10 Signs You’re Doing Better Than Most Americans

✅ Connect with one of our Ramsey Trusted providers. Sure, the world feels like it’s on fire, but hear me out: What if you’re doing better financially than you think? Consider today’s episode the unexpected reset you need! Next Steps: · 🎙️ Catch our episode 10 Jaw-Dropping Money Stats About the Average American · 🍸 Follow Smart Money Happy Hour on TikTok: @smartmoneyhappyhour · 📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it. · 💵 Create a free budget and find more margin with EveryDollar. Connect With Our Sponsors: · Check out the FAIRWINDS Credit Union exclusive account bundle. · Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. · Get up to 40% off the exclusive bundles with code SMARTMONEY at Cozy Earth. Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍾 Sauv Blanc Spritz Recipe By: cheesegal - 3 ounces sauvignon blanc - 1 ounce elderflower liqueur - 1 ounce fresh lemon juice - Lemon seltzer water - Lemon wheels, for serving Instructions: In a glass filled with ice, add the sauvignon blanc, elderflower liqueur and fresh lemon juice. Top with lemon seltzer water and stir. Garnish with lemon wheels. Serve and enjoy! Explore More From Ramsey Network: 💰 George Kamel 🎙️ The Ramsey Show 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights 🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 📈 EntreLeadership Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:05George Kamel?

  Hear me out. What if it's all gonna be okay? Stay tuned to find out if you're doing better financially than you think.

• 0:12Rachel Cruze?

  George.

• 0:12George Kamel?

  I'm not an animal. I cut it into slices first.

• 0:14Rachel Cruze?

  You're not as impressed with that story. My jaw was on the floor. No.

• 0:17George Kamel?

  If you stick around to the end of the episode, at the end, I'm gonna eat this lemon rind.

• 0:20Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 0:26Rachel Cruze?

  Hey, guys. I'm Rachel Cruz.

• 0:28George Kamel?

  I'm George Kamel.

• 0:30Rachel Cruze?

  And this is

• 0:31George Kamel?

  Smart Money Happy Hour.

• 0:34Rachel Cruze?

  Cheers, George. Oh, my gosh, we got a full blast today.

• 0:38George Kamel?

  Full hearts.

• 0:40Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, summary, summary in life. Well, this is the show where two friends who happen to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. So everything from pop culture, current events, and money.

• 0:50George Kamel?

  And before we talk about what we're talking about, let's talk about what we're sipping on, Rachel. It's the Sauv Blanc spritz.

• 0:56Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, lemony.

• 0:57George Kamel?

  And whiny. What a shock. Well, I imagine the Sauv Blanc part's a giveaway there.

• 1:03Rachel Cruze?

  Altogether.

• 1:04George Kamel?

  There you go. We're gonna give you our rating and reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode, so don't leave early.

• 1:10Rachel Cruze?

  All right, real quick, George, rapid fire. Who said these famous lines? You ready?

• 1:14George Kamel?

  Oh, gosh, like movies?

• 1:15Rachel Cruze?

  Should I do my impressions of the actors?

• 1:17George Kamel?

  Please.

• 1:18Rachel Cruze?

  Life is like a box of chocolates.

• 1:20George Kamel?

  Forrest Gump.

• 1:22Rachel Cruze?

  That's all.

• 1:23George Kamel?

  No idea.

• 1:24Rachel Cruze?

  That's all.

• 1:26George Kamel?

  Tell me what that one is.

• 1:27Rachel Cruze?

  Miranda Priestly.

• 1:29George Kamel?

  Oh, there we go. Okay, that's why I didn't know it. Not my forte.

• 1:33Rachel Cruze?

  I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.

• 1:35George Kamel?

  Dorothy. Wizard of Oz.

• 1:37Rachel Cruze?

  That's it. I'm not going.

• 1:41George Kamel?

  What transatlantic accent was that? That's it. I'm not go-

• 1:46Rachel Cruze?

  That's it. I'm not going.

• 1:47George Kamel?

  Wait, is that, uh, is it Shrek, the donkey? Is that the donkey from Shrek?

• 1:52Rachel Cruze?

  No, uh, no, but it is, it is a character. He is green.

• 1:57George Kamel?

  Max.

• 2:01George Kamel?

  You're losing me.

• 2:02Rachel Cruze?

  Christmas, think Christmas. It's the, the, the Grinch.

• 2:07George Kamel?

  Oh, the Grinch. Okay.

• 2:10Rachel Cruze?

  That's it. I'm not going. What does he say, though? That's it. I can't cancel that again.

• 2:15George Kamel?

  That makes more sense.

• 2:16Rachel Cruze?

  I'm not a good actor.

• 2:17George Kamel?

  That accent actually was pretty good now, realizing it was the Grinch. I'm playing it back in my mind.

• 2:21Rachel Cruze?

  To infinity and beyond.

• 2:23George Kamel?

  That's Buzz. Tim Allen, all the way.

• 2:25Rachel Cruze?

  Ooh, this one's scary. Why so s- I can't even do it. I'm just gonna say it. Why so serious?

• 2:30George Kamel?

  The Joker.

• 2:31Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming.

• 2:37George Kamel?

  I just want you to keep going.

• 2:40George Kamel?

  No clue. I know it's swimming-related, ocean-related. It's oceanic reference.

• 2:44Rachel Cruze?

  You don't know this?

• 2:46George Kamel?

  I'm a grown man.

• 2:47Rachel Cruze?

  Come on, Disney dad. You gotta get, you gotta get on it.

• 2:49George Kamel?

  What, okay, what Disney movie is that?

• 2:52Rachel Cruze?

  Fish are friends, not food.

• 2:55George Kamel?

  Oh, Finding Nemo?

• 2:56Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, good. Yeah, Dory. She's just keep swimming.

• 2:59George Kamel?

  Okay, Finding Nemo was a little bit like after my time as a kid. The in-between.

• 3:04Rachel Cruze?

  Can I tell you, though, that and Zootopia, I think, is one of the, they are the funniest movies to me.

• 3:09George Kamel?

  I need to watch them.

• 3:10Rachel Cruze?

  That Disney, it is funny. Dory, Ellen DeGeneres doing the voice, y'all.

• 3:13George Kamel?

  Can I come over for a movie night at the Cruz household?

• 3:16Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 3:16George Kamel?

  Because my kids aren't allowed to watch, like, movies yet, you know? So I need to watch it at someone else's house. Winston, hit me up.

• 3:24Rachel Cruze?

  All right, last one. Better than I deserve.

• 3:26George Kamel?

  David L. Ramsey III.

• 3:28Rachel Cruze?

  We got him. We got him. We got him.

• 3:30George Kamel?

  Wikipedia, that's real. Didn't make that up.

• 3:34Rachel Cruze?

  That's all right. That's all right.

• 3:35George Kamel?

  That's a good one. That's a classic line from Dave. Can you admit, even on a worst day, most of us are still doing better than we deserve?

• 3:41Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and I'll take a step further, and I'll say even financially, most people are doing better than they think they are.

• 3:47George Kamel?

  Ooh.

• 3:48Rachel Cruze?

  They are. There's some hope out there, you guys. This is the episode of hope for most of you out there. Because I think you kind of get down and out, right? And I think when you're working the plan and, oh, it feels like there's not a lot of margin some months. I don't know. Things are a little bit tighter than you want them to be. You're like, is all this working? You know? Am I doing the right thing? And then you gotta, like, pan back and look and see, wow. Trust me, you are probably doing a lot better than you think you are.

• 4:13George Kamel?

  Well, and the problem is, everywhere you look, it seems like everyone's doing better than you.

• 4:18Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that's a good point.

• 4:19George Kamel?

  So you never like achieve this homeostasis and contentment. It's always like, well, that person has way more money.

• 4:25Rachel Cruze?

  That's a great point.

• 4:25George Kamel?

  Apparently, we aren't doing that well.

• 4:26Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. So true. So, so true. Uh, well, did you know that nearly 40% of Americans can't cover a $400 emergency in cash? So, we'll start off there. If you have more than $400 saved, you guys, well done.

• 4:41George Kamel?

  Good for you. You're doing better than...

• 4:43Rachel Cruze?

  You're doing good.

• 4:43George Kamel?

  You're in the, I guess, 60%?

• 4:45Rachel Cruze?

  60%, yeah.

• 4:46George Kamel?

  Six out of 10 people do have $400. So, look, let's flip the stat. You never go positive with the stat.

• 4:52Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I know, it's true.

• 4:53George Kamel?

  60% of people can cover a $400 emergency. Look at that.

• 4:56Rachel Cruze?

  That's good. That's good.

• 4:57George Kamel?

  Actually, over 60%, if it's nearly 40. It's not quite 40.

• 5:00Rachel Cruze?

  True. Close to. Close to. You gotta be specific on those stats.

• 5:04George Kamel?

  Well, here's a few more stats that blew me away recently, and guess whether these are true or false?

• 5:08Rachel Cruze?

  Me? Okay.

• 5:09George Kamel?

  Lie, I would put, false stats in here. I'm just that kind of guy.

• 5:12Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yeah, it's a game, George, I know.

• 5:14George Kamel?

  All right. In the first quarter of 2026, US households had a combined student loan balance of $1.66 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

• 5:25Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I think that's true.

• 5:25George Kamel?

  That is true.

• 5:26Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 5:27George Kamel?

  Not a fun true, but it is true.

• 5:28Rachel Cruze?

  One point to me. Keep going.

• 5:30George Kamel?

  All right. This one's a little more positive. In 2025, the average wealth per US adult was the second highest in the world, just slightly under the average wealth of Swiss adults.

• 5:40Rachel Cruze?

  I'm gonna say false. Oh, okay, good. Good, good, good.

• 5:45George Kamel?

  Wow, the average wealth per US adult, so we are number two in the world as far as average wealth.

• 5:49Rachel Cruze?

  I thought we'd be a little lower. I thought we'd be like 3, 4 on the list.

• 5:51George Kamel?

  What country do you think would have been doing better than us, other than the Swiss?

• 5:54Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, the Swiss are, sure.

• 5:56George Kamel?

  But they got Toblerone. Is that even a fair fight?

• 6:00George Kamel?

  You know what I mean? It just feels, we don't have Toblerone. What do we have, Twix?

• 6:03Rachel Cruze?

  What is Tob- is that like candy?

• 6:05George Kamel?

  It's a chocolate.

• 6:07Rachel Cruze?

  Oh.

• 6:08George Kamel?

  You've never seen Toblerone? It's in like the triangle box?

• 6:11Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, okay, maybe so. I don't know the names of them, though.

• 6:14George Kamel?

  Well, don't punch down on Toblerone.

• 6:16Rachel Cruze?

  Well, you sound like Troubadour. That's where I went in my head. Troubadour. Chocolates.

• 6:20George Kamel?

  I base a country's worth on their chocolate. It tells me a lot about a country.

• 6:24Rachel Cruze?

  I base it on the food. Mexico, you're winning. Love your food.

• 6:30George Kamel?

  What's a country's food you would say?

• 6:31Rachel Cruze?

  Love a chips and salsa.

• 6:32George Kamel?

  Looks like they're losing. Is there a food that you're like, "I am not a fan of this cuisine"?

• 6:38Rachel Cruze?

  Man.

• 6:40George Kamel?

  There's no good answer here. You're going to lose.

• 6:43Rachel Cruze?

  No, it's fine. I can be honest, though. Let me think.

• 6:45George Kamel?

  Just not your taste.

• 6:46Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I'm gonna go like the Finland route. You know, it's not quite Mediterranean.

• 6:53George Kamel?

  What are they eating in Finland? Mostly fish?

• 6:55Rachel Cruze?

  They got a lot of schnapps. They got a lot of, yeah, they got a lot of, um...

• 6:58George Kamel?

  Sardines?

• 6:59Rachel Cruze?

  Sardines, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep.

• 7:03George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 7:04Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know.

• 7:04George Kamel?

  Sorry, Finland.

• 7:07George Kamel?

  Enjoy your cold fish, you weirdos.

• 7:10Rachel Cruze?

  What about you? What, like Italy and Mexico? So good.

• 7:13George Kamel?

  Yeah, Italian food, Mexican food. I love Mediterranean food. The one that I could...

• 7:16Rachel Cruze?

  I was gonna say Mediterranean.

• 7:18George Kamel?

  Like if I could do without one?

• 7:19Rachel Cruze?

  Sure. Or one country that you're like, eh, I'd go, it probably won't like get like full.

• 7:23George Kamel?

  I'm usually not like, ooh, let's get Indian food tonight.

• 7:27Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, that's fair. Now, that'll, yeah, you gotta build up to that.

• 7:30George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 7:30Rachel Cruze?

  You do.

• 7:30George Kamel?

  There's some dishes I love, but overall, I would say it's not like a...

• 7:35Rachel Cruze?

  That is a real thing that when you visit India, they talk about this, our neighbors, their parents are from India, and they go and visit usually like every other year, and she has to like build the kids...

• 7:45George Kamel?

  Tolerance up?

• 7:46Rachel Cruze?

  Tolerance, yes, because you can get sick, really, truly, really fast.

• 7:49George Kamel?

  Well, there's a spice level that we are not prepared for.

• 7:52Rachel Cruze?

  It's a lot. It's a lot.

• 7:53George Kamel?

  All right.

• 7:53Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that's a fair one.

• 7:54George Kamel?

  There you go.

• 7:55Rachel Cruze?

  There we go.

• 7:55George Kamel?

  Yeah, second wealthiest on average per adult.

• 7:58Rachel Cruze?

  Sorry, yeah, Swiss. Well done, Swiss.

• 7:59George Kamel?

  That's how we got here. Well done.

• 8:00Rachel Cruze?

  Well done.

• 8:02George Kamel?

  All right, social security funds may run out by 2035.

• 8:05Rachel Cruze?

  By 2035? I'm gonna say false.

• 8:08George Kamel?

  You're correct, it is false. May run out by 2032.

• 8:10Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, okay.

• 8:11George Kamel?

  Now, that's like the trust fund, it'll be reduced by about 20%. It's not like no one's getting any money.

• 8:16Rachel Cruze?

  You know, though, I'm gonna say if you're under 40, under 45.

• 8:21George Kamel?

  Let's not bank on it.

• 8:22Rachel Cruze?

  Probably not gonna bank on it. I don't know. If we get it, gravy on top, as they'd say in the South, but, uh...

• 8:28George Kamel?

  Graving the arteries, that's what I say.

• 8:31Rachel Cruze?

  The arteries.

• 8:32George Kamel?

  All right, last one. The median age of first time home buyers has reached 40 years old.

• 8:37Rachel Cruze?

  You know, I feel like I read that recently, and I think that is true.

• 8:40George Kamel?

  You did read it.

• 8:41Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 8:41George Kamel?

  It is true.

• 8:42Rachel Cruze?

  I heard that. Oh, that's a tough one.

• 8:44George Kamel?

  But also, if you're not a homeowner and you're under 40, this should be good news.

• 8:48Rachel Cruze?

  That's right.

• 8:48George Kamel?

  You're not alone.

• 8:49Rachel Cruze?

  You're doing better than you think.

• 8:50George Kamel?

  I'm not the only one who doesn't own a home. Because it can feel that way when you look around all your friends and

• 8:55Rachel Cruze?

  For sure.

• 8:55George Kamel?

  They're buying up homes left and right.

• 8:57Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and you're like, what are you doing? Okay, before we dive in too deep into the financial stuff, George, I want to know from you, what is a part of life that you're like, oh yeah, I'm crushing that. Like, I am doing better.

• 9:08George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 9:09Rachel Cruze?

  Than I think I am.

• 9:10George Kamel?

  I will say, parallel parking for me is a, is a strength.

• 9:13Rachel Cruze?

  I love, uh.

• 9:14George Kamel?

  Like, I'm not scared of it. We're in the big city.

• 9:16Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 9:16George Kamel?

  Cars are behind me. One try.

• 9:18Rachel Cruze?

  Um, you learn to line up, uh, mirror to mirror? Is that how you do it?

• 9:23George Kamel?

  You know what? I go kind of bumper to mirror.

• 9:26Rachel Cruze?

  Bumper. Oh, okay. So I go mirror to mirror?

• 9:29George Kamel?

  I don't need to go that far.

• 9:30Rachel Cruze?

  Okay. You can zip it in.

• 9:33George Kamel?

  I wish, you know, I do miss the old, like, one hand.

• 9:35Rachel Cruze?

  I know, because we got the little yokis.

• 9:37George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 9:38Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 9:39George Kamel?

  How about you? What are you better than you think you are at, if that was even a sentence? If I asked Winston.

• 9:46Rachel Cruze?

  I get a

• 9:47George Kamel?

  She underestimates her ability to blank.

• 9:49Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. I'd say that's a lot. But I do feel, I do feel like, I feel like I'm crushing it. Like, I'm like, oh, I am, I'm good at life. When, like, dishwasher's unloaded, laundry's put away, I've got my meal plan for the week, it's Sunday and it's like 8 o'clock, I'm getting bed, I'm like, oh, I got like two hours, what am I gonna do? I only do for an hour or two. And I'm just killing it, you know?

• 10:13George Kamel?

  So you're, you're domestic skills.

• 10:15Rachel Cruze?

  That's control to me. I feel like I'm in control of my life when that is happening, and it feels great.

• 10:20George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 10:21Rachel Cruze?

  I love it.

• 10:21George Kamel?

  I will say, I'm good, I'm really good at folding clothes. I mean, when you see my pile, like, when I fold my wife's clothes, it is expertly done.

• 10:27Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, that's Winston, too. That's so funny. Do you know, like, the first year we were married, he liked our laundry one of the times, and he was folding it, and I told him, it's a joke now, because we say it all the time, I'm always, I told him, it's like, you know? I think laundry is like your thing. I think you should do this more.

• 10:41George Kamel?

  So now he's the laundry man.

• 10:43Rachel Cruze?

  He's a, but he's a meticulous folder. Do you know what I'm saying? Like it's like, everything's neat. So.

• 10:48George Kamel?

  I think Winston and I, we like things done the right way.

• 10:50Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. And I have zero need for that.

• 10:52George Kamel?

  You could not care less.

• 10:54Rachel Cruze?

  I'm fine. Just put it in the right drawer and we'll, we'll find it. And then we'll reorganize every like, I don't know, twice a year, you know?

• 11:01George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 11:01Rachel Cruze?

  That's where I'm at. I do know though, once laundry is done and I do get into my bed, when I get into my bed and I got those bamboo cozy earth sheets. Oh my gosh.

• 11:12George Kamel?

  Well, Cozy Earth was kind enough to let us create our own bundles, which was super fun. So what does your bundle include?

• 11:18Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. So the luxe bath sheets. So it's like bigger than a standard towel. Love. The bamboo act like the bamboo pajamas. So not the sheets, but the pajamas. So you're in bamboo, getting in bamboo.

• 11:31George Kamel?

  You're double bamboo.

• 11:32Rachel Cruze?

  It's amazing, but the pajamas are amazing. And then the kimono robe, which is bamboo too. But it's so soft, so light. I love it. So that's my set. Yours?

• 11:43George Kamel?

  Mine includes the lake house clog, which I wear daily as soon as I get home, slipping into the clogs. The first layer pajama, short sleeve tee and short set. Big fan of that. And then the essential calf sock four pack. Now traditionally I'm a no sock guy from Cozy Earth, but I know the kids these days wear calf sock. So I put that in the bundle. I'm a man of the people.

• 12:03Rachel Cruze?

  Unbelievable.

• 12:03George Kamel?

  And guess what? All of these bundles are 40% off for Smart Money Happy Hour listeners. So give the gift of everyday luxury. Head to cozylearth.com/smartmoney for 40% off our exclusive bundles. This is a limited time offer, so get yours while supplies last.

• 12:17Rachel Cruze?

  So great. Okay. So let's talk about some signs that you are doing better financially than you think you are even. And drop your comments below because we do want to hear from you. So first up, George, we got, you can still have a cushion of cash left over in your account on payday.

• 12:33George Kamel?

  So you're not paycheck to paycheck.

• 12:35Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 12:36George Kamel?

  There's some margin.

• 12:37Rachel Cruze?

  You got some buffer, which is great. That's a good feeling. Yep. And even outside your emergency funds. It's just like in your checking accounts, there's, yeah, there's money there that you're not running. To zero because we talk about zero based budgeting and the EveryDollar app's awesome. If you want to check it out with zero based budgeting, but it doesn't mean that you take your account down to zero, but some people are at that paycheck to paycheck. They are running out of money.

• 13:01George Kamel?

  They're accidentally getting to zero and beyond.

• 13:03Rachel Cruze?

  That's right, and it's on accident versus having that buffer. But when you live on less than you make, you cut some things out and EveryDollar, the app helps with this because you're able to see where your money's going. You can cut categories and put that money toward savings, but having some of that buffer, oh, it's a good feeling.

• 13:17George Kamel?

  And if you can get like a month ahead.

• 13:19Rachel Cruze?

  I know, that's nice.

• 13:20George Kamel?

  When the first hits and you have all the money for the next 30 days sitting in that checking account, no better feeling.

• 13:26Rachel Cruze?

  It's great.

• 13:27George Kamel?

  That's so good.

• 13:27Rachel Cruze?

  Lots of control there financially.

• 13:29George Kamel?

  Okay, next up, you're doing better than you think financially if you are paying off debt slash working toward becoming debt free.

• 13:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 13:36George Kamel?

  So just progress. You have a goal to do it. You have a plan to do it. You're being intentional.

• 13:41Rachel Cruze?

  And you're getting out of the negative. A lot of people live their lives financially in the negative. They owe every month for their entire life. They owe someone money and if you're working to get out of that, yes, you're doing way better than the average person out there.

• 13:54George Kamel?

  Most people are just sitting in the debt. They're probably feeling a little hopeless, overwhelmed. The interest is accruing faster than they can pay it off. So if you're even making any progress toward knocking down the principal amounts, you're doing the debt snowball, knocking out the first, smallest debt first, that tells me that you're going to commit to this life change. It's going to happen for you.

• 14:12Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. Yep. So you're doing great out there, you guys. Keep it up. Those of you that have paid off debt or you're paying off debt, well done. All right, next, you're currently living in an answered prayer or a past goal that you have accomplished.

• 14:24George Kamel?

  Love this energy.

• 14:25Rachel Cruze?

  I do too. I mean, if you think about.

• 14:27George Kamel?

  You're living in an answered prayer. I've never thought about it that way.

• 14:30Rachel Cruze?

  I know. Thank God for unanswered prayers, as Garth would say, but we love an answered prayer, you know? It is, that is part of living in the present. That's why we talk about gratitude, right? And being grateful for what you have. Like, there really is something spiritual about that because you are living in the moment and you're able to look up and be like, oh, my gosh, this is what's happening around me. This is what I wanted. Like, you know what I mean? Whether it's job or friends or family, career, financial, whatever it looks like. Have something in the moment like that you have always wanted. It's a good feeling.

• 15:02George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 15:03Rachel Cruze?

  And we don't do that enough.

• 15:04George Kamel?

  I like to think about it like if 15 year old Hugh saw the life you had now. Would they be amazed, would they be proud of, would they be like, oh my gosh, you married her for real? Those are your kids? That's your house?

• 15:17Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 15:17George Kamel?

  That's a cool thing to think about.

• 15:18Rachel Cruze?

  It's great. Can I tell you the craziest thing?

• 15:20George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 15:21Rachel Cruze?

  This happened, it's been probably 10 years. Okay. We were living in our old house, Winston and I. And he gets a letter in the mail and it's from his high school. But it's his handwriting on the front, like with these, the high school address and stuff like in the return. And he's like, what is this? And then it's like someone had typed out our address and it had his name. He opens it, it's a letter he wrote 10 years before when he's a senior in high school. This high school kept these letters for 10 years, found, I guess everyone's addresses. I don't know how they did it. Mailed it and in his letter to himself at 18, he was, I think 28 at the time. And yeah, and it said in there, did you, and it listed all this stuff. Did you get married?

• 16:03Rachel Cruze?

  Do you have, like all these things that 18 year old Winston was wondering about. And he was sitting there, he was like, this is the weirdest experience ever.

• 16:11George Kamel?

  And it was like, check, check, check.

• 16:12Rachel Cruze?

  It was wild. Most of it was. Yes.

• 16:14George Kamel?

  That's amazing.

• 16:15Rachel Cruze?

  Not living in Nashville, when Nashville was not on the list. I wrote to him and brought him here.

• 16:19George Kamel?

  Where did he think he would be living?

• 16:21Rachel Cruze?

  I think it was Knoxville, working, yeah, but he kind of mapped out what he thought his life was going to be like. Uh, and a lot of it was. Is that crazy though?

• 16:30George Kamel?

  That's beautiful.

• 16:30Rachel Cruze?

  It's very like, um, what's it called when it's, what's that movie? And you like dive in the future, but then you're still not.

• 16:39George Kamel?

  I just want to keep this going. So continue.

• 16:41Rachel Cruze?

  Do you know what I mean?

• 16:42George Kamel?

  When you dive in the future and you come back, inception?

• 16:45Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 16:46George Kamel?

  Oh, okay.

• 16:47Rachel Cruze?

  Doesn't that feel like a little like?

• 16:48George Kamel?

  I don't think that was the plot, but.

• 16:51George Kamel?

  I get where you were going with it. I was like, I think she's thinking of inception.

• 16:54Rachel Cruze?

  Like the past is colliding with the future. You're not as impressed with that story as I was.

• 16:59George Kamel?

  No, that is a beautiful.

• 17:01Rachel Cruze?

  My jaw was on the floor. It's like you're coming back from the past.

• 17:04George Kamel?

  That is cool to see like a past version of you hoping for these things. It does make you more grateful, though. It's hard to complain when you realize you have like everything you wanted and more, and yet you're still like, why am I complaining?

• 17:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, why am I complaining?

• 17:15George Kamel?

  Why do I want for more?

• 17:17Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. Oh, my gosh. Well.

• 17:19George Kamel?

  Sorry about this bug, by the way. I don't know if you guys can tell at home. There was like a gnat flying around. How did a gnat get in here?

• 17:25Rachel Cruze?

  All around me.

• 17:26George Kamel?

  We're like nine doors deep into a building. Like, how did a gnat get in here?

• 17:29Rachel Cruze?

  He is. He's gonna hang out this episode. #Gnat.

• 17:33George Kamel?

  But I want to do the Obama and just like first try.

• 17:36Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh. If you could.

• 17:38George Kamel?

  Or like if someone threw a shoe at me, I could do the George W. Bush and...

• 17:41Rachel Cruze?

  Just like, you're so quick on your feet. So quick on your feet.

• 17:44George Kamel?

  That would be impressive. Someone throw a shoe at me, see if it... No, please don't do that. It will hit me directly in the face.

• 17:49Rachel Cruze?

  Well, you may, uh, yeah, you may not be able to kill a gnat, George, but you know what you can do?

• 17:54George Kamel?

  What's that?

• 17:55Rachel Cruze?

  Open up another savings account with Fairwin's Credit Union, because we just did.

• 17:59George Kamel?

  That's true, right before we went live.

• 18:01Rachel Cruze?

  I know. I was like, I need to open up another high-yield savings account, because you can have up to 10 with Fairwin's Credit Union with the Smart Bundle, which is amazing. But they make things so easy and so simple, and we figured it out. You gotta go through a couple of things, make sure you're clicking on the right stuff, and bam, there you go.

• 18:18George Kamel?

  Who's this one for?

• 18:20Rachel Cruze?

  I'm doing it for Amelia.

• 18:21George Kamel?

  So selfish.

• 18:22Rachel Cruze?

  She's starting to work.

• 18:23George Kamel?

  What is she doing for work? Isn't she like 10?

• 18:25Rachel Cruze?

  She's 11, and she's come here to the office, and she's helped out on The Ramsey Show.

• 18:30George Kamel?

  It's more of like a commission, like a chore.

• 18:32Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I mean, it's like three hours.

• 18:33George Kamel?

  She's not on payroll.

• 18:34Rachel Cruze?

  A week. No, no, no, no, no. But she really wants to save this money at work, like the work that she's doing in the office. She's like, I want to save. I know. I'll save her.

• 18:42George Kamel?

  So, check out the Smart Bundle. You can save for yourself if you're selfish, or be like Rachel and be selfless. And save for someone else you love.

• 18:50Rachel Cruze?

  Get your kids. Yeah, get your kids' savings accounts.

• 18:51George Kamel?

  Get your kids working that 11.

• 18:52Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, but the Smart Bundle, you get a no-fee checking account, up to 10 high-yield savings accounts, and the Ramsey Dead as Normal Be Weird debit card. So make sure to check it out.

• 19:01George Kamel?

  Fairwins.org/Ramsey. All right, back to our list of signs you're doing better financially than you think. You're investing in retirement.

• 19:11George Kamel?

  Maybe instead of depending on day trading or sports betting or something else to build wealth.

• 19:16Rachel Cruze?

  That's right.

• 19:16George Kamel?

  You're just simply doing the boring stuff.

• 19:18Rachel Cruze?

  According to the Q1 State of Personal Finance in 2025, 2/3 of Americans said that they are working past the age of 65.

• 19:27George Kamel?

  I think it was because they had to.

• 19:29Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 19:29George Kamel?

  Not because they wanted to.

• 19:31Rachel Cruze?

  No, because they tell us, yeah, they don't have enough for retirement. So if you are working towards retirement of any level, right, that you're putting any amount of money away, we recommend 15% after you've paid off debt and have a fully funded emergency fund. But yeah, if you're putting money away, you guys for retirement, two and crate. And the Roth IRA, amazing.

• 19:51George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 19:52Rachel Cruze?

  Do it. 7,000 this year.

• 19:53George Kamel?

  I think it's like 7,500 now for 2026.

• 19:56Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, it's 7,500. If you've got a 401k at work, take the match. Like, there's some great things you can be doing towards retirement. It's like simple stuff, but man, it will make a world of difference, especially in your 60s when you want to retire.

• 20:08George Kamel?

  Yes. And whatever's holding you back from investing, get over it respectfully. If that's debt payments, let's get out of debt. Let's free up that margin to invest. If it's fear because you don't understand investing, let's learn. You can watch YouTube channels, you can reach out to a financial advisor, do whatever you can to learn, to be comfortable with it, to understand it, because it's not that complicated and you don't have to be a prodigy.

• 20:32Rachel Cruze?

  And you guys, and the rate of return the past like four years, it's been insane.

• 20:35George Kamel?

  It's been nuts.

• 20:36Rachel Cruze?

  I think if we, I think we added it up the last four years, it's been almost 100% return. Like, your money almost has doubled in the last four years. Like, it's wild. So, put it in, it's great. We talk about passive income, right? It's on income for you right now, but it's passive money growing. Your money is working for you. So, it's awesome. All right, next up, we mentioned it earlier, but it's true. You own a home, or you're planning to. So, homeownership, yeah, it's getting a little bit tougher out there, George, right? What was it, medium age, 40?

• 21:04George Kamel?

  40 now.

• 21:05Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, so it's, it's something to work towards, but...

• 21:08George Kamel?

  Yeah, the home prices versus the household income, it's just not, it hasn't been moving at the same pace.

• 21:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, it's a little tougher.

• 21:14George Kamel?

  Home prices have outpaced it.

• 21:15Rachel Cruze?

  But if that's a goal for you, and you know you're working towards a down payment, or you own a home now... Again, you're doing great, great, great, great.

• 21:23George Kamel?

  But do it the right way. Save up over a long period of time. Get the down payment in place. Make sure you're debt free with the emergency fund. Don't rush into it just because you feel like you're behind or somebody told you renting is a waste of money.

• 21:35Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. Absolutely.

• 21:36George Kamel?

  You'll be calling the Ramsey show saying, should I sell my house? It's 60% of our take home pay. Or my spouse wants to stay home and we can't afford it on a single income. You have options when you buy a home the right way.

• 21:48Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. Be thinking through it.

• 21:48George Kamel?

  So whether you're 25 or 35 or even 45, that's okay if you do it with peace. And here's how you know you're doing it with peace the right way. You are buying this house with a 15 year fixed rate mortgage, if you're going to take out a mortgage at all, and the payment is no more than a quarter of your after tax monthly income. So if you bring in, let's say, $5,000, that mortgage should be no more than 1250. That's it. And factor, factor out your 401k and healthcare stuff because that'll help your numbers out with that.

• 22:17Rachel Cruze?

  Yep, for sure. That's so good. All right, next. You have people in your life that you can trust.

• 22:23George Kamel?

  Oh, that's an interesting one.

• 22:25Rachel Cruze?

  I love that. Yeah. The loneliness part of life is very real for a lot of people. Dr. John Deloney talks about this a lot. So if you have people though, that you can call, you have friends, you have church community, you have colleagues at work, you have family, like if you have people in your life that you trust, it's wild to say it, but you're doing better than most people. I mean, genuinely, like be grateful for those relationships. It's a big deal.

• 22:49George Kamel?

  And I imagine you are more successful in almost every area of life if you're not isolated. If you have people around you who support you who are also growing. And that also goes for experts in your corner. So real estate expert, insurance expert, investing pros, all of those matter. And if you want to find a Ramsey trusted pro in your area for help with real estate, taxes and more, you can jump on ramsysolutions.com and find that. But having people in your life you can trust personally and professionally makes all the difference.

• 23:16Rachel Cruze?

  It's a really big deal. Yeah. I mean, you do think about it at the end of your life. Like I know this is a money show and we talk about money because it's such a stress point for so many people. So we want to get you to a place of peace with your money by giving you a plan and let you win financially. So it's not a burden or a stress. But you're doing all of that so that you can have a quality life. And I really do think, the older I get, George.

• 23:36George Kamel?

  In your old age.

• 23:37Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, it really is relationships. Like, there is something so rich about that, of being with people and having people. There's a quality there. And also taking care of yourself, like, there's other elements of life that are very, very important.

• 23:49George Kamel?

  But I think there's stats that you, like, live longer if you have good relationships. And if you're around your family, around your grandkids, I think also helps you live longer.

• 23:57Rachel Cruze?

  I read that sentence to my parents.

• 23:59George Kamel?

  Say, "Watch the kids this weekend, Sharon and Dave."

• 24:01Rachel Cruze?

  "Watch the kids, it'll make you young, it'll make you young."

• 24:03George Kamel?

  That's amazing. All right, speaking of personal and professional, here's the next one. You have personal and professional goals for the future. So being a little bit goal-oriented in a healthy way.

• 24:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 24:15George Kamel?

  You're thinking about the future, you're intentional, you want to grow. You know, you've got two things many people don't, which is confidence and hope. If you're just that forward-thinking person.

• 24:23Rachel Cruze?

  This is the one I'd struggle with, George. I don't just like... We have a new financial goal, which actually has been fun. That was in our trying to hit. So that actually has, like, been very motivating.

• 24:34George Kamel?

  A little life-giving?

• 24:34Rachel Cruze?

  Which is really fun, yes. But overall, I'm like, when the new year comes.

• 24:39George Kamel?

  You're not a resolution person.

• 24:40Rachel Cruze?

  Everyone's making, well, that, and just like, all these goals in all these areas. I'm like, oof, sometimes I kind of just want to do the least. Enjoy life, you know? Hang out with my family and friends. Relationships, check.

• 24:53George Kamel?

  But that's a goal. That can be a goal, is like, I want to have a double date night.

• 24:58Rachel Cruze?

  I'm a goal setter, and I'm a goal-accomplisher, if that's the case, George.

• 25:02George Kamel?

  She's done it all.

• 25:03Rachel Cruze?

  Maybe that's it, maybe it's just goals I want. Maybe I feel like I have to set goals.

• 25:07George Kamel?

  Who said it has to be a certain thing?

• 25:08Rachel Cruze?

  I know, maybe I set, yeah, people...

• 25:10George Kamel?

  You're setting the wrong goals.

• 25:11Rachel Cruze?

  Setting the wrong goals, yeah.

• 25:12George Kamel?

  Maybe your goal is to have less goals. That's a goal.

• 25:15Rachel Cruze?

  That's a goal, I could accomplish that goal.

• 25:17George Kamel?

  You just did it.

• 25:18Rachel Cruze?

  No, but genuinely, looking forward and planning and being intentional, it is a big deal. Very big deal.

• 25:23George Kamel?

  All right. Did you know that a service exists to protect your personal and professional info floating around the internet?

• 25:29Rachel Cruze?

  I think I do. Is it Delete Me?

• 25:31George Kamel?

  Ding ding ding, winner winner chicken dinner.

• 25:33Rachel Cruze?

  Delete Me is amazing. Absolutely incredible. I just looked at my report, almost 90 hours saved.

• 25:37George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 25:38Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 25:39George Kamel?

  Here's what I love, because I had my account a few months before you, you'll never catch up to me. And your competitive heart, I know that just crushes you. I'm at like 130 hours.

• 25:49Rachel Cruze?

  You're on that track still.

• 25:50George Kamel?

  Of time saved, time it would have taken me to go search for my information on all these data broker sites, time to make sure it was removed. And so they have data privacy experts behind the scenes all year long, removing it, making sure it stays gone, and sending you the report, showing you where it was, and now it's not there anymore. So thank you to Delete Me.

• 26:08Rachel Cruze?

  Well done. The hard work, we greatly appreciate, but really protecting your information online. And this is everything from your home address, to your phone number, your kids' names, all of it. So Delete Me goes in, removes that information, and we love them for it.

• 26:22George Kamel?

  Yep. So check it out for yourself. If you want to help protect your digital privacy, go to joindelete.me/smartmoney and you'll get 20% off their annual plans.

• 26:30Rachel Cruze?

  All right. Next up on the list, that you're doing better than you probably think you are, is that you're consistently employed.

• 26:36George Kamel?

  I like the word consistently there.

• 26:38Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. You have an income coming in consistently. It's a big deal. And some people have life events, you know, that alters that a little bit for them. But if you look over the span of your life, you're like, yes, I'm a working adult, and I am bringing in money, or the household is, right, in general. That's a, that's a great thing.

• 26:56George Kamel?

  So if you're adding value in any way to this world, to the economy, you get dollar bills for that, which is wonderful. And it gives you dignity to have some purpose in your work and do it with pride.

• 27:07Rachel Cruze?

  For sure.

• 27:08George Kamel?

  And put some effort in. I know work is kind of villainized, and corporations are villainized, but it feels really good to contribute.

• 27:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, to do something. We just had a teacher on The Ramsey Show, just hosted right before we came in here.

• 27:20George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 27:20Rachel Cruze?

  To do a debt free scream, yeah. She was a teacher there from California. She just retired. So she's 60 and retired, but her and her husband. And they are precious. And she said, One of the things that they did is she said, I found ways to do something that feels good to my heart is what she said, that was free. Like instead of feeling I had to go pay for everything. So she said it was so sweet. I was like, gosh, it's so great. She was like, find someone elderly in your area that you like have some connection to and just like, take them outside their home. Like sit in the yard with them, talk with them for an hour. And like, that's it. She was like, and it's free and it does something good. I don't know. It was just such a sweet. She was such a great woman, such a great woman. But I thought of that and I told her, I was like, man, teachers, I love them.

• 28:01George Kamel?

  Great hearts. And that reminds me, I'm gonna text Dave Ramsey and see if he needs to be taken out of the house this weekend. Just to get him out for a little bit, some fresh air, take him to the park.

• 28:13Rachel Cruze?

  Take him out of the studio. Just here, get some vitamin D, Dave. Yeah, just need some, I know. He may need it.

• 28:18George Kamel?

  So sweet.

• 28:19Rachel Cruze?

  He may need it.

• 28:20George Kamel?

  Respect your elders.

• 28:21Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. That service oriented heart goes a long way, you guys.

• 28:25George Kamel?

  That's true. I love that.

• 28:26Rachel Cruze?

  Next, you feel content in life.

• 28:29George Kamel?

  You're doing better than you think financially if you feel content in life.

• 28:32Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, people, we spin our wheels all the time, right? All the time. What's bigger? What's better? What does other people have? Comparison? Like, it's just a, it's a constant thing. And when you are just at peace with your life and you are good, huh, you are doing better than most people in 2023.

• 28:49George Kamel?

  You've told the story, I think, before, but that like, it's like an old sort of legend has it thing. But the fisher, the Mexican fisherman.

• 28:56Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, it's one of my favorite stories.

• 28:58George Kamel?

  And the guy comes in and is like, well, you know, if you had more boats, you'd catch more fish. And he's like, well, then what? Well, then you could have a whole fleet and, and then what? Well, then you could be here fishing with your friends and they're all doing the work for you. He was like, that's what I do now.

• 29:08Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, yes.

• 29:08George Kamel?

  Why would I go do all of that work to have the same life I have now?

• 29:11Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 29:12George Kamel?

  So it's a good reminder. That's a terrible abbreviation. Go look it up. It's much better on the internet, I'm sure. But it's nice to go like, contentment doesn't mean I've made it to this certain level.

• 29:22Rachel Cruze?

  That's right.

• 29:23George Kamel?

  It's just being content where you are.

• 29:25Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, absolutely. It's a beautiful thing.

• 29:27George Kamel?

  That's difficult to do in today's world.

• 29:28Rachel Cruze?

  And gratitude helps with that. That's what we were talking about earlier. So, uh, next is you've recently been generous in some way. I love that. So that could be in money and life and relationships.

• 29:39George Kamel?

  And service.

• 29:39Rachel Cruze?

  And service, yes. Yeah, there is a, um, I will say, I think this is a part of our world that I wish was captured more. Cause I do think I, I want to believe there is more generous people out there doing great things in our world than we know about. We always see the doom and gloom. It's what, it's what makes the algorithms spike. It's what makes the news and all of it. But there's just good people out there doing really good things. And I, yeah, I don't know. There's, there's goodness out there.

• 30:06George Kamel?

  It doesn't always make the headlines. It's generally something done in secret.

• 30:10Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 30:11George Kamel?

  Invisible. Cause people who are generous tend to not be super showy about it.

• 30:15Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. Yes.

• 30:16George Kamel?

  So you may not even know what's happening. It's always behind the scenes, but all of us have been on the receiving end of generosity. And it changed our life in some way. And so I think, uh, you know, let's, let's make it contagious. Let's make it cool again.

• 30:27Rachel Cruze?

  It's true. Yep. There's something beautiful. So yeah, if you are being a generous person, that is changing who you are in your character. And so you're doing better, better than you think you are in that case. I love it.

• 30:38George Kamel?

  Such a sweet episode.

• 30:39Rachel Cruze?

  It was one of hope. I said it at the beginning, but I am like all of you out there. You're doing such hard work, you guys. You really are. And we've talked to so many of you. So many people always stop and they're always like, we love Smart Money Happy Hour. It's like my number one thing I get.

• 30:50George Kamel?

  Can I add a bonus to the list?

• 30:52Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 30:53George Kamel?

  You regularly watch or listen to Smart Money Happy Hour.

• 30:57Rachel Cruze?

  You're doing better than you are.

• 30:58George Kamel?

  I'm trying to think of that person. They can't be doing terribly in life. If they have the time to listen to the show, they're probably doing okay.

• 31:07Rachel Cruze?

  I'm going to say that too. You're doing okay out there.

• 31:10George Kamel?

  Listening to this while doing the side hustle or while visiting the elderly.

• 31:13Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. I know.

• 31:14George Kamel?

  Watch it with an elderly person in your life. I think they'll get a kick out of this.

• 31:18Rachel Cruze?

  I think they'll love us.

• 31:19George Kamel?

  I like that Rachel gal.

• 31:21Rachel Cruze?

  Love when she quotes movies.

• 31:22George Kamel?

  That persnickety camel fella.

• 31:23Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know about him. I don't know if he can be trusted. Yeah. Oh, so great. All right. Well, before we spill the tea on our guilty as charged segments, um, let's share the details in our rating, George.

• 31:35George Kamel?

  Yeah, this is the Sauv Blanc spritz.

• 31:37Rachel Cruze?

  I think I was a little scared to pick it up because it's just so full.

• 31:40George Kamel?

  It's really nice.

• 31:42Rachel Cruze?

  I think it is, yeah.

• 31:43George Kamel?

  Here's what's in the Sauvignon Blanc. Would you guess what's in it?

• 31:46Rachel Cruze?

  Sauvignon Blanc.

• 31:47George Kamel?

  That's right, that's a white wine.

• 31:49Rachel Cruze?

  I'm gonna go lemon.

• 31:50George Kamel?

  Fresh lemon juice.

• 31:51Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm.

• 31:52George Kamel?

  Elderflower liqueur.

• 31:53Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, okay.

• 31:54George Kamel?

  And then lemon seltzer water.

• 31:56Rachel Cruze?

  Ah.

• 31:57George Kamel?

  Add a little bubbles, effervescence, if you will.

• 31:59Rachel Cruze?

  I think it's fun. Well.

• 32:02George Kamel?

  Comes out to $3.75. This is a fun one. This is a great summertime drink. Like, if you're not in the mood for like an Aperol spritz, you got a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc sitting around.

• 32:10Rachel Cruze?

  Was it too lemony for you? A little too lemony for me, I'm gonna be honest.

• 32:12George Kamel?

  I like as much lemon as you can give me.

• 32:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, you are a tart.

• 32:15George Kamel?

  I ate lemons as a kid, like, just full with the rind and everything.

• 32:18Rachel Cruze?

  It's like an apple.

• 32:19George Kamel?

  Yeah. I mean, I'm not an animal. I cut it into slices first.

• 32:23Rachel Cruze?

  George, that's unbelievable.

• 32:24George Kamel?

  But I, like, if there's a, I will eat this lemon whole.

• 32:27Rachel Cruze?

  No, you won't. That is horrible. Why?

• 32:30George Kamel?

  You wanna do it on camera?

• 32:31Rachel Cruze?

  You should.

• 32:32George Kamel?

  I'll do it if you stick around to the end of the episode. At the end, I'm gonna eat this lemon rind.

• 32:37George Kamel?

  To prove to Rachel that I'm a grown man.

• 32:39Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 32:40George Kamel?

  What is this, Fear Factor? I'm not eating a scorpion? It's a fruit from the Lord.

• 32:45Rachel Cruze?

  It comes from a tree. Um, okay, I hate to say, I'm gonna go 6 out of 10.

• 32:51George Kamel?

  I'm gonna go 7.5 out of 10. It's not something I would order, but if I had this at a party, I have zero complaints.

• 32:57Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, that's fair.

• 32:57George Kamel?

  All right, get the recipe in the show notes, give it a try this weekend, and eat the lemon if you're not a baby.

• 33:02Rachel Cruze?

  All right, now it's time for

• 33:04George Kamel?

  Guilty as charged.

• 33:06Rachel Cruze?

  And this is where we ask each other a new guilty as charged question every week, and if we're guilty, we take a sip. Are you guilty of ever losing your cool in public?

• 33:15George Kamel?

  Oh, boy. I'm trying to think of the last time I sort of had a Karen moment at a store. That's usually where it happens. It's a customer service exchange that is not going my way.

• 33:24Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 33:25George Kamel?

  And they are being a little bit rude or incompetent.

• 33:28Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. What happened? Do you remember?

• 33:30George Kamel?

  Um, I was trying to return a heater.

• 33:33Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 33:34George Kamel?

  Like, an emergency heater, and there was like, oh, no, sales final on all emergency equipment, because after that big Nashville storm. But I was like, this is still in the box. This is not technically an emergency heater. You could use it for a lot of scenarios.

• 33:48Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 33:49George Kamel?

  And so I fought the manager and then the manager's manager and they called the owner. And I was like, I'm giving you the product back. I just want the mon- just give me a store credit. So finally they agreed to give me a store credit if I wouldn't tell anyone this ever happened.

• 34:01Rachel Cruze?

  Stop it.

• 34:01George Kamel?

  So I just told America.

• 34:03Rachel Cruze?

  Oh no, your disclosure.

• 34:05George Kamel?

  So that was my, I think the employees were like, this guy's being a lot. What do we do? But I just, I was firm, I stood my ground. I was never rude and never, you know, raised my voice.

• 34:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 34:15George Kamel?

  But I was staunch.

• 34:16Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 34:17George Kamel?

  I was not your favorite customer.

• 34:18Rachel Cruze?

  Not happy.

• 34:19George Kamel?

  How about you? I can't imagine you having a public rage incident.

• 34:24Rachel Cruze?

  I have two that came to mind though.

• 34:25George Kamel?

  Whoa.

• 34:25Rachel Cruze?

  One, I did not publicly do anything, but I think I was a little rude to the person at the store. We even left and I was, and I said, that woman was so rude. And when someone was like, I thought she was very helpful. And I was like, I was not happy. We were at the Apple store and we got told to wait at like a certain table. We waited for like 30 minutes and finally I was like, babe. And he was like, I know, let me go ask someone. So he went and asked like, oh no, you're not supposed to be there. You're supposed to be at the product table. I don't know. It was this whole thing and we'd been there, it was close to an hour.

• 34:52George Kamel?

  Oh gosh.

• 34:53Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, and it was packed. But still, I, and then the lady, I don't know. I just felt so, you know what I mean? When you leave a store, but I didn't do anything. But my one, the other one though, that I remember and I was like, oh my gosh. It was a, it was a driving moment. I'm merging onto the interstate and the car in front of me, it's still, this still bothers me, you guys. When you're on the, I think they call it like the ramp, the excel- like you're supposed to accelerate.

• 35:20George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 35:21Rachel Cruze?

  I call it the acceleration ramp. I don't know if that's what it's called, but that's what it is in my head. Cause you accelerate. This person was pumping their brakes and then.

• 35:30George Kamel?

  While trying to merge onto the interstate?

• 35:32Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, not yet, we're on the ramp. And I'm like, speed up, cause we're about to be on the interstate and you gotta, you gotta get over.

• 35:38George Kamel?

  You gotta keep speed to kind of merge into the lane.

• 35:39Rachel Cruze?

  Hundred percent. And it wasn't happening and I was like, okay, go, go. And then she wasn't merging. So I slowed down because I'm trying to get over. I finally get over. She comes, basically tries to like get in my lane. Cause she's so slow and I've already, oh. Finally she gets over and, and I just did one of these.

• 35:58George Kamel?

  Oh, both hands up.

• 35:59Rachel Cruze?

  What are you doing? What are you doing?

• 36:02George Kamel?

  So you didn't do one finger, you did all the fingers.

• 36:04Rachel Cruze?

  I did all the fingers, not one, I didn't do one finger. I did all the fingers. But I didn't know, I thought, maybe this is like a little elderly person. Do you know what I mean?

• 36:11George Kamel?

  Get benefit of the doubt.

• 36:12Rachel Cruze?

  That I love to take outside for the sun. You know what I mean? No, no, she was on her phone. And I just thought, you're irresponsible. You're irresponsible. Unbelievable. I was so mad and scared. You know, when they say fear, fear and anger can sometimes be very closely connected. That was me. I was a little scared because I almost wrecked and I almost had to pull over and then my Tesla.

• 36:35George Kamel?

  Oh, my goodness.

• 36:36Rachel Cruze?

  And I was like, ah. Just accelerate people. It's all we need to do. When you get on the interstate, you just gotta press the gas, not the brake. We're gonna go straight.

• 36:44George Kamel?

  I have a fear of road rage because I just don't trust drivers in Tennessee.

• 36:47Rachel Cruze?

  You're scared of someone else's road rage?

• 36:49George Kamel?

  I'm scared someone else is willing to risk it all over road rage.

• 36:53Rachel Cruze?

  See, and that's where.

• 36:54George Kamel?

  That's where I'm like, I don't, I'm not gonna do it. I'm not gonna.

• 36:56Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, no, that's where I get over to the other lane.

• 36:58George Kamel?

  Escalate the situation.

• 37:00Rachel Cruze?

  No, no, no.

• 37:00George Kamel?

  Especially if it's, if it's a truck. No, thank you.

• 37:04Rachel Cruze?

  Scared of the truck.

• 37:05George Kamel?

  Yeah, and the higher the truck.

• 37:07Rachel Cruze?

  Scary of the man.

• 37:07George Kamel?

  The less they have to risk. Okay. You say that. You know what I mean?

• 37:11Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh. Well.

• 37:13George Kamel?

  I feel you.

• 37:13Rachel Cruze?

  I think we're guilty.

• 37:14George Kamel?

  I'm nervous just thinking about it.

• 37:16Rachel Cruze?

  I know. My gosh, crazy. But I'm generally a happy person.

• 37:23George Kamel?

  I can't imagine you enraged.

• 37:24Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 37:25George Kamel?

  99.9% of the time, you are happy-go-lucky.

• 37:29Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know about that, but, uh, but yeah, but thanks for all your guilty search questions, you guys. Make sure to DM us at Rachel Cruz and at George Campbell. We get them. We see them. We screenshot them and we send them to Jenna, our producer, and they make it in.

• 37:43George Kamel?

  What she does with it, that's between her and God and the writers.

• 37:46Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, but we really do appreciate it. It helps us a lot.

• 37:48George Kamel?

  You could probably pay us to then get yours like a fast pass.

• 37:51Rachel Cruze?

  Oh.

• 37:52George Kamel?

  You know what I mean?

• 37:52Rachel Cruze?

  Wow, a little Starbucks gift card?

• 37:54George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 37:55Rachel Cruze?

  Electronically through the DM.

• 37:56George Kamel?

  Amazon gift card for Rachel.

• 37:57Rachel Cruze?

  Don't do that.

• 37:58George Kamel?

  No, I'm kidding. You can send those separately, but not, it's not gonna help your question.

• 38:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. But if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to leave a review and check out our next episode. 10 jaw-dropping money stats about the average American.

• 38:11George Kamel?

  That was a good one.

• 38:11Rachel Cruze?

  We will link it for you and make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an all-new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour. Cheers. You've got lemon juice.

• 38:22George Kamel?

  Oh, that's right.

• 38:25Rachel Cruze?

  Oh my. You want to spit it out so bad.

• 38:32George Kamel?

  No.

• 38:34George Kamel?

  It's delicious.

• 38:36Rachel Cruze?

  I can't.

• 38:36George Kamel?

  The bitterness with the sourness, it's like a Sour Patch Kid.

• 38:40Rachel Cruze?

  George.

• 38:42George Kamel?

  I'm telling you, there's nothing better.

• 38:44Rachel Cruze?

  That is unbelievable. Do you eat that at home? Like, does Whitney cut you?

• 38:47George Kamel?

  No, because I, my enamel is like rail thin.

• 38:50Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, so you're really...

• 38:52George Kamel?

  A rare moment.

• 38:53Rachel Cruze?

  You really gave us your all. Well, we appreciate it.

• 38:59Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, yeah, he just ate it. Okay, well, cheers.