Finance guru Dave Ramsey gives woman brutal reality check after she moaned about her friends’ more glamorous lifestyles
A popular financial guru confronted a woman with reality after she complained about her friends’ glamorous lifestyles compared to her “modest” one.
During a recent episode of The Ramsey Show, David Ramsey, an American radio host known for his extremely frugal advice, assured a woman named Hillary that she is “doing a great job” managing her money at the age of 33.
The Salt Lake City, Utah, woman told Ramsey and co-host Dr. John Delony that she feels like she’s “losing at life” despite making $60,000 a year — before taxes — as a health educator.
Hillary told financial experts that she has no debt other than a $140,000 mortgage on her home and that she recently paid for her master’s degree in cash.
“And all that money I saved, I think, ‘I could have used that for a vacation or a car, I shouldn’t have done that!'” Hillary said.
During a recent episode of The Ramsey Show, David Ramsey assured a woman named Hillary that she’s “doing a great job” managing her money at age 33.
Hillary told financial experts that she has no debt other than a $140,000 mortgage on her home and that she recently paid for her master’s degree in cash, but she still feels like she’s missing out on the expensive adventures her friends are having. (Photo: Downtown Salt Lake City)
Both Ramsey and Delony immediately disagreed with Hillary, letting her know that what she is doing is something to be proud of in the long run.
Ramsey also worried about people her age who spend a lot of money on luxury vacations and expensive cars.
“This is the problem that millennials, your generation, were some of the first to really grapple with,” Ramsey said.
He then referred to one of the books his daughter Rachel Cruze wrote about “the power of social media.”
“We always said, ‘Don’t go along with the neighbors,’” Ramsey told Hillary.
‘But [in those days] it wasn’t that hard to keep up with the neighbors because they lived next door to us and you could see them driving around in their cars [nice] car — but you also saw that they had big fights and you knew that their children were confused.’
He added that it wasn’t such a big deal because the Joneses’ lives were visibly imperfect to their neighbors. “Because you knew something about the situation, too.”
Ramsey explained that in today’s social media-dominated society, it’s harder to see beyond what people share online.
“On social media you only see the highlights,” he said.
Delony added: ‘And no one posts the three weeks after the beach vacation, and the battle over the credit card bill –‘
Ramsey’s co-host, Dr. John Delony, told Hillary that he hopes his daughter will one day be in the same situation as she was.
“Because we can’t buy groceries and diapers,” Ramsey interjected.
Ramsey explained to her that even “old people” like him “can fall prey” to believing everything they see on social media, “because we don’t see reality.”
Delony then asked Hillary where exactly her concerns came from. She explained that social media and colleagues contributed to her worries.
“Social media obviously plays a big role in that, think TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, but also at work someone says, ‘Oh, I’m going to the Bahamas for two weeks, or look at my new Escalade,’” Hillary said.
Both experts laughed when Delony told her that he hopes his daughter will one day find herself in the same situation as Hillary.
“That would be great,” he said. “You’re great,” Ramsey followed.
“You traded a master’s degree for the Bahamas, this is a good trade,” Ramsey added.
Ramsey, who started “from nothing,” had a net worth of just over $1 million by age 26, according to his website.
He compared his life situation to Hillary’s, explaining to her that even though he didn’t like trading in his Jaguar for a hooptie, he knew he was doing the right thing.
At the end of the show, Delony told Hillary that she needed to replace the feeling of jealousy she gets from seeing others living luxurious lives and instead focus on the “lonely” parts of her life to fill the void.
“I want you to create opportunities to have friends, community, connection and fun right where you live.
“Start cultivating that and you get the other shiny things — it’s just not that big of a deal,” Delony added.
On another recent episode of The Ramsey Show, the radio host attacked a woman over her and her partner’s spending, despite them earning a combined income of $11,500 a month
Research of the Journal for Happiness Studies found that many people turn to social media when they feel lonely, but the constant comparisons they make when looking at other people’s lives actually make them feel worse.
“When you compare yourself to others, it leads to self-judgment, low self-esteem, and negative self-worth,” says Michael Torres, PsyD, a California-based clinical psychologist at Kaiser Permanente Mental Health and Wellness Center. said.
On another recent episode of The Ramsey Show, the radio host attacked a woman over her and her partner’s spending habits, despite the fact that they earn a combined income of $11,500 a month.
Ramsey spoke with a woman, Alyssa, who explained that she and her husband are not contributing to their retirement and only have $3,000 in savings. They also have $138,000 in debt.
After suggesting to Alyssa that she set aside $5,000 each month to pay off their combined $138,000 debt, she became noticeably more cautious.
“You know what I’m worried about? You’re making $130,000 a year and you’re broke. That’s what I’m worried about,” Ramsey told Alyssa.