Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel

Playing Devil’s Advocate Against Our Own Money Advice

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📕 Grab George Kamel’s book, Breaking Free from Broke.   Sometimes, you’ve got to entertain the haters and put your own teachings to the test...

Responding to Your Money Drama (Not Holding Back)

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Enter to win $5,000 with Ramsey’s Christmas Cash Giveaway.  No matter where you are on your wealth-building journey—everyone has money di...

Money Lessons Hidden in Your Favorite TV Shows

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Enter to win $5,000 with Ramsey’s cash giveaway.   From Friends to The Office, Hollywood tends to bend reality when it comes to portraying p...

How to Financially Survive Every Season of Life

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💰 Which side hustle is right for you? Get personalized recommendations from our Side Hustle Quiz.  Different phases of life call for different ...

We Ask Anjelah Johnson-Reyes About Her Comedy Career and Money Habits

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💰 Which side hustle is right for you? Get personalized recommendations from our Side Hustle Quiz.   You’ve watched her successful comedy caree...

We Paint and Sip While Exploring Financial Gender Stereotypes

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💰 Which side hustle is right for you? Get personalized recommendations from our Side Hustle Quiz.  Money is an art and a science. Today, George...

Comparing Disney Villains to Sneaky Financial Industry Traps

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💸 Uncover extra cash in your budget with the Money Finder Challenge.   When building wealth feels extra challenging, it’s easy to get caught u...

What You Should Do With Your Money Before It’s Too Late

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💸 Uncover extra cash in your budget with the free Money Finder.   You can’t take it with you when you go . . . but you can leave your loved on...

What the Top 7 World Religions Believe About Money

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💸 Uncover extra cash in your budget with the 24-Hour Money Finder Challenge.  Find some pearls to clutch because we’re talking religion and mon...

We Call Out Your Cringe Money Behaviors

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💸 Uncover extra cash in your budget with the Money Finder Challenge. https://ter.li/sxaau7   Is one generation building wealth better than the...

We Settle Your Heated Money Arguments

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💸 Uncover extra cash in your budget with the Money Finder Challenge. https://ter.li/sxaau7   Ever have a major disagreement about money with t...

How Matt and Abby Went From Broke College Kids to “Unplanned” Influencers

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💸 Want to see how fast you can pay off your house? Use our FREE Mortgage Payoff Calculator.   Matt and Abby from The Unplanned Podcast join Rach...

Pros and Cons of Shopping in 2005 (Should We Go Back?)

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💸 Want to see how fast you can pay off your house? Use our FREE Mortgage Payoff Calculator.   Claire’s, Sbarro, Great American Cookies—can w...

Are These Common Money Habits Broke, Average or Wealthy?

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💪🏼 Which side hustle is right for you? Get personalized recommendations with this Side Hustle Quiz.   When you think you’re slaying the per...

Date Nights from $0 to $10,000? We’ve Got You Covered!

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you making these four common investing mistakes? Get our free Investing Guide and find out.   Is it actually possible to plan a quality da...

Critiquing Your Spending Habits (and Ours) With Dr. John Delony

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you making these 4 common investing mistakes? Get our free Investing Guide and find out.   We’ve got a doctor in the house today, friend...

Did These High-Dollar Lawsuits Pay Off?

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you making these 4 common investing mistakes? Get our free Investing Guide and find out. Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, McDonald’s hot c...

Baby Q&A: Costs, Essentials and Honest Advice

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💰 Which side hustle is right for you? Get personalized recommendations from our Side Hustle Quiz. https://ter.li/8u8nzi 📈 Are you on track ...

Red Flags That Scream, “I’m Bad With Money”

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💰 Which side hustle is right for you? Get personalized recommendations from our Side Hustle Quiz. https://ter.li/8u8nzi 📈 Are you on track ...

Our Unfiltered Takes on Your Real-Life Money Dilemmas

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💰 Which side hustle is right for you? Get personalized recommendations from our Side Hustle Quiz. https://ter.li/8u8nzi 📈 Are you on track ...

How Does Your Net Worth Compare to the Average American?

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. Does your current net worth feel like a power move or a bad punch line? In...

Is Gen Z Financially Doomed? Let’s Talk About It

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. Is it harder for Gen Z to get ahead with money compared to other generations...

Everyday Middle-Class Luxuries (That Are Low-Key Bougie)

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   Anyone else feel like being middle class is making a comeback? In this e...

We’re Talking America, Freedom and . . . Finances?

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. Ever wonder how we went from using gold coins to dollar bills? In this epi...

Reacting to the Most Unhinged GoFundMe Campaigns

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   Is starting an online fundraiser for yourself so you can go to Yoga Teac...

Is Anything Actually Cheaper in 2025? Let's Find Out!

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   Inflation is real right now . . . but we do have some things going for u...

Tactful or Tacky? We’re Judging the Wildest Frugal Wedding Fails

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   Swapping sparklers for potato flakes for a budget-friendly wedding send-...

We’re Here to Judge Your Guilty Pleasures (With Love)

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   Could your guilty pleasures—like fancy water or a fresh manicure appoi...

Are You a Quality or a Quantity Person? (And How That Affects Your Money)

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. Would you rather buy one pair of expensive designer shoes or get five chea...

’90s Status Symbols That Screamed “We’re Rich!”

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   From Abercrombie jeans to Juicy Couture tracksuits, some things just fel...

Reacting to the Wildest “Am I the Jerk?” Reddit Threads

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. If you’ve ever wondered if you’re the one in the wrong in a sticky situa...

We Dedicated an Entire Episode to Respond to the Haters

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. If you’ve ever left a comment on this show saying we’re out of touch, tot...

The DUMBEST Things People Actually Spend Money On!

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. Dropping $10 on latte art . . . Waste of money or totally worth it? In this ...

Disney Reality Check: The Good, the Bad and the Magical

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. If you’re willing to go into debt for limited-edition Mickey Mouse ears 🐭...

Putting Our Financial Knowledge to the Test (With Special Guests!)

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. Today’s special guests may not be old enough to drive a car, but they’ve...

Answering Your Top Housing Questions

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   If buying a house feels impossible, you’re In this episode, Rachel and G...

The Internet Came for Us . . . Here’s Our Response

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. “Does George Kamel even know how much things actually cost?” In this epi...

Make It Make Sense: Calling Out Money Double Standards

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. If you’d happily drive an extra 10 minutes to save 10 cents a gallon on ga...

Side Hustles That Are (and Aren’t) Worth It

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   Whether you’re a weekend DJ or assembling boxed furniture, extra money i...

Our Ultimate Guide to Budget-Friendly Travel

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. Is dragging yourself to the airport at 4 a.m. for a $90 round-trip flight wo...

The Money Strategies That Are NOT Dave Ramsey Approved!

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. If you’re debt-free but holding onto that Disney credit card, you might be...

What Level of Crunchy Are You?

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   On a scale of cloth diapers to compost, how crunchy are you? In this episo...

Reacting to Random Things People Used Their “Emergency” Fund For

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. Nothing screams emergency fund like a full-scale raccoon home infestation. I...

Spilling the Financial Tea With Our Better Halves

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   Today we’ve got two very special guests in the studio . . . Winston Cruz...

The Art of Talking Money in Any Relationship

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a Free Personalized Plan Do you ever feel like the “poor friend” of the group struggling to keep ...

Dave Ramsey Answers Your Most-Asked Questions

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a Free Personalized Plan Today we’re giving the people what they want: the man himself, Dave Ramsey...

Sneaky Marketing Tactics That Aren’t Your Friend

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a Free Personalized Plan Remember signing up for that “free” trial of Apple TV+ . . . and four ye...

Stirring the Pot With These Off-Limits Topics

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! If you love awkward silences, just try asking your blind date how much money he make...

Things That Scream “I’m Pretending to Be Upper Class”

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! We all know that person who wears flashy designer logos like they’re personally en...

Things to Stop Doing With Your Money in 2025

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! If you want to have a “new year, new you,” you have to do new things. In the fir...

The Ups, Downs and Lessons of 2024

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! It’s almost time to put out the flame on 2024, and we’re feeling reflective. In ...

Unpacking Money Lessons from Your Favorite Christmas Movies

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! It’s easy to get caught up in holiday commercialism during the holidays—just ask...

Fast Food Showdown: Debating Our Favorites!

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! When it’s 11:30pm and a snack is calling your name, do you go for McDonald’s Fre...

Settling the Debate on Your Financial Faux Pas (We’re Divided)

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! So, you booked all the Airbnbs for the group hiking trip, but that was two months ag...

Affordable Gifts People Will Actually Love

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

🍸 Check out more episodes of Smart Money Happy Hour Tired of giving your dad the same pack of white socks every year for Christmas? In this episod...

Do DINKs Have More Fun (and Money)?

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!   Carefree (and kid-free) travel isn’t the only reason DINKs are living their bes...

25 Life-Changing Tech Purchases You Need to Try

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! “Alexa, set a timer for tomorrow at 8 a.m. Alexa, turn the thermostat to 70 degree...

Reacting to People’s Money Fails (So You Can Feel Better)

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!    Okay, so maybe you get a little carried away at Bath and Body Works, but at leas...

Are These Money Fears Rational?

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!   Today we’re setting the chrometophobes who haven’t been on a vacation since 20...

Do We Have It Harder Financially Than Our Parents?

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!   We all love the ‘80s (minus the shoulder pads and neon). But were ‘80s babies ...

Save a Dime or Save Your Time: How Far Is Too Far?

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!   On a scale of “water only at restaurants” to “extreme couponing,” how far ...

Throwback to Junior High: Financial “Would You Rather”

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!    Would you rather retire in style or broke? (All right, that’s an easy one.) In...

 Revisiting Our Most Viral Financial Advice 

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!  Remember Horsegate? When George broke a girl’s heart with just three words: “Se...

 Savvy or Sketchy: Reacting to Crazy Cost-of-Living Hacks

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!    Would you park a mile away to avoid pricey parking? Or let your home become a sa...

We Debunk Your Top Excuses for Not Budgeting

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! If you’d rather do literally anything else besides sit down and make a budget (inc...

Surprising Money and Pop Culture Facts You Would Never Guess

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!   If you’ve ever dreamed of being a contestant on your favorite game show (and y...

Responding to Your Complicated Money Situations (Our Two Cents)

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! In this episode, we’re switching things up with a little help from our friends (th...

Why Nothing Is Enjoyable Today

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!   The smell of warm cookies, a hug from your bestie, American Idol b-roll—let’s ...

Will This “New” Shopping Tactic Actually Save You Money?

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!   We all love a good BOGO, but can you really spend your way into saving more? In th...

Sharing Our Dumbest Money Mistakes (and Reacting to Yours!)

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today to create a free budget!   We’ve all been guilty of some “stupid tax” moments, like that time you spent $75 ...

The #1 Budget Buster That No One Can Avoid

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!   Did you know there’s one expense that no one on the planet can avoid? And what i...

Life (and Money) Tips We Wish We Knew in Our 20s

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

 💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today to create a free budget! Are there things in life you wish you’d known sooner? Well, you’re in luck! Rachel ...

Challenge: Explaining Investing “Like I’m 5 Years Old”

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today to create a free budget! Consider this episode your crash course in investing! We get it—investing can be confus...

Generational Money Trends: Who’s Got It Right?

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today to create a free budget! Rachel and George have a hot topic on the agenda for this episode: Are Gen Zers just mill...

Financial Realities You Learn as an Adult

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! In this episode, Rachel and George explore the realities of adulting. Spoiler alert:...

Is Chasing “Financial Freedom” Really Worth It?

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! It's Independence Day and Rachel and George are celebrating in true Smart Money Happ...

Are You Guilty of Telling These White (Money) Lies?

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! We’re all guilty of the occasional little white lie, but are they as harmless as ...

Why “Get Ready With Me” Videos Are Costing You $$$$

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today to create a free budget! Are "Get Ready With Me" videos filling your feed? Join George and Rachel as they explore ...

What Are “Vacations” Really Costing You?

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!   Ever feel like “going on vacation” is more work than rest? From booking flights to wr...

Should We Sell It All and Be Homesteaders?

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!   Ever think about turning your back on city life for wide, open spaces and self-sufficienc...

Extreme Makeover: Personal Finance Edition

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!  In this week's episode, George and Rachel are giving financial transformations a nostalgi...

Money Motives Hidden in Shocking True Crime Stories

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget! Ever wonder how far some people will go for money? Join George and Rachel as they unravel t...

Can You Answer This Money Trivia?

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Create a free budget! Sign up for EveryDollar today. If “financial literacy” is as foreign to you as our obsession with avocado toast, that...

Are These Status Symbols Timeless or Tired?

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!  What do puka shells, water beds and lifted trucks have in common? They’re all status sy...

Celebrating Birthdays Without Breaking the Bank

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!  Cue the confetti! What better way to celebrate Rachel's and George’s birthdays than wit...

Today Year’s Old: Surprising Money Facts Everyone Should Know

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Create a free budget. Sign up for EveryDollar today! You were “today years old” when . . . you learned about catch-up contributions, HSA ...

Frugal Fails that Might Actually Ruin You

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget! We love a heroic attempt to save money! Until it backfires. (Let’s be real: We’ve all b...

Are You Guilty of These Financial Turn Offs?

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Create a free budget! Sign up for EveryDollar today.  Venmo requests for $2? Obsessively checking the Dow’s daily swings? No thanks! Rachel a...

When Is Dipping into Your Savings Justified?

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today - Create a free Budget! Stash, stash, spend! In this episode, Rachel and George are breaking down America’s curr...

“Harmless” Purchases That Drain Your Bank Account

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Create a free budget! Sign up for EveryDollar today.  Life is hard, but it’s nothing a “little treat” can’t fix . . . right? Get Rachel...

Rating the Most Predatory Financial Products

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!  Are we the world’s biggest basketball fans? Not exactly. But we’re always game for a ...

Settling Money Debates in Our Comments Section

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!  What do Smart Money Happy Hour viewers really think about cutting up credit cards, the Ba...

Are These Financial Loopholes Ludicrous or Legit?

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!  We admit it: We love saving money! This week, George and Rachel are dishing out some of t...

Did You Get “The (Money) Talk” as a Kid?

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!  Did your parents give you “the talk” as a kid—the money talk, that is? This week, R...

Baby Steps Millionaires Try the “Of Course” Trend

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!  It’s Smart Money Happy Hour, of course we’re going to take a crack at a fun social me...

Why Short-Term Rentals Are No Vacation

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!  Room service or extra room? Live like you’ve got a maid or live like a local? Rachel an...

The Price of Love Just Went Up

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!    You can’t buy love . . . but don’t tell that to the guy who spends $499 a month on ...

Is Casual Culture Bad For Your Bank Account?

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why are wealthy people dressing like they have no money while broke people are trying to dress like they live at the Biltmore? In this episode, George...

Habits Wasting Your Time (and Money) in 2024

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s out with the old and in with the new! George and Rachel are sounding off on the bad habits you need to quit in 2024—like not having an emerge...

The Low-Key Financial Mistake We Can All Make

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some things we’ve just gotten used to—like $4 coffee, the F-bomb on TV, and your cousin Fred oversharing on Facebook. But has our nothing-shocks-u...