>> TOGETHER WE HAVE PROBABLY
JUST UNDER A MILLION DOLLARS IN
DEBT.
WE HAVE ABOUT 335,000 STUDENT
LOANS AND ABOUT 136,000 IN
CREDIT CARDS, 44,000 PERSONAL
LOANS AND 35,000 CAR LOANS.
>> OKAY.
HOW OLD ARE YOU?
>> I’M 29.
>> OKAY.
SO WHAT IN THE WORLD?
>> [LAUGHTER].
SO, YEAH.
I MEAN --
>> ARE YOU BOTH ON THIS OR IS
THIS ONE OF YOU COMPLETELY LOST
YOUR MIND?
YOU’RE GOING TO NOT CARE WHAT
ANYONE THINKS INCLUDING EACH
OTHER BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT GOING
TO SPEND ANY MONEY ON ANYTHING
EVER FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS.
NEIL: THIS IS WHAT I LOVE ABOUT
DAVE RAMSEY.
HE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS.
HE TELLS PEOPLE TO THEIR FACE OR
THEIR EARS, RADIO, WHAT IT IS.
YOU GOT TO GET OUT OF THIS DEBT.
YOU KNOW, THEY’RE SHOCKED,
JOLTED MANY CASES THEY DON’T
KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM.
BECAUSE HE ISN’T YOUR FRIENDLY
RADIO HOST, TRYING TO HELP THEM
OUT, GET THEM OUT AFTER PICKLE
IN THIS CASE HUNDRED OF
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN DEBT.
DAVE RAMSEY, RAMSEY SOLUTIONS
FOUNDER, NATIONAL BEST-SELLING
AUTHOR, AGAIN AND AGAIN.
NEIL: GOOD TO SEE YOU. >> THANK YOU, MY FRIEND, THAT
>> THANK YOU, MY FRIEND, THAT
WAS TOUGH LOVE I SEE YOU
PRACTICE AGAIN AND AGAIN.
HOW DID THAT CALL END?
IS THE COUPLE COMMITTED TO DOING
WHAT YOU SAID TO DO?
>> IN HER CASE, SHE WAS, WATCH
THE ENTIRE CLIP, IT IS ABOUT
THREE MINUTES OR SOMETHING.
SHE WAS JUST DOWN.
THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS I WAS
NICE TO HERE.
I WAS CLEAR BUT NOT JUMPING ON
HER CASE.
NEIL: THAT WAS VERSION OF YOU
BEING NICE?
>> WELL, LISTEN, TO TELL LIES IN
A SITUATION LIKE THAT AND
EVERYTHING IS OKAY IS NOT --
NEIL: ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
>> THAT IS NOT HELPFUL.
I LOVE HER.
I WANT HER TO WIN BUT SHE WAS
READY.
SHE WAS SCARED, DOWN UNDER ALL
OF THE SOPHISTICATED RHETORIC
SHE WAS SCARED.
SO BY THE END OF THE CALL, I
THINK SHE WAS COMMITTED.
WE’LL KNOW, WE’LL NEVER KNOW IF
HER HUSBAND JUMPED ON BOARD AND
THEY DECIDE TOWED SACRIFICE.
THEY HAD A LARGE SHOVEL, A GOOD
INCOME.
THEY WERE COMPLETELY OUT OF
CONTROL T WAS TIME TO REIN
EVERYTHING IN.
IT IS NOT FUN IN THAT SITUATION.
IT IS A LOT OF STRESS.
NEIL: DESPITE YOUR EFFORTS TO
TRY TO GET THIS UNDER CONTROL IN
OUR COUNTRY, THE FACT OF THE
MATTER IS AMERICANS ARE ONCE
AGAIN PILING UP THE DEBT.
IN THE AGGREGATE, IT IS A
TRILLION DOLLARS MORE THAN IT
WAS AROUND THE TIME OF COVID.
I’M WONDERING BETWEEN THAT, YOU
KNOW, THIS DEBT CEILING QUAGMIRE
PLAYING OUT ON CAPITOL HILL,
WE’RE KNEE DEEP IN THE RED STUFF
HERE.
WHAT DO YOU SEE GOING ON?
>> WELL, IT IS A PERFECT STORM.
WE DON’T HAVE A LONG-TERM
MENTALITY ANYMORE.
OUR EMOTIONAL MATURITY HAS
CAUSED US TO BE DISTRACTED TO NO
END.
WE HAVE THE ATTENTION SPAN IN
THIS COUNTRY AFTER GNAT.
WE CAN’T LOOK OUT FIVE YEARS,
CAN’T LOOK OUT FIVE YEARS AT
ALL, MUCH LESS EVEN FIVE MINUTES
WITHOUT BEING DISTRACTED,
HITTING THE SCAN BUTTON, DOOM
SCROLLING OR SOMETHING ON OUR
PHONES.
TO WIN FINANCIALLY YOU HAVE TO
BACK UP TO HAVE A VISION FOR THE
LONG TERM.
WHEN YOU DON’T, YOU BORROW
YOURSELF INTO A OBLIVION.
THAT IS WHAT AMERICANS ARE
DOING.
AGAIN.
YOU KNOW, CAR DEBT IS AT AN
ALL-TIME HIGH.
CREDIT CARD DEBT AT ALL-TIME
HIGH.
LOOKS LIKE MY CAREER WILL BE
INTACT AS LONG AS I WANT TO BE
HELPING PEOPLE GET OUT OF THIS
MESS.
THEY CONTINUE TO MAKE MESSES
LIKE CRAZY.
THIS LACK OF EMOTIONAL MATURITY,
CHILDREN DO WHAT FEEL GOOD,
ADULTS DEVISE A PLAN, FOLLOW IT,
COMBINED WITH THE MOST MARKETED
TO SOCIETY IN THE HISTORY OF
HUMAN RACE.
WE’RE SOLD, SOLD.
WE ACT LIKE CHILDREN IN ADULT
BODIES AND BUY, BUY, BUY, THINK
THERE IS NO END TO IT.
THERE IS AN END TO IT AS THE
YOUNG COUPLE DISCOVERED ON THE
SHOW, THEY WERE REALLY HURTING.
NEIL: I KNOW YOU ABHOR CREDIT
CARDS, PEOPLE THAT USE THEM.
IT IS DANGEROUS.
YOU LIKE THE CONCEPT OF USING
CASHING, AT LEAST PEOPLE CAN SEE
HOW MUCH THEY’RE SPENDING BUT,
LIKE I HAVE ALWAYS TOLD YOU,
DAVE, I PICTURE YOU WALKING INTO
A RESTAURANT WITH A BAG OF
MONEY, LIKE TONY SOPRANO THING.
YOU’RE SCARING PEOPLE.
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO PEOPLE,
THEY HAVE THE MONEY BUT IT IS
NOT IN BAGS, PAPER BAGS GOING
INTO AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT?
YOU NOTICE I SAID ITALIAN
RESTAURANT.
I WANT YOUR THOUGHTS.
>> I THINK YOU OUGHT TO GO WITH
NEIL AND LET HIM BUY.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT.
NEIL: HE IS A NICE GUY.
>> THAT IS TRUE, MY STRATEGY ALL
ALONG.
NEIL: WE COMPETE WITH WHAT
EVERYONE ELSE HAS, RIGHT?
ONE THING I REALIZED STUDYING
YOU, DOING, BUILDING HELPING
PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE, WE’RE ALL KEEPING UP WITH THE JOINS BUT
KEEPING UP WITH THE JOINS BUT
WE’RE ALL THE JONES AREN’T WE?
>> WE USED TO LOOK OUT THE
STREET LOOK AT JONES, NOW WE SEE
THEM IN OUR POCKET AND PHONE.
THAT IS FAKE LIFE.
THEY RUB YOUR NOSE WITH THAT YOU
WANT TO KEEP UP WITH THAT.
ALL OF SUDDEN YOU HAVE A MESS ON
YOUR HANDS.
BUT IN TERMS OF PAYING FOR
SOMETHING IN A RESTAURANT, WE
USE A DEBIT CARD.
NEIL: NO YOU ADVANCE.
I DIDN’T THINK YOU LIKE ANY TYPE
OF PLASTIC, BUT HEALTHY PLASTIC.
BUT YOU DO, RIGHT?
>> I USE DEBIT CARDS EVERYWHERE.
NEIL: FINALLY, I WANT TO GET
YOUR THOUGHTS WHAT IS GOING ON
IN WASHINGTON RIGHT NOW.
UNLIKE US THERE ARE LIMITS THAT
WE HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, ON OUR
CREDIT LINES.
WASHINGTON IS ALL ABOUT
INCREASING THAT CREDIT LINE,
RIGHT?
WE’VE DONE SEW, DOZENS OF TIMES
OVER SOME YEARS.
I DON’T KNOW TIMING OF THIS BUT
WE’LL DO IT GENT.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?
IT IS DISTRESSING BUT AGAIN
MONEY PROBLEMS IN OUR PERSONAL
LIVES OR IN WASHINGTON ARE NOT
REALLY THE PROBLEM, THEY’RE THE
SYMPTOM OF SOMETHING ELSE THAT
IS GOING ON IN OUR LIVES.
IN THE CASE OF WASHINGTON THE
SPENDING AND THE DEBT CEILING
BEING CONTINUALLY RAISED,
TRILLIONS UPON TRILLIONS, UPON
TRILLIONS OF DEBT JUST
CONTINUING TO PILE IN THERE, IT
IS NOT REALLY THE DEBT IS A
PROBLEM.
IT IS AN INDICATION WASHINGTON
TRULY THINKS THEY CAN BUY OUR
LOVE.
THEY TRULY THINK THEY CAN’T SAY
NO TO ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC.
THEY DON’T HAVE ANY BACKBONE TO
DO THE STATESMAN LIKE THING AND
STOP THIS RIDICULOUS SPENDING,
OR AT LEAST REIN IT IN.
NONE OF THEM SEEM TO HAVE THE
POLITICAL BACKBONE OR CHARACTER,
INSTEAD THEY CONTINUE TO PIE BUY
OUR VOTES LIKE GOOD HE WILL
POLITICIANS DO.
NEIL: THEY KEEP FEEDING THE
BEAST, AND IT IS BEASTLY.
ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU.
>> YOU TOO.
NEIL: VERY CHEAP, BIG HEART, HE