a child.

[B]

Is it Pokemon or Pokemon?

[A]

I think the technical definitional. Merriam Webster's pronunciation is Pokemon.

[B]

Pokemon. What if I go Pokemon?

[A]

What if I kept saying I do the theme song in my head?

[B]

Pokemon. Pokemon.

[A]

I used to do the Game Boy, I think Pokemon. Just like that. Yeah. I can't do it any better. I'm nailing the theme song right now.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

But I used to have the cards. I'd play with my friends, but we actually played Pokemon. It wasn't, like, a collectible thing.

[B]

Yeah. Because they had, like, powers that, like, you could kill one. And you get this point where, like, the little white and red ball.

[A]

I love hearing you explain this.

[B]

That was just.

[A]

And then I had the Game Boy games. I had the red and the blue.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I think I had red. My friends may have had the blue.

[B]

Yes. Okay.

[A]

And then it became, you know, video games. So there was, like, that Pokemon snapshot game where you played Pokemon Go. Pokemon Go.

[B]

Now that became a big thing.

[A]

It really has staying power.

[B]

It Has. So I'm laughing at the adults, but maybe it's been around longer and continued on longer than I thought.

[A]

Yeah, I don't think it ever died. It just became a hotter commodity where people were buying and selling for more and more money.

[B]

Yeah, but like a lot of money now.

[A]

People, like, line up outside of Best Buy. You're like, what? What is this? Not even Black Friday. They're lining up for the latest drop of the Pokemon cards, hoping they're gonna strike it rich.

[B]

But the pendulum of fads, it swings. It's like what was popular comes back sometimes. Low rise jeans. That was in the Christina Aguilera days. And apparently according to. Well, they're saying it, but you know who I saw recently that had very low rise pants?

[A]

Who's bringing it back?

[B]

And I thought, what are you doing, girl? Pull your pants up. Is that Frankie girl from Mormon Wives who was the Bachelorette but then they canceled it?

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

And I don't watch Mormon. I wouldn't say Mormon Housewives. I have watched Housewives, the secret lives of Mormon Wives. Thank you, Mormon Wives. I don't watch that show, but I do watch Dancing with the Stars when Whitney was on. So I knew Whitney through Dancing with the Stars and then this whole Bachelorette, you know, stuff, which that happened like, I don't know, a month or two ago. Anyways, she had low rise pants on and one of the videos on Instagram and I thought, what are you doing? What are you doing? Stop.

[A]

That's a sign.

[B]

Don't bring it back.

[A]

You think it's a sign that someone's unwell if they're wearing low rise jeans?

[B]

And your mother. Yes. Why? Why do we need that? We don't need them.

[A]

Are these are high rise jeans that you're wearing currently?

[B]

Always.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I always have my old lady jeans on.

[A]

Yeah. You really adopted the trend as soon as Gen Z told you, you were like, I'm on it, girls.

[B]

Appreciate it.

[A]

You got rid of all skinny jeans

[B]

and a wide leg.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Love a wide leg.

[A]

So no low rise, no skinny.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Wide and high.

[B]

Wide and high.

[A]

Got it. I can remember that.

[B]

So we want that for sure.

[A]

And then on the masculine side, MMA has become really big.

[B]

It's coming back.

[A]

Martial arts. I know what it stands for. That's all I know.

[B]

Oh, I thought I was thinking of the wrestling. What's the letters that are wrestlers? There's a lot.

[A]

Are you talking about like the wwe?

[B]

That's what I was thinking of. Oh, I read mm backwards.

[A]

No, MMA is like, I Feel like wrestling is now known, that it's theater and people still like it for that. But MMA is like real fighter.

[B]

Oh, it's the guy that had the Pokemon card around his neck.

[A]

Logan Paul.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Sixteen million dollar Pokemon card that he sold.

[B]

Look, we're connecting all the dots here.

[A]

I think he did mma. I know he also boxed. Or is that his brother? I can't. They get mixed together as just one toxic human. So I don't ever remember.

[B]

MMA is just. Are they punching?

[A]

I think there's. Are they kicking too? There's punching and kicking.

[B]

I think punching and kicking.

[A]

Cause it's mixed martial arts.

[B]

Mixed martial arts.

[A]

The mixed part I think is, I

[B]

think a karate with a boxer.

[A]

Sure. I mean, I'll let you pass.

[B]

Because I barely know what's the thing that people do. This is what I would learn in that world. I wouldn't do. Well, kickboxing, actually. It was a great workout. Not karate. What's the thing that people do?

[A]

Jiu Jitsu. Yes. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

[B]

Now that. Well, why the Brazilian? Why'd you throw that in there?

[A]

I feel like they invented it. I don't know, I just heard. I hear it as like bjj, like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, maybe. It's a type of Jiu Jitsu that's very popular.

[B]

I don't know Jiu Jitsu. I just like the name of it. And I hear that's the. That's the route to go I could do.

[A]

Because that one's good. Cause I can learn self defense.

[B]

That's it. If you're like in a street fight, you can like take someone down with their arm or something. Yeah.

[A]

Cause I like that I don't look like a guy you could. That could take you in a fight. But if I knew Jiu jitsu, they'd be like, we didn't know, man. We didn't know.

[B]

But you went for the knees.

[A]

He just like twirled me over his legs and flipped me on my back and I was done.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

Chokehold.

[B]

How fun would that be?

[A]

Ko how fun would that be now? It would be super fun as a superpower just to know I could take that.

[B]

I could do it.

[A]

I'd be walking the streets just going, yeah, I could take that guy. I could take that guy.

[B]

Yeah, you wouldn't worry. Wouldn't worry about anything. Pickleball.

[A]

I could take that guy. Pickleball is a fun one.

[B]

Yeah. And it's.

[A]

Pickleball's like an ML, like someone's always trying to talk you into joining their pickleball.

[B]

Stop it.

[A]

Like, rec league. You know what I mean? It's a very, like, oh, you should come out. Come out and play with us sometime. Like, I'm not buying what you're selling, bro. George.

[B]

We were on a pickleball team together.

[A]

We were what? A team. You know what? We were an underrated team.

[B]

All the personalities. We went out for, like, a half day team building thing.

[A]

You want to tell them whose idea this retreat was?

[B]

Not mine.

[A]

It was Ken Coleman's idea.

[B]

Oh, yeah, Ken. He's like, we should play pickleball together.

[A]

The semi amateur players.

[B]

It was actually pretty fun. But they paired us up together.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which at one point I was like, why would y' all put two people together that would never play?

[A]

We are now. You are athletic, you are strong, you are brave.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

But we are some of the least athletic as far as the personalities go.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You have John Deloney, Jade Warshaw, and

[B]

Ken, who plays football.

[A]

And Ken, who's really good at picking up.

[B]

Yeah. We're at the bottom of the list. I can appreciate that.

[A]

You know what I mean? If this was kickball, I'd be last on the team to be picked. It's fair.

[B]

I just think it's fair. We know our strengths.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

We know the value we bring to life.

[A]

But we got pretty good by the end.

[B]

I think we did pretty great. We did anyways. But pendulum, I think if it goes down, it'll be back in 10 years, so just get ready.

[A]

So you think pickleball will die out?

[B]

Mm.

[A]

Really? I feel like old people can keep it alive longer than we want it. No.

[B]

Cause if the game where you hit the ball on the wall and you boop, boop, boop, boop. What's that game?

[A]

Racquetball.

[B]

Indoor. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

If that didn't come, you know, I mean, racquetball's the same thing.

[A]

Yeah. I don't see a lot of racquetball these days. I do think tennis is coming back, but.

[B]

It's coming back. But racquetball will come back too. Mark my. Mark my words.

[A]

Mark my. Mark my word.

[B]

Mark my words.

[A]

I believe you.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

You know what else has come back? Trucker hats. Not on my bingo card. Yes. But a lot of them.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

Girlies on our team wear trucker hats. And my wife is now has a collection of trucker hats.

[B]

Okay, I'm gonna get your wife one of Winston's. Winston made hats.

[A]

And they have, like, cute little sayings on Them.

[B]

Yes, this is my hat. I gotta say, I sent it to him. Cause I was wearing it and I was like, babe, I'm totally supporting you.

[A]

Is it Southern Gentleman?

[B]

His podcast? Yeah, it's a Southern gentleman hat.

[A]

I need one of those. Oh, wow.

[B]

Good one, huh?

[A]

That. It's a really cool hat and I. It's a different look for you.

[B]

What does that mean? George Camel.

[A]

I don't know if it's your face that you're making.

[B]

It may be, but you're not.

[A]

You're not selling it.

[B]

What?

[A]

Yeah, I'm gonna be honest.

[B]

Good night, George. Drizzling under me in a hat.

[A]

That one's better. That one's better. Oh, gosh, I'm sorry. Do you want to? Well, I'm honest.

[B]

I'm glad we're not married. Because when I said that to my husband, he was like, yeah, babe, you're so hot. Unbelievable.

[A]

You're wearing his podcast.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

You're wearing his podcast. Merch. That's. Every man's dream is for his wife to care about his podcast. That's what he's excited about.

[B]

But front. Front porch philosopher, Southern Gentleman. And it's a red trucker hat. I love it.

[A]

I like that. I do like that podcast. Good guys over there.

[B]

Oh my gosh. Anyways, didn't mean to jump on that bandwagon, but.

[A]

But I wore a lot of trucker hats when I was a skateboard punk in Boston. That was like real big. We all had trucker hats.

[B]

Oh, really? Yeah.

[A]

And we'd have our hair flipping out of the sides.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah. 100%, you know, 100%.

[A]

The early 2000s skater hair, man.

[B]

But I would think of like a baseball. People wore those. Baseball.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Like in their hat. And then they take the hat off and it looks like a bowl was on.

[A]

Not a good look. That's why you leave the hat on. Yes, but those have really come back for the ladies. I don't know. Van Dutch is. Von Dutch is a popular brand for trucker hats for some reason.

[B]

Yep. I like to go a little bit

[A]

more local, you know, shop local. Shop local with your husband's podcast. Really sold them on the merch there. That was fun. Well, trends move a lot quicker now, you know, as soon as they come, they're gone by the time I find out about it.

[B]

It's true.

[A]

That's why I don't jump on them.

[B]

They are almost the boat. Is it the Internet, you think? Social media? Cuz back in the day you had like your best friend and. Yes, your hairdresser.

[A]

Well, now it's like someone can make a tik tok that goes viral, that then becomes a trend, but then by the time it, like, reaches the zeitgeist of millennials, Gen X, it's kind of like, oh, it's not really cool.

[B]

It's been done. It's been done.

[A]

A lot of the sayings are like that, so I try not to jump on the. The slang.

[B]

Yes, the slang.

[A]

Now, your son, I've heard, is hip to the.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Charles says it all the time.

[A]

What's his current.

[B]

I'm cooking.

[A]

I'm cooking.

[B]

Like, he'll, like, shoot basketball in the driveway or something, and he, like, makes it like, I'm cooking. Literally apostrophe. It's the funniest thing.

[A]

No, he's not cooking.

[B]

Well, I said cooking at one point, and someone shunned me. It may have been in this room. I don't know.

[A]

So if he's doing good at his sport in the moment, he's like, oh, Mom, I'm cooking.

[B]

I'm cooking. Yes.

[A]

That's adorable.

[B]

So funny. In kindergarten, I'm like, where did you hear this?

[A]

Kindergarten. That's great.

[B]

Oh, God bless.

[A]

And speaking of TikTok, Rachel, this is taking the world by storm in the sweets world, and that is Dubai chocolate. Have you heard of Dubai chocolate? Maybe it's a style of chocolate. It's got pistachio. It's got some wheat in there. Is that a little crunch? And I want you to try it. I brought you some.

[B]

Oh, my gosh, I'm so on trend.

[A]

This is probably $100 worth of Dubai chocolate.

[B]

Wait, are you serious?

[A]

No, it's not. But it is expensive. Like, anytime you see it, you're like,

[B]

where do you buy it? Target.

[A]

Almost anywhere. If you go to Costco and peruse the chocolate aisle, there's probably no less than four or five products that are labeled as Dubai style.

[B]

Okay? And the Dubai style is the pistachios.

[A]

It's pistachio mixed with the wheat. It's called catafe. In Arabic, it's, yeah, sure. Which is like a wheat. It's like flour, sugar.

[B]

I always forget you speak Arabic.

[A]

Starch.

[B]

Isn't that weird?

[A]

I'm teaching my daughter still crazy because my parents got her a little, like, Arabic.

[B]

Give us. Give us a sentence. I mean, that is just the craziest. You are.

[A]

So it's really fun. So I'm teaching Mia little words like, is watermelon.

[B]

Oh, yes.

[A]

So I'm trying to get her to say the. So I'm like, but. And she's like, but. She's like, it's so cute.

[B]

So good. So good.

[A]

All right. Oh, wow. Look at the packaging. Is beautiful. Gorgeous. All right.

[B]

Is that the only thing in that box, what you just pulled out? Is there another one?

[A]

This is it. I mean, it's a. It's a big old boy. Let me see how. It's a big old boy.

[B]

How do I. I have Roy Demercer. Who's ever listen to Roy D. Mercer.

[A]

Oh, wow. Can get a load of this.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

All right. Take a big old bite.

[B]

Okay. And if you knew me, you would know I. Sweets are not my thing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

This was a tortilla chip.

[A]

You're salty.

[B]

I would be excited.

[A]

You're a salty person.

[B]

I am. I'm not a big chocolate fan. I mean. I mean, chocolate's fine, but. Okay.

[A]

Oh, I don't think she's a pistachio girly either, but let it cook. It's cooking. The face is. We're going south now. I'm gonna say you've offended all of Dubai. This is their. Their national pastime. And also this was made in New Jersey, so I apologize. Distributed.

[B]

It's really rich.

[A]

Not for you.

[B]

Mm. Mm.

[A]

Okay. Well, this is. This is what I like.

[B]

Pistachios.

[A]

Some trends, they don't hit.

[B]

Okay. Does it all. Is that what it looks like? Every. Or is that the style?

[A]

It's the style.

[B]

It's come in a little.

[A]

I don't think they all look like that. They all.

[B]

Will it come in a chocolate bar?

[A]

Starbucks now has a Dubai, you know, latte, so, like, everyone's got it. I'm gonna toss this over to you. The team can enjoy this. And see.

[B]

Cut off what I ate.

[A]

Rachel doesn't have the palate for this quite yet. We'll get you there. Just a little too, you know, we can auction it off for charity and say, this is the Dubai chocolate bar. Rachel took a bite of.

[B]

Rachel took a bite of. Yep. Okay.

[A]

So Rachel, overall, take on the Dubai chocolate fad. Yay.

[B]

Or no. If it was thinner, I could get on board. But, yeah, it's an A for you.

[A]

All right, that's fine.

[B]

How about you? But you didn't have it.

[A]

But I like the style of it because I'm a big pistachio fan. That's big in the Middle east especially. Pistachio is very common.

[B]

Yes. Very nut. Yes.

[A]

Nut to have in desserts.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

All right, moving on. Next fad, Stock market panic. That's a fun fad.

[B]

Always, you know, there's always one. You know, during. Especially during a presidency, you're gonna get something, Right. This one was some tariffs made the stock market dip. Iran, the war dip.

[A]

Barrel of gas goes to 116. You're like, that's gonna cause the market to get shaky.

[B]

You see it, and people panic. They freak out. And then sometimes the fad is like, okay, just get out of the market. Everything's gonna collapse. The world is ending. And just everyone take your money out. And it's like, no, no, no, no. Stay in. Ride it out. It's gonna dip. It's gonna come back. Everything's gonna be fine over the long haul. But, man, people. People love a. They love a panic. They love a panic.

[A]

They love to see the little red down arrow on the news going, oh, my gosh, the Dow is down. We don't like that. But here's. Here's my life hack. Only look at your investment account when the market's up. Oh, I'm a glass half full kind of guy.

[B]

Look at you all positive.

[A]

Well, what's the point of looking at

[B]

while it's down 100%?

[A]

I lost thousands of dollars on paper. Well, don't pull the money out.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And keep buying. That's. It's on sale.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

If. If that mutual fund was trading at $100. Now it's at 85. It's 15% off. Congratulations. And it's going to be back to record highs within a year or two or three, as it always does before you know it. All right, so I'm not a fan of that fad.

[B]

Yeah, me neither. Let's don't panic. Let's ride it out, y'. All. Ride the roller coaster. It's gonna be fine. We promise.

[A]

And you're not taking all your money out. Even if you're in a retirement, you're not doing it all at once.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. It's just a little bit.

[A]

Try to avoid dipping into your government accounts as much as you can. And it's good to have some cash reserves if you're in that phase of life so that you're not selling when it's down.

[B]

All right, next up, George, Health and wellness. Oh, man. You got your canola oil, your hot, your cold plunges.

[A]

Oh, yeah, your sauce. Are we anti canola? No, seed oils. We're anti seed oils these days.

[B]

Yeah. Everyone loves a canola oil, right?

[A]

No. Canola. Bad.

[B]

Oh, sorry. Bad. I'm.

[A]

What am I talking about canola is you might as well just clog those.

[B]

What is a canola? Can I ask that?

[A]

It's like a vegetable oil.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I think they just, like, relabeled it. I don't know. Someone's gonna come at me.

[B]

We have vegetable oil that we use. Not good with, like, mixes. Like, if you do, like, a cake mix or something, you have to have, like, a half a cup of vegetable oil.

[A]

It would be preferable by the health and wellness world if you would use a cleaner oil.

[B]

I think that's stupid.

[A]

Avocado, perhaps?

[B]

Gross.

[A]

Gross.

[B]

You're gonna have the coconut oil. No, definitely not coconut oil. You taste it. I cooked with coconut oil for a bit.

[A]

Well, cook it with something sweet. And it's not that overpowering. It adds a nice flavor.

[B]

I just think, you know, olive oil

[A]

again, that olive oil has some flavor to it.

[B]

This is grim. This is grim. But I think you'd rather. We're all gonna be in the ground

[A]

at some point, George, so might as well crack open that bucket of Crisco and.

[B]

And feel good. You know, Be in the sun. Have a sippy sippy of.

[A]

Have a sippy sippy and be in the sun. Rachel, is your.

[B]

Just enjoy your life a little bit.

[A]

You're like a D influencer for the health and wellness space. Okay.

[B]

And I, you know, and I eat broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Like, whatever. Like, we do it, it's fine. But, like, also people, I just. I think it stresses. I think the stress that people take on who are obsessed with this world.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I think does more harm than good.

[A]

I believe that.

[B]

I think you can just sleep parade.

[A]

You meet a grandma who's like, 98 and she lives off of diet with

[B]

a martini, and you're like, oh, my

[A]

gosh, Dr. Pepper for breakfast. She's thriving.

[B]

She's rocking. Rocking it. Yeah.

[A]

So there you go.

[B]

People are. Yeah.

[A]

You. Some of these other ones you have fallen for, though. Cold plunges. A sauna, perhaps.

[B]

Okay. I do love a sauna. That is one of my favorites.

[A]

You gave up the cold plunge.

[B]

Yeah, I gave up the cold plunge. I read that it's actually not good for women. It actually ages you.

[A]

Wow. Reverse effect you're looking for.

[B]

Yep. And so there's not enough science behind it. You know who else told me? Our good friend Arthur Brooks.

[A]

Oh, that's right.

[B]

He said, the science is conflicting on cold plunges. And I thought, I like you. I like you, Arthur.

[A]

Conflicting science is what you're looking for.

[B]

You want it on that I want a hundred percent, like, this is the best thing for you. Sauna. And so everything you read about asana,

[A]

good, the data's out there.

[B]

I'm gonna detox my vegetable oil out of my system and let that canola,

[A]

and I'm gonna be gone. Wow. That's life balance.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Yes. That's life balance right there. Do a little sauna and enjoy your life.

[A]

So my overall take with health and wellness is you're very healthy.

[B]

Y' all are very salt.

[A]

Well, I just go, like. I think the Mediterranean diet is sort of, like, tried and true.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Eat whole foods. Get your fruits and veggies in a good, complex carb. You're gonna be fine. I don't do a lot of liquid calories either, you know, so I think that helps. But I wouldn't say I'm a picture of health, but my blood work came back spectacular.

[B]

Wonderful.

[A]

After doing nothing for years except kind of trying not to eat terribly.

[B]

Yeah, mine came back great, too. I did, like, a women's panel.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Blood test. And it was like, 25. Thanks.

[A]

A plus.

[B]

Pretty. Pretty average down the center. And I just thought, all right, I'll keep doing what I've been doing.

[A]

That's all you need.

[B]

Just a little, like, a little something here, a little something there. But work out, get your steps in. Eat some chicken and broccoli. You'll be good.

[A]

That's like the. Every health, bro. That's all they do is they meal prep. Just no flavor. Chicken, broccoli.

[B]

I didn't say no flavor. Get you some Greek seasoning.

[A]

It just reminded me of that. That's all they eat. And you just shuddered like, I just can't stand where it's like, just get your protein in and just at all costs, just eat the most depressing me to get your protein in it just. Life is too short. Add some hummus.

[B]

Hummus? Hummus. Does that come from a seed? No.

[A]

Chickpeas.

[B]

Chickpeas.

[A]

Garbanzo beans if you want to get.

[B]

Okay, so more of a bean than a seed.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Learning a lot.

[A]

It's a bean dip, basically. Think about it that way.

[B]

Oh, yes. So Winston's doing the keto diet. He can't have beans. So would that mean he can't have hummus?

[A]

No legumes.

[B]

What?

[A]

Yeah. I'm sorry. I didn't know I was gonna, like, freeze your brain with the word legume.

[B]

I don't know what a lagoon is. What's a legume?

[A]

It's the bean family.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Sounds like a 90s insult. Ya lagoons.

[A]

Ya lagoons.

[B]

Ya Lagoons.

[A]

Lagooma Beach. There we go. That's a spin off.

[B]

Oh, God blast this.

[A]

Starring beans. Wow.

[B]

Oh, man. Well, while you're looking up all your recipes for your chicken and broccoli. Right.

[A]

No recipe needed.

[B]

Just don't fill out a ton of forms because if you do, you're gonna need delete. Me. Because every form you fill out online is what it feels like that these companies sell your data. Data brokers then collect that data, package it, and then sell it off to other companies.

[A]

So gross.

[B]

Yeah. So then you get spam texts and calls and weird emails, and they know your address, your kids names, like all of it. It's really scary.

[A]

And there's more out there than you think. And you can even try searching this for yourself. And you'll be shocked at how much is just out there. Like, I didn't put that. How do they know my past address and my family's info? And that's why I love Deleteme. They'll scour these data broker sites, hundreds of them, remove your info, send you a report on a silver platter showing you what they've done, how much time

[B]

they've saved you all right there. And it's a team of actual people

[A]

going in, Real privacy experts.

[B]

Yes. Behind the scenes and removing your data. And they go back and they relook because it's so easy for that stuff to get duplicated. So go to joindeleteme.com smartmoney and it's up to 20% off annual plans. It comes out to around nine bucks a month.

[A]

That's a deal.

[B]

Well worth it.

[A]

I saved like 160 hours. They told me of time it would have taken me to go do all that.

[B]

So good.

[A]

Well worth it. We'll drop a link in the description as well.

[B]

All right, next up is the gold rush.

[A]

Oh, it's back. There's like gold bros out there. You know, there's like Pokemon bros and crypto bros. There is precious metal bros. And they love it.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

They love to be like, you guys are wrong.

[B]

Yes, I got gold.

[A]

I'm like, all right, gold. Relax your leprechauns.

[B]

I got gold.

[A]

Where the gold at?

[B]

Yeah. Well, March, if you know. Yes, if you know, you know. Oh, my gosh. Okay. Well, as of March of 2026, gold was sitting at a value more than $5,000 per ounce. More. More than a 60% increase from $3,000 just a year prior. So it has gone up and there's usually a correlation with gold in the market that you see when fear goes up because the market's going down. Sorry, fear goes up, gold goes up.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Correlations.

[A]

Thumbs up, thumbs down.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. But both up. Both are not.

[A]

If you're listening on podcast, you're just very confused as to what's happening. Rachel just getting her directions all confused.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

But when people get spooked, they go out and buy a bunch of gold thinking it's going to save them and it's going to be a hedge against the stock market collapsing. Yes, but I don't buy anything based on fear. Like it's just a fear based commodity. It's usually kind of peddled in the fear mongering space of everybody go buy gold and silver right now. Because in the apocalypse that's what we're all going to be bartering. It's not worth it. And yes, on paper you could say, well, it's up 60% compared to the stock market, but it will eventually go back down. And what are you going to do, Just hoard a bunch of gold?

[B]

Yeah. Well, I don't think it's even 60% from the stock market, is it? I think it was just from the prior.

[A]

It's probably the prior year.

[B]

Yeah. Value of what it was.

[A]

Yeah, but they're going, you can't get that in the stock market. 60% up, you know what I mean? So.

[B]

And then it's going to go back down.

[A]

So trade instability often follows the geopolitical instability. So US Threatens Greenland, gold's going to go up. European countries send military support there. Gold goes up. Trump threaten, threatens tariffs on eight countries. So all of this affects the prices of precious metals, but I personally don't own any. If you want to do it for fun and make it a small part of your net worth, like less than 5%, go for it. But I would not trade investing in the stock market to go buy a bunch of gold.

[B]

No, not at all.

[A]

So as far as fads go, I'm out on precious metals.

[B]

Yeah, not for an investment.

[A]

I mean, you own a lot of fake precious metals from Amazon. You're wearing it right now.

[B]

I do. Lots of fake. Lots of fake gold, but that's all you need. Oh yeah, I'll fake.

[A]

It'd be scary.

[B]

I mean, but who cares? Maybe I can trade this little bracelet for some bread if the world collapses. I'm like, please.

[A]

I think they can tell it's fake pretty quickly.

[B]

All this discolored. What do you mean? What do you mean?

[A]

No, it's real. I promise.

[B]

It's real. It's real. Give me some bread.

[A]

Give the lady some bread.

[B]

We won't be doing that. Okay, how about here's a fad, not money related. The no Contact boundary setting.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

There's kind of a new thing relationally that people are like my parents, my family. We don't agree. We don't see life the same. And they're just toxic and I just have to get them out of my life. And they're like, shutting off their family, like on the reg.

[A]

I think this started during COVID That's my hot take.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Is that's when things got extra heated.

[B]

Cause you're like, we gotta social distance. No, we don't.

[A]

A lot of masks.

[B]

No, you don't.

[A]

Did you get the vaccine? Did you not? Then you're not coming for Christmas and your politics are wrong. And so all of that caused a lot of no contact boundary setting. Or lc Low Contact. Give you a new acronym there.

[B]

Low Contact.

[A]

Yeah. Low contact is like, I'm gonna try to avoid contacting, but it's not like a you can't reach me. I blocked your number.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

But that's different. I know, but I think, you know, you. I. I don't agree with my relatives and family on everything. And I just try to like, why go to that conversation when you see them out of all the things you

[B]

could talk about, talk about anything in life.

[A]

Yes, that's your own point.

[B]

Unless they're like super passionate about it and that's what they're talking about.

[A]

Well, the problem is they bring it up. Then you have to take the high road and go, hey, we're not going to do this.

[B]

And I just imagine some crazy girl at Easter lunch talking about the newest conspiracy she read about.

[A]

Is that true?

[B]

And I believe, but I don't know.

[A]

I'm guessing your family shuts that down. I don't think they're entertained by it anymore. Cause you are the crazy one in the family.

[B]

I think I'm crazy.

[A]

They're all very logical people like Daniel.

[B]

That's why you gotta kinda stir it up more.

[A]

Denise never wants to stir anything up.

[B]

Yeah, you gotta stir a little something.

[A]

That's the Dave Ramsey in New Zealand.

[B]

Just say, we didn't walk on the moon in 1969. And then they're ba, ba, ba.

[A]

It's funny, but without Rachel at the dinner table, would it even be fun?

[B]

It'd be fun. No, they wouldn't know all this stuff, man. Is Selena Gomez really her? We don't know. We don't know. Listen, where do you find. I know, I know.

[A]

I wouldn't even know where to search on the Internet.

[B]

No, it's on Instagram. I get into a conspiracy reel and

[A]

then the algorithm goes, oh, we know

[B]

what the algorithm says. Oh, this is what she likes. And then it starts feeding me more. And here's the thing, George. I've realized about myself, I can be convinced kind of easily. I have, like, my core convictions about life and, like, what I do believe.

[A]

Like, you're gullible, but I have other

[B]

things that I'm like, someone really could.

[A]

Or you're just open minded.

[B]

It could really talk me into one way or the other.

[A]

If they're persuasive, 100%. Okay, so a logical persuasion, if they

[B]

have some evidence about something, I'm like, all right, I can get on board with that. I can get on board with that.

[A]

Wow. And now you've become that person.

[B]

I'm convincing others it's contagious. I know. You're welcome.

[A]

Cause once you've been convinced, you're like, everyone needs to know about this. Yes.

[B]

That's what I'm saying.

[A]

You can just fall off the earth.

[B]

That's what I'm saying. You're like, they could just talk about something else. And they could, but also.

[A]

But that's what's very conscious about something.

[B]

You're like, listen, I want you all to know Antarctica ain't what it seems.

[A]

What's going on in Antarctica?

[B]

Oh, we don't have time to get tea on that.

[A]

All right.

[B]

But if I was on Antarctica, I'd want to be warm and cozy, and I would hope my cozy Earth blanket was with me.

[A]

Take it with you.

[B]

That's for sure.

[A]

Pack that, bad boy.

[B]

Pack that. Yeah. That's like a freaking Eskimo suit.

[A]

You need it.

[B]

You wrap yourself for that of wonderfulness and you're good to go. Because cozier products, they keep you warm and even in the summer, keep you cool.

[A]

Keep you cool because they use this viscose from bamboo material.

[B]

And it, like, it allows it to breathe if it needs to. It traps the heat if it needs. It's crazy.

[A]

I don't know how they do it, but the sheets, the joggers, the athleisure, the sleep sets, all of it.

[B]

If I'm cold, I swear it, like, keeps me warm. But then if I wear it, like walking the kids to school in the morning and I'm like, oh, it's kind of hot out here. It's cool. I don't know.

[A]

Science. You still believe in that? Rachel? I think that's how they do it. But it's great everything there. If you want to upgrade your life, you want a little taste of luxury meets affordability. They got a 10 year warranty on their bedding 100 night sleep trial. It's all incredible. And you can get up to 20% [e-mail] smart money and use code smart money. And if you get the post purchase survey, which I think you will be sure to let Cozy Earth know that Smart Money Happy hour sent you.

[B]

All right, next up, George, Everything is bettable. What do you think about that?

[A]

That's exhausting, man. Why, why can't we just enjoy things and not have to put money on it?

[B]

So during March Madness, I was reading like an article about a game, the Tennessee game against Michigan, which was very unfortunate.

[A]

Guessing didn't go well by the look on your face.

[B]

Very unfortunate. Terrible actually.

[A]

I could have guessed that though.

[B]

No, but sometimes there's the upsets, you know, Yukon and Duke, like not, not

[A]

with Tennessee, Tennessee, Michigan even. I know.

[B]

Well, that's what I'm saying. March Madness, there's always the upsets. Like this could have been an upset.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And they were a really good team, George. They actually played very well. Why am I defending them? They lost really bad. Anyways, but there was an entire article and it was like section after and I started reading. So I was like, oh, this is interesting. And then halfway through I was like, I can't. About all the betting of you bet on this, this, you know, whatever spread here and then this and then how, you know, here and then. And then the Vegas odds are here. I mean it was so much info about it and I thought, oh my gosh. People are reading this like this is like they're. They're sucked in.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

It's crazy. So.

[A]

Yeah, well, when there's money on it, you're glued to it. And so it's the. They love it as far as advertising goes. Cause they know you're going to watch the game if you start betting on it. So Poly Market, Kalshee, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, all of these companies are cashing in by making you think you could win. It's just a lottery. But kind of socialize with your hobbies and things you love, which is sports. But now it's like, is Trump gonna burp today? And you can. There's a $200 million pool of yes or no.

[B]

It's crazy. Yes. You can bet on anything. It's like, yes, let's. Let's say focus.

[A]

Who's gonna get married on Love is Blind? You can bet on that. And so it's gotten out of control. And I think it. Sadly, this is real talk. It's gonna lead to addictive behaviors, gambling in other areas, and people are gonna lose big money. It's gonna hurt relationships. That's not a guess on my part. That's just what's happening. And what will continue to happen?

[B]

Well, and the trend is showing that, like, data is coming out the. Yes. Like, the rate of people who gamble, the amount of money they are, the frequency at which they are gambling, it's just continuing to increase. So.

[A]

And because it's apps, they'll lure you back in saying, hey, have a free bet on us.

[B]

Well, that's the hard thing, too. If you lose money, you're like, okay, crap. How do I make that back? You're like, well, maybe I'll just bet a little bit more and try to win it back.

[A]

And, yes, it's gonna be different this time.

[B]

It's a spiral. It's an absolute spiral.

[A]

Aye yai yai.

[B]

All right, next up is. Oh, cosmetic procedures. Dun, dun, dun. So there's, I guess, the fads. People are actually removing filler, though. That's a fad happening.

[A]

Oh, is that like getting rid of a tattoo, people?

[B]

I guess so.

[A]

You get the filler.

[B]

You get the filler and the lip filler, cheek, all that. And a lot of celebs are apparently removing those, man. All the treatments, laser care, all of it.

[A]

What do you think I should get done?

[B]

You don't have hooded lids because I can see your eyelid right now, so you're good.

[A]

Maybe a chin implant?

[B]

Oh, you could have a little bit.

[A]

I could use a better jawline. We can all agree on that.

[B]

Go a little bit. A little bit further out. Yeah, George, sure.

[A]

I don't have a lot of neck. Can I extend my neck too?

[B]

I guess.

[A]

Is that a thing?

[B]

Go up with the neck. That'd be a sad procedure.

[A]

Now, the one that's really sad is the height surgery.

[B]

Height?

[A]

Yeah. They literally, like, break your legs and then add to it and then. Yeah, no, it's a thing.

[B]

No way.

[A]

It's a real thing.

[B]

Don't do it, George.

[A]

I never said I was.

[B]

Don't do it.

[A]

But if there was a way to do it without having to break both of my legs.

[B]

Terrible.

[A]

I would consider it.

[B]

You know, the one that's kind of going out, the people we're all in veneers.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

People were getting like those just like perfect veneers.

[A]

Yeah. And everyone can tell.

[B]

Yes. And people are going back to more natural looking teeth.

[A]

Wow. Do people accuse you of having veneers?

[B]

I don't know. I don't know.

[A]

Check the comment section. What are they saying?

[B]

No, but I do think it's more normalized. I never had braces. Did you know that?

[A]

Really?

[B]

Never had braces.

[A]

That's impressive. Did anyone in your family have braces?

[B]

My mom didn't. And I want to say dad didn't either. Denise and Daniel did, though, but I did not. I know.

[A]

You are highly favored.

[B]

Not crazy.

[A]

That's good. Well, these smaller procedures now, they feel more affordable and people are putting it on payment plans. And so they go, I could afford that. It used to just be for celebrities and athletes, rich people. Now it's like, well, I could afford

[B]

500 med spa down the streets doing this and this. And we can do it. Yeah.

[A]

And you can afford one. If not 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. And do it over time.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And so these are popping up. I've noticed these sort of. They're not like hospitals. They're not surgical centers. They're just little offices. Yeah. A little med spa.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

100% casual. You're going to Target. Let's stop by the old med spa.

[B]

Okay. You know, one thing I did, the ladies will appreciate this. And it was worth the investment. Time and money. Laser hair removal. Oh, y', all, game changer. Legs, armpit, all of it. It's. It is fantastic.

[A]

How many times you have to do it?

[B]

You have to go eight times, six days. It's a. It's a. It is a consistent thing, but.

[A]

But then it works forever, never comes back.

[B]

Yes. So that was an investment. I did, but I got a deal. It was like a Black Friday. Like, get one area.

[A]

That always worries me. Like, I found a group on them.

[B]

No, I know, but it was at a local, like, plastic surgery center that was doing it. So I trusted them.

[A]

I figure it's not that expensive for them. I think a lot of these are high margin procedures.

[B]

I think so, too. That's why they can do some like. Yeah, big discounts.

[A]

Yeah, there you go.

[B]

Would you ever do that for your neck or something?

[A]

You know what? I do hate shaving the neck to keep that clean.

[B]

She talks about that.

[A]

I would consider that because never in my life am I going to be like, man, I just wish I had more hair on my neck. Gosh, I missed those days.

[B]

You're not going to miss it. You're not going to miss it. Okay. So the fad, I'm going to go like, I'm okay with this fad to an extent.

[A]

Yeah, right. The beauty treatments, I think it's easy to go overboard because once you get a little. It's kind of like tattoos where you get two and you're like, well, why not get a sleeve?

[B]

Why not get another one?

[A]

And then all of a sudden, unlike

[B]

tattoos, it's a slippery slope.

[A]

You look like you got stung by bees.

[B]

Yeah. So keep your face, ladies. Oh. You know where I love to keep my money is a safe place. George. And Fairwinds Credit Union. Spot on.

[A]

That's my safe place for sure.

[B]

Yes. It's a safe place because not only the people behind it that are actually running it, they are amazing people, but the system at which you're putting your money in it is a place that wants you to win with your money. And to have any level of a banking institution to be for you with your money, that's amazing. That's rare because usually they're trying to make so much money off of you through debt and fees and all of this. Yes. But Fair Winds came in and they're like, hey, we want to, like, be pro the Ramsey plan. And so we love them for it.

[A]

This is true. Their CEO watched my YouTube video on travel hacks and I said, hey, don't make sure you're not getting charged international fees. And he looked into it and he said, hey, are we doing that? And they said, yeah. And he said, let's get rid of international fees on our Fairwinds debit card. And they did it from watching my video. And so they truly want the best experience for their fans. They have a great High Yield Savings account. One of the top questions we get, where should I store my money so it can make some money? And you can have up to 10 different savings accounts in there for all the different savings goals in your life. So check it out with their Smart Bundle, no fee checking High Yield Savings and the Ramsey branded Debt is Normal Beware Debit card. Go to Fairwinds.org Ramsey or click the link in the description.

[B]

Okay, George. Wow. What do we think about these fads?

[A]

It's exhausting.

[B]

I feel like a lot of them are negative. You know, if something's like really popular, I mean, besides pickleball, but like, if something's really popular right now, there's a little bit of me that's like, well,

[A]

if I had to sum it up like what's behind each one? Right. If we go back through, you kind of realize you got Dubai chocolate. That one, I feel like, is a harmless one. All right. A food fad. I'm fine with that.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

But then stock market panic. Yeah, that's not good. People are going to lose a lot of money. Health and wellness. There's a lot of toxic negativity of, like, if you don't do it my way. I mean, I posted just a bag of these, like Girl Scout, like granola cookies.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And just granola that kind of mimics the flavor of their coconut caramel cookie. And people were like, I can't believe you're putting that poison in your body. Like, I'm not a. I'm not a health influencer.

[B]

Totally. Like, this is not my job.

[A]

Straight up. Said that to me. And I was like, people need to relax a little bit. Like, I'm not hurting myself. I'm not the problem. Okay. If you've seen me in real life, I'm doing okay.

[B]

I'm doing great.

[A]

I'm not thriving.

[B]

Rhonda, calm down. Rhonda.

[A]

I'm not gonna be on my 600 pound life anytime soon.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So don't me, Debbie. So health and wellness, there's some toxicity there. There's some vanity there.

[B]

But overall, I think motivated in a good way, though, trying to keep us healthy.

[A]

People want to look better, feel better

[B]

and live longer, not be as sick.

[A]

And then you got Pokemon and Gold Rush. That feels a little bit get rich quick. Fear based. A lot of hype around that. No contact boundary setting, I feel like is a good motive gone too far.

[B]

Yes, that's true.

[A]

You're trying to do a healthy thing in an unhealthy way.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And then everything's bettable again. Get rich quick. Gambling addiction, a lot of that happening there. So overall, not great.

[B]

Not great. Yeah.

[A]

State of America.

[B]

Yeah, we'll see.

[A]

Give it a C minus right now.

[B]

Oh, man. But if you do have questions about your money in specific situation, whether it is about the Gold rush or sports betting, like whatever your question is, you can go to Ask Ramsey. And this is actually pretty amazing because it's an AI tool that we have now that you can put in your specific question and it'll give you an answer just like you call the Ramsey Show.

[A]

So I do love that.

[B]

Yeah. So check it out.

[A]

Timeless. No fads here. And that's what I love about Ramsey, that I think we don't talk about enough, is the principles and the values have stayed the same, consistent you go

[B]

back and it's not a fad. It is what it is.

[A]

Find a video of Dave Ramsey from 1995, and you're like, he's saying the exact same things he says now. Like, he believes it and he stuck with it. I think that's actually such a pro in today's world.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Where everything's constantly changing and evolving. You gotta keep up, Just follow the plan. Live on less than you make. Stay out of debt. Build wealth for the future. Don't fall for the traps and the hype and the trends. You're gonna be okay.

[B]

Love it. Okay, before we spill the tea, in our guilty as charged segment, George, tell us what we were sipping on. What's in it?

[A]

We're sipping on a cold brew cocktail that is made up of vodka, simple syrup, coffee liqueur, cold brew, heavy cream, and caramel sauce.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Or caramel sauce.

[B]

I'm a caramel, not a caramel.

[A]

I'm from Boston.

[B]

Caramel.

[A]

What's your name?

[B]

I like it. 9.5. Whoa.

[A]

That's higher than I thought.

[B]

Like, I would have that if someone was like, hey, you can choose it

[A]

over an espresso martini.

[B]

That's exactly what I was just thinking.

[A]

I know.

[B]

An espresso feels more lighter. This is heavier.

[A]

The heavy cream kind of sits on the top.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

This just feels thicker.

[B]

It just feels. I don't know.

[A]

The viscosity is a little thicker.

[B]

Yeah. Because it's a cold brew versus just an espresso shot.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know what I mean? So, like, it's kind of like a black coffee versus an Americano. Yeah.

[A]

Cause the ingredients are very similar to an espresso martini. Yes. But it's just kind of packaged differently. I'm gonna go. I'll go seven and a half out of ten.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I like a stronger, like, coffee feel. And this one's more like a vodka latte, if you will. That's what we should have called it,

[B]

the vodka latte, but it's good.

[A]

I'm not really a fan of, like, vodka drinks in general, but this one, I think, makes sense to have the vodka. Just kind of be a clean. Let the other flavors shine through.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And it comes out to $2.49 if you want to make it at home.

[B]

Not too bad.

[A]

That's cheaper than anything you'll get at Starbucks. And it has alcohol in it. Pretty crazy.

[B]

There you go, kids.

[A]

I really sold you on that one.

[B]

Cheaper on all fronts.

[A]

Cheaper than a frappuccino. So get the recipe in the show notes, give it A try this weekend if you're of age. If not, just make a latte.

[B]

Make a latte.

[A]

Honestly, kids shouldn't be drinking. Catch.

[B]

Make a cold brew at that point.

[A]

You're drinking chocolate milk.

[B]

Yeah. If you drink at least, what, 16, 17, where you're drinking coffee.

[A]

I think you should be that age to drink anything from Starbucks because it's all sugar bombs.

[B]

Sugar bombs.

[A]

Like what these kids are drinking. It's 50, 60 grams of sugar in these drinks.

[B]

Drinks.

[A]

Speaking of toxic health and wellness, that's the. I'll stand on that. It's crazy.

[B]

I'll stand on that.

[A]

You get a venti. Whatever. It's just pump after pump after pump in there.

[B]

There was a. I saw an Instagram reel of a Dunkin donut. And the sugar, it's like.

[A]

It shows you how much sugar is actually in there.

[B]

I was like, oh, my gosh. Yeah, that's okay. You know what? I'll take my canola oil, which I don't really use, but vegetable oil with my water. I drink water. Literally. I really don't drink.

[A]

Yeah, I drink her lips.

[B]

I don't drink. I don't drink. And I will drink coffee.

[A]

I have never seen you have a soda.

[B]

I really don't drink soda. And I'm not sure.

[A]

Do you have a dye of Coke every now and then or something?

[B]

Yeah, sure. Yeah. But, like, I don't crave it. That's not my thing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So, like, when you said you don't

[A]

drink water, but to be fair, I've never seen you drink water either.

[B]

I do. I drink water.

[A]

But also, to be fair, I only have a drink with you where we're having a cocktail.

[B]

That's true. It's usually something there. Yeah.

[A]

I don't know what you do.

[B]

Yeah, but I don't drink all those sugary drinks. I don't do Starbucks. I don't do any of that.

[A]

That's true.

[B]

So you know what? Give me a half a cup of vegetable oil and a brownie mix. Gosh, sue me. Okay. I just had to justify myself.

[A]

Never seen someone throw cannon to this. And like, oh, Sharon Ramsey would definitely be like, Rachel.

[B]

She's like, you need activated charcoal if your stomach hurts. And I'm like. I'm gonna say Advil. Terrible. Am I gonna be okay? I'm gonna be okay.

[A]

You shouldn't be. If you're asking me, you will not be okay. I'm not a doctor.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. I lift weights. That helps, right?

[A]

Yeah, I could say that factually.

[B]

Okay, now it's time for guilty as charged. And this is where we ask each other our guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip. All right, George, the question is. This came actually from Instagram, from Lorena. Have you ever heard an argument on the Ramsey show or online that made you second guess a baby step?

[A]

Whoa, them fighting words.

[B]

That's a good one.

[A]

Are they trying to get me in hot water?

[B]

I know, it's okay. Dave will be okay.

[A]

An argument that made me second guess it to where it was like, should we update this step? Is that kind of thing I get?

[B]

I agree. Just, yeah, second guess a baby step.

[A]

Okay, how about. You got one? I have one coming to mind.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I think it's, I think the, the baby step $1,000 emergency fund. I understand why we do that. Because you need money in a short amount of time. And like 40% of Americans can't cover $1,000 emergency in cash. So, like, to get $1,000 for a lot of people is like a big step, life changing in general. And you want to do it quick in order to start paying off debt.

[A]

So there's a balance.

[B]

But I could see if you got small kids, you have one income earner in the house, all of that, that feels very. The instability feels big. To just have $1,000 and then someone loses a job, you like, oh, my God. Like, I get how that feels. Very uncomfortable.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So that one, I could see someone being like, that's not enough. And I wouldn't teach it differently because I think the pros of doing it that way are greater as you're getting out of debt. But I get it, I get it.

[A]

That's a good one. If I, I mean, I'm trying to think of the arguments I've seen on the show with like debt avalanche versus snowball and kind more than would you

[B]

be the pause retirement while getting out of debt.

[A]

That would be a good one. I understand people's hesitation when they're getting like an employer match, for example, and we say, hey, go down to 0% investing to put all of the focus towards debt payoff as fast as possible. And they go, why would I give up my 4% match? So as a math nerd, I get that. And so I connect with, I empathize with them. Totally going like, why would I give up 100% return for 4%? You'll get out of debt a little slower, but you'll get this return. And you guys talk about compound growth and starting early. So that one is a harder one for me because I get it. But I also know it's so much more than math. And I realize that now on the other side of all this, the people that struggle the most with the baby steps are the ones that are so focused on the mathematics.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And on what happens on paper.

[B]

Every little thing. Yes.

[A]

And I forgot how much is emotional and behavioral about money, so 100%. That would be the one. I understand. That was a good call.

[B]

Get it. Well, there you go, y'. All. Look at us going rogue. Well, if you have a guiltiest charge question, make sure to DM us at Richell Cruz or GeorgeCamel because we see him, we use them and we feed them.

[A]

You are seen and you are loved.

[B]

Yes. Well, if you enjoyed this episode, then you are going to love our episode ranking the worst financial habits and admitting our guilt. So we will link that for you and make sure to subscribe to the channel so you don't miss an all new episode of Smart Money Happy hour.