"I Don't Think You're Listening To Me"

Summary

The Ramsey Show Highlights – "I Don't Think You're Listening To Me"

Date: March 23, 2026
Host: Dave Ramsey (with co-host Christian)
Featured Caller: Michael

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Episode Overview

This short episode centers on Michael, a 26-year-old single father of four, facing a challenging career crossroads after his company announces massive layoffs and offers him a significant severance package. Michael seeks advice from Dave Ramsey and co-host Christian about whether to stay and hope for long-term employment, take the severance now, pursue entrepreneurship, invest, or join his family's business. The conversation dives into themes of courage, intentional career planning, and using a windfall wisely.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Assessing the Reality: Company Instability

• Michael's Situation:

  • Employed for 8 years as a package driver, currently makes $70,000/year.
  • Company is downsizing by 40,000 employees; he is offered $150,000 in severance (about $100,000 after taxes).
  • Working only 1–2 days per week, uncertain future at the company.

• Dave Ramsey’s Assessment:

  • Dave is blunt about the company’s shaky future:

    "I'm saying your company sucks, so the future there sucks. Do you agree with that?" (01:14)

  • Encourages Michael to accept the company is "pushing him out on a limb."

2. Exploring Options for the Severance

• Michael’s Ideas:

  • Considers buying real estate, entrepreneurship, or investing in the stock market.
  • Also has a minor role in the family business but it's not established enough for stable income.

• Advice from Dave and Christian:

  • Real Estate/Investing: Dave calls out the risk:

    "100,000 is not enough to buy real estate realistically. Okay? You're gonna end up with a bunch of real estate debt. So we're not gonna do that with it." (02:17)

  • Family Business: Temporary, not a long-term solution.
  • Investing the Severance: Wait until he has stable income:

    “I would not invest or do anything with this hundred grand right now. I would just put it in a high yield situation.” (06:13, Christian)

3. Focusing on Michael’s Future Career

• Deeper Career Planning:

  • Dave encourages Michael to dream and choose intentionally, not settle by default:

    “All you've known is landing in things by default rather than by planning… This is your opportunity to reset and land in something that makes 200 grand a year.” (04:53)

  • Highlights how Michael's previous choices were out of necessity as a provider.

• Actionable Steps:

  • Take time to decide what he truly wants to pursue, using tools like Ken Coleman’s career assessment.
  • Don’t take severance immediately; use this period to plan.

    “I wouldn't even take the package right now. I'd figure out what I'm gonna do first and then I'd take the package because they're letting him stay and they're gonna keep offering the package for a while.” (06:18)

4. Integrating Risk and Stability

• Stay Temporarily:
  • Stay with the current employer or the family business only while exploring a more promising, passion-driven path.
• Don’t Rush Financial Decisions:
  • Wait until he has a steady income before investing the severance.
  • The severance itself won’t “make his life”:

    “This hundred grand is not going to make your life. You're going to make your life. You're the secret sauce for your life. That’s the thing.” (07:33)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I don't feel like you're listening to me. Okay. I'm saying your company sucks, so the future there sucks. Do you agree with that?"
  – Dave Ramsey (01:14)

• “Let’s pretend that you were 26 and could do anything you wanted to do in this world and you weren’t allowed to do the family business and you weren’t allowed to stay in the job you’re in and you could be whoever you wanted to be. What would you go do?”
  – Dave Ramsey (04:25)

• "All you've known is landing in things by default rather than by planning... This is your opportunity to reset and land in something that makes 200 grand a year."
  – Dave Ramsey (04:53)

• "I would not invest or do anything with this hundred grand right now. I would just put it in a high yield situation."
  – Christian (06:13)

• "I wouldn't even take the package right now. I'd figure out what I'm gonna do first and then I'd take the package because they're letting him stay and they're gonna keep offering the package for a while."
  – Dave Ramsey (06:18)

• "This hundred grand is not going to make your life. You're going to make your life. You're the secret sauce for your life."
  – Dave Ramsey (07:33)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:06 – Michael presents his dilemma and asks for advice.
• 01:10 – Discussion of company’s instability and layoff details.
• 02:17 – Dave’s advice on not investing in real estate with the severance.
• 04:25 – "What would you do if you could do anything?" challenge.
• 06:13 – Practical steps: Pause on investing, use the time to plan (Christian).
• 06:18 – Advice to wait before taking severance, start career assessment.
• 07:33 – Emphasis on self-determination – "You're the secret sauce for your life."

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

The tone is candid and motivational, pushing Michael (and listeners) to be proactive rather than reactive in career decisions. Dave and Christian are supportive but direct—urging Michael to dream bigger, act intentionally, and not let fear or convenience dictate his next steps. The episode is packed with practical advice for anyone facing a severance or big career transition: pause, plan, discover your true path, and be the driving force in your own journey.

Transcript

[Dave Ramsey]

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[Michael]

I'm on a day to day layoff with my company. They're currently trying to get rid of about 40,000 of their workers, so they're offering severance packages. And where I'm stuck is do I wait the four to five years for potentially get full time work, or do I take the severance package and attempt to start an entrepreneurship, either buying a house outright and collecting that cash flow and starting my own company, or should I invest that into, like, stock markets, dividends, that kind of mutual fund? So I'm just, I'm just looking for some advice on what you guys would do in my, my shoes and where you would go.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. So it's fair to say the company you work for is not financially healthy if they're laying off 40,000 people. Right. So the future there is not very bright.

[Michael]

Yeah, yeah. I've been there since, for eight years, since I was 18. A single father of four, so it's, it's hard to kind of step out onto that limb.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah, I don't care. They're pushing you out on the limb because they're not doing well. So four to five years from now is not looking bright.

[Michael]

I'm getting about a day or two per week.

[Dave Ramsey]

Are you hearing me? Stop, stop, stop. I don't feel like you're listening to me. Okay. I'm saying your company sucks, so the future there sucks. Do you agree with that?

[Michael]

I agree it's. It's hard to pat and, you know, give up on that hundred thousand a year.

[Dave Ramsey]

Well, I know, but you're going to have to give up on it because they don't want you there anymore.

[Michael]

Right here. Yeah. There's a few guys that are getting ready to retire. So I'm.

[Christian]

So you're not laid off, Michael. You're just saying there's layoffs happening. But they're offering you, they're offering you a severance package to leave.

[Michael]

That's correct.

[Dave Ramsey]

How much? How much?

[Michael]

It's 150,000. After Uncle Sam takes his percentage, it'll probably be around 100 grand.

[Dave Ramsey]

And you make 100 grand?

[Michael]

Potentially, yes.

[Dave Ramsey]

So potentially, do you make 100 grand or not?

[Michael]

I'm at 70,000 a year.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay, you make 70,000 and they're offering you 100 to go away.

[Michael]

Correct.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. All right. That's our reality. Okay, let's deal with reality. And 100,000 is not enough to buy real estate realistically. Okay? You're gonna end up with a bunch of Real estate debt. So we're not gonna do that with it. So if you leave this company making $70,000 a year and you put 100,000 in your pocket, what would you go do for a living?

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[Dave Ramsey]

or what would you go do for a living?

[Michael]

As of right now we've got a family business going, so I'd probably push into that for a little bit. Just kind of weighing my options.

[Christian]

Out of necessity of getting an income or because you enjoyed the family business and you want to make that a part of your next career step?

[Michael]

Yeah, I enjoy it. But as of right now, it is kind of a necessity with.

[Christian]

What are you doing right now? What's your job?

[Michael]

I deliver, so I drive in the commerce. I'm a full time package driver.

[Dave Ramsey]

Oh, okay. So what, who's the family business? Your parents?

[Michael]

Yeah, I'm co owner. So my, my parents, my sister and I are both owners of the company.

[Christian]

Do you make an income from that?

[Michael]

I do, yeah.

[Christian]

How much do you make of that?

[Michael]

I'm only going and helping them about once a week. So roughly just a couple hundred bucks a week or a month.

[Christian]

Oh, just for what you're being paid, not as you're not getting the bottom line or anything?

[Michael]

No, we started it about a year and a half.

[Dave Ramsey]

How old are you, sir?

[Michael]

26.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay, let's pretend that you were 26 and could do anything you wanted to do in this world and you weren't allowed to do the family business and you weren't allowed to stay in the job you're in and you could be whoever you wanted to be. What would you go do?

[Michael]

That's a fair question, sir.

[Dave Ramsey]

That's what you need to aim at.18.

[Michael]

All I've known is being a father and providing.

[Dave Ramsey]

All you've known is landing in things by default rather than by planning. Oh, there's a job over There I can throw packages and I can make 70 a year. You did it for eight years and I could feed my family. But you did not sign up for that because it was the joy of your life. You signed up for that as a provider, as a father, as a husband and a good man and a hard working guy. But you didn't sign up for that and say, this is going to give my life meaning. I'm going to make it big. I'm going to go make 700,000 a year doing this. You didn't have a set out to live a dream. You backed into something because you had to have a job to eat. And you're a good man and you're not afraid of work. Okay? So I'm challenging you to take a step up from that. This is your opportunity to reset and land in something that makes 200 grand a year. And maybe you have to take three classes to learn how to do it. I don't know what it is. Or you start your own thing with some of that hundred grand or you take a class with some of that hundred grand. But this is your opportunity to say not just because something's convenient. I'm not gonna do it because it's convenient. The family business is just convenient. It's you backing into something else instead of walking headfirst into something else.

[Christian]

Yeah, hold on the line, Michael. Christian will pick up and we'll give you Ken's book. Find the work you're wired to do because there's a great assessment in there just to kind of get those wheels turning for you.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah. But this probably is good, guy. I want you to dream, though.

[Christian]

And I would not invest or do anything with this hundred grand right now. I would just put it in a high yield situation.

[Dave Ramsey]

I wouldn't even take the package right now. I'd figure out what I'm gonna do first and then I'd take the package because they're letting him stay and they're gonna keep offering the package for a while. So I'm gonna take the next six months and do Ken's assessment. I'm gonna decide what I'm gonna be and I'm gonna start taking steps into that thing that I have always wanted to do. X and now I'm gonna go be one of those. And what must be true for me to do that, as Henry Cloud says. And we're gonna walk right into that. And then take the severance package and then use the severance package to go live your dream. But no, I would not work at the Family business. And no, I would not stay at this company that wants you to leave. But I would for a little while, while I get reset and figure out what my dream is and what it has to happen for me to live that dream. You looking at buying real estate or dividend stock? That's just you looking at crap on the Internet. Looking for something to do well and

[Christian]

to earn some money. I mean, you get, you get, you get your year's worth of salary or more handed in your lap to someone like him. And he's like, holy crap. How could I make this money work for me? Yeah, which is a fair question. But that's the wrong way to go about it right now. Until you have a steady income. Then you could take that, invest that later. But I would be having a monthly income.

[Dave Ramsey]

This hundred grand is not going to make your life. You're going to make your life. You're the secret sauce for your life. That's the thing. So hang on. Christian will pick up. We'll get you a copy of that. Finding the work you're wired to do. Take that assessment. Read that book carefully. Read or listen to anything Ken Coleman says, and it'll get you on the right track. Doing all this stuff. He's one of the Ramsey personalities. For those of you that don't know and. But specializes in this area of living your dreams and doing okay, well, here's a question.

[Christian]

They haven't let him go yet.

[Dave Ramsey]

Sit there for a little while.

[Christian]

But. But what if he's loving it and he starts making more? Would you not stay at a company that's laying off 40,000?

[Dave Ramsey]

No.

[Christian]

Regardless.

[Dave Ramsey]

Because there's no future.

[Christian]

Yeah, but what if the 40,000. Laying off the 40,000 props them up for a little bit longer?

[Dave Ramsey]

It props them up for a little while longer. But I'm not hanging around a place that's going down the toilet. Create your free every dollar budget today. The simplest way to budget for your life.