My Wife Wants To Go To Europe, I'd Rather Keep Investing

Summary

Podcast Summary: “My Wife Wants To Go To Europe, I’d Rather Keep Investing”

The Ramsey Show Highlights | Host: Ramsey Network
Date: October 12, 2025
Featured Hosts: Unnamed (likely Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze)
Listener Caller: Donovan

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Overview

In this episode, a listener named Donovan asks the Ramsey team for advice on whether he and his wife should reduce their ambitious investment rate to take a dream trip to Europe. Donovan wants to keep aggressively building wealth, while his wife values enjoying some of their success now with travel. The hosts explore the balance between disciplined investing and enjoying life’s experiences, breaking down trade-offs, financial rhythms, and the importance of mutual contentment.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Caller’s Financial Situation & Question

• Donovan and his wife invest ~43% of their $175,000 income (00:09)
• Debt-free and just finished paying for their education (00:30, 01:05)
• Net worth: $89,000 (00:40)
• Money saved across Roth IRA, 401(k), brokerage, and high-yield savings (02:55)
• Considering an $18,000–$20,000 trip (previous honeymoon cost: $25,000, gifted) (02:21)
• Donovan’s primary concern: Should they dial back investments for this trip, or defer?

2. Hosts Dive into the Details

• Confirming ages (31 and 28), jobs, and net worth breakdown (03:13)
• Good-natured banter about Donovan's “janitor” & COO roles (01:26–02:04)
• Affirmation of both partners' financial goals: disciplined investing and enjoying experiences (01:09, 03:18)
• Emphasis on their early stage of wealth-building despite strong income (03:18)

3. Principles and Philosophy from the Hosts

Balanced Approach: All Three Goals Matter

• Enjoying money, investing, and generosity are all important—balance is key (04:15)
• Avoid either extreme: “No, always save money and live in a cave, collect lent and only come out on triple coupon Thursday. No, we don't believe that.” — Host A (04:50)
• Sacrifice and reward: Donovan’s “reward” is building wealth, wife’s is travel (04:58)

Sustainable Rhythms Over Time

• Hosts recommend a rhythm for spending, saving, and generosity, not all-in on one (05:22–05:37, 07:37)
• “If you consistently with a rhythm do all three of those things... you’re going to not only become wealthy, but also be very relationally healthy and have a high likelihood of physical health too, by the way, weirdly enough.” — Host A (04:29)

Trade-Offs and Compromises

• Suggests negotiating trip cost and timing: Go now but cap the spend, or wait 18 months for a bigger trip (05:37)
• Avoid setting a precedent for frequent high-dollar trips (06:12)
• “Some hybrid of the two. A little rhythm, a little on and a little off is a better thing.” — Host A (06:29)
• Emphasize importance of contentment and not falling into a pattern of luxury travel as a default (06:14–06:29)

Options for Lower-Cost Experiences

• Suggests the trip could be done for less money, highlighting examples of coworkers who traveled for half the proposed budget (07:21)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Both Sides Being Valid:
  “You’re a serious guy who wants to hit some numbers and your wife is serious about enjoying some of this hard work. And so those are fair. Both of them are fair things to do with money.” — Host A (03:18)

• The Three-Part Financial Rhythm:
  “You need to constantly with a rhythm, be enjoying your money, investing your money, and being generous with your money. If you consistently with a rhythm do all three of those things... you’re going to not only become wealthy, but also be very relationally healthy...” — Host A (04:15)

• Avoiding Extremes:
  “No, always save money and live in a cave, collect lent and only come out on triple coupon Thursday. No, we don't believe that.” — Host A (04:50)

• On Setting Patterns:
  “But also we can't be in a habit or a pattern of doing this all the time... I want to make sure the pattern is set and the contentment and all of that is, is being talked about too.” — Host C (06:12)

• On Making It Work:
  “Yes and yes. Yeah, sorry. I wish I could be more precise. Usually I'm devilishly precise, but on this one I'm going to be philosophical and let you kind of learn the rhythm idea...” — Host A (07:37)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:09: Donovan introduces his question and background
• 02:21: Cost of the proposed trip, background on previous Europe trip
• 02:55: Breakdown of their savings and investments
• 03:13: Age and job clarification
• 04:15: Hosts introduce the concept of balancing enjoying, investing, and generosity
• 05:37: Discussion of trade-offs and hybrid approaches
• 06:12: Warning against patterns of expensive travel, emphasizing contentment
• 07:21: Suggestion for lower-cost travel alternatives
• 07:37: Summary—focus on balance and rhythm, not rigid rules

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Summary Table

| Segment | Time | Main Point | |----------------------------------------|---------|--------------------------------------------------------| | Caller Explains Situation | 00:09 | 43% of income into investments, wife wants to travel | | Hosts Probe Finances | 00:25 | Income, net worth, job clarification | | Costs and Savings | 02:21 | Details of past and future trip, savings allocation | | Philosophy: Rhythm of Money | 04:15 | Enjoy, invest, and generosity—balance is key | | Trade-offs and Compromise | 05:37 | Negotiate timing, cost, hybrid approach | | Pattern and Contentment Warning | 06:12 | Watch for repeated luxury spending | | Travel Can Be Cheaper | 07:21 | Europe for less is possible | | Final Thoughts | 07:37 | No rigid rules; balance is personal and evolving |

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Closing Thoughts

The hosts affirm that Donovan and his wife are both right in their desires for investing and enjoying life. They advise against extremes, recommending a balanced, rhythmical approach to financial decisions. The key: blend saving, generosity, and fun in sustainable ways, negotiating trade-offs and building mutual contentment. There’s no single right answer—just a well-chosen rhythm for their unique values and stage of life.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

So my wife and I currently invest about 43% of our income, and she wants to take a trip to Europe next year. So I was wondering if that is something that we should look at doing, reducing our investment rate in order to take that trip.

[A]

Okay. Are you guys out of debt?

[B]

We are out of debt. We are debt free.

[A]

Good. And what's your household income, sir?

[B]

So this year, we should net about 175.

[A]

And what's your net worth?

[B]

It's around 89,000.

[A]

89,000?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

With $175,000 income and a 40% investment rate.

[B]

Yes. So my wife and I, we basically finished our education as of last year, and we paid our way all through school.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah. So this is like our first year of actually making a real income.

[A]

So you're both now making good money for the first time ever, and you get to live your dream of investing, and she gets to live her dream of traveling, and that's in conflict. Now it makes sense.

[B]

Yes, sir.

[A]

Okay. And what do you guys do for a living?

[B]

So I identify as a janitor, and my wife is a ADA therapist.

[A]

Okay, you just finished your education, and I'm sorry, did I misunderstand you? I identify as a janitor. Is that what you said?

[B]

So, basically, I have profit sharing with a company directly under the owners, so my official title would be coo. But honestly, I have to do a lot of different things.

[A]

Well, welcome to being the coo. But I mean, what do you make? What do you make of your Mr. Janitor?

[B]

So I make about 80,000 a year.

[A]

Okay. All right. That's funny.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

I identify. Oh, my Lord. All right. That's cute. All right. What's the trip to Europe cost?

[B]

So we actually went to Europe for our honeymoon, which was generously gifted to us by the business owners, but when they paid for it, it was around $25,000. And how much we budget towards this trip would probably look around 18 to 20 from what I've been looking at.

[A]

Yeah. All right. Okay.

[C]

Do you guys have any money saved?

[A]

Yeah, he's got $89,000 net worth. And you?

[C]

Well, net worth, but I don't even know what that means. Is that in retirement? Like, is that cash? What. What is that?

[B]

Yeah, so about 16,000 is in a Roth IRA. About 6,000 is in my wife's 401k. I have 35,000 in a cash brokerage account, and then we have about $25,000 in high yield savings account.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

And how old are you guys?

[B]

So I'm 31 and my wife is 28.

[A]

Okay, cool. Well, Donovan, I love this. This is a great approach to the question. Thank you. And it just took us a minute to find out where you guys really are because there's so many assumptions I could make when I see on my screen, my wife wants to go to Europe and I want to say 40%. I was getting ready to call you Scrooge McDuck or something, but I don't think you are. I think you're just getting started. And you have. You're a serious guy who wants to hit some numbers and your wife is serious about enjoying some of this hard work. And so those are fair. Both of them are fair things to do with money. Both the arguments are. And so I don't think I would slap my fist on the table and declare either one of these answers to be stupid. Okay. The thing that throws it off a little is it's 40% of your income is going into retirement. So we do tell people, systematically, throughout the scope of your life, whether this year or next year, I would go to Europe because systematically throughout the scope of your life, you need to constantly with a rhythm, be enjoying your money, investing your money, and being generous with your money. If you consistently with a rhythm, do all three of those things, all the data that we have and all the experience we have of decades of doing this tells us that you're going to not only become wealthy, but also be very relationally healthy and have a high likelihood of physical health too, by the way, weirdly enough. And so all of those things go together when you're doing all three of those things. So to say no, always save money and live in a cave, collect lent and only come out on triple coupon Thursday. No, we don't believe that. We think you live like no one else so that later you can live and give like no one else. It feels like to me, you guys have paid a price of sacrifice to get the education under your belt and to get to this point to get started. Your reward on the price is saving and investing because that gives you a high. Her reward is the travel and the fun. And both are legitimate.

[C]

And you can do both, Donovan. That's the great thing because of your income, because where you guys are, yeah, you guys would be able to save cash flow, trip to Europe and be saving altogether.

[A]

But, you know, I'm probably going to negotiate, you know, as we're discussing this, some trade offs here. Okay, if we do Europe this year, we really, to be responsible, only need to spend X. If we were to wait 18 months, we could spend. Yes.

[C]

And I have just a slight, you know, not painting a broad stroke with this, but the fact that you guys just went to Europe anyway, anyway, and she wants to go back, like I bet she does. I bet it's, it's wonderful. That's great. But also we can't be in a habit or a pattern of doing this all the time.

[A]

We do Europe every two years because.

[C]

It'S just going to continue to, you know, and if you have the money for it, you can. But I just, I want to make sure the pattern is set and the contentment and all of that is, is being talked about too. That it's not just this assumption that this is what we're gonna do all the time.

[A]

Sad thing is we're not giving you a really good answer. Cause both answers are okay, but probably some hybrid of the two. A little rhythm, a little on and a little off is a better thing. And say, okay, if we do this, then we're not gonna do another big trip for three years and we're gonna pile up and get this net worth going and get some results so that we can do trips forever. Because I mean, if you keep doing the net worth thing, the trips are infinite later. Yeah, but, but if you don't, if you don't, if you constantly are eating up the money, constantly. So again, it needs to not be a pattern like Rachel says. And there she needs to be a trade off and go, okay, we spend X now or y 18 months from now. But in either case we're probably not going to do, you know, once every five years until we hit a million dollar net worth. We're probably not going to do a bunch of big huge trips. That's a big trip. That's, that's an expensive.

[C]

And I'll say there's a group of girls that went to Europe that we work with and they were just got back and they did not. They spent half of that and they were able to do a great fun trip. You know what I mean? So there's different degrees at which you can do a trip too. So yeah, throwing that out there too.

[A]

Wouldn't argue that. Wouldn't argue that. You know. Yeah. So it. Yes and yes. Yeah, sorry. I wish I could be more precise. Usually I'm devilishly precise, but on this one I'm going to be philosophical a little bit and let you kind of learn the rhythm idea between these three things of generosity and fun and investing, generosity and fun and investing, and then ratios of those things that allow them all to occur reasonably. The best ID theft protection comes from Zander. Real monitoring, full restoration, no fluff. Learn [e-mail].