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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from the headquarters of Ramsey Solutions, broadcasting from the Pods Moving and Storage Studio, it's The Ramsey Show, where we have a conversation about your money, your life, and actual amazing relationships. I'm John Deloney, joined by my good friend Rachel Cruz, and we're taking your calls on everything. Whatever you've got going on in your life, I'm confident we have an opinion on it.
If you have an actual amazing relationship, John is the one to...
If your relationship is not amazing, call in. Give us a call. 888-825-5225. Let's go out to Nick in Portland. What's up, Nick?
Hi.
Chapter 2: How can I live financially well after paying off debt?
Thank you for having me on today. My question to get to the point is, back in 2011, I was being paralyzed by debt. So in desperation, found Dave Ramsey's methods. And systematically, over the past 12 years, have turned it completely around. So my question is now that my wife and I have done that, we have two small children, we're kind of very, very frugal with our money.
We save about 90%, give or take, a month of what we earn. And now we have a different problem is learning to live a little bit. Yeah. So that was my main question.
You're still living out of a trauma response, brother.
Yeah. I, I think it's, uh, you know, just fear. Obviously there's a lot of guilt, success, guilt, and I know this is, um, how's the success story with this. And so now we're in this different stage of, um, the recovery and, um, it's great and it's a good problem to have, but, uh, that,
you know, I've other people experienced this and, and, you know, it's just, it's kind of this unknown for me is how to give a little.
Yeah. Did you, um, we could probably get sidetracked here, so I'll, I'll keep my question pretty direct. Did you have a pretty chaotic childhood?
Um, no, I think, um, we had, uh, you know, my, my parents were in debt, uh, a lot. We had a you know, motorcycles. My dad kept us active all the time. And so, you know, it was just kind of, we certainly didn't live within our means. And so that obviously was learned by me. And then, you know, then I got into medical school and I got tremendous amount of debt.
And it was really every day I was waking up with mounting debt and the interest climbing and And so it was in 2011, I just had that massive realization that, you know, I need to change something. I need to have goals. Are you a physician, Nick?
Yeah. All right. So my academic research, my nerd work was, simply put, I studied people who other people in the community go to for help and care. I studied the mental health of attorneys and medical personnel and pastors, folks that other people go to.
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Chapter 3: Should I use mutual funds to pay off my house?
and that will make you a better... Yeah, well, you're on point there. Everything you said, it's very true.
So what I've seen professionally and just walking alongside people is the further upriver you can get to create... Here's the fun exercise. You and your wife go out for a half-day retreat, and y'all get to do something that probably never happened in either of your homes, which is y'all get to plan and dream about the future.
y'all crossed this finish line, you survived, you paid off all your debt, you got everything right-sized in your home, and now y'all are playing pickleball for the first time. You've never played this game. You don't know the rules. And so y'all have to practice. Y'all got to figure this thing out. And so what kind of home, what do we want it to feel like when you walk home, honey?
Here's what I want to feel like when I walk in the front door. How can we create this home that is warm or that is funny or that is joyful? And we're going to reverse engineer that and begin to come up with this home, this non-anxious life. She might look at you like my wife did me and say, I want you to stop working so much.
Or I want you to love us at least as much as your clients or patients or the folks that you are coaching. And that was hard for me. And I asked her, here's what I need and here's what I want. And we addressed that stuff. And dude, I'm telling you, the anxiety alarms, they melted along the way.
And having joy and having fun and creating a date night and making, okay, we're going to have to spend X amount of dollars because 90% is mathematically insane. So let's back it down to 70 and we are going to practice spending this 20%. We're going to go on a date and we're going to buy a real nice meal and And we're going to feel uncomfortable about it.
And we're both going to call it out with a smile on our face. I feel uncomfortable. I feel uncomfortable. I feel guilty. I feel guilty.
And maybe we tip the waitress a hundred bucks on a hundred dollar meal just because we can, but we're going to begin to feel that and own it and metabolize it so that we can transition to this new identity, which is a couple that's not running for our lives and a couple that's not anxious all the time, but we are a couple who is living peacefully into the future.
How does that sound? Man, that is awesome. It's my dream. Well, I really appreciate your time.
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Chapter 4: What are budget-friendly tips for a nice vacation?
Rachel, you just finished your FPU class.
I did. Yes, I am done. How'd it go? And it was great. We had a great class. It was really fun walking through the nine lessons with a few hundred people. And it was exciting to see people's progress already. It's amazing within just even a few short weeks. people on the plan and doing it.
It's great. We just finished week seven of the class I'm leading and somebody just did a debt-free scream and it was super fun.
That's great.
So listen, all of you who listen to this show all the time, you can. You can get the bits and pieces and nuts and bolts on this show for free and you can work it out on your own. You can absolutely do that. But what we've learned over time is that doing this together with a group
having some accountability, people to walk alongside you, people to call or text and ask questions, having a guide that leads you through this thing, Yoda style, it adds so much value. And more importantly, you're more likely to stick with it. And there's something about being around a group of people that you know are going to ask you, how's your budget? How's things going? How's this?
How's that? So listen, a proven way to change your behavior with money is taking a Financial Peace University class. It's the difference of, like, you've tried to get in shape your whole life, and for many of you, that's hard. Me too. It's much easier when I pay somebody that is going to hold me accountable, and I go get a trainer, and we figure this thing out together.
Listen, this class has worked for millions. It's nine weeks. And you're never going to handle money the same way again. So listen, don't just listen to the show. Join an FPU class at RamseySolutions.com slash FPU. It's RamseySolutions.com slash FPU. All right, let's go out to Joseph in Orlando. What's up, Joseph?
Not a whole lot. How are you guys doing today?
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Chapter 5: Is moving into a van a smart financial decision?
Okay, gotcha. Yeah, did you all have any follow-up questions for me? Anything I need to clarify at all?
No, that's it. The thing I think is important to reiterate is... I know folks who bought a house in 2021 and they have a 2.25% APR. I know people who have a five or a four or whatever, and they're trying to hedge this and move this around. I can't describe to you the feeling you get when your boss tells you to do something and you think to yourself, I don't have to do that.
Or when an air conditioner breaks and the biggest fight in your house is who has to make that phone call, not what bill you're not going to pay. And it's hard to express it until you've experienced it, but not having a house payment and having a home payment. Suddenly, it turns the news into a cartoon, not a death sentence. It becomes so silly, you quit watching it.
It just changes everything in your life. So yeah, dude, pay that house off regardless of your interest rate. Get that sucker paid off, man. All right, our question of the day is brought to you by Neighborly, your hub for home services. Don't wait till the AC or something else goes out. Neighborly helps you find local providers like AirServe or Mr. Appliance or DryerVent Wizard and Mr. Handyman.
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Today's question comes from Jennifer in North Carolina. We'd love to hear your tips on a budget Disney trip. Is it even possible? We went last year for my daughter's fifth birthday and went all out. We stayed on Disney property, went to several character restaurants and did all the things and it cost us roughly $12,000.
I want to take our other daughter for her fifth birthday in October and need to figure out how to do it cheaper.
I think you and I are going to have very different answers on this. Let me just say this, and then Rachel, you answer. When Hank was four, my wife was teaching at a school in Sao Paulo, Brazil, right outside of Sao Paulo. So we went, we tagged along. Hank and I had this magic trip. We picked avocados and mangoes off of trees. Toucans were flying around. We rode a donkey into the jungle.
It was amazing.
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Chapter 6: Should I sell my car to pay off debt?
I mean, there's a way to like cut it, but Disney is expensive. Even just the passes. Like you can't get around some of the costs. Like it is what it is. So-
I love how you just said this, Rachel. Just don't stay there. Don't eat there. Don't smile there.
Go to the park.
Don't go to the bathroom there. And you'll have a great time.
There's tears in the Disney property. I know.
There's the haves and have-nots.
Well, there's different ways to do it. So again. Jennifer, I don't know your situation. If you guys, I don't know, you got $2 million in a Vanguard account. You're like, what do we do? Go spend 12 grand and you're fine.
The greatest parenting advice I ever heard in my life was from Jack Black, the musician comedian. Here's what he said. And it has changed my parenting. All the graduate classes I ever took, it's Jack Black. And here's the advice. Don't ever try to make a happy kid happier. Because you're going to see your kid sitting outside in some mud with a stick, and you're going to think, not my kid.
And then three hours later, you're going to have a kid that's over-screened, full of sugar, full of plastic broken toys and Legos in their hair and in their ears and all over whatever. And the kid was loving life in a puddle of mud with a stick.
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Chapter 7: How to handle debt while dealing with medical issues?
Listen, if I gave you a million dollars in cash right now, That would not change your credit score because credit score is nothing to do with how wealthy you are. It has to do with your love relationship, your ooey gooey relationship with debt. That's what a credit score is.
The truth is, if you're living a debt-free lifestyle, eventually you're not going to have a credit score because you don't deal with debt. So when you're ready to buy a house, you got to find a good lender like Churchill Mortgage who can do what's called a manual underwriting. George Campbell talks about all, he got one, no credit score, got a house.
So when someone says you gotta have credit cards, you don't, it's not true. And this sounds nuts, but the best plan for your future is to avoid debt, save a big down payment, and get a real estate agent who will help you find a house you can actually afford.
We recommend agents who are Ramsey trusted, meaning they're top performers, they're gangsters, with years of experience helping people do home buying the right way. This is not impossible. And I know if you're sitting there, you're a teacher, you're a policeman, you're looking at how much money you're not making. This feels impossible. It's not.
But we want your house to be a blessing, not a nightmare. You can find a real estate agent who will help you do all these things, help you walk through the process with no credit score, buy the right house for you. with Ramsey Solutions' trusted stamp on their soul. Go to ramseysolutions.com slash agent. That's ramseysolutions.com slash agent. All right, let's go out to Sonia in Indianapolis.
What's up, Sonia? How are we doing? I'm doing great. How are y'all? I mean, I can't think of a situation where we would be doing better. That's awesome. How are you?
Doing great. And I have a question. All right, bring it on. I want to say thank you to the Ramsey team. You are changing lives of both myself and my son currently. We are in the early stages of baby step two. My question revolves around purchasing a van to go live down by the river. Yes.
I mean, for real?
Sounds like we got Bill Shakespeare on the line. I know. Where does this idea come from?
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Chapter 8: What strategies can help create a non-anxious home environment?
all over the United States that I did frequent. It also is an opportunity for me to explore other cities. Eventually I would like to relocate out of my geographical area.
Okay.
And I'd like the research behind that.
So it's a, it's a recreation toy basically. Yeah. Um, yeah. Okay. Yeah. That's great. Or do you have family, Sonia? Are you married kids?
No, I'm single. I have four children. They're all adults.
Okay. Okay. That's great.
So Rachel, stop me if I'm wrong here. Sonia, if you said for 36 months, for three years, I'm going to go see the country and I'm going to live this way and I'm going to do all this with cash, I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with it. Awesome. And you said, I want to move to a new town. I want to explore some cities that I might want to relocate in and live permanently like that.
I mean, Rachel, tell me I'm wrong. That doesn't I don't think you have to have a house and then go do that. what we don't want you to do is to look up and be 55 years old or 60 years old. And you've got no equity. You've got no place, like no pun intended to park and say, this is, this is my home. All you have is a completely depreciated out van with 500,000 miles on it.
That's what we want to avoid.
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