I've Been Financially Supporting My Boyfriend For Years (He Refuses to Get A Job)

Summary

The Ramsey Show – Episode Summary

Date: February 9, 2026
Hosts: Ken Coleman & George Campbell
Theme: Taking Control of Your Finances During Life’s Challenges

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ken Coleman and George Campbell take calls from listeners facing difficult financial and relational challenges. Key themes include setting healthy boundaries around financial support, dealing with manipulation versus abuse, handling risky partner behavior, and the practical steps to take toward financial stability and peace. The show’s trademark tough love and encouragement were on full display, supporting callers through issues ranging from supporting unemployed partners to contemplating big financial moves or handling serious family health crises.

---

Key Discussions & Insights

---

1. Financial Support and Manipulation in Relationships

Caller: Madison, Salt Lake City
Segment: 00:50–08:33

• Situation: Madison has been supporting her unemployed boyfriend for 2.5 years. He refuses to get a job, claiming Madison would "misuse" any money he earned. They have children and a joint Airbnb that's just breaking even.
• Hosts’ Response:
  • Ken and George directly label the boyfriend’s behavior as manipulation rather than clear-cut financial abuse:
    • "That statement…is about as…[manipulative] as I’ve ever seen…he turned it right around on you." – Ken Coleman (03:15)
    • "Your generosity has replaced his urgency. If you stop enabling, he’ll have to act." – George Campbell (07:05)
  • They encourage Madison to set boundaries immediately, separate finances, and insist on counseling:
    • "We're not going to continue our relationship the way it is now. If we aren't going to support these kids we've made, you're out." – Ken Coleman (03:44)
    • "Go see somebody. I'm the only one working so I'll pay, but if he refuses to help himself, you’ve confirmed your suspicions." (06:16)
  • They suggest Madison give herself the advice she’d offer a friend, emphasizing self-respect and protecting her children.

---

2. Hidden Gambling and Marital Deceit

Caller: Kate, Toronto
Segment: 10:58–20:09

• Situation: Kate discovered her husband took $250,000 from their home’s equity line to gamble on cryptocurrency, lost it all, and tried to cover up his mistake.
• Hosts’ Response:
  • George explains the severity and deceit:
    • "He's like a degenerate gambler at this point...double gambling on top of infidelity." (14:02, 14:31)
    • "Every single thing he's doing is, 'What shortcut can I take?'...He needs Gamblers Anonymous." (18:26)
  • They advise immediate transparency, getting on customer service calls with the crypto company, and direct therapy:
    • "He needs to provide you with screenshots of everything. If he can’t, there’s not a lot of hope for you two." – George Campbell (16:33)
    • "You need to sit with a therapist with me. You owe me this." – Ken Coleman (15:01)
  • Strong advice to sell off risky properties to pay down debt and tie all future actions to trust and full disclosure:
    • "Sell every one (property) until this guy gets healed…there’s an addiction here that scares me." – Ken Coleman (19:52)

---

3. Overwhelming Debt and Getting Unstuck

Caller: JD, Las Vegas
Segment: 21:57–31:28

• Situation: JD feels overwhelmed by $31,000 in truck/RV debt, is behind on bills, and struggles to stick to a budget. Lives in a house owned by his mom.
• Advice:
  • Cut spending, get a budget, and sell high-payment liabilities (truck, RV). Both hosts stress responsibility:
    • "You’re not stuck. You’re just in a rotten place you put yourself in." – Ken Coleman (22:46)
    • "Your first goal is a $1,000 starter emergency fund." – George Campbell (28:43)
    • "You’ve never sniffed a budget…You could actually get out of this." – Ken Coleman (28:00)
  • Work more hours, split expenses with fiancé, clear truck and RV debt.

---

4. Splitting Assets After a Breakup

Caller: John, Los Angeles
Segment: 77:35–86:13

• Situation: John and his girlfriend are breaking up and need to divide proceeds from a jointly-owned home. He contributed most of the down payment and all renovation expenses.
• Advice:
  • Ideally, each takes out what they put in, split the remainder, but highlights the legal complications without an agreement:
    • "You’re obviously getting the money you put in back, she’ll get hers, and you split the rest. That’s fair." – George Campbell (79:07)
    • "If she gives me a hard time…I don’t have a leg to stand on. I’d have to split 50/50." – Caller (85:09)
  • They recommend being civil, seeking mediation or therapist assistance for the breakup, and to expect arguments over fairness versus legal rights.

---

5. Heavy Life Events and Hard Decisions

Caller: Brooks, Chicago
Segment: 119:34–124:55

• Situation: Brooks, 37 with terminal cancer, used a life insurance settlement to set up a brokerage account; unsure if he should pay off their mortgage or let the investment grow for his family.
• Advice:
  • Keep the funds invested for now, as the mortgage can’t be fully paid off yet, and his wife will inherit the joint account.
    • "If you have enough to knock out the mortgage and it just gives you guys peace, then do that. Otherwise, hang on to the brokerage." – George Campbell (122:56)
  • Ensure wife and children have planned future income streams and clear plans for accessing funds.

---

6. Bonus: Achieving Big Financial Goals – Debt Free Scream

Guests: Randy & Erica, Boise, ID
Segment: 107:14–116:46

• Paid off $380,000 (their house) in 13 years on (combined) incomes of $100k–$200k.
• Big motivation came from panic during a family funeral expense they couldn’t cash-flow.
• Used extra jobs, side hustles, and aggressive budgeting to persevere.
  • "You have to get to that moment where you’re just sick and tired…Gazelle intense. If you’re ready, you’re going to do it." – Erica (115:02)
• Children were inspired and now pursue debt-free journeys of their own.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | 03:15 | "Your generosity has replaced his urgency. If you're hungry, you go find food." | George Campbell | | 13:16 | "I don't know who's paying him $300,000. I wouldn't hire this guy to flip a burger at this point." | George Campbell | | 31:28 | "We're going to gift you EveryDollar...It's a coach in your pocket, like us, but less yelling and more recommendations." | George Campbell | | 61:17 | "You're amazing, you're superwoman that you did this without medical help." | Ken Coleman, to Rachel | | 79:00 | "On paper...you get what you put in back, she gets hers, and you split the rest." | George Campbell | | 112:24 | "A lot of pride swallowing...105 in the lumber yard, and flies everywhere, thinking, 'What am I doing at 52?'" | Randy | | 115:02 | "If you’re ready, you’re going to do it. And you’re going to be gazelle intense and make it there." | Erica |

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Madison – Financial Support & Manipulation: 00:50–08:33
• Kate – Crypto & Marital Deceit: 10:58–20:09
• JD – Debt Overwhelm: 21:57–31:28
• John – Splitting with Ex: 77:35–86:13
• Rachel – Postpartum, Finances & Family Planning: 54:40–63:36
• Brooks – Terminal Illness & Family Security: 119:34–124:55
• Debt-Free Scream (Randy & Erica): 107:14–116:46

---

Tone & Takeaways

The hosts maintain their blend of directness, empathy, and practical advice, never shying away from tough conversations or humor. They encourage listeners to confront manipulation, set clear boundaries, work hard, and build community support networks to overcome both financial and emotional obstacles.

Key Takeaways:

• Set boundaries when being financially manipulated; you owe it to yourself and your children.
• Transparency and professional help are essential to counter deceit, especially with major family finances at stake.
• Any debt—no matter how overwhelming—is solvable with discipline, side hustles, and honest budgeting.
• Protect what you’ve worked for in both relationships and finances with clear agreements and communication.
• Celebrate wins, even if it takes years—financial peace is worth the sacrifice.

---

For more advice or to get your own money questions answered, listen live weekdays or visit www.ramseysolutions.com.

Transcript

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Brought to you by the EveryDollar app. Start budgeting for free today.

[Ken Coleman]

Normal is broken. Common sense is weird. So we're here to help you transform your life. From the Ramsey Network in the Fair Winds Credit Union studio. This is the Ramsey show alongside George Campbell. I'm Ken Coleman. Excited to have you with us. We have a lovely studio audience today. Fantastic, fantastic looking people. Full lobby out there. That's fun. The phone number to jump in is 8888-2552-2588-8825, 5225. We'll take your money questions, your work questions. They all kind of go together. We start off with Madison in Salt Lake City. Madison, how can we help today?

[Caller]

Hey there. I've been dealing with some long, ongoing unemployment in my relationship. My partner has been unemployed for two and a half years and most recently when taking him through the finances, he kind of shut down, got up things wrong. But that he didn't want to get a job because it would not benefit him. I'd misuse it somehow.

[George Campbell]

Okay.

[Ken Coleman]

So. Okay, hold of the question. Did I hear you say he's not been working for two and a half years? And he said he doesn't want to get a job because it's not beneficial for what? I didn't catch that last part of that sentence.

[Caller]

Of course he said he didn't want to get a job because it wouldn't benefit him, that I would just misuse the money somehow.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, wow.

[George Campbell]

Can I ask another question? Why are you still in this relationship?

[Caller]

We have children together.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, but you're not married.

[Caller]

Correct.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay.

[George Campbell]

You can have children together and still not have this cohabitation resentment bubbling up here.

[Ken Coleman]

This is a fact. Okay, but we stopped you. You were about to get to your main question before George and I, because we have lots of thoughts. I can already tell you what is your question.

[Caller]

So my main question is, am I being financially abused? But I want to add a layer to that.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay.

[Caller]

So we did invest in an Airbnb, like remodel and rental together. So he spent a lot of his time over one of those years in reworking that house and getting it running. So he says that he's working and he's adding value to the relationship through that.

[Ken Coleman]

Is. Is the Airbnb actually making money?

[Caller]

We are in our fifth month and it's paying the bills, but it's not turning a profit.

[Ken Coleman]

Well, okay, do you have any evidence? Let's say we were in a court of law and I said, give me evidence that your boyfriend is abusing you financially. What evidence would you give me?

[Caller]

Just the lack of support and provision.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah. I don't think you're being abused, but I don't think semantics matter here. I do think you're being manipulated. That statement you gave George and I, to start. Start off the call, where he looked at you with a straight face, presumably, and said with some sort of conviction that a job would not benefit him because you would misuse the money is about as.

[George Campbell]

Yeah, he turned it right around to.

[Ken Coleman]

You as a case of manipulation I've ever seen. This guy is an absolutely broken human being. And that's not an insult, that's an actual diagnosis. I could insult him. I'm not going to, because I don't think it helps you. But he's broken. He's deeply broken. He's got to go get some help, and you can't give it to him. And I think he needs some boundaries. I really do.

[Caller]

What would you suggest?

[George Campbell]

I can't continue to support you financially.

[Ken Coleman]

We are not going to continue our relationship the way it is now. If you aren't going to support me and the children, if we aren't going to support these kids we've made, you're out.

[George Campbell]

And here's what's easy. His response will be your decision. If he takes ownership in action, there's possible hope and repair for this relationship. And if he doesn't, if he plays the blame game, tries to guilt you, if he panics and gets defensive and makes it your problem, well, then you know you've just confirmed all of your suspicions.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah. Let me flip it if I might, Madison, just for a moment.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Okay.

[Ken Coleman]

Let's say you had a girlfriend that was in this exact situation and she told you over lunch or coffee what was going on, what would your advice to her be?

[Caller]

Man, it's tough when you look at it from that perspective, it's definitely shocking. If it was your friend and they were asking you for help, you'd want them to be treated better.

[Ken Coleman]

100%, which is why I'm keeping you there. And what else would you tell her to do?

[Caller]

Counseling. That was the first thing I would go to.

[Ken Coleman]

Not a bad idea. And what would you tell her to do if the boyfriend or the husband wouldn't go to counseling, what would you tell her to do?

[Caller]

She doesn't have to live that way. I 100% believe that biblically, men should provide and protect. And if he's not able to do that, then she's not in a healthy relationship anymore.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah, and wouldn't you, after you left her, Wouldn't you, in the car. Wonder what else is going on behind the scenes or what might develop long term. If he's doing this over money, what happens when the kids are older and there becomes major decisions? Wouldn't you think, man, there's a whole lot to this onion. Would you think something like that, yes or no?

[Caller]

Yeah, it definitely opens up a can of worms.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah, this. Listen, I hope this works out for you, but, yeah, you are headed towards abuse. And a professional might call it abuse. Neither one of us are mental health professionals, so I don't want to.

[George Campbell]

We can't diagnose it clinically.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah, I don't want to label it that. But you are being manipulated and it's not okay. And so you need to take action right away. He needs very clear boundaries that this is not okay. You don't feel safe and you're not going to do this with the kids. And it's not a threat, by the way, because I can tell you, somebody like this is going to go, are you threatening me? And you go, no. Because, see, a threat is what a bully does on the playground.

[George Campbell]

This is not a threat.

[Ken Coleman]

This is what's going to happen. And don't play the game. Don't get sucked into this, because if he says something like that, he's going to make you feel bad. No, no, no, no, no. It's not a threat. I'm telling you, we can't keep doing this. And so we go see somebody now, by the way, I'm the only one working, so I'll pay for it. But you could also point out to him in all this, and this is where I want to bring George in really quick because there's some technical stuff to this that I know you can put some emotional language around. They aren't married, so he has no right to her money. I want you to bring in the technical aspect as if we were sitting with this couple going, hey, pal, Sparky, let me give you some realities.

[George Campbell]

Well, yeah, this is cohabitation. And I don't know what the laws are in Utah about what his rights are and what he's protected and entitled to. But the longer you enable the irresponsibility, the worse this is going to get. Because here's what's happened. Your generosity has replaced his urgency. Because if you're hungry and you need to eat and no one's going to provide it, you go find some food, don't you?

[Ken Coleman]

And he has no right to her money. None.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Correct.

[George Campbell]

Yeah. I mean, if this was in the court of law, they'd go, all right, there's going to be, you know, you guys are going to figure out how to cover the children together, but he's on his own to figure it out.

[Ken Coleman]

So one of the things you do right away is we're going to get counseling and we're separating finances. If there's anything you're sharing right now, I would stop that immediately so that he knows you're serious.

[Caller]

Okay.

[Ken Coleman]

And then I would say put up or shut up. Not that way. This is us telling you, but, you know, he needs to go to counseling. And then we're gonna find out from a professional whether or not he's willing.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

To do the work.

[Ken Coleman]

This is the ultimate. I love the advice you gave your friend. I think you're a good friend, Madison. I think you got a good head on your shoulders. And the reason I put you in that little exercise is sometimes it's very hard. And I appreciate you called George and I today. It's hard for us to give ourself advice, but the advice you gave your friend is the advice for yourself. You know what to do, so go do it. And we're cheering you on. But this is not just about you anymore. This is about those kiddos 100% take care of you so that you can take care of them. That's the advice today. So sorry you're going through this, George. This is a reason why, 7,000th reason why that you need to be married. So we've got full commitment. We know what we're getting into.

[George Campbell]

Some skin in the game. Dave, we got a lot of calls on this show where life happens. One day someone's healthy, they're working, providing for their family, and then a curveball hits.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

You know, we hear it all the time. A car accident, a cancer diagnosis, a heart attack, and suddenly everything changes.

[George Campbell]

Yeah. And that's why you've always said that having term life insurance from Zander is essential because it protects your family if the worst happens.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Yeah, that's right. You need 10 to 12 times your income in coverage. No gimmicks, no whole life junk, just straightforward term life protection. But there's another piece that people often overlook, and that's long term disability insurance. Yeah.

[George Campbell]

It's important to understand the difference between them. Life insurance steps in when you die. Disability insurance steps in while you're alive but can't work, so it replaces a large part of your income so the bills still get paid while you get back on your feet.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Now, if your employer gives you free disability insurance Great. Take it. If it's discounted there at a better price, take it. But if not, Zander can help you find the right plan. Whether you're single or married, it's not optional. If you're going to be out of work for a while, then you need to make sure the money's still showing up.

[George Campbell]

And that's why Zander is our go to. They make it super simple to get the right coverage at the best price. No pressure, no upselling.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

I've trusted Jeff Zander and Zander insurance for over 25 years, and so is my family.

[George Campbell]

Don't wait. It's fast, it's easy, and it could make all the difference. Go to zander.com or call 800-356-4282.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Protect yourself, protect your income, protect your family.

[Ken Coleman]

All right, we go to Toronto next, where Kate is waiting for us. Kate, how can we help today?

[Caller]

Hi. Thank you so much for taking my call. I'm pretty upset right now about the situation that we're going through.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay.

[Caller]

Basically, my husband borrowed money off the equity line on our house and put it into cryptocurrency.

[Ken Coleman]

Ouch.

[Caller]

I found out. Yeah, I found out about it and was not happy and asked him to sell it right away.

[George Campbell]

How did that go?

[Caller]

Well.

He said that he would and assured me that it would be, you know, back in the bank account by Monday or Tuesday, but he was. He had the flu at the time, was not feeling great. I don't know.

[George Campbell]

I don't know if that dog ate his homework. Okay.

[Caller]

Yeah, I don't know. But in any case, he accidentally pressed the sell short button instead of the sell button, apparently. And so after like, four or five days and it hadn't showed up in the bank account, I asked him about it, and then he admitted to me that he accidentally pressed the wrong button and it had all been liquidated and it's gone.

[George Campbell]

And where did it go?

[Caller]

Apparently, crypto. The account just kept it.

[George Campbell]

Okay.

[Caller]

So I don't know.

[George Campbell]

Well, selling short means he borrowed an asset he didn't own and he sold it at the current price, and then he becomes obligated to buy it back later, potentially at a higher price. So this is just gambling in the, you know, market, especially in the crypto world. It was already speculation. So it's like double gambling at this point on top of the infidelity that he created by doing this behind your back.

[Caller]

Right. So my question is, is there any way to get that money back or is it just gone for good?

[George Campbell]

Well, he'll Be obligated to buy it back. And so I don't think that it's gone forever. And he needs to do his due diligence to figure out what he needs to do to get the money back.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah. I just do not know the answer because of him selling it short. Do you got anything on you got anything on that?

[George Campbell]

I don't know the ins and outs of what platform he's using in the wallet.

[Ken Coleman]

I'm on the phone. Customer service, though, my guess is they got somebody, and I'm going, hey, this is what I did.

[George Campbell]

But let's just pretend the money's gone. How much money is gone? Because it's really added to the HELOC.

[Caller]

So this debt, it's about 2.

Yeah. $250,000.

[George Campbell]

Oh, okay. You buried the lead there, Kate.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, boy. I need a whole can of Tums for this one. James. This is like the whole can down the hatch. $250,000.

[Caller]

Yes.

[Ken Coleman]

Honestly, if James would have let us, we would be patching in this website right now and helping you out. God bless you. You need to be on the phone with them, not us.

[George Campbell]

There's. Bottom line is seven layers to this.

[Ken Coleman]

There's so much here.

[George Campbell]

He's like a degenerate gambler at that point. If he puts his entire house and family on the block to try to get rich quick with crypto.

[Caller]

Oh, yeah.

It's very upsetting.

[George Campbell]

And there's a lot he's not telling you. I'll tell you that.

[Caller]

Yeah. I don't know what.

[George Campbell]

I'm not saying that he didn't hit a wrong button, but I'm saying there's a few steps you have to take to do something that idiotic and then say, oh, the money's gone, babe.

[Ken Coleman]

I love spicy George. I hate to tell you this, Kate, but I'm with George. I think this is. You need to go sit with a therapist with me. You owe me this. You just. You put $250,000 on the line here, and I have so many questions. And I'm with George. I find it hard to believe he pressed the wrong button. Now, the reason I give it a chance, George. And you know this because you're sitting next to the guy who, if someone was going to do that, it's me.

[George Campbell]

Yeah, you would be liable to fat finger something, but not at $250,000.

[Ken Coleman]

I would think I'd slow down long enough to make sure I hit the right button. Yeah, but I'm saying there's a chance. I don't want to Call him a liar. But, boy, my. My BS meter is just singing right now.

[George Campbell]

It's just like. I don't know what's worse. If he didn't know what he was doing or if he knew what he was doing. Both are frightening scenarios.

[Ken Coleman]

And either way, we got to approach it the same way, right? Whether he hit the wrong button in a bonehead move or he didn't, we still have to solve the problem that he did this without your knowledge and he didn't sell it when you told him to. There's two major gates of trust that.

[George Campbell]

He walked through with you, and I'm looking this up to try to help you ask the right questions to him.

[Ken Coleman]

What do you got?

[George Campbell]

So here's some questions to ask him to confirm today. Are all positions closed? That's number one. Number two, is there any remaining margin exposure? Number three, is this 250k a realized loss, meaning it actually happens, or is some of it still in flux? And then what exactly is owed right now? Who is the lender? What's the interest rate? What are the repayment terms? What are the risks here?

[Ken Coleman]

Can we do this to give you more assurance? Kate? George, can you get that to Christian?

[George Campbell]

Yes, we'll email you.

[Ken Coleman]

Christian, you can email her this. Because here's what I actually want Kate to do. I want Kate to get on the phone with the crypto company, and he.

[George Campbell]

Needs to provide you with screenshots of everything he has. And if he can't do that, I don't know that there's a lot of hope for you two, because he's telling a symptom of something much deeper and darker.

[Ken Coleman]

But let's hope, Kate, he's telling the truth. And you can take these questions from George. Christian will get them to you. And you are getting on the phone now. You are the private investigator. And if he's nothing to hide, he's got no problem with this. But we can get on the phone with this company and go, hey, my husband says he hit the sell short button. I got some questions. Okay. It's the best we can do, but this is a relationship problem, not a crypto problem.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[George Campbell]

Are you guys doing well financially otherwise?

[Caller]

Yes. Yeah, we are.

[George Campbell]

What's your household income?

[Caller]

He brings in about 300,000 a year.

[George Campbell]

Okay. And are you working outside the home?

[Caller]

Not currently, no. I used to work as a nurse, but I've been staying home with the kids.

[George Campbell]

All right, and how much debt do you guys currently have?

[Caller]

Well, that's the other thing that we don't agree on. We have a lot of debt. We have six different properties, of which are rental properties. One is a vacation house. And then we still have a mortgage on our own house.

[George Campbell]

Okay.

[Caller]

And even though he. Even though he makes good money, it's just all going to pay these mortgages every month.

[George Campbell]

Well, here's the fun homework he gets to do as a way to rebuild some trust. He's going to start selling off these properties like hotcakes to pay off all of this debt.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Yeah.

[George Campbell]

Now.

[Caller]

Well, that's my other.

[George Campbell]

That's like a now thing.

[Caller]

Is, is that. Is that the best thing to do? Because he. He's wanting to, like, take money out of one of his retirement accounts.

[George Campbell]

No, this guy should not be taking money out of anywhere. Yeah, I don't know who's paying him $300,000. I wouldn't hire this guy to flip a burger at this point.

[Ken Coleman]

He's like a reckless gambler with you all's money.

[George Campbell]

Yeah, he needs to go to Gamblers Anonymous. Cause every single thing he's doing is going, what other shortcut can I take that will put my entire family at risk?

[Ken Coleman]

It's really true, George. You know, Kate, here's what's going on. And I think you gotta bring this up to him. And certainly with a therapist in the room is what I'm gonna suggest here. But George, here's what I'm seeing. This is a guy who's actually making really good money. $300,000. So this is a guy that at some point has gone out and created a professional amount of credibility. And he's getting paid well and can become wealthy off of 300,000 without taking any of these. Wants to get rich quick. I think you nailed it. And I mean this, Kate. And I'm not beating up on him. I'm saying he's got something in him that a professional can identify to go, why is a guy with $300,000 taking.

[George Campbell]

Big bets saying, this isn't enough, I need more and I need it now.

[Ken Coleman]

Six properties is massive exposure, massive risk. So, yes, back to your question that you asked, George. I'm jumping in here to say, yes, it's the right move, because theoretically, you have some equity in those. And if you don't have any equity, at least we get rid of the risk and lower the mortgage. Get that out of your life. Because now we have a $250,000 debt we didn't have a week ago or whatever it is. So, yes, it's the right strategy. Sell every one of them until this guy gets healed. From this appetite for the home run.

[George Campbell]

There's an addiction here that scares me. And there's three stooges of wealth building, Kate, and it's fear, greed, and pride. It sounds like he's got one or all of the above here that's behind all of this. And he needs to come out clean and let it all out into the light to disinfect this entire situation.

[Ken Coleman]

Kate, hang on the line. George is going to give you that awesome research. Christian is going to make sure you have it so that you can do your own research and hope this works out.

[George Campbell]

You've worked too hard to get control of your money just to let strangers control your data. Think about it. Just about every time you sign up for a newsletter, grab a coupon code, or start a free trial, your personal info, like your name, email address, phone number, and more gets scooped up and sold by data brokers. Here's the deal. Freedom isn't only being debt free. It's also being free from companies cashing in on your data. And that's where delete me comes in. DeleteMe's privacy experts find your personal info on these shady data broker sites. They get it deleted and they keep it gone. It's like having a digital cleanup crew that scrubs your online life so you get way fewer of those spam calls, creepy texts, and scam emails that make you wonder how they even found you guys. The less noise in your digital life, the more time you have for what actually matters. Because when you protect your privacy, you protect your peace and your freedom. So go to JoinDeleteMe.com Ramsey to get 20% off their annual plans and take back control. That's JoinDeleteMe.com Ramsey.

[Ken Coleman]

All right, JD's up next in Las Vegas. JD, how can we help today?

[Caller]

Hey, can you hear me okay?

[Ken Coleman]

I can hear you. Well, what's going on?

[Caller]

Oh, not much. So I just. I just started listening to the show yesterday and the situation I'm in. I just feel really stuck and I don't even know where to begin.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, what. What is making you feel stuck?

[Caller]

I guess I just have a lot of payments that I am responsible for and I owe $31,000. 28% loan on a $25,000 truck, 16,000 on an RV that's worth maybe 7. I'm willing to sell this. Sell all this stuff, but.

[Ken Coleman]

Great.

[Caller]

I wouldn't be able to get a personal loan to make up a difference.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, well, here's the good news. You came to the right place. George is going to walk you through this, but you need to have this mindset as he walks you through this. You're actually not stuck. You're not stuck. You're just in a really rotten place that you put yourself in. And you got into it way easier than it's going to be to get out. But you're not stuck. You got to hold on to that. You got me?

[Caller]

I got you.

[Ken Coleman]

All right, George, prove it to him. How does he get unstuck in his mind?

[George Campbell]

Well, let's look at the math of this and then figure out the easiest way out because it might be a solvable problem with your current money or might need to go sell a bunch of stuff and go get three more jobs. Tell us about your financial picture. How much are you making right now?

[Caller]

I'm making between 60 and 80,000 a year. I'm taking home about 44, maybe a little less. It kind of fluctuates. 4,400 every month.

[Ken Coleman]

What do you do for a living?

[Caller]

I drive truck.

[George Campbell]

And what is your rent?

[Caller]

So my mom owns the house and the mortgage payment is 850 and I give her 900 and I'm also responsible for the water bill.

[George Campbell]

Okay, that's a very reasonable rent as far as your income goes. I see on the screen here it says you're behind on the rent. Why is that?

[Caller]

I think just, you know, just one thing after another. You know, I, I pay one month's rent and then by the time I pay it, it's, you know, another month to do immediately. And I just feel like I can't get caught up.

[George Campbell]

Where's the other $3,600 going? That isn't rent.

[Caller]

$900 for that truck payment that I mentioned. And then, you know, I. $500 for insurance, which is a little ridiculous, but.

[George Campbell]

Alright, so we'll clear 1400 bucks just getting rid of this truck.

[Caller]

Yeah, yeah. Ideally that's what I want to do. I tried to refinance it, couldn't do that. And I won't be able to sell it because I don't have six grand to pay off the difference.

[George Campbell]

You don't right now, but you could. And I think that's the move. Was this a trade in or did you find the private party value?

[Caller]

The private party value is about 25,000.

[George Campbell]

Okay, and you're saying what do you owe on it that you owe like 31.

[Caller]

You said 31 and change. Yeah.

[George Campbell]

Okay, and then what was the other debt?

[Caller]

RV that I owe 16,000 and change.

[George Campbell]

And what's that worth?

[Caller]

Maybe 7 or 8,000. And then I have $3,500 and change credit card debt.

[Ken Coleman]

But to George's question, I mean, you're also spending freely outside of some of these big payments too, aren't you?

[Caller]

Yes and no. I mean, I prioritize, you know, just keeping the house payment made. The bills are behind on bills, so, you know, I pay what I can on the bills and then. And then they're due again. But yeah, I feel like I could settled down a little bit on. On my finances.

[Ken Coleman]

Do you save any money? Was the last time in a month you saved? Something.

[Caller]

Hasn'T happened.

[Ken Coleman]

And are you open road? Like what's your truck driving schedule?

[Caller]

I'm home every day. I start in the morning and I get off mid afternoon.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay. And. Oh, okay. And mom owns the house and you're just paying her rent.

[Caller]

She.

She has a mortgage on the house and the mortgage payment is 850. And I'm just covering that.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay. And she's not covered and she's not able to work. She's not. Because you said we are behind on the bills.

[Caller]

I thought I heard me and my fiance.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, so you and your fiance are living with your mom?

[Caller]

No, no, she. My mom lives somewhere else. My mom just inherited the house.

[George Campbell]

But is the fiance living in the same house?

[Caller]

No.

[George Campbell]

Okay, so you live in this house by yourself?

[Caller]

Oh, yeah, just with my fiance.

[Ken Coleman]

I just asked you if you live with your fiance and you said no.

[Caller]

Oh, sorry. I thought you were asking if I live with my mother. I apologize.

[Ken Coleman]

No, I did, but we cleared that one. Now on this. So what does the fiance do for a living?

[Caller]

She's a CNA.

She.

She brings in about 2,000amonth.

[George Campbell]

Is she part time?

[Caller]

She helps. It's technically full time. It's three days a week, three on, four off.

[Ken Coleman]

Can she work more?

[George Campbell]

Well, it sounds like she's not paying rent at all.

[Ken Coleman]

Why isn't she.

[George Campbell]

She paying any of the housing costs if she's living there.

[Caller]

When I need help with.

[George Campbell]

You do need help.

[Ken Coleman]

This is $900. Okay.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

All right.

[Caller]

So she has a car payment herself, working on paying off medical bills.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, all right. So we've. We've done enough diagnosis here. J.D. you have never even sniffed a budget. And even if you sniffed a budget, I don't know that you have the behavioral discipline at this stage to actually honor the budget. So you called asking for help, right?

[Caller]

Yes.

[Ken Coleman]

What do I do? Ken and George, right?

[Caller]

That's correct.

[Ken Coleman]

All right, here's what you do. You have got to start being Disciplined. You're just spending money like a billionaire and you don't have anything. And so you actually can get out of this. All right, George, you've heard all the facts. Give him the tactical. What does he need to do today?

[George Campbell]

So the baby steps are in this order. Baby Step, $1,000 starter emergency fund. Do you have $11,000 to your name right now across your bank account?

[Caller]

No, sir.

[George Campbell]

Okay. That is your first goal, which means the next paycheck that comes in, you are putting that aside and you're going to cover your four walls. And if that's all you can cover, that's okay. Cuz so far we're behind on the rent, but we're trying to make the debt payments. We've got to cover our four walls first. Now this is to Mom. So now Ma, is Mom paying the mortgage even though you're not paying her? Because you said you're behind on rent, but that's really Mom's mortgage.

[Caller]

Well, no, she's not paying it. It's just not getting paid. When I don't send her money, the.

[George Campbell]

Mortgage is not getting paid at all. Yeah, so you could get foreclosed on.

[Caller]

We haven't gotten to that point yet. Worse.

Worse.

[George Campbell]

That's where it's headed. I mean, that's what happens when you stop paying your mortgage.

[Ken Coleman]

So your fiance needs to start paying 450. We're splitting this because we're not married. But she needs to be working 40 hours a week. If she's living there, she's paying half the rent until you learn how to do it on your own.

[Caller]

Okay.

[George Campbell]

And so we need to come up with six grand after that to clear this truck. So you get a thousand bucks in the bank and then you're going to keep living on rice and beans. You're not doing jack squat when you're not working. And you're going to be working a lot. Can you do overtime?

[Caller]

I don't really have that option.

[Ken Coleman]

No, no.

[George Campbell]

Go get three other jobs, then you.

[Ken Coleman]

Get off in the afternoon. You already let me know that. So now you're not getting off of the truck situation. You're moving into the next job. You need money. You need to work really hard. So this is painful for you.

[George Campbell]

Do you need a car right now to get from A to B, or can you just drive the truck?

[Caller]

Yeah, I have to daily commute to work.

[George Campbell]

Can you.

[Ken Coleman]

Can the girlfriend. Can the fiance not take you? She's got plenty of time.

[Caller]

No, she works 6:00pm to 6:00am I worked about 4:00am to about 4:00pm okay.

[George Campbell]

Well, you're gonna have to figure out a transportation situation out because if you can clear this truck, you can breathe again.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah, you're in bicycle.

[George Campbell]

And so that $6,000 is your focus after this thousand bucks is saved for your small emergency fund. But that's your key to getting out of this. And so far, it's just, well, can't do that because of this underwater on this, you're gonna need to get more money and spend less. And if I looked at your bank statement, I could probably find 48 ways to do it. So hang on the line. We're gonna gift you every dollar, our budgeting app. It's going to be a coach in your pocket like us, but less yelling and more recommendations for how to find that margin. I'm rooting for you, man. We, we love you. That's why we are yelling. It's out of love.

[Ken Coleman]

I'm not yelling.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Running a business is hard work. You're the CEO, the accountant, and the sales team. You don't have time to moonlight as your own benefits department. That's where Health Trust Financial helps. In fact, health insurance is one of the biggest and most confusing line items in your budget. And most of you are overpaying because you're stuck figuring it out alone. You don't have time to figure out all the fine print about networks and deductibles. My friends at Health Trust Financial have been helping Ramsey listeners for over 20 years. Their focus is simplifying health insurance and serving people with empathy. No pressure, no games. They give you clear, unbiased advice that fits your life and your budget. Most of their clients save hundreds of dollars every month. That's real money you can put back in your business or into the baby steps. So stop wasting your time, your energy, and your money. You run the business. Let Health Trust Financial handle finding the right health insurance. Go to healthtrustfinancial.com today. That's healthtrust.com financial.com.

[Ken Coleman]

All right. One of the best things that you can do for your finances is to have a really good tax pro in your corner that you can trust to help advise you on the best moves to make for your situation, for your small business, especially if you've had some big life changes this past year. So either your personal situation or your small business situation. You gotta have somebody who knows what they're doing. Go to ramseysolutions.com taxpro ramseysolutions.com taxpro Remember, all these CPAs and enrolled agents have been vetted by the Ramsey team. But you need to sit with them and make sure you feel good, that you understand everything that they want you to do. All right, let's go to John in Pittsburgh. John, how can we help?

[Caller]

Gentlemen, how are you today?

[George Campbell]

Doing great. What's going on with you? Good.

[Caller]

I'm loving the fact that Ken called you spicy. George, first off.

[George Campbell]

Thank you.

[Ken Coleman]

I appreciate it. And a word of warning to you, John. He's. He's a little frisky today.

[George Campbell]

I hyped up on Cathy.

[Ken Coleman]

He walked in before the show started. I knew he was a man on a mission. So careful with George today.

[Caller]

I will have it no other way.

[George Campbell]

Okay, great.

[Caller]

So to get to my question, I'm in the process of selling my house, and I'll be getting roughly 150, 30, $135,000 from that. I just want to see if I'm planning it right. This will put me in the baby step seven. And my girlfriend and I, we have plans to get married, potentially looking at rings and trying to see what the best option would be with that money. So my plan is. And just looking for some feedback. Thank you. Feedback on you from you guys. I'm looking to have 100,000 of that maybe in a high yield savings account, maybe investing. That's what I'm asking. Feedback from you. We're looking to potentially, once we're married and buying a house in no less than four years when she can retire and we'll end up buying something again once we're married. So I'm thinking of putting 100 in it. High yield savings or something else you may recommend for that. 4 to 5 years and then the rest. Just a couple. About 5 grand in an emergency fund, some money into a ring and maybe a vacation like a Ramsey Cruz or something. And then another 20 for a just in case car fund. I have a 2010 Toyota Highlander with almost 200,000 miles and loving it. Just want to see how far it goes, but want to also be prepared. So. Okay, any suggestions you might have on what to do, what not to do. Right. Track, et cetera?

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Yeah.

[George Campbell]

Well, I'm curious. How old are you two? Because you're talking about her retiring in her job.

[Caller]

She can retire at 50. She's 46 and I'm 49.

[George Campbell]

Okay. So her plan to retire at 50 and not work anymore, not work at.

[Caller]

That job, and then that job will afford us the opportunity to be able to move to a different state, and that's our goal.

[George Campbell]

Does she have a pension or something with some guaranteed income?

[Caller]

Yeah, she's also going to do some work, but it'll most likely be in a different state. Yeah.

[Ken Coleman]

And you're not getting married. When are you getting married?

[Guest or Audience Member]

You're not.

[Ken Coleman]

Until she retires or. I couldn't understand that.

[Caller]

No, that, that would be. Prior to that we've, we started conversations about that. We looked at rings a couple weeks ago. So that would happen most likely. I'm sure, I'm sure. Prior to.

[Ken Coleman]

And then just one follow up for me. You said put 5,000 in an emergency fund, but you said that this is going to put you in baby step seven. So presumably you have a full emergency fund in baby step three, correct?

[Caller]

Yes, I have 15,000. I'd like to bump it up to 20.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, so I see what you're doing there.

[George Campbell]

Okay, so 20 total. So baby step seven would be a paid for house. So right now you would kind of be going back to this kind of four or five, six land until we get the house paid off. So that would be your next goal is to kind of earmark as much of this as you can for that future down payment. Now if it's going to be guaranteed, hey, this is five plus years out. You could invest the money in, you know, index funds in a brokerage account. My gut says you guys will want a place of your own once you're married. Before that, even before she's retired.

[Caller]

That's a possibility. We don't know. You know, it's kind of in that middle zone where it's maybe too long to rent. But would we recoup the money if we buy something?

[George Campbell]

Would you recoup the money? Bought something and sold it and then bought another?

[Ken Coleman]

Well, because remember, they're going to move to another state. Yeah.

[George Campbell]

Well, if you're gonna have the house for at least a few years, it could be a good buy. But it may just be worth renting for the peace of mind knowing this is very temporary.

[Caller]

Yeah. And that's, that's where we are. We're not really sure since it is.

[George Campbell]

Yeah.

[Ken Coleman]

Is that where you're going? You just sold your house or you will. Are you going to live with her in her apartment or house or that she's renting?

[Caller]

What, she owns a house as well? I'm living here now. And then she may or may not sell her house here shortly, depending on how it goes. And that's where we're, we're thinking, well, would we go in and buy a house? Obviously we're not going to do it under both names unless or until we're married, but do we buy another house?

[George Campbell]

I mean, I would just live with her once you guys are married. That's the easier solution. Yeah. Instead of just renting, at least you're building some equity while you two are married. And then you can sell it once you're ready to retire and move elsewhere. So, yeah, I like the idea of parking in a High Yield Savings account because there's a lot of unknowns right now and we might need this money sooner. And earmark that for your house down payment if you don't have a good one. Fairwinds is an awesome partner of ours and they've got a great High Yield Savings product. You can jump on a fairwinds.org Ramsey to get their smart bundle. That includes that. I like a 20,000 emergency fund. I like having this car fund set aside knowing you're going to do this and you're going to pay cash. So let's not make it a surprise when it happens. And then ring is definitely the next step. You don't have to go crazy. What are you thinking about spending on?

[Ken Coleman]

I knew you were gonna get nosy about this.

[George Campbell]

Well, people, I just. America wants to know.

[Ken Coleman]

It's his business. It's his money.

[Caller]

Do I tell America how much I'm spending on a ring?

[George Campbell]

I mean, I think it's a fair question. You've told us pretty much everything.

[Ken Coleman]

Everything else, I mean, go ahead. What are you thinking?

[Caller]

I'm thinking in the $5,000 range somewhere, right?

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, George is so happy.

[Caller]

So it could. Could be a little more, could be a little less.

[Ken Coleman]

What does that get you these days? What does 5,000 get you?

[George Campbell]

A wife if she says yes?

[Caller]

Hopefully something better than from the rare islands of Zirconia, that's for sure.

[Ken Coleman]

I don't think you know. I don't think you actually know. You don't know, do you?

[Caller]

I have a little bit of an idea. I have a friend who's a diamond wholesaler, but.

[George Campbell]

Oh, he's gonna get a sick deal.

[Caller]

Also says. Yeah, Dave also says we can always upgrade. We've already talked size is what we're looking at, so.

[Ken Coleman]

So this is serious. Okay. Well, this is great news because the. You're saying that you have a good idea that the 5,000 is going to make her happy?

[Caller]

It will.

[Ken Coleman]

Ah, well, there you go. All right, then.

[George Campbell]

I. I like your plan, John. I think you're thinking through this wisely. There's just a lot of variables right now. And so that's my hesitation to put this in the market. Not knowing what's going to happen. I mean, you've seen the headlines just this week, and everyone's getting spooked and they're selling off. And now it's back up to record highs. And so I think because of that, your heart rate will stay smooth. If you just put it in a high yield savings account for now, you'll get, you know, over 3% on your 100 grand, which isn't bad.

[Ken Coleman]

Great unintentional segue, George.

[George Campbell]

Tell me more.

[Ken Coleman]

Well, we were just talking off air about the crypto roller coaster. I feel like we need a little update. You have been very public. We, as a show, have been public about crypto and the risks, and we've seen it go down tremendously over the last 72 hours. Looks like it may be stabilizing a little bit today, but who knows? What say you, George? This is your chance to crow a little bit.

[George Campbell]

Well, I'm not here to say the I told you so because, well, that's not exciting.

[Ken Coleman]

I think America would like to hear.

[George Campbell]

That I'm not going to do it, even though I did tell you so. But here's the thing. You got to understand. Bitcoin went over $100,000. And everyone's going, see you, Ramsey guys. You missed out. You told people not to.

[Ken Coleman]

People were reaching out to me on social saying, yeah, Ken Coleman and Dave Ramsey, you guys don't have a clue.

[George Campbell]

Yeah. And then it was at 82, and then all of a sudden it was down to $60,000 for a bitcoin, and now it's back up to 70. And who knows where it's going to go from here? Nobody knows. All I know is this. The stock market, The s and P500 is 500 actual companies producing real products and services that have real revenue and their shareholders that are trying to increase the value. That's what we're all rooting for. And bitcoin has no true utility. It's not really based on anything except hype and us saying, this is the future, so we should all put our money there. And then you get a bunch of bros who get spooked and they start selling it off like hotcakes, taking the value. And this is the problem with speculation. You know, you. You place the bet, and it's the roulette table. And so it's the reason I don't own any bitcoin, because I'm already an anxious guy. Don't need to add you.

[Ken Coleman]

Don't need anymore.

[George Campbell]

I'm good with the s and p.500 average, 10% return over the long haul. It's I do the get rich slow plan.

[Ken Coleman]

So what you're telling me is this was not shocking. These were not shocking headlines when we saw crypto on fire?

[George Campbell]

No, I kind of knew eventually this was going to happen and maybe I it's going to go back up and be a million dollars one day. I don't know the future. All I know is I can control what I can control, and that's investing slowly, wisely. Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but those who gather little by little will increase it. That's what Proverbs says. That's how I live my life.

[Ken Coleman]

So we also call a mic drop.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

If debt collectors won't stop calling and you feel like you're drowning, you don't need another company selling debt relief dreams. You need real world help. And that's why I recommend Guardian Litigation Group. Guardian's not a call center. They're actual attorneys who can step into the courtroom and fight back when creditors try to sue you. Now look, look, debt settlement isn't pretty. I'd still rather have you get out of debt the old fashioned way. But if you're facing bankruptcy and need a way to stop the bleeding, Guardian gives you a path forward. And they don't charge a dime up front. Guardian's attorneys have helped over 55,000 people across the country settle more than $600 million in debt. They'll help you stop living in fear every time the phone rings and take back control of your Life. Go to guardianlit.com Ramsey that's guardianlit.com Ramsey.

[George Campbell]

Attorney Advertising Results may vary and no specific outcome is guaranteed.

[Ken Coleman]

Welcome back to the Ramsey show in the Fairwinds Credit Union studio. I'm Ken Coleman, joined by George Camel. We're here to help you out. You got money questions, you got professional money making questions. Those work questions, we're here to help on those as well. Triple 882-55-5225 is the number. Triple 882-55-2225. All right. Boy, this. Here we go. Am I hooked on phonics. I always enjoy these. Alita, I believe is who we're going to in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tell me I'm right. Alita, please.

[George Campbell]

You are right.

[Caller]

Thank you, Mr. Coleman. Mr. Campbell, thank you for taking my call.

[Ken Coleman]

You bet. But no more mister. It makes us feel old. We won't allow it.

[George Campbell]

Yeah, Ken's already old, so he doesn't need a reminder.

[Ken Coleman]

Well, old compared to you.

[George Campbell]

Compared to most people.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah, that's Right. All right, Alita, how can we help?

[Caller]

So I've had trouble finding a job in the last 10 years. Ken, I've been looking into your work, and I started your book, the Proximity Principle. And I realize I've been playing the slot machine a lot, but I have a lot of skills in events. And then in 2018, I was certified as a butler, hoping that would make me specialized to get a job. And I just feel like I am running on the wheel to nowhere.

[Ken Coleman]

What are you doing right now for a living?

[Caller]

So I am a Canadian who is currently in the States. So I have talked to so many different places that place butlers, and a lot of them in the States, at least. They're saying you need your green card, so we can help you with the immigration side and.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, so you don't. You don't have your green card?

[Caller]

I don't. And even in Canada.

Yeah, that's a.

They just don't pay as well, and the cost of living is ridiculous. So I'm like, well, let's do the States, and it's a better opportunity.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, so even though you have got the certification as a butler, and that's what you really want to do, to be a butler.

[Caller]

Yes. Or personal assistant. Executive assistant up in that field.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, well, those are two different things. And I must tell you. Did you ever watch Downton Abbey?

[Caller]

Yes.

[Ken Coleman]

Love the butler. All right, so when you say butler, that's what I'm thinking. I want to make sure I'm on the same wavelength. Is that what you're talking about?

[Caller]

Correct.

[Ken Coleman]

So very well.

[Caller]

Nowadays, they.

[Ken Coleman]

Go ahead.

[Caller]

Butlers nowadays tend to do multiple things. So they could be your personal assistant and also take care of things around the house or organize the staff.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay. Okay. And the reason I'm asking that is because that tells me there's a wide range of people. There are certain people that would pay for a personal assistant but would not pay for a butler. Correct?

[Caller]

Correct. Yes.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay. And you're a comedian, which is fascinating to me. So I gotta do some real digging here. How much are you making on average per month as a comedian, a working comedian?

[Caller]

I'm actually not a comedian. I'm a Canadian.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, good grief.

[George Campbell]

I heard comedian, too.

[Ken Coleman]

You did?

[George Campbell]

And I went, wow, I'd love to hear some material. Okay. You're Canadian.

[Ken Coleman]

I'm so glad, because I thought, here come the old man jokes from George. But you heard the same thing.

[George Campbell]

Yeah. I thought it was like, you're trying to be a comedian, but you're looking for a legit you know, bunker job right now. Okay, all right, back to the.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, so one of my wife's dear friends, one of her closest friends is a Canadian as well, and she's quite funny, just in case anybody wants to know, but she's a Canadian and she's had so many issues with work visas. So are you telling me that you cannot be a butler or a personal assistant until you get a green card?

[Caller]

Correct. Now, if you get in the right circles, they have the money that sometimes they can move that process along. So I was hoping that might be the case.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, but what can you do given the fact that you do not have your green card?

[Caller]

So I'm working to finish off. I have my associate's degree. I was able to take a year off to work here in the States, so that's why I'm in Arkansas. And then this fall, I go back to finish off the bachelor.

[Ken Coleman]

Right, but what have you been doing for a living? What are you doing now for paying.

[Caller]

So I am an office assistant.

A.

Well, I work in a hangar for a company that fixes airplanes and helicopters.

[Ken Coleman]

And there's no issue with. I guess you're here on a work visa, correct?

[Caller]

Yeah, you can do a work visa. And I specialized in business is what I figured I would take to encompass my event. I love doing events and banquets and then the butler. So I decided to go for a business major.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay. All right, So a lot going on here. So my advice is somewhat limited if there are limited things that we can do. So it looks like you can do what you're doing now. So a one is to get the green card. That's the priority while we're doing these other jobs. And it sounds like you've done this, but you're not a typical person who calls me, says, ken, I'm having a hard time getting a job. You have a limited scope, but the question is, could you be. Go ahead.

[Caller]

Yeah. The question for you is because you say it's not what you know, it's who you know using those people 100%.

[George Campbell]

That's assuming you have. You have the legal ability to work too. And so there's a different issue. Here's a prerequisite, which is they can't hire you. And I truly don't think any, even a high net worth household is going to go, you know what, we just like you so much. We're going to go through all of this hassle, pay extra, hope that months and months of immigration lawyers can solve this. I just don't think they're going to deal with.

[Ken Coleman]

I agree.

[George Campbell]

They're looking to have to deal with less things. That's why they're hiring you.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Right.

[Ken Coleman]

So.

[Caller]

And it is a challenge, for sure. And the guy I'm working for currently, he told me, nope, let's go for your green card, which was the 24 month seat. We're in the month 19 and he hasn't even started.

[Ken Coleman]

Right.

[Caller]

The last guy, he's like, let's do it. Six months later, he's like, right, I can't do it.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay. You just gave anecdotal evidence to George's opinion. So George is right. So here's the deal. The question is, you love producing live events. The idea of working on live events, you mentioned that multiple times. Feels like the executive assistant stuff is kind of down the list a little bit. But you're a person who loves tasks. You like ideation, making the idea a reality sound right. Yes or no?

[Caller]

Yes.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, so here's the deal. The question is, does the green card prohibit you from doing that type of work? For instance, Ramsey Solutions has, I don't know, five, six, seven event producers that are full time employees here. Right. You know, could you be an executive assistant without a green card? You know, I've, I've told you many times. Belay is a company that has sponsored Ramsey live events, entree leadership. They're based out of Atlanta, but they're hiring people like you all around the country as virtual executive assistants. You know, who are the, you know, if you were. If I'm sitting with you today in Arkansas, I'm going to tell me the top five event companies or companies that are putting on some type of corporate event or civic events, or who's doing what you want to do in your area. And that's where we start. Have you made that list?

[Caller]

I've written down a few of them. Like, some of them are hotels. I did put my name into the White House. Haven't been called up yet, so we're waiting on that one.

[Ken Coleman]

No, but that's the. But that's the lottery that you mentioned. That's exactly what you heard me write about in proximity. So I'm saying no, who are the top five event producers? What venues have the most amount of events? In Fayetteville, Arkansas, that's where we start. And then we ask the next question. Who do I know that works at one of those five places? This is like a little Excel spreadsheet or you can do it on a piece of paper if you're old school like me. So we start writing it out. We go, oh, I know Lynn, who works over there. So I call Lynn, up I go, lynn, here's my situation. First of all, what's going on over there? What positions do they have? So we get it direct from Lynn. We're not going through a website and filling out an application that might as well be spitting in the wind, riding down in a convertible on the interstate. It's just, nothing's happening. Okay, so let's just methodically go through what I write about in the proximity principle. This is not difficult to do, actually. Just gotta show up. Okay, and the old match game when you played when you were a kid, we're just to keep this exercise up. And if there's nothing in Fville, we start looking outside of Fville. The other thing you might want to do is let's get serious about maybe, maybe a relationship. George. That's how you get there.

[George Campbell]

Hey, that's one way to do it.

[Ken Coleman]

One way.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

I love entrepreneurs. Don't forget, guys, I started my company on a card table myself. So I know what it's like to have people counting on you, your team, your family, not to mention your customers. And when you're the one signing the paychecks, you can't afford to fly blind. But I'll be honest. Early on, one thing that nearly sunk us was wasting time with spreadsheets that didn't add up because business units didn't talk to each other. I finally told my team just to just fix it, and they did. We got netsuite. That was years ago and we've never looked back. See, netsuite isn't just for tech giants. It's built for growing businesses like yours. Over 43,000 businesses already run on NetSuite, including a lot that started just like you. And now with built in AI, NetSuite is helping them even more. It's one system connected to every part of your business. For real time insights, not guesswork. NetSuite AI flags inventory issues, cash flow risks, even supplier delays before they become problems. So you can trust the data, stop wasting time, and make the right decisions faster. Take a free product tour [e-mail] Ramsey. That's netsuite.com Ramsey.

[Ken Coleman]

All right, let's go to Rachel in New York City. Rachel, how can we help?

[Caller]

Hi, Ken and George. Thank you for having me on. My husband and I, we've been talking about having a second child. I want to know, how can we balance financial readiness, mental health and lifestyle priorities when deciding to have another baby?

[Ken Coleman]

Okay. That's a very interesting list. Did I hear run through those again? Because I heard commas between all of those. Is that fair?

[Caller]

Yes.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, so what was the first one? Was it financial readiness?

[Caller]

Financial readiness?

[Ken Coleman]

Mental health.

[Caller]

Mental health. And the third is lifestyle priorities.

[Ken Coleman]

And that's all in context of how to balance those things when deciding to have another child.

[Caller]

Yes.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah.

[George Campbell]

Okay. Well, you have a child now, so, you know, a lot of that is out the window.

[Ken Coleman]

Well, the mental health is not the financial readiness. I mean, George is not sure you can have mental readiness.

[George Campbell]

The financial readiness is the one that I can help you control your lifestyle. I don't have a life. I go home and I'm in dad mode until, you know, I go to bed. And so that's my question mark is what are your lifestyle priorities?

[Caller]

Sure. So yeah. So we had our first child in 2022. She'll be turning to this May. I unfortunately did suffer from terrible postpartum depression and only just recently, you know, starting to feel like myself again.

[George Campbell]

Oh yeah. It can take a long, long time.

[Ken Coleman]

That's tough.

[Caller]

Yeah. In terms of finances, end of 2025, my husband and I, we've made $225,000 growth. Our average take home pay is about 10,000amonth. With just one child, we are living comfortably. At the end of the month, we're usually left over with a little over $600 in excess that we're currently putting towards retirement in addition to what we're already contributing. Part of me is nervous to go through postpartum again, but I know I'm just going to miss the financial flexibility that we currently have.

[George Campbell]

Well, where you said you're investing, how much are you currently investing as a percentage of your income?

[Caller]

I do think it's a little more than the 15% that you guys recommend. My husband, he gets about 4 or $500 taken out of his paycheck automatically and a 457. And that's dependent on his income because he does, he has overtime. So his, his income fluctuates.

[George Campbell]

Do you guys have any debt?

[Caller]

No, we're debt free.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, that's fantastic.

[George Campbell]

And you've got savings.

[Caller]

We got savings, yes.

[George Campbell]

So financial readiness is there.

[Ken Coleman]

It's there. That's why I was going to dig in.

[Caller]

My concern about the financial readiness is when we have to expand, let's say our current living situation. So we live in a two bedroom right now in New York City. If of course, if we have a second and the second is same gender as our first. I don't mind staying in the two bedroom, but. But eventually when we have to upgrade to three, that's where I'm a little concerned. We're lucky that our rent is currently pretty low.

[George Campbell]

What is it, I'm curious, in New.

[Caller]

York City, 1600 for a 2000.

[Ken Coleman]

Why the. I have two boys and a girl, so why the need, if it's a different sex to have different rooms? They're still babies for a while.

[Caller]

They're just, I mean, in the beginning, yes, I agree they could share a room, but eventually, when we need to move out.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah, but how many, how many years.

[George Campbell]

Would that could be three years from now.

[Ken Coleman]

Right, See, that's why I'm asking you that. Like, what's your. And I'm not, I'm not trying to talk you out of your decision. I'm just saying how many years before you think you would need to have them in separate rooms?

[Caller]

No, the three year mark would probably.

[Ken Coleman]

Be where I'm thinking, great, so again.

[George Campbell]

Cross that bridge when we get there.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah. And then what financial gains are you going to make over that time? Okay, my question is more on the health side of things. And I just don't know enough. So. How much of it is chemical? In other words, I just don't know enough. So it may sound silly, but the postpartum, how much of that is chemical in the body versus is it all mental and emotional? And did you get the tools, you know, to recover to where you feel like. Does your, do you have a health, a mental health professional who's guiding you through this and giving you advice on this? That. That's something I would want to know.

[Caller]

Yeah. So I actually didn't get any sort of help when I was going through postpartum depression.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah.

[Caller]

I was kind of just doing everything on my own.

[George Campbell]

So we'll prioritize that this time. Right now that you know, you're going to go, we're going to do all the things we can do and we're going to shift our money towards making sure that we have the help that you need. Yeah, that would be the conversation.

[Ken Coleman]

Rachel, I'm hearing the emotion in you. You worked, you struggled, and you just now came up for air recently, right?

[Caller]

I did.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, listen, can I just tell you, I think before I would decide to have another child, I would, I would go talk to a mental health professional and your doctor and go, hey, what are the chances that with baby number two that I have a similar experience? I just don't. And I think you need to know the answer the second Thing I would ask is, is it something we can treat with medicine? How much of this is chemical, where medicine can deal with that, or how much of it is. I need a really good therapist that if I go through this, that I've got a therapist ahead of time, giving me some tools and helping me with this, and someone who's going to walk through it with me this time and not go by myself. If I were your brother, I would say, hey, Rachel, do this before you guys make the decision to start trying again.

[George Campbell]

Again.

[Caller]

Okay?

[Ken Coleman]

Because you don't need to do this alone. So you. Obviously, your heart wants a baby, but you really sitting here right now. And by the way, I don't blame you. You have real questions about whether or not you could do it again. Yeah.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, then. So I think George has done a great job of saying, financially, you guys are fine. But I think the real crux of this question is, hey, you are amazing. You're superwoman that you did this without medical help, right?

[Caller]

Yeah, I don't know how I did it.

[Ken Coleman]

I don't know either. I don't know either because I can't even begin to understand what it does. And there's millions of women that are listening to this right now, watching.

[George Campbell]

They're nodding their head, going, I see you, girl.

[Ken Coleman]

They see you. They've been through it. We have no clue. But I do know this. It's not just for you, but you are first and foremost that you take care of yourself, because you know how that's affecting your baby, how it's affecting your husband. And so it's about you first, but then it's also about them. So in making a decision like this, you got to go in fully equipped this time. And my hope is that it doesn't happen at all. But I just don't know what the medical percentages are. And I think you need to know, don't you?

[Caller]

Yes.

[Ken Coleman]

As you talk to us today, you're not fully equipped, so you can't make a decision on that. Now George is like, hey, financially, you guys are fine, but the rest of this is really predicated on you and your past experience and what professionals can do to help you.

[Caller]

Okay?

[Ken Coleman]

So, hey, you got some appointments to make, don't you? Yeah, you know what? I think there's some community groups, probably in New York, of women that are struggling with it now or have gone through it and you just came out of it. How about getting involved in one of those?

[Caller]

Yeah, sounds like an idea.

[Ken Coleman]

Come on. Yeah, Okay.

[George Campbell]

I imagine. I mean, just Raising a baby in New York is already tough enough. And so you guys are doing a great job. You have an amazing income. You've stayed out of debt. You've got low rent, which means you have flexibility in your expenses. You talked about lifestyle priorities. There's, you know, six, seven, eight grand here that we can play with and, you know, do what you need to do to take care of yourself. But I think there's wiggle room here as well. And I don't think you're gonna go. We're so tight every single month.

[Ken Coleman]

Rachel, I want to hear what George just said. George, you're right. You've got money to spend on a therapist or a doctor to help figure this out. Okay? All right. You're amazing.

[Caller]

Thank you, guys.

[Ken Coleman]

You're amazing. But no more. No more white knuckling through this. All right?

[Caller]

Okay.

[Ken Coleman]

All right. Rachel, that's really sweet. What a sweet, sweet lady.

[George Campbell]

This is real, Ken. That's. That's real talk. And you know, my wife can attest she'd be amening right now if she was listening to that call. And you got to take care of your health first. And that's why doing the baby steps, having financial peace allows you the flexibility to focus on your own health. Yeah, it's hard to do that when you got payments to make because you can't afford the.

[Ken Coleman]

Rachel, we're 300,000 in debt. She's got margin to go take care of herself, which is going to allow them to expand their family and be healthy doing it, folks.

[George Campbell]

She could be more present as well.

[Ken Coleman]

That's what financial peace actually looks like.

[Caller]

If you're looking for a more budget friendly way to save on medical costs and stay true to your values, Christian Healthcare Ministries is a great option to think about. CHM is not health insurance. It's a health cost sharing ministry. A biblical community based way for Christians to share each other's medical bills. That means no enrollment deadlines and you can choose any doctor or hospital you want. That kind of freedom is big, especially if you're self employed between jobs or you just need something that fits your budget better. CHM has been around for decades, faithfully serving the Christian community. And many members save hundreds of dollars a month compared to traditional health insurance. And that margin gives you breathing room when you're working the baby step and trying to steward your money well. And right now, CHM is offering new members a 50% credit towards their first month of membership. Get [e-mail] budget and use promo code RAMSEY. That's chministries.org budget and promo code Ramsey.

Foreign.

[Ken Coleman]

Of the Day is brought to you by why Refi Defaulted private student loans do not fix themselves, but they can be fixed. Why Refi helps you by refinancing defaulted private student loans into a low fixed rate payment that fits your budget so you could clean up the mess and move forward with the plan. Visit yrefi.com Ramsey that's Y R E F Y. It may not be available in all states.

[George Campbell]

Today's question comes from brody in Washington, D.C. while I would like to pay off my student loans, I'm not sure it makes the most sense financially. They are currently at 2.6% interest and even a monkey can make more by investing rather than paying this off. I owe almost $100,000 on my medical degree debt. I make more than enough to pay it off, but I think it may not be wise to use my money to pay this off with such a low rate. This is classic. Well, you know what a monkey can do? Go $100,000 into student loan debt. So there's we can't be comparing ourselves to monkeys.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah, like take it easy on the monkeys.

[George Campbell]

All monkeys are debt free. Yeah, we'll start there. To your question, I get it. On paper, anything with a low interest rate, you could make the case. Well, I could make more by doing XYZ with it, but you're not thinking about a few things. Number one is risk. We don't know that you will stay employed and have the money to pay this off. We also know that student loans are largely not even bankruptible thanks to student loan lobbyists keeping it that way. And the other thing you got to think about is there's still a payment to be made. This is still looming in your life. As long as it's there, it's living rent free in your head. You emailed in to get the question answered and so the truth is you took this debt out saying, I will pay this back and you can drag it out as long as you want. Truthfully, you can do that and you'll probably still live to tell the tale, but I think you will live a more peaceful life and you build more wealth if you just went ahead and knocked it out and not just slowly. I'm talking aggressively because you hopefully are, you know, a doctor or in residency. I don't know where you're at in the journey, but you said you have more than enough to pay it off. So pay it off. Because on a balance sheet you don't actually have that Money, Right. If you have 200,000 in debt and you have 100,000 in savings, you're still in the negative. Get rid of the debt.

[Ken Coleman]

Love it. I love it. I'm not going to add anything to it. That was so airtight. Gregory's up in Lincoln, Nebraska. Gregory, how can we help today?

[Caller]

Yes. So I am currently ON BABY STEP 2 and about to start side gig work. My question is to. Should I be insured with my side gig?

[Ken Coleman]

Tell us about the side gig.

[Caller]

So I have multiple trade skills. I work in the trades. Currently I'm a diesel technician, like my job and everything. But my other skill sets lie in like welding and stuff. So I was thinking about starting a mobile welding side gig and in my area, heavy ag. So I know a lot of farmers that could use repairs and everything.

[George Campbell]

Yeah, I would definitely get insurance. General liability insurance for sure.

[Caller]

Okay. General liability. Okay.

[George Campbell]

I mean, because you're. This is a high risk gig. A spark could cause a fire after you leave. Right. That could be a problem. Property's damaged, especially if you're mobile. You're on other people's property. Okay. And someone could just say, hey, I'm suing this guy because he ruined my driveway while he was welding. And so you definitely need the general liability insurance and maybe professional liability as well.

[Caller]

Okay. Is that even with like, without, like, do I need to have a business, like, license and everything?

[George Campbell]

I would be, you know, licensed and bonded. I would go full. I mean, if you're going to be doing this, you got to do it right.

[Caller]

Okay. Like, I don't want this to be like my main job.

[George Campbell]

That's okay. Doesn't have to be. But I would not tie all this to your personal life. I would have, you know, set up whatever you need to. I don't know what it is for your situation in your state. I would look into that. Of what the proper setup is. If it's an llc, have a business checking account, it'd be wise to do that as you get this set up so that the business, you're. You're. Elise, you have more protections in place if this is through a legitimate business with legitimate insurance.

[Caller]

Okay, cool.

[George Campbell]

I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't skip it to save money. And I don't think it's going to be that expensive either. So I wouldn't worry about that.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah. What are you.

[Caller]

I was just wondering.

[Ken Coleman]

Go ahead. No, no, you go ahead.

[Caller]

So I was just wondering just because, like, I don't know, my wife was wanting me to maybe like start a Business. But then I'm like, well, it's a side gig. I wouldn't like start a landscaping business if I'm going like mowing yards.

[Ken Coleman]

I don't know why does your wife want you to start a business?

[Caller]

No, it's not necessarily start a business, but if I'm kind of like all in doing it, I have a good job with plenty of room for advancements. It's just like instead of like one little side gig doing whatever, I can potentially make more.

[George Campbell]

So what's the why behind all of this?

[Caller]

Getting out of debt.

[George Campbell]

Okay, great. Now we have a why. We have a reason to go do this. That's good. And then it becomes the how now. And the how is, all right, I got to set up the llc. I'm going to start that. You don't need to go crazy, but you just need a few protections in place so that this doesn't reach into your personal life.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Caller]

Okay.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah. This is not a lot of money we're talking about. It's a little bit of time, but again, it's more protection so that you can, with peace of mind, go do the welding. Welding, you know.

[Caller]

Okay.

[Ken Coleman]

So it doesn't have to be this full blown. I have to commit to, you know, a p. L. Statement. No, you keep it simple and just go, you know, I'm gonna see if I can get five to 10 welding jobs in a month or whatever it is you're trying to do. That's the idea. But this is, this is all about just making sure that if something were to happen, that you're protected.

[Caller]

Okay.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Ken Coleman]

Appreciate it. And I love that, by the way. Love the spunk. I love this. More people should be doing this that you're willing to go out and do this. In fact, real quick, before we let you, how much debt do you guys have? What's the total?

[Caller]

Including the house, it's a little over 101,000.

[Ken Coleman]

Take the mortgage out. How much do you have?

[Caller]

17. Over 17,000.

[Ken Coleman]

What do you anticipate making as a welder on the side?

[Caller]

I'm just trying to do like another 2,000amonth.

[Ken Coleman]

Fantastic.

[Caller]

Right now I'm. Right now I'm between like harvest and like planting, so there's no real general overtime. I also don't want to do this forever. So that way.

[Ken Coleman]

So if you made an additional 2,000amonth welding, how much are you guys out of your current income and budget putting towards debt? That 17,000.

[Caller]

Current? Well, with the minimum payments, we're at 7:80amonth. With all those Payments and then I just like. We just started like a budget and plan so cut a bunch of subscriptions and everything. So we're currently amping that up right now. And so we're looking for excess money and stuff like that.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah. So the reason I was walking you through this is, you know, what's the total amount of money now that you guys are in a budget out of your current income that we can put extra. So is it $500 a month extra? We can put on the $17,000 of debt using the debt snowball and George. I mean, making an extra two grand.

[George Campbell]

Yeah. If you just use side hustle money, you'd be done in about 8 months. Y use your, your personal income as well and create margin there. Let's make it a kind of an audacious goal to go. Could we be done in four or five months with our current income plus the side hustle money? That will really fuel the, the fire here, no pun intended, as you begin this mobile welding business.

[Ken Coleman]

And while we're cheering you on and pumping you up and you know, saying, hey, do this, do this, I'd keep the side hustle going and knock out baby step three. Get that three to six months expenses. Let's go.

[George Campbell]

Keep going.

[Ken Coleman]

Fast forward that. And now you get to baby step four, George. And mentally, if he's gazelle with this, this side hustle, explain what happens to him mentally, emotionally when he gets baby step two and three done in a short order.

[George Campbell]

Think about that. Then you have all the margin you were throwing at those things now becomes your money to build wealth to go on vacation, to upgrade the car, to create a maintenance and repair fund. And who knows, maybe the welding business. You go, I could do this full time. I'm enjoying it. I can be my own boss. I'm good at this. This, I could scale this thing. And you'll have that kind of flexibility once you're debt free with the emergency fund.

[Ken Coleman]

All right, let's have that some fun with that one, George. All right, let's say he does everything you just described. He realizes, wait a second, I think I can make somewhere. I'm going to keep our easy round number 50,000 again next year. But I hire a couple buddies, blah blah blah blah. I pay them. Where's that extra 50? How does that fit into investing and really start to compound?

[George Campbell]

Well now it's all right, investing 15%. I'm going to knock out the mortgage, which you guys don't have. A huge mortgage mortgage. We can knock that out in a few years. And now we're going. We can amp up. We can max out our retirement accounts, invest beyond that, take trips we never dreamed of, be more generous. And so your life just opens up to a whole new realm of possibilities by following these steps.

[Ken Coleman]

Gregory, we just looked into your future and George says you're rich.

[George Campbell]

The crystal ball says he's gonna be okay.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

After the holidays, a lot of people start feeling budget pressure and it's a wake up call to get intentional. So listen, don't fall for buy now, pay later cell phone plans that drag you back into debt. Boost Mobile keeps it simple with no contracts and no nonsense. Keep the phone you already own and pay just 25 bucks a month, forever for unlimited data, talk and text. That's real long term value and real peace of mind. So budget like you mean it and go to boostmobile.comramseytoday to make the switch. That's boostmobile.comramsey restrictions apply.

[George Campbell]

See boostmobile.comramsey for details.

[Ken Coleman]

All right, if you are wondering, where'd all my money go? That's normal. And normal's broke. But this is the year. How about 2026 being the year that you decide to do something different and live differently and see different results? Get a head start by downloading every dollar. It's more than just a budgeting app. It's like having a personalized coach, as George likes to say, in your pocket right on the phone. Like having one of us. To answer your question, of course, you get all the great budgeting applications and all the helps and prompts and this is crazy. They've proven this. Unbelievable. I've seen it. You'll find thousands of dollars on average that you can save in just the first 15 minutes of giving it a run. So don't go another year feeling broke and stress. Start every dollar for free in the App Store or Google Play. All right, let's go to John in Los Angeles. John, how can we help?

[Caller]

Hey, gentlemen. Thanks for having me on.

[George Campbell]

Sure.

[Ken Coleman]

What's going on today?

[Caller]

So my girlfriend and I were. We own a home and we're pretty much breaking up. And I want to know what's the most fair way to split the net amount from the. Sell the home.

[Ken Coleman]

Are you both on the title?

[Caller]

Yes.

[George Campbell]

What about the mortgage?

[Caller]

Yes.

[George Campbell]

All right. What are you going to sell it for?

[Caller]

We're going to sell it for about 625. We owe about $510,000 on it. And after closing costs and everything, we're thinking we can walk away with about 95,000.

[George Campbell]

All right. And let's talk about who put in what. So who paid the down payment and how much?

[Caller]

So we bought the home almost three years ago. The down payment was 40,000. Down payment closing cost was 40,000. I put in 35, she put in five.

[George Campbell]

Okay. Oh, boy.

[Caller]

Throughout the time, too, that we've lived here, we've done renovations, and I've. We do keep our finances separate. But throughout the time that we've owned the home, in the last couple years, I've put in about 35, 36,000.

[George Campbell]

On top of your 35.

[Caller]

On top of my 35. Yeah.

[Ken Coleman]

And I know the answer, but we have to ask, how much has she put into renovations?

[Caller]

Nothing.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, boy.

[George Campbell]

Okay, so you're obviously getting the money that you put into it back. She'll get the money she put into it back, and then you guys could split the rest.

[Ken Coleman]

Well, on paper, George.

[George Campbell]

Yes, on paper.

[Caller]

So legally, I mean, legally, she. We own it.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

50.

[George Campbell]

50.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Right.

[Caller]

And she gives me a hard time. Then I'm not even going to argue it. I'm just going to say, you know what? Forget it. It is what it is. 50. 50. But I just want to make sure that I'm not crazy, because what. I think it's fair, and that's the key word, it's that I recoup my money, she recoups her money, which is 5,000. And. And whatever that difference is, we go down 50. 50 on that. That.

[George Campbell]

That's what I just said. Right.

[Caller]

Oh, sorry. I misunderstood.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah. So I got. I. I did quick math, probably wrong, but I got 70,000 coming back to you. Right?

[Caller]

Correct.

[Ken Coleman]

5,000 to her. And so if we walk away with 90, we got 15 to split. And so did I pick up you saying if she gives me a hard time. So you've not talked to her about what we're going to do with the proceeds?

[Caller]

We have not. No.

[Ken Coleman]

Do you think it's gonna be a shock to her or where is she at? Where do you think she's at mentally on this?

[Caller]

I think from a mental standpoint, she's logical, too. And I. And I think deep down she knows that's. That's the first thing to do. But I think from an emotional standpoint, she'll give me a fight over that.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Oh.

[Caller]

Quite honestly.

[George Campbell]

Well, here we go.

[Ken Coleman]

Here's the. I gotta dig. I can't help myself. I'm like a moth to a flame. Who broke up with who?

[Caller]

I'm breaking up with her.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah, that's problematic. I still think the numbers are right, but I'm just trying to keep it real. The audience in the lobby's with me.

[George Campbell]

It's gonna be a knockout drag down fight on the way out.

[Ken Coleman]

Were you a gentleman about it?

[Caller]

Yes. We've gone a couple therapies we've done. Quite honestly, this has been ongoing for like three months or so where I've. I've been ready. Honestly, I've been ready to walk away for three months. But I've also been trying to work it out too.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, are we officially done with therapy? The breakup is done. This is all finalized? Yes.

[Caller]

It will be pretty soon.

[George Campbell]

What does the written agreement say, if there is one?

[Ken Coleman]

Hold on. Do you have. How do you just move on so quickly? Well, apparently it's over. It's not. He hasn't done it yet. Is that what I'm hearing?

[Caller]

Correct.

[George Campbell]

Is she listening to this call?

[Ken Coleman]

I hope not.

[George Campbell]

She's about to find out the hard way.

[Ken Coleman]

I hope not.

[Caller]

No, she's not.

[George Campbell]

What's going to happen when you say, hey, it's over? Is she even going to be willing to sell the house? Because that's another part of this problem.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah.

[George Campbell]

If I'm her, I'm going to go. I'm squatting. I'm not going anywhere.

[Ken Coleman]

Why would you be like that?

[George Campbell]

Out of just anger? I mean, when you're hurt, that's what you do.

[Caller]

Yeah.

I mean, she could and I don't. I don't foresee that happening. I think in good faith she seemed that. I've been giving it a. A shot to give you more details of our relationship. Quite honestly, I was ready to propose to her like five months ago, six months ago. But I've seen a lot of changes in the last couple months that made me changed my mind to the point that it's like I don't want to waste her time or my time. And we shouldn't even have bought this house in the first place.

[Ken Coleman]

Well, that. That we all agree.

[George Campbell]

Wish you could have called us before, but, you know, too little too late. It's fine.

[Ken Coleman]

Well, a little.

[Caller]

A little too late, but what do you call it? I think to give you more context, she went to nursing school throughout the time, throughout the last year. So she's an RN now with no debt. And I took over. We were pretty much 50. 50 on our bills for the most part. We never. Not to the nickel, but for the most part. Right. The bigger bills. And I sustain our household too, throughout that time. So I think. I think she's logical and I think she's fair so to going Back to the point of, if she gives me a hard time of not wanting to sell and all that stuff, I really don't see that. I don't think it would be a nasty break. But, I mean, but if it comes down to it, honestly, I make. I make decent money. And you want to play that game, go for it. Let's go.

[George Campbell]

We'll take it, Judy. We'll let her handle it.

[Ken Coleman]

Wow, this just went from like. You just went from, hey, if she gives me a hard time, I fold. 50, 50 to now you're like, let's.

[George Campbell]

Go pony up with some lawyers.

[Ken Coleman]

I don't know where this is going. John, here's the deal. Appreciate you telling us this. Here, here's. Here's my advice on this one. I absolutely believe that you ought to put out what you think is fair. How you choose to debate that. I'm not gonna get in the middle of that. Hope it's not ugly. But I do think you should say, hey, but I wouldn't do it right away because you've been in counseling and you shared with us. I love that you shared it. But for three months you've been checked out, and she's gotta be either blindsided or just knows that this is coming. I don't know which way it's gonna go. Doesn't matter to this call other than to say, say when the breakup is done, and you got to give that a little space, George, is what I'm recommending. And then say, we need to sell the house. And here's how I think it ought to go. And maybe a good idea for you to get a session with your therapist who's been counseling the two of you and maybe get some advice on how to maybe play this thing out. Because that person, hopefully, has been very, very objective and sitting with the two of you and might be able to help that. That would be the ultimate ideal way to handle it. George, what do you add?

[George Campbell]

What do you do? Well, I mean, assuming all of that goes decently well, then it becomes how are we going to split this? And I just want to know, do you have things documented, your contributions? Is there a written agreement, all of that?

[Caller]

No, no.

If she wants to play hardball, I don't have. Legally, I don't have leg to stand on. And if she wants to play hard, we would have to split it 50, 50, and I'm out of that.

[George Campbell]

But it's just. That's a handshake agreement that we would split a 50, 50. And what is 50, 50 based on contributions because you never talked about that. And it's not written.

[Caller]

Sorry. I guess what I'm saying is, going back to your question of do I have anything written as far as how much I put down, how much I put into renovations? No. And no, I don't. If she wants to play hardball, from the net proceeds from the sell the home, I don't have a leg to stand on. And my best case scenario is at that point, we'll split it 50, 50 from the net proceeds, and I'm probably out 20, 25,000.

[George Campbell]

I mean, I would start collecting some receipts of the, you know, the con, the labor I paid and all. I mean, you can't just give up now.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah, I agree.

[George Campbell]

I wouldn't leave 70 grand on the table.

[Ken Coleman]

And I'd be real nice, I mean, real nice in breaking up with her. Yikes.

[Caller]

Sam.

[Ken Coleman]

Welcome back to the Ramsey show in the Fairwinds Credit Union studio alongside George Campbell. I'm Ken Coleman. Thrilled to have you with us. 888-255-225 is the phone number to jump in. Let's go to Zach in Houston, Texas. Zach, what is going on?

[Caller]

Hey, guys, my question is, is it financially okay or responsible for my wife and I to get a golf club membership?

[Ken Coleman]

Well, that's just too simple of a question. How are we to know? So let's start here. George, I know that you're itching to start asking questions here. What do you want to know?

[George Campbell]

I want to know where you're at financially. So do you guys have any debt?

[Caller]

Our only debt is our mortgage on our house.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, Good sign, Zack. It's looking up so far.

[George Campbell]

You got one green light. Let's talk about your savings. How much do you have saved?

[Caller]

Saved? Like liquid?

[George Campbell]

Yes.

[Caller]

Yeah. About five months worth of emergency fund.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, another good sign, Zach. Things are looking really good.

[Caller]

Household income, about 215,000.

[Ken Coleman]

Hey, tell him what he's won, George.

[George Campbell]

I still need to know more.

[Ken Coleman]

You are such a crush.

[George Campbell]

So excited for you to get on.

[Ken Coleman]

The Z course, Zach. We're three for three. But I'm gonna play this out with George.

[George Campbell]

Well, I mean, is this a. You know, is this go with your question? Is it 500 bucks a month, or is it 200 grand for the initial? Wait, wait, wait, wait.

[Ken Coleman]

That's the question. We'll get to that. What else do you need?

[George Campbell]

I want to know what your net worth is.

[Caller]

Okay, my net worth is about 370k. If you include the equity in the home and retirement accounts.

[George Campbell]

Yes.

[Ken Coleman]

And how. And how old of A young guy.

[George Campbell]

Are you?

[Caller]

You? My wife And I are 28.

[Ken Coleman]

I knew it.

[George Campbell]

Cool.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah. You good? By the way? Good golfer.

[George Campbell]

Yeah.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Are you good?

[George Campbell]

That's another question.

[Caller]

I'm pretty good, yeah.

[Ken Coleman]

What's your handicap?

[Caller]

It's about a 10.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, for heaven's sakes. This guy, this guy's chomping at the bed. He's paid his dues. Zach needs.

[George Campbell]

Okay, tell us what it's going to cost.

[Caller]

Okay. It has a $1,000 initiation fee.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, for crying out loud. They don't even make those that cheap anymore. It's fantastic.

[Caller]

Zach, the problem is it's like 500 bucks a month, okay?

[George Campbell]

Who cares?

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, look at this. Georgie boy.

[George Campbell]

As a percentage of your take home.

[Ken Coleman]

I agree. But you're worried about the 500amonth. I'm thrilled over the thousand dollar initiation. You can't find that. Is this a goat track or a nice place?

[Caller]

It's a pretty nice place, but it is semi private and semi public.

[George Campbell]

Okay, well, are there any minimums as far as like food and beverage? Is this like a fancy country club vibe?

[Caller]

Um, their clubhouse is really nice, but no, there's no minimums.

[George Campbell]

Okay.

[Ken Coleman]

This is an absolute slam dunk. Yes, you can afford this.

[George Campbell]

The bigger question is, what does she get to do with 500 bucks of fun money a month?

[Ken Coleman]

For her?

[Caller]

I guess whatever she wants. But she's been getting into golf too, so this would cover both of us.

[George Campbell]

Whoa.

[Ken Coleman]

Thank you.

[George Campbell]

Now we're bonding as a couple. This is wonderful.

[Ken Coleman]

I don't like how you quickly went to what does she get for five? Why do you gotta be so.

[George Campbell]

I'm putting myself in her shoes.

[Ken Coleman]

Well, that was my next question. She's in favor of this. Is that right, Zach?

[Caller]

Well, we both grew up really frugal and so the 500 bucks a month is like, it's like a pain to.

[Ken Coleman]

Spend, you know, for your wife as well. Yes, but is she for this or is she against it?

[Caller]

It.

[Ken Coleman]

I know the pains there, but assuming you've talked about it before this call.

[Caller]

Yes, we did talk about it and she seemed pretty excited about it.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, well, this is a no brainer. This is just because you guys have never spent this kind of money on something like this before. It's brand new. But I'm telling you, the first month, oh, I don't know about day two or three where you guys go out together and the weather's nice, you're in the golf cart, got a little snack, maybe you hit some good shots that day. It's A distant memory. Your brain will adjust to that spend pretty quickly. Right, George?

[George Campbell]

Most 28 year old dudes are spending double that on a truck payment every month.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah.

[George Campbell]

And so I want you to feel better about your decision making. $215,000 completely debt free, except for the house. I mean, it's a small percentage of your income, of your world. And as long as you guys are doing everything else right, you're, you know, paying down the mortgage, investing for your Future. Then the 500 bucks, you'll. You'll start flexing that spending muscle to where it doesn't feel as crazy over time.

[Ken Coleman]

I got a little something extra here before we let Zach go.

[George Campbell]

Okay, Zach, I.

[Ken Coleman]

Have you thought about the ROI on this $500 a month?

[Caller]

I have not.

[Ken Coleman]

Can I tell you, I wrote a book called the Proximity Principle. But forget the book in the title, just the word proximity. You being at places where other wealthy couples, wealthy men, business people are frequenting, and it's the country club. You never know where the conversations turn. And the 6,000 you're going to spend and you gladly do it. And you say this is about us. This is about recreation, which is good. Very well could turn into some huge opportunities in your life. So you and your wife, I'm telling you, need to sit down tonight. Whether you believe me or not, I'm right. You hang out at country clubs, good things happen.

[George Campbell]

I sadly agree with Ken.

[Ken Coleman]

Thank you very much.

[George Campbell]

I don't go to country clubs, but if I did, I'd be a wealthier man.

[Ken Coleman]

Well, I've invited you before. All the times did I invite you to come play golf at Legends and you never showed up. Once, maybe, maybe once.

[George Campbell]

I think after the first one you went, this guy doesn't have his. He's not coming.

[Ken Coleman]

You could have driven the golf cart.

[George Campbell]

Now, that I would do.

[Ken Coleman]

Well, we gave you that option. Let's go to James in Dallas, Texas. James, how can we help?

[Caller]

Hey, guys. Thank you for taking my call.

[Ken Coleman]

Sure. What's going on?

[Caller]

I work a sales job, and so my income fluctuates pretty dramatically throughout the year. I end up making good money, but I have to keep money set aside to go through the lean months. So I'm new to Dave Ramsey, so I do have some debt. And I'm trying to figure out, do I need to keep the. You know, which I keep about six months of expenses in an account. Do I need. Once I pay off my debt, do I need to get an additional six months or so of like emergency fund money or would you Guys consider that to be the same. And anything above that number, I go and invest in retirement accounts.

[George Campbell]

I like keeping them separate. And I like what you're doing now. I kind of call it a peaks and valleys fund because you have that low month, you can float by and take it out of there instead of your emergency fund. Because we know it's not emergency. It's not unexpected. Right. And so I, I would aim to have both. I like what you're doing. Keep your Peaks and Valleys fund right now, pay off your debt, then build an emergency fund outside of that, and as far as that peaks and valleys fund, I would look at 20, 25 and go, hey, what was my deficit? What was the biggest deficit I had in a single month? And I would keep that plus a little bit of buffer in there.

[Caller]

Okay.

[George Campbell]

I don't think you need six months of expenses. That feels over the top job. I think you'll see. Hey, I didn't have a zero dollar month, but I did have a few months where I needed to pull three grand out to cover my bills. Yeah, and once you're debt free, your bills also get lower. So that's nice. You can be a little more lean.

[Caller]

And then once I do have my debt paid off and I invest 15% into retirement accounts, I have a mortgage. Should I throw that money at my mortgage or. I've also considered starting a side business, but not going into debt with it.

[George Campbell]

Yeah, those are all separate things that are all good to do. So invest 15%. If you have extra money on top of that, throw extra on the principle of your mortgage and you can start that side business. Just do it with cash, start slow, and as it grows and you get this kind of bonus money, you can throw that at the mortgage too. Reinvest in the business.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah. Like it, James?

[George Campbell]

Way to go, man.

[Ken Coleman]

Good, good question. Love that he's doing the discipline thing here.

[George Campbell]

Yeah.

[Ken Coleman]

As a salesperson with that irregular income, you can win with it. Great call. Great, great advice. And you got to love it, James. When, when, when the ultimate worrier, Mr. Money Anxiety himself, tells you, I'm carefree, this is what you need to do.

[George Campbell]

I'm a new man.

[Ken Coleman]

Take that to the bank.

[George Campbell]

Welcome to 2026. Last year is officially in the rear view and you're fired up to finally make some changes with your money. New year, new goals, we love it. But let's be honest, old you said the exact same thing last January and the January before that. And before you know it, those money goals fizzle out faster than the fleeting flavor of LaCroix. So here's the truth. New Year motivation only gets you so far. You need an actual plan. And the good news is you don't have to figure it out on your own. Everydollar builds a personalized plan based on your goals and your real life. And it actually coaches you to stick with it. Plus, the EveryDollar app will help you find extra money hiding in your budget. And trust me, there's always something hiding. The average person finds $3015 in the first 15 minutes. That's basically like giving yourself a raise and a much happier New year. So don't let future you down. Make them proud. Go download the EveryDollar Budget app and start for free right now.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, the Live like no one else cruise is back, folks. For all of you who are living debt free, we'd love for you to think about and actually join us in the Western Caribbean. Do you say Caribbean or Caribbean?

[George Campbell]

It switches based on my mood.

[Ken Coleman]

It's Caribbean, by the way. I asked the good folks that are natives of the Caribbean and they told me. Damn.

[George Campbell]

They said it's so. It is. Pirates of the Caribbean is accurate.

[Ken Coleman]

That is correct. That's how you say it. This is the only cruise where you can hang out with us and Dave. Dave for seven days in paradise, enjoying poolside chats. Sorry, the way this is written, as though you're going to enjoy a poolside chat with Dave.

[George Campbell]

That's what. If that's what you're looking to do, you might be sorely disappointed.

[Ken Coleman]

It's not going to happen. I want to go ahead and put that out there. He's not going to sit by the pool and chat with you.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

He'll.

[Ken Coleman]

George, on the other hand, might.

[George Campbell]

I'll be tanning for sure.

[Ken Coleman]

George likes to. Oh, man.

[George Campbell]

Find Ken on the pickleball court.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah, as a matter of fact. In fact, my favorite thing to do on this boat. It's the same boat that we went on last time. Yep. And there's a pickleball court on the top of the ship.

[George Campbell]

Deloney will be in the workout room. Rachel will be in the spa. You'll know where to find us.

[Ken Coleman]

Where are you?

[George Campbell]

You can just guess.

[Ken Coleman]

Are you by the pool?

[George Campbell]

I'll probably be at the coffee shop trying out different espressos.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah, I was going to say, I think the first. My favorite memory of the cruise was day two, I think we were out at sea, as I recall, and I ran into George around the pool and he had so much sunscreen on him, I thought that he had a mask on.

[George Campbell]

That's my natural skin tone.

[Ken Coleman]

You know, you're supposed to rub that in. Oh, you just slather it on as though someone basted you with mayonnaise.

[George Campbell]

I figure it works better if it's slathered. That's what I found to be true on Google.

[Ken Coleman]

And just rub it in for the rest of us. It was a little alarming. I thought you were having some kind of reaction. But anyway, that was one of my favorite memories. Hey, you don't want to wait. You ready for that?

[Caller]

This.

[Ken Coleman]

The ship is already over halfway full, and the Neptune Suites have already sold out, so take that for what it's worth.

[George Campbell]

Those are sweet.

[Ken Coleman]

Lock in your spot with a $600 deposit before it's too late. You can click on the link in the show notes or go to ramseysolutions.com events. By the way, I will tell you, it was a lot of fun, and I am not a cruise guy, but I had a blast.

[George Campbell]

The only way I can take a vacation is wait for the next Ramsey cruise with a, you know, infant and toddler.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Yeah.

[George Campbell]

Hey, I got to go.

[Ken Coleman]

By the way, you know, you were not bringing the dogs.

[George Campbell]

No dogs allowed.

[Ken Coleman]

No dogs on the ship. Nobody wants to see your.

[George Campbell]

Forget it then.

[Ken Coleman]

Specifically your dogs. Ryan is up in Kansas City. Ryan, how can we help?

[Caller]

Hey, guys. I'm super excited to talk to you. My wife and I are having a little bit of a disagreement.

[Ken Coleman]

Uh.

[George Campbell]

Oh.

[Caller]

I. I have an opportunity to go for a promotion here in the next couple of months. And I am 37, and so my belief is. Is that I should still be going for promotions and fighting hard to. To improve my career. My wife really wants me to stay where I am, and the reason is, is that I've got a pretty large amount of anxiety that I've had to have bouts with previously from my time in the service. And I, in this position, have not had any problems with my anxiety. I have been really great at this job, and it's one of the few things that I, you know, like, I feel like I can just do. Well, what do you.

[Ken Coleman]

Let me jump in really quick. What do you think are the reasons? Is there some evidence that both you and your wife could agree on as to why you've not experienced these anxiety breakouts and some of the symptoms in this particular job?

[Caller]

Yeah. So the easy answer to that is that I've got. The team here is great, and my manager is super supportive of me. My manager has a very strong opinion on mental health. He prioritizes it. So he also lets me kind of have open ended goals for me to go after. So I'm a project lead and so I'm able to pick and choose kind of the projects that I want. And so these have been big opportunities for me and I've done very well at them. And I think also a little bit of my success has led to my, I guess my mental health a lot better.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, and have you been doing therapy this whole time as well?

[Caller]

No.

[Ken Coleman]

Have you done therapy before?

[Caller]

No.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, here's the deal. I'll let you off the hook. Okay? But listen, I didn't ask you. I don't want this for a second for you to feel like I put you in a corner. Here's why I'm asking. Because if you've won and you've had very little anxiety issues in the current role, you just told me why and you've been able to do that without any kind of help because you've had some obviously trauma serving our country, which by the way, you're a great American. Thank you for serving our country. But if you've been able to do this by the circumstances and certainly the manager and how the manager has led you, these are some good signs. And the question becomes then, if I'm talking to your wife, if I'm you, she's got a real concern for you. But we've got this, this, this evidence and I would want to know if this promotion that I have before me, are the circumstances and the manager going to be similar? That question number one. So what's the answer?

[Caller]

No, it's going to be a completely different. It's going to be a big change. I would be on a different team, different division, everything.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay, but, but I get that, but have you in the interview process asked enough questions to be able to figure out if the work flow will be similar?

[Caller]

I didn't really, I looked into it outside of the interview process. At the next step up. It's, it's going to be a lot more customer focused and so I'm going to be customer facing a lot more. So the expectation is it's going to be very different in my, I mean the workload is going to be a lot heavier. I don't mind that.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay. But my point is, is you have evidence that should now become a list and these are the reasons why you think you've not had any anxiety episodes and you've been able to be pretty healthy mentally in this current role. It doesn't have to be apples to apples, but I do think it's worth digging a little deeper on this, especially with your wife having a concern. I want to bring George in because I think he has a unique perspective on this. Are you listening to this? Your thoughts on this?

[George Campbell]

I think there's an assumption that the leap would lead to anxiety. And the other part to think about is, okay, let's assume there is going to be and let's plan ahead for that and let's figure out how to manage that if it does happen. But I wouldn't skip over this promotion just out of kind of comfort. That also scares me. And I think that can lead to a lot of regret on its own end. And there's an assumption, too, that the grass is not going to be as green as it is now. And I would be asking questions like Ken said, hey, what's the leadership style over there? What's the team dynamic like? What is going to be the amount of time I'm interfacing with customers? And then we go, okay, now we have a better picture. We have some clarity. Is this worth the lease leap for the added responsibility and paycheck.

[Ken Coleman]

Have you talked to your current manager about this promotion?

[Caller]

Yeah.

So I'm very open with him about everything that I'm looking at.

[Ken Coleman]

Here's why I asked the question. I would want to sit with him and go, hey, you have been phenomenal and created an environment and certainly a workflow that has helped me. What do you think about me taking this role? Have you done that?

[Caller]

Yeah.

So.

Yes, his statement was, was you should, you know, at your age, you should still be going for promotions. You should still be trying to work your way up the ladder.

[Ken Coleman]

I agree.

[Caller]

But he did tell me, he did tell me. He goes, hey, you know, this next step is going to add a lot more stress onto you. And I know that's something you struggled with in your past.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay.

[Caller]

You know, if you stay here for longer, there may be options, you know, deeper in the future. But I think we've all heard that before.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah. So here's. Here's what I'm telling you. I want to bring back around the question I asked you about a therapist. Now is the time for you to actually go get that help.

[George Campbell]

Get the tools in place now.

[Ken Coleman]

Get the tools and go. I just kind of walked into a situation where it really helped me. But if I'm walking into, I need the ability to be able to deal with the past trauma and how that affects me. I would get into therapy instantly.

[George Campbell]

Can I ask what the jump in pay is? What Are you making now? What would you be making?

[Caller]

Yeah, so I'm making 107 and my wife also makes around the same. And then the jump in pay would be to 120 to about 125. But I've also got disability coming from the army, which is 24k a year.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Wow.

[George Campbell]

That gives you some options. It really helps you progress with your financial future. You guys got some goals ahead?

[Caller]

Well, yeah. So I've been listening to the show for like two and a half months and, and I've always believed that debt was kind of a bad thing, but my wife got a brand new truck. We're going to pay that off. And so right now we're looking to pay that off. And my goal is to have that paid off within the next year to 18 months.

[George Campbell]

Nice. You got a new why now? I'm taking this promotion so that we can create financial stability for our family.

[Ken Coleman]

And pay off your truck. But I do think you need to seriously address with her what you're going to do to make sure that you have the tools to be able to handle any stress and anxiety with this new role. I think that's a fair question for her and she's asking because she cares about you.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Hey, guys, Dave Ramsey here. Every day on this show, we help people work through real money problems and figure out what to do next. Now, you can get that same kind of help anytime with Ask Ramsey. Ask your money question and get answers built on Ramsey principles we use on the show. Whether you're making a decision or just want something explained, Ask Ramsey is here to help. It's fast, simple, and free to use. Go to ramseysolutions.com and try Ask Ramsey today. That's ramseysolutions.com.

[Ken Coleman]

All right. In the lobby. Here at our Ramsey headquarters, we've got Randy and Erica on the debt free stage. Welcome.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Thank you.

Hello.

[Ken Coleman]

Where are you guys in from?

[Guest or Audience Member]

Boise, Idaho.

[Ken Coleman]

Boise, Idaho. Okay. Welcome, welcome, welcome. All right, let's hear the numbers. How much debt did you pay off?

[Guest or Audience Member]

380,000. $380,000 in 13 years.

[Ken Coleman]

In over 13 years. Okay.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Okay.

[Ken Coleman]

And what was the range of income?

[Guest or Audience Member]

100,000 to 200,000.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay. What do you guys, what do you guys do for a living?

[Guest or Audience Member]

I'm a school principal.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay.

[Guest or Audience Member]

I'm an occupational therapist.

[Ken Coleman]

Okay. Wow. Fantastic. All right, so what kind of debt are we talking about?

[Guest or Audience Member]

Our house.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, one of those people over there.

[George Campbell]

Sneaking suspicion. I was like, that amount of money over that amount of time, feels like they were knocking out that mortgage that's right.

[Ken Coleman]

That's right.

[George Campbell]

That's incredible. David.

[Ken Coleman]

Want us to call you weird people?

[George Campbell]

I won't do that. I'll leave that today.

[Ken Coleman]

I felt like we had to do it. I only say that because I know he's thinking it somewhere. Yes.

[George Campbell]

We're the weirdest people around right now.

[Ken Coleman]

That's a fact.

[George Campbell]

All right. What is the house worth?

[Guest or Audience Member]

900,000, approximately.

[George Campbell]

Oh, my goodness. And what do you guys got in your nest egg?

[Guest or Audience Member]

Another 700,000.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, my goodness.

[George Campbell]

We are looking at baby steps, millionaires. That's not even including pensions and cars and who knows what else.

[Ken Coleman]

That's right.

[George Campbell]

That's incredible cash.

[Ken Coleman]

I want to point out this is a man who's an educator, so, I mean, it can be done, can it not?

[Guest or Audience Member]

Definitely.

[Ken Coleman]

And you did it. All right. We. That's right. You did it together.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Yep.

[Ken Coleman]

So what took place? What was the impetus 13 years ago to say we're gonna pay our house off?

[Guest or Audience Member]

It was the feeling of panic, I guess, would be best. Describe what happened. We. We needed to buy five plane tickets for a funeral for my father. And at that moment, we had to put it on credit. We just didn't have anything in savings. We never planned anything ahead. We were not prepared for anything. Car broke down, whatever. We would just have to put it on credit. And it was a major kick in the stomach knowing we knew this day would come and we just weren't ready. And it was pretty horrible to have to worry about money at that time instead of. Of being with our family. So I think from that moment on is when we seriously said, we have got to do something. And we got back from that trip, and a friend had done financial peace or had knew about Dave Ramsey, and we had no idea who he was, and she talked us into doing the financial peace class. So that's kind of when the whole thing started.

[Ken Coleman]

So did you get the idea from the friend together, or did one of you get it and had to bring it home to the other?

[Guest or Audience Member]

No.

[George Campbell]

Yeah.

[Guest or Audience Member]

It was a parent at my school.

[George Campbell]

Okay.

[Guest or Audience Member]

And became fast friends, and we took the class with them, and then Erica went on to teach a few classes.

It was over. I taught a class.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Wow.

[Guest or Audience Member]

At our. At his school. He worked at a Catholic school, so we taught the class there, and we were just like, oh, we just have to. It just helped our fire, you know, just kind of doing that.

[Ken Coleman]

Sure.

[George Campbell]

Yeah. It's hard to not stay accountable when you're teaching the stuff, telling everyone else to do it. You're like, we got to be Doing? Yeah, it was incredible.

[Guest or Audience Member]

It was tough. Like in the beginning, when the lesson where you have to cut up your credit cards, he was like, nope, not doing that.

[George Campbell]

This guy's gone too far, this Dave guy.

[Ken Coleman]

Oh, I love that. So you're in the class together, and that lesson pops up, and you're like, whoa, this is a bridge too far.

[Guest or Audience Member]

It was a gut check. And years ago, Dave said, it's usually one credit card that you have a hard time cutting up. And for me, it was. It was my first credit card. My dad provided it for me, and I don't know why. It had strings attached.

[George Campbell]

It was sentimental.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Yeah. Cut up the American Express. And we were going.

Right. But every class I remember, it was like, okay, we need to do that. We had done nothing. I mean, every class, we learned something and then went home and did it. And from that moment forward, it's. It just kind of, you know, it went from there.

[George Campbell]

So how do you stay motivated? 13 years. You know, I'm sure there was some fits and starts and some great seasons and some seasons where you're like, we're not making much progress here. What was it like?

[Guest or Audience Member]

And one of those. The season that we really turned it on was Covid. Obviously, as educators, we still.

[George Campbell]

We were lucky.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Yeah, we were lucky. We still had our jobs. I was a school occupational therapist, so I worked in the school schools. He was working in the schools. And when others were struggling with no income, we still had ours, and we weren't spending money on anything. And at the same time, he was able to get extra jobs. Teaching online, teaching night school. Doing.

Yes. Deficient in credits. Took a few jobs. One was a lift operator at our local ski mountain. The worst job I've ever had. Had.

[Ken Coleman]

Really? Why is that? I. I don't know much about that.

[Guest or Audience Member]

It's. You're cold, and you're seeing people having a blast. Skain and powder. And you're saying, here's your chair.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah.

[George Campbell]

Okay.

[Ken Coleman]

I was picturing you, like, maybe on some type of a, you know, lever or joystick, and if somebody was particularly smug, you just put it stop, and they fall off. I didn't know if that ever happened. Okay, good, good, good.

[George Campbell]

Yeah, yeah.

[Guest or Audience Member]

And lumberyard. A lot of jobs. And Erica, also.

[Ken Coleman]

Good for you. Yeah.

[Guest or Audience Member]

I worked probably for 10 years, every weekend doing therapy in rehab settings, like in adult rehab. So I worked in the schools, and then when I had summers and Christmas off, I would pick up work doing extra at adult rehab so that I could make extra income.

[Ken Coleman]

So, yeah, you know, I Just thought of something I wanted to ask, ask you both, but certainly, Randy, you know, here you are an esteemed position, you know, in what you do. And here you are operating a lift, working in a lumber yard. And I think there are people that are listening and watching you both right now. And George, you mentioned this earlier in the show. You talk about pride and we all have pride. But pride can really, you know, rear its ugly head when you need to swallow your pride.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Right.

[Ken Coleman]

And do what it takes. What would you say to people because you, I'm sure you dealt with that. What would you say to people that are feeling that because right now they're out driving, delivering something or doing something, something they feel a little shame over.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Right. There's no feeling like being debt free. And we had our last mortgage payment in September and it was, we were giddy and our kids have been so supportive. But you're right, it was a lot of pride swallowing. Erica was always there to say, you know, let's stay focused. I can distinctly remember a day, it was about 105 working out in the lumber yard and flies are everywhere and I'm thinking, what am I doing?

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah.

[Guest or Audience Member]

I'm, you know, 52 years old.

[George Campbell]

Yeah.

[Guest or Audience Member]

And picking this up just to add. Sorry, I don't mean to step on you. When you get your paycheck though, and you can use that to pay for all the, the extra principal or all the utilities instead of something else like it, it kind of helps to take away that like it was brutal getting up at 5:30 in the morning to go to work for six hours. But when I got my paycheck, I felt like I did something and it made a difference.

[George Campbell]

You got like a little dopamine hit.

[Guest or Audience Member]

It was you go.

[George Campbell]

All right, that was worth it. I got some instant gratification here after all my hard work. Yeah, I just love that Randy's either sweating or freezing with all the side hustles. I know I picked something a little more temperate.

[Ken Coleman]

We gotta get this guy an indoor side hustle where the air is regulated.

[George Campbell]

Ken and I are indoor cats, so we're really impressed.

[Ken Coleman]

We don't do well outside of this air controlled studio. All right, real quick, tell people what the key to getting out of debt is.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Go ahead.

[Ken Coleman]

Here.

[Guest or Audience Member]

You have to get to that moment where you are just like Dave says, sick and tired. And you, when you get there, there's nothing that's going to stop you. You're going to just do it. If you're ready, you're going to do it. And you're going to be gazelle, intense and. And it's gonna sustain you. You're gonna make it there.

[Ken Coleman]

Love that.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Yeah.

[Ken Coleman]

Who are some of your biggest supporters on this journey?

[Guest or Audience Member]

Definitely our kids. I gotta throw in there. Our kids were. They didn't really tune in. They're 24, 22, 20. And it didn't hit them until they were going to college, which we cash flowed completely. And where they had Roths set up, they were working, they were putting money in. And then they realize, hey, we're close to being debt free. And they were talking about going to school and with a fellow, a friend, who's $100,000 in student debt. And that's when it really clicked for them. So they've been our biggest solution.

[George Campbell]

How blessed and privileged they are. And you guys change your family tree.

[Ken Coleman]

Love it.

[Guest or Audience Member]

I think they realize how lucky they are.

[Ken Coleman]

All right. I hope so. So this is the moment you guys have worked so hard to. This is the emotional finish line, right as you get ready for the scream. Here we go. This is fun. We got Randy and Erica from Boise, Idaho. They paid off 380,000 in 13 years, making 100 all the way up to 200,000. Randy, Erica, take it away. Let's hear your debt free scream. Three, two, one. We're debt free. There we go. They did it, George. So fun, isn't it?

[George Campbell]

I keep thinking of Thomas Jefferson. I'm a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more luck I have. There it is.

[Ken Coleman]

I like that. Even if it's in the lumber yard.

[George Campbell]

Or on that ski lift, raising your butt off.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

There you go.

[George Campbell]

Hard work creates luck and they've created that for themselves.

[Caller]

Foreign.

[George Campbell]

Hey, George, Camel here. So you're thinking about buying or selling your home? It's exciting, but there's a lot to think about and all those decisions can feel overwhelming. Well, here's the good news. You don't have to tackle the process alone. Ramsey's real estate home base is the place to find all of your free tools and resources for help to get prepared to buy or sell your home with confidence. You'll find calculators, start to finish guides, a podcast, and even an in depth video course course hosted by yours truly. What's not to love? So if you're ready to take the next steps toward your home goals, go to ramseysolutions.com realestate that's ramseysolutions.com realestate.

[Ken Coleman]

Our scripture of the day comes from Romans 13:8. Owe no one anything except to love each other for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. I love you, George.

[George Campbell]

Thank you. I appreciate that. I love you too, Ken.

[Ken Coleman]

There you go.

[George Campbell]

No debts owed. Just love.

[Ken Coleman]

That's it. That's all we got between us?

[George Campbell]

I'll put that on a shirt or stitch it on a pillow.

[Ken Coleman]

And our quote of the day from Mark Twain. Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

[George Campbell]

That's a sick burn from Twain.

[Ken Coleman]

You have to love him because he was the original snark.

[George Campbell]

If Twitter was around, he would be the number one tweeter out there.

[Ken Coleman]

Bonus points. Little known fact, some people will care. What is his real life name?

[George Campbell]

Oh, I know this in the back of the recesses of my mind. Is it Charles?

[Ken Coleman]

I think somebody in the booth. Does somebody in a booth know? I'll give them credit.

[George Campbell]

All right, hit us.

[Ken Coleman]

No, nobody has. It's Samuel Clemens.

[George Campbell]

Samuel Clemens.

[Ken Coleman]

For those keeping score at home. Hey, you know, I like to bless America every once in a while with a little known fact. He can drop at a cocktail party, maybe.

[George Campbell]

Or not a trivia night.

[Ken Coleman]

Or trivia night. Yeah, that could come and win a gift card at your local Applebee's. What was Mark Twain's real name? I see that showing up.

[George Campbell]

I want Ken on my trivia team.

[Ken Coleman]

I'm just saying, trust me, you do strong in the area of political and history and sports and not bad in entertainment. Entertainment, where I. Where I'm a real liability, is science and math.

[George Campbell]

Who does trivia around math? That's the worst trivia night.

[Ken Coleman]

I don't know. I don't go to these things. Okay. Brooks is up in Chicago. Brooks, how can we help?

[Caller]

Hi. How's it going? Thank you for taking my call.

[Ken Coleman]

You bet. What's going on with you?

[Caller]

So I'll just cut right to the chase. Short story. At age 34, I was diagnosed with stage four positive lung cancer.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Oh, my.

[Caller]

And I'm 37 now. I have four children. I've been on disability the last year and a half. I did start working in October, Just two or three days a week, but back down to one day a week now. But my question is, I have a smartvestor pro friend that handles my finances, and we were able to do a viatical settlement on a $500,000 life insurance policy. My cancer is terminal, by the way. So that's why we decided. But that's why we decided to do it. And we settled with 209,000 as of today. Right now, it's at 228,000 in a brokerage account and I also have a traditional IRA at 73,000. Over the last 10 years, we've had some debt here and there, but as of today, we are debt free except for our mortg.

[Ken Coleman]

Wow.

[Caller]

So my question is, what do I do with my situation? I can give you my. This is like how much I make a month or whatever you guys need.

[Ken Coleman]

So how much is on the house mortgage?

[Caller]

284,000. It's valued at 599 as of spring of 2025.

[George Campbell]

Wow, man, this is a heavy one. I know you've been sitting with it. What does your family think about all this? Have you talked to your wife? There's some big financial decisions to make here too.

[Caller]

Yeah, my wife is, she's on board with whatever we decide to do together. We have been in it from day one. We've been together for 20 years, married for 14, a high school sweetheart. So whatever decision we do make, we make together.

[George Campbell]

So what is the, the sort of fork in the road as far as financial decisions for you?

[Caller]

I guess knowing I have a 10 year old, 8 year old, 6 and 3 year old, what to do with the brokerage account, do I let it grow until I have enough to pay the house off and then do it, or do I let that continue to grow? Not knowing exactly. I mean, I know none of our us know exactly how many days we have, but, but knowing that I could have, you know, three, five years, you know, or less or more.

[George Campbell]

And what happens with the brokerage account? If you would pass.

[Caller]

My wife, it's, it's, it's in the joint brokerage account.

[George Campbell]

Okay. So it goes straight to her and then she can use that to pay off the mortgage. So that's one option versus taking what's in there now, throwing it at the mortgage and then using your future income to knock out the mortgage over a period of time.

[Caller]

Yes, correct.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Man.

[George Campbell]

I would personally, if I was in your shoes, I would just hang on to that brokerage account for now. You don't have enough to knock out the mortgage and so you're still going to have that payment every month. And so I'm totally good with you just waiting. If you have enough to knock out the mortgage and it would just give you guys peace, then I would do that at that point.

[Caller]

Okay.

[George Campbell]

What did your smartvestor pro say? I'm curious.

[Caller]

I've asked him once before we got the money. I haven't followed up with him yet because we were just kind of letting this grow. But he said to hold on to the money as well and let it grow.

[George Campbell]

Cool. Yeah, I like that plan. There's just a lot of variables coming up and who knows how they'll use that money and what income stream they will have after that. Have you guys thought about that? That portion. Will any of her disability or your disability go to her?

[Caller]

She should be able to draw off my disability. Yes. If I pass, if I understand the laws and everything.

Right.

And then the kids also, it's about. They get about $1,000 a month.

[George Campbell]

Okay, that's great. I would make sure to do your due diligence on how the future income is going to happen. That's more important than just solving the mortgage problem. You want to make sure they can cover all their expenses with or without the mortgage. But, man, these are. You don't want to be making these kind of decisions with your diagnosis. So I'm so sorry to hear, and I'm wishing you the best, the longest life you can have and the best time you can have with your family.

[Ken Coleman]

Yeah. Brooks, we're so very sorry. You're.

[George Campbell]

You're.

[Ken Coleman]

You're just so strong. It's unbelievable that we're even having this conversation with you. You sound like you just got a great frame of mind given this unimaginable situation you're dealing with. So, yeah, this is a lot of communication over these things. Seek the counsel of many. Make decisions as best you can without any time of fear. But just say, all right, we're going to make the best decision we can make for the future and let the chips fall where they may. So sorry you're dealing with this. Thank you for sharing a bit of your story with us, Brooks. So unbelievable that there. Let's go to Chris now in Atlanta, Georgia. Chris, how can we help?

[Caller]

Hey, how's it going? Thanks for taking my call.

[Ken Coleman]

Sure. What's up?

[Caller]

So I am about $20,000 in the hole on my current vehicle, and I'm getting ready to sell my house. I just moved to Georgia from Michigan. I'm closing on Monday. I'm going to net about $66,000.

[George Campbell]

Okay.

[Caller]

And so I'm just wondering, should I just bite the bullet and get rid of this truck?

[George Campbell]

What's that? What's the truck worth?

[Caller]

The best. It's worth about 35. I just recently got it appraised and I owe 53.

[George Campbell]

Okay. And what's your income.

[Caller]

Right now? About 60,000.

[George Campbell]

Yeah. This truck has to go, man. If you are making 200 grand and you love the truck, I would say hey, just pay it off with the net proceeds of the house and be done. But this truck is just too much of your world.

[Caller]

Yeah, I was making closer to six figures when I originally bought it, but that that changed.

[George Campbell]

What's the payment on it and the Insurance?

[Caller]

It is $900 a month for the payment and another 230 for the insurance.

[George Campbell]

So here's the good news. You are going to take a hit. And if you can sell it private party, get as much as you can for it, it'll be less of a hit. But that 66k net is going to turn into 46k net and you'll clear the loan and the mortgage. I'm sorry, the insurance which frees you up 1100 bucks a month for the rest of your life.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Life.

[George Campbell]

And then with the other money you're probably going to need something to drive. So let's get a $10,000 car, $15,000 car in cash and then whatever money's left becomes our emergency fund.

[Caller]

Well, I'm hoping to buy another house down here in Georgia.

[George Campbell]

Not anytime soon. With what money? Because once you cover the deficit, get an emergency fund and buy a different car, that money has been earmarked. So if you do it this way now we'll have a clean slate financial foundation. We'll never need to go into debt again. Then we can begin saving up a down payment. But making 60 grand? It's going to take a while to buy a house where you're going and that's okay. Move slow. The reason we're here today is because we moved fast and made a lot of assumptions. Let's create some financial peace.

[Ken Coleman]

You can do it Chris. Hang in there. Freedom is on the other side of all this. Thanks for the call. Remember folks, there's ultimately only one way to financial peace and that's to walk daily with the Prince of peace, Christ Jesus.