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

📈 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 episode, Rachel and George celebrate America’s birthday by unpacking the wild history of U. S. currency and testing your knowledge with some fun American money trivia. Next Steps: 🎥 Watch our video Unique Money Traditions You Won’t Find in the U. S. 🍸 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. 💵 The simplest way to budget. Download the EveryDollar app for free! Connect With Our Sponsors: Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. Get up to 40% off with code SMARTMONEY at Cozy Earth. Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🥃 Broad Stripes and Bright Stars Recipe: Social and Cocktail 1/2 ounce absinthe 2 ounces blueberry vodka 1/2 ounce simple syrup 1/4 ounce lemon juice 1/4 ounce raspberry liqueur 2 ounces ginger beer 3 blueberries 1 sugar cube Instructions: Muddle fresh blueberries and add syrup, absinthe, juice and vodka. Add ice and shake and pour into highball glass. Drizzle liqueur and top with ginger beer. Garnish with one sugar cube. Explore More From Ramsey Network: 💡 The Rachel Cruze Show 💰 George Kamel 🎙️ The Ramsey Show 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights 🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 🪑 Front Row Seat with Ken Coleman 📈 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?

  Today, we're putting the fun in Founding Fathers. I know it's a stretch, but go with me, alright? We're covering fascinating money trivia, America edition. I feel like Ben Franklin got all the quotable tweets of the day.

• 0:16Rachel Cruze?

  He is. He's just great. I really liked him.

• 0:18George Kamel?

  That was really stressful for me. Do they teach this stuff in school?

• 0:26Rachel Cruze?

  Hey guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.

• 0:28George Kamel?

  I'm George Kamel.

• 0:30Rachel Cruze?

  And this is Smart Money Happy Hour.

• 0:39Rachel Cruze?

  Well, this is a show where two friends who happen to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. Everything from pop culture, current events, and money.

• 0:45George Kamel?

  And before we get to the content, let's talk about what we're sipping on, Rachel. It is the Broad Stripes and Bright Stars cocktail.

• 0:52Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, my thing. Look at that thing.

• 0:54George Kamel?

  Look at that.

• 0:54Rachel Cruze?

  It sank to the bottom. Am I gonna drink a knife?

• 0:59George Kamel?

  You'll be alright. Just don't chug. That's the key.

• 1:03Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 1:03George Kamel?

  You wanna keep the...

• 1:04Rachel Cruze?

  I'm good. I know. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do.

• 1:07George Kamel?

  Well, Rachel already... This got knocked down a peg on her rating because there's a dagger in there. But stick around till the end. We're gonna give you our rating on the drink and reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode.

• 1:17Rachel Cruze?

  George, we don't always do like calendar holiday episodes, you know? Like, there's some like...

• 1:22George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 1:23Rachel Cruze?

  Sometimes you just kinda let April Fools go.

• 1:25George Kamel?

  It's a little too on the nose.

• 1:26Rachel Cruze?

  St. Patty's Day, just let it happen. But every now and again, when America has her birthday, we're gonna point it out.

• 1:33George Kamel?

  That's right. And tomorrow, if you're watching this, tomorrow is Independence Day, or as Rachel calls it, 4th of July.

• 1:41Rachel Cruze?

  4th of July.

• 1:42George Kamel?

  What do you call it?

• 1:43Rachel Cruze?

  The 4th of July. Uh, it's July 4th. No, the 4th of July.

• 1:47George Kamel?

  I've never called it Independence Day, to be fair.

• 1:50Rachel Cruze?

  Only when I sing a Martina McBride song.

• 1:54George Kamel?

  Oh, that's right.

• 1:55Rachel Cruze?

  Which I will not do. Can't trick me there.

• 1:57George Kamel?

  Which you were the one who showed me that song. I had never heard of that song.

• 2:01Rachel Cruze?

  Of Independence Day?

• 2:02George Kamel?

  You'd be shocked at how easily I can avoid Martina McBride hits. I avoided it my whole life until you brought it into my life.

• 2:09Rachel Cruze?

  Oh my gosh, no. Independence Day, or the movie. Little Will Smith action.

• 2:13George Kamel?

  Now we're talking.

• 2:14Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, so we got it, yeah. This is a fun holiday, though. This is one that I can get behind. I like the parades. I like the feel of like a lake. Fireworks, family festivities, some barbecue. Everyone's just out and about and it's just great. It's a, it's a fun holiday for me.

• 2:31George Kamel?

  I will agree with that. So happy Independence Day to all who celebrate. We hope your day is full of bald eagles, safe fireworks, and just the right amount of bomb pops. I love a bomb pop.

• 2:41Rachel Cruze?

  Oh yeah, do you get the fireworks? Is that, is that the little, what's a bomb pop?

• 2:45George Kamel?

  Yeah, you, the one where they snap when you throw them to the ground?

• 2:47Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, we have those.

• 2:48George Kamel?

  I also love the bomb pop popsicles, to be fair. The red, white, and blue popsicles. You've never had one of those?

• 2:54Rachel Cruze?

  Oh yeah, what are they called though?

• 2:56George Kamel?

  Aren't they called bomb pops?

• 2:58Rachel Cruze?

  Wow, which is like the name of a firework.

• 3:00George Kamel?

  Maybe they changed the name to be more family friendly so that kids would want them more.

• 3:04Rachel Cruze?

  Can't you shoot off fireworks in your home? Or is it illegal in your city?

• 3:07George Kamel?

  I think it's illegal in my city.

• 3:08Rachel Cruze?

  It's illegal too.

• 3:09George Kamel?

  In Franklin, Tennessee, I believe it's illegal.

• 3:11Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 3:12George Kamel?

  Now, we, they have neighborhood fireworks.

• 3:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 3:15George Kamel?

  In my old neighborhood, they used to do that.

• 3:16Rachel Cruze?

  So fun. I love it. I love it.

• 3:19George Kamel?

  Well, before we jump in, it goes without saying, I'm gonna call this out, Rachel. Our country's history isn't perfect. Like most of our monthly budgets, America is a work in progress. All right, we're working on it.

• 3:30Rachel Cruze?

  That's right, but you know, we're blessed to live in this country. It's a great one.

• 3:34George Kamel?

  Absolutely.

• 3:34Rachel Cruze?

  Great, so we are gonna celebrate it. And a few lyrics, you ready for this? About America's early financial strategy. Compliments of Alexander Hamilton.

• 3:43George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 3:44Rachel Cruze?

  Have you seen Hamilton, the Broadway play?

• 3:45George Kamel?

  I have, incredible.

• 3:47Rachel Cruze?

  It's pretty impressive, yeah. So he was the US first Secretary of Treasury and now a Broadway star. Thank you, Broadway. You ready for this?

• 3:55George Kamel?

  What can't he do?

• 3:56Rachel Cruze?

  His financial, his financial system is a work of genius. I can't undo it if I tried. He took our country from bankruptcy to prosperity. He doesn't get enough credit for all the credit he gave us. Wow, that's pretty good. Hamilton's new financial plan is nothing less than government control. That's what some of these people said about old Hamilton.

• 4:18George Kamel?

  Oh, I thought these were lyrics from the Broadway musical, Hamilton. I was like, these are terrible lyrics. Oh, it is. I take it back, great work, Lin-Manuel. I was like, are these, did he have like Amazon reviews? Like who was reviewing? Great Secretary of the Treasury, 10 out of 10, would recommend. No, these are actual lyrics from the musical.

• 4:37Rachel Cruze?

  Man.

• 4:38George Kamel?

  I wanted you to rap them, I guess is what was missing.

• 4:41Rachel Cruze?

  I know, I gave a little, I don't know, could you do it?

• 4:44George Kamel?

  None of this rhymes, so I struggle.

• 4:47Rachel Cruze?

  It's hard.

• 4:47George Kamel?

  To read in a rap format.

• 4:49Rachel Cruze?

  It's very difficult.

• 4:49George Kamel?

  I feel like that'd be offensive.

• 4:50Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll let the talented people do their thing.

• 4:54George Kamel?

  Well, hear me out, don't tell Dave Ramsey. Dave, if you're listening, scroll past this. Was Hamilton both the creator of credit and the OG get out of debt guy?

• 5:05Rachel Cruze?

  Was he the original get out of debt guy?

• 5:07George Kamel?

  Can you be both?

• 5:09Rachel Cruze?

  That's right, if you created a system, but telling people not to work in the system, what do you do?

• 5:13George Kamel?

  Well, he proposed the idea of a national bank, which would help manage the national debt.

• 5:17Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 5:18George Kamel?

  So there we go, he wants to manage the national debt. He encouraged the federal government to pay off all debts from the Revolutionary War, even the ones that were sold at a discount. And he believed in a strong, united federal government, which was essential to economic stability and national security.

• 5:34Rachel Cruze?

  Love it.

• 5:34George Kamel?

  I feel like he was a fiscally responsible guy.

• 5:37Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, it sounds like it, and he cared. He cared about the finances of America, which we appreciate.

• 5:41George Kamel?

  Yeah, I mean, I feel like that's kind of your job as Secretary of the Treasury. You are the CFO of the government.

• 5:46Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, he was the first one, though, right, too? He was the very first, so.

• 5:49George Kamel?

  We had, I don't know, is it 70, how many since then? 79, I think? I think Scott Besant, the current is 79.

• 5:56Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, wow, good for you.

• 5:57George Kamel?

  Don't quote me on that.

• 5:58Rachel Cruze?

  Look at you, knowing you're...

• 5:59George Kamel?

  But Google it and prove me wrong, I dare you.

• 6:00Rachel Cruze?

  Look at those numbers, unbelievable.

• 6:02George Kamel?

  No one even is gonna dare to Google. I love doing dares that no one else cares about but me. And that's how you know you're a loser.

• 6:11Rachel Cruze?

  Well...

• 6:11George Kamel?

  I was right, I got three thumbs up.

• 6:13Rachel Cruze?

  Wow, George, just look at you.

• 6:15George Kamel?

  Did my research.

• 6:16Rachel Cruze?

  All right, well, the national debt, or the deficit, is still a big talking point, you know, in our world today, especially during election cycles. So, the national debt, ready for this, is the running total of what the government owes to its creditors.

• 6:30George Kamel?

  That's the big scary number.

• 6:31Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, the budget deficit occurs when expenses exceed revenue and increase than the national debt. So we are living beyond our means in America today.

• 6:40George Kamel?

  And we've been doing it a long time.

• 6:41Rachel Cruze?

  Long time, George.

• 6:42George Kamel?

  I think we're at, at the time of this recording, 37 trillion?

• 6:46Rachel Cruze?

  Isn't it, yeah, when people...

• 6:47George Kamel?

  In debt?

• 6:48Rachel Cruze?

  Like, when you start to think about, I'm like, it kind of feels like eternity when I think about heaven, and you're like, it just keeps going and going. You know, where you kind of spin out?

• 6:56George Kamel?

  It is unfathomable, because think about it for a second, right? You have a million. You know how much a million is?

• 7:02Rachel Cruze?

  I do, George, yeah.

• 7:04George Kamel?

  It's a thousand thousands.

• 7:06Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. Okay.

• 7:08George Kamel?

  It's a hundred thousand.

• 7:09Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 7:09George Kamel?

  Times 10.

• 7:10Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, keep going.

• 7:10George Kamel?

  A billion is a thousand millions.

• 7:14Rachel Cruze?

  It's a lot of millions.

• 7:14George Kamel?

  So a trillion is a thousand billions.

• 7:17Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, that's a lot. And then it's 36, is that what you said?

• 7:20George Kamel?

  37, I think.

• 7:21Rachel Cruze?

  37, oh, man.

• 7:22George Kamel?

  My home screen is the national debt clock, which is very exciting for me.

• 7:26Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my God.

• 7:28George Kamel?

  I don't have friends.

• 7:29Rachel Cruze?

  Do you know what I think a good goal for America could be? Just like get our budget balanced. Like, let's don't go deeper and like, could we just sustain where we are? Regardless of paying off debt, right? If we're in the baby steps, let's just to get to like where we're starting baby step one. Like, let's just get even, right? Where we're not digging in more, we're just... That would be a good step, don't you think?

• 7:47George Kamel?

  I love how positive you are. You should run for office. I'm too cynical. I know how, I know the unfathomable number and going like, that's gonna take generations upon generations to undo. And I hope it happens.

• 8:00Rachel Cruze?

  It is really hard. So, yeah, the national debt and the deficit, two different things. So always remember that.

• 8:04George Kamel?

  The national debt, think of it like America's credit card bill. The deficit is America living beyond their means and overspending in their every dollar budget. Can you imagine if we actually saw an every dollar budget with all the government numbers of the income? Which is from us, the taxpayers?

• 8:18Rachel Cruze?

  If, this is fun. If America called The Ramsey Show and we were hosting.

• 8:23George Kamel?

  I love this. Uncle Sam is in Washington, DC.

• 8:25Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's good, that's good. Yeah, we got Sam, Sam in Washington, DC.

• 8:30George Kamel?

  Sam in DC. And he's like, oh, hi, Dave.

• 8:33Rachel Cruze?

  Hey, Sam, welcome to the show. How can we help today? And he's like, well, I'm spending more than I make. What would we tell Sam?

• 8:42George Kamel?

  Well, we'd go, hey, uh, how much debt do you have? Uh, 37 trillion? Well, dad gummit, Sam, what have you been spending all your money on?

• 8:50Rachel Cruze?

  Sam!

• 8:51George Kamel?

  Uh, funding other countries and war and military and stuff.

• 8:56Rachel Cruze?

  We say, Sam, you gotta cut the budget, you know? You gotta make more.

• 9:00George Kamel?

  What do you make?

• 9:00Rachel Cruze?

  Up the income, lower the expenses.

• 9:02George Kamel?

  I don't make 37 trillion. It's gonna take a while to pay this off. Sam, you gotta get seven side hustles.

• 9:09Rachel Cruze?

  That's good.

• 9:09George Kamel?

  You gotta sell the truck, Sam.

• 9:10Rachel Cruze?

  Sam!

• 9:11George Kamel?

  You gotta sell some tanks.

• 9:14George Kamel?

  Whose tank, whose name is on the tank? Oh, it's Israel, I think, is on the... Oh, come on, dude! Like, fund your own life before you go funding all these other countries. What are you doing?

• 9:24Rachel Cruze?

  Sam, look at him.

• 9:26George Kamel?

  I don't think I'd be very kind to Sam.

• 9:27Rachel Cruze?

  I bet he's got a top hat and a cocktail. That's not a picture.

• 9:32George Kamel?

  I think he should cut the cocktail and get to work.

• 9:34Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm.

• 9:35George Kamel?

  Sell the top hat.

• 9:36Rachel Cruze?

  Well, thank God that we're not in charge of that, George.

• 9:39George Kamel?

  Can you imagine?

• 9:40Rachel Cruze?

  We can just sit here and talk about it.

• 9:44George Kamel?

  Well, the other thing is, the thing that's been coming up in the news is the devaluation of the dollar. The death of the dollar. And how money gets its value. What is the value of a dollar? That's confusing, because you would think $1 equals $1. Nay. So how much do you know about the gold standard, Rachel? You heard about this?

• 10:01Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I have heard about it. Teach me, though.

• 10:03George Kamel?

  Here's the Spark Notes, because nobody cares. Until the early 1900s, there were four kinds of currency. You had gold and silver coins, gold and silver certificates. You had banknotes, which were backed by government bonds. And then you had greenbacks, which was a fiat currency declared legal by Congress to help fund the Civil War. So fiat, you're probably wondering. It's a government-issued, not backed by a physical commodity.

• 10:27Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 10:28George Kamel?

  So gold is backed by physical gold, right? Fiat is backed by trust in the government.

• 10:33Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 10:34George Kamel?

  Give me a dollar, and you say, "This dollar is good for a dollar worth of goods." And I trust you.

• 10:38Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, trust.

• 10:39George Kamel?

  Got that?

• 10:40Rachel Cruze?

  Big board. And relationships and otherwise.

• 10:43George Kamel?

  The US dollar began with the Federal Reserve in 1913, and it was intended to be backed by gold. So FDR signed legislation during the Great Depression that criminalized the possession of monetary gold. Can you imagine?

• 10:54Rachel Cruze?

  You couldn't have actual gold?

• 10:56George Kamel?

  It was illegal.

• 10:57Rachel Cruze?

  Really? I learned something new this episode.

• 10:59George Kamel?

  Well, the reason is, he did this to remove constraints on the Federal Reserve so that it could increase our money supply and stimulate the economy. So basically, as long as the gold's out there, it's not helping the mission here.

• 11:08Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, okay.

• 11:09George Kamel?

  So we tried to get back to the gold standard after his presidency, but in 1971...

• 11:13Rachel Cruze?

  President Nixon came into play. What did he do, George?

• 11:16George Kamel?

  He severed any remaining ties between the US dollar and gold. So he cut the gold standard. So now money is not backed by gold, which is mostly okay, until inflation gets out of hand.

• 11:27Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. Man, what a history lesson, George.

• 11:29George Kamel?

  You're welcome.

• 11:30Rachel Cruze?

  Thank you for that.

• 11:30George Kamel?

  Are we teaching kids this stuff in school still? I don't know what's happening.

• 11:34Rachel Cruze?

  The history of our money. You know, that's what I wanted for this episode. So I really appreciate Sav, our writer, doing some great research and you delivering the message.

• 11:42George Kamel?

  That's what I'm here for. She writes the Spark Notes, I read the Spark Notes.

• 11:45Rachel Cruze?

  I know, but it's good, though. I think it's good to know, you know, where we came from. I'm in the middle of my church history research, George, you know.

• 11:52George Kamel?

  Oh, that's right. You were deep in it.

• 11:54Rachel Cruze?

  Where did we come from? And I think, and the same with this. To know where did we come from with our money?

• 11:58George Kamel?

  Where did we go?

• 11:59Rachel Cruze?

  When you have that $1 bill, you think, where did this come from?

• 12:02George Kamel?

  Eastern Orthodox.

• 12:05Rachel Cruze?

  It's true. That could be another podcast.

• 12:08George Kamel?

  That one that nobody wants to listen to, but...

• 12:10Rachel Cruze?

  What? They may. They may. But listen, one, I will say, there's not a lot of things that we can control, right? Like when Nixon decides if gold is going to be backed by the US, all of these things. But one thing we can control is how much of our information is out on the internet.

• 12:25George Kamel?

  Our digital privacy.

• 12:26Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. I mean, it's amazing. When you do not protect your information, it is like a billboard with your name, your email address, your kids' names, everything's out there for data brokers to go and grab. And then they sell your data to other companies. And then, you know, there's texting harassment, there's phishing, there's all this stuff that can happen. So removing your data is key.

• 12:47George Kamel?

  Absolutely. And to solve all of those problems, I use a service called Delete Me, which is worth its weight in gold.

• 12:54Rachel Cruze?

  So great.

• 12:55George Kamel?

  Full circle moment there.

• 12:56Rachel Cruze?

  It's so true. It's so true. Delete Me is amazing.

• 12:59George Kamel?

  And really, phishing isn't just a tech issue at this point, it's a family issue. So the people that you love in your circles, they're susceptible, vulnerable to this stuff. And it's terrifying how your address, your name, your kids' names, your old phone numbers can be used against you. And so Delete Me goes in, removes all this stuff, sending you a report, showing you what they've done, how much time they've saved you, and it is worth it for the peace of mind. And they're giving our fans, our listeners and viewers, 20% off the annual plans. So it comes out to like nine bucks a month.

• 13:26Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, it's worth it. And honestly, in our world today, being online and having your information out there, it is a type of security that you want in place, because it is. We live online, we do so much online. So getting it removed and making sure that there's not, yeah, all these data brokers collecting your information, it is worth it. It's a great service.

• 13:44George Kamel?

  So go check it out. Go to joindelete.me/smartmoney or use the link in the description to get the deal.

• 13:50Rachel Cruze?

  All right. I think we should do a little quiz, George.

• 13:52George Kamel?

  Little American money trivia?

• 13:54Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, wouldn't that be fun? I love trivia, even though I'm terrible at it.

• 13:58George Kamel?

  That's not true.

• 14:00Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 14:01George Kamel?

  Okay, well, we're gonna find out here.

• 14:03Rachel Cruze?

  We'll see.

• 14:03George Kamel?

  Let's start with the first one.

• 14:04Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, this is my question to you. True or false? There was once a hundred thousand dollar bill that was only used in bank to bank transactions.

• 14:17George Kamel?

  I believe that.

• 14:17Rachel Cruze?

  A hundred thousand dollar bill. You are correct. It is true.

• 14:21George Kamel?

  Because it wasn't for the consumers. It was just bank to banks.

• 14:24Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 14:24George Kamel?

  It just made it easier because they're moving a lot of money.

• 14:26Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I know, but a hundred thousand dollar bill.

• 14:28George Kamel?

  I'd love to see it.

• 14:29Rachel Cruze?

  Me too. Wouldn't be crazy.

• 14:30George Kamel?

  Imagine losing that in your coat pocket.

• 14:33Rachel Cruze?

  Think about a ten thousand dollar bill. Or a thousand dollar bill. I mean, you know what I mean? They jumped to a hundred thousand?

• 14:39George Kamel?

  When I have a hundred dollar bill on my person, I get a little nervous. I'm like, today's the day I get robbed. Shouldn't have carried it. I'm an easy target.

• 14:47Rachel Cruze?

  Here I am. Look at me.

• 14:48George Kamel?

  I look like easy money in the streets.

• 14:50Rachel Cruze?

  Can I say, do you carry cash, though? I know we teach cash all the time. Don't kill me, everyone, but, you know, sometimes I don't, I don't carry cash.

• 14:57George Kamel?

  Yeah, I have it in a separate little wallet that I only take with me when I know I'm gonna need cash. If that makes sense. Because I don't carry a wallet on my person.

• 15:06Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, you don't?

• 15:06George Kamel?

  No, my phone has a wallet and it just has my-

• 15:08Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, you're one of those.

• 15:08George Kamel?

  My debit card and my license.

• 15:10Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, it's pretty great.

• 15:10George Kamel?

  I'll prove it to you. No credit card here.

• 15:12Rachel Cruze?

  Pretty great.

• 15:13George Kamel?

  That's it.

• 15:13Rachel Cruze?

  You should put a little hundred dollar bill right in there.

• 15:15George Kamel?

  I don't, yeah, I could shove it in there, I guess, just as a flex.

• 15:18Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I don't know. I don't know.

• 15:19George Kamel?

  The only time, I do use cash a lot, but it's only for my haircuts because I get a five dollar discount, famously. So I do go to the ATM, I'll cash out.

• 15:27Rachel Cruze?

  No, you don't.

• 15:27George Kamel?

  I'll give the exact change to him. Yeah.

• 15:30Rachel Cruze?

  Good for you.

• 15:31George Kamel?

  All right, next trivia question. Which president's face was on that hundred thousand dollar bill? That's a much harder question.

• 15:37Rachel Cruze?

  Fun, okay, give me the presidents.

• 15:40George Kamel?

  Oh. Calvin Coolidge. A.

• 15:43Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, Phil's right.

• 15:44George Kamel?

  B, Abraham Lincoln.

• 15:45Rachel Cruze?

  Uh-uh.

• 15:46George Kamel?

  C, George Washington.

• 15:47Rachel Cruze?

  Uh-uh.

• 15:48George Kamel?

  D, Woodrow Wilson.

• 15:50Rachel Cruze?

  Ooh. I'm gonna go A or D.

• 15:54Rachel Cruze?

  Can I phone a friend? No, I'm kidding. Let's go Coolidge because it just feels cool.

• 15:58George Kamel?

  Well, it might feel cool, but it's wrong.

• 16:00Rachel Cruze?

  Aw, man, who was it?

• 16:02George Kamel?

  It was your boy Woodrow.

• 16:03Rachel Cruze?

  Ah, so close. Man.

• 16:06George Kamel?

  What happened to the name Woodrow? We gotta bring it back.

• 16:09Rachel Cruze?

  Can I tell you?

• 16:09George Kamel?

  Is there a guy named Woody out there? Was his full name Woodrow?

• 16:12Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know about a person, but I know about a dog. One of our puppies that left us and went to our family. They named him Woodrow. So it's Woody. Isn't that sweet? I know. Oh, Woodrow.

• 16:22George Kamel?

  Hey, leave a comment if your son's name is Woodrow.

• 16:25Rachel Cruze?

  What a great name. I had another. Yeah, Charles and Woodrow.

• 16:29George Kamel?

  Yeah. Because it's one of those names that as you get older, it gets better. It's like a fine wine.

• 16:35Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 16:35George Kamel?

  But a baby named Woodrow? We can all admit, weird. But you go with Woody. Oh, look at the little baby Woody.

• 16:41Rachel Cruze?

  But then I'm thinking Toy Story.

• 16:42George Kamel?

  100%.

• 16:43Rachel Cruze?

  So what do you do about that? What if you got a Buzz and a Woody?

• 16:47George Kamel?

  Was his official name Buzz?

• 16:49Rachel Cruze?

  Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story.

• 16:52George Kamel?

  I just gotta know, like Buzz Aldrin. His real name is not Buzz, right?

• 16:55Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, that's true. No, I bet it is.

• 16:56George Kamel?

  It was a nickname. Another Google search.

• 17:01George Kamel?

  Perfect.

• 17:02Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, Edwin, another great name. Man, we've lost some good.

• 17:06George Kamel?

  Bring back Edwin. I love it.

• 17:09Rachel Cruze?

  All right, next up, George, trivia.

• 17:10George Kamel?

  I'm not gonna look.

• 17:11Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, trivia question number three. Which US president added to the national deficit the most? Okay, who added? Ready? Ronald Reagan, FDR, Bill Clinton, or Jimmy Carter?

• 17:23George Kamel?

  I know it wasn't Clinton because he actually did a bang up job with the deficit.

• 17:27Rachel Cruze?

  He did do great.

• 17:28George Kamel?

  Who were the others?

• 17:29Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, we got Ronald Reagan.

• 17:30George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 17:31Rachel Cruze?

  Bill Clinton and FDR.

• 17:34George Kamel?

  That's it? Three options?

• 17:35Rachel Cruze?

  And Jimmy Carter.

• 17:36George Kamel?

  Oh, Carter.

• 17:36Rachel Cruze?

  Sorry.

• 17:37George Kamel?

  I don't think it was Carter. He does Habitat for Humanity. He doesn't seem like a guy who's trying to overspend. I'm gonna go FDR.

• 17:46Rachel Cruze?

  You are correct.

• 17:47George Kamel?

  Yes!

• 17:49Rachel Cruze?

  I say that with a little disdain, but you're winning.

• 17:55George Kamel?

  That's pretty good, and I did not cheat.

• 17:56Rachel Cruze?

  So, get this, George. The top four presidents who increased the national debt. The most by percentage, you ready? FDR grew it from about, oh my gosh, 792% because of the Great Depression, yeah, in World War II.

• 18:09George Kamel?

  That's a bad hand he got dealt with.

• 18:10Rachel Cruze?

  Oh no, we got Woodrow again. Woodrow Wilson, he grew the debt by 790%. So he increased it from 2.9 billion in 1913 when he took office. And then when he left in 1921, it was 23.9 billion.

• 18:25George Kamel?

  Almost 10x.

• 18:26Rachel Cruze?

  Not good. Ronald Reagan by 161%. Tax cuts, decreased social spending and increased military spending. And then George W. Bush grew the debt by 73%. Tax cuts, war costs and the Great Recession.

• 18:41George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 18:42Rachel Cruze?

  Man.

• 18:42George Kamel?

  Here's the good news, though. Woodrow Wilson had his face on the $100,000 bill while growing the national debt by 790%.

• 18:50Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 18:50George Kamel?

  Anything's possible. Dream big, guys.

• 18:53Rachel Cruze?

  Do what you can.

• 18:54George Kamel?

  All right, next trivia question. What were the average weekly earnings for a factory worker during the industrial boom of the 1920s?

• 19:02Rachel Cruze?

  Ooh, okay.

• 19:02George Kamel?

  Was it A, $10.50?

• 19:05Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 19:05George Kamel?

  B, $34.19? C, $23.82? Or D, $18.70?

• 19:12Rachel Cruze?

  I'm gonna go A.

• 19:13George Kamel?

  Average weekly earnings.

• 19:14Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, weekly.

• 19:16George Kamel?

  So what you would earn in a week? Is it 10 bucks, 34 bucks, 23 bucks or 18 bucks?

• 19:21Rachel Cruze?

  I'm gonna go 23.

• 19:23George Kamel?

  Correct.

• 19:23Rachel Cruze?

  No way.

• 19:25George Kamel?

  Way to go. So kids out there, whenever you're complaining about the wages these days, 23 bucks was the weekly earnings.

• 19:33Rachel Cruze?

  That's wild.

• 19:33George Kamel?

  For a factory, which is, that's hard work in the factory.

• 19:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, yes, the physical labor.

• 19:38George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 19:39Rachel Cruze?

  All right, you ready? Why is money green, George? A, green ink was used to limit the risk of counterfeit cash? B, it was a well-liked color that was different than other colors used in the flag? C, it was George Washington's favorite color? Or D, green symbolizes fertile land and prosperity?

• 20:02George Kamel?

  Wow, okay, process of elimination. I don't think they were in the marketing meeting and Washington was like, "Green's my favorite color? If we could go with that, that'd be really cool." I also don't think that green ink limited counterfeit cash.

• 20:16Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 20:18George Kamel?

  I don't think it was a well liked color. I'm gonna go, uh, represents the fertile land of prosperity.

• 20:23Rachel Cruze?

  Okay. You're wrong.

• 20:25George Kamel?

  No, it was his favorite color, wasn't it?

• 20:27Rachel Cruze?

  No, it wasn't. That would be so funny.

• 20:29George Kamel?

  Which one is it?

• 20:30Rachel Cruze?

  Um, it was, A, green ink was used to limit the risk of counterfeit cash.

• 20:36George Kamel?

  Okay, who knew? I don't know how that limits the risk.

• 20:40Rachel Cruze?

  I'm not sure. I don't know the history.

• 20:41George Kamel?

  When I was at the Apple Store, we had to check the, any bill over, I think a 20 or more. We had to check it with the marker.

• 20:47Rachel Cruze?

  With the light, the highlighter thing?

• 20:49George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 20:49Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that's fun.

• 20:50George Kamel?

  To see if it was real, and I always felt like a jerk.

• 20:52Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah.

• 20:53George Kamel?

  To be like, I think you're giving me fake money, sir.

• 20:55Rachel Cruze?

  So I've gotta check it. You could say company policy.

• 20:58George Kamel?

  Anyways, that's my story.

• 20:59Rachel Cruze?

  It's good.

• 21:00George Kamel?

  Next trivia question. Which historical figure is this quote attributed to?

• 21:04Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 21:04George Kamel?

  A penny saved is a penny earned.

• 21:06Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah.

• 21:07George Kamel?

  Was it A, Teddy Roosevelt? B, Alexander Hamilton? C, Ben Franklin? Or D, Dave Ramsey?

• 21:17George Kamel?

  That's a freebie.

• 21:18Rachel Cruze?

  Mmm.

• 21:20George Kamel?

  Teddy, Alex, Benny, Davey.

• 21:25Rachel Cruze?

  I'm gonna go Frankie.

• 21:28George Kamel?

  Ben Franklin?

• 21:29Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 21:29George Kamel?

  You would be correct.

• 21:30Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh, okay, yeah, Phil's right.

• 21:33George Kamel?

  I feel like Ben Franklin got all the, like, quotable tweets of the day.

• 21:36Rachel Cruze?

  He is. He's just great. I really liked him.

• 21:38George Kamel?

  I think Alexander Hamilton, little long-winded, little long in the tooth, as they say.

• 21:42Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I think that's true. I know, yeah.

• 21:44George Kamel?

  Ben Franklin spoke in tweets.

• 21:46Rachel Cruze?

  He knew.

• 21:46George Kamel?

  I love it.

• 21:46Rachel Cruze?

  He knew what was happening. All right, you ready for yours? True or false? Pennies have always been made out of copper.

• 21:54George Kamel?

  False.

• 21:55Rachel Cruze?

  Correct. In 1943, all pennies were made from steel because copper was needed as ammunition in World War II. So they changed the material depending on World War II.

• 22:05George Kamel?

  I'm gonna be honest, didn't know the reason, but I just knew that it wasn't always that way.

• 22:09Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, a lot happened in World War II. You think about that.

• 22:13George Kamel?

  I guess that's a true statement. I mean, you can't deny it. You could say that about any war.

• 22:17Rachel Cruze?

  I know, but I do feel like it shifted a lot.

• 22:20George Kamel?

  You're the person who has a glass of wine and says, "A lot going on in here."

• 22:26George Kamel?

  Very complex.

• 22:27Rachel Cruze?

  Very complex.

• 22:28George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 22:28Rachel Cruze?

  There's a lot of, a lot of notes.

• 22:30George Kamel?

  Here we go. Next trivia question. It's number eight if you're keeping track at home on your scoreboards. If this is your big date night, love that for you. Why do we say buck as a slang term that means dollar?

• 22:42Rachel Cruze?

  Oh.

• 22:43George Kamel?

  Was it A, buck used to mean ticket and a ticket is a symbol of payment? Was it B, deer skins were once traded as currency? Was it C, buck was a nickname for the secretary of the treasury? Or was it D, buck was once a popular term for budget in England?

• 23:01Rachel Cruze?

  I'm gonna go A.

• 23:02George Kamel?

  Buck used to mean ticket and a ticket is a symbol of payment?

• 23:05Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 23:06George Kamel?

  Well, no, it's not that.

• 23:07Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, shoot.

• 23:09George Kamel?

  I wouldn't have guessed this either. Deer skins.

• 23:11Rachel Cruze?

  No, I thought that's too obvious.

• 23:14George Kamel?

  Deer skins were once traded as currency.

• 23:16Rachel Cruze?

  Really?

• 23:17George Kamel?

  I guess think about the old, uh, who was the guy with the big like raccoon hat?

• 23:20Rachel Cruze?

  Daniel Boone? Davy Crockett?

• 23:23George Kamel?

  Yeah, Davy Crockett. I could see them trading deer skins.

• 23:26Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 23:26George Kamel?

  Like, hey, you got a buck on ya? Can I borrow a buck?

• 23:29Rachel Cruze?

  Got a raccoon, I'll put it on my head, you know?

• 23:31George Kamel?

  That was currency back then. Simpler times.

• 23:34Rachel Cruze?

  The volunteers right there.

• 23:35George Kamel?

  Would you survive in those times if you had to kill a deer to get the skin to then use it as money?

• 23:40Rachel Cruze?

  No, I'm very nervous about the end of the world, cuz I, cuz we are gonna have to.

• 23:45George Kamel?

  Hold on, is this why you married Winston?

• 23:47Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know, but Winston is the one that everyone's gonna come to. Because I think he's like one of the only hunters like in.

• 23:54George Kamel?

  America?

• 23:55Rachel Cruze?

  No, in our vicinity of friends and stuff like.

• 23:58George Kamel?

  Did he tell you that?

• 23:59Rachel Cruze?

  He can't, no, but he's like, yeah, he's gonna be our protein guy, you know?

• 24:03George Kamel?

  You gotta, I've always said you gotta have a protein guy.

• 24:06Rachel Cruze?

  We need protein and the end of the world happens, Winston will find it.

• 24:10George Kamel?

  I think I would forage. I think I'd be a good forager.

• 24:13Rachel Cruze?

  What does that mean?

• 24:14George Kamel?

  I'd find like little wild berries and mushrooms, you know? Like I'd be accidentally vegan cuz I'd refuse to kill anything, but I'd be really good at hide and seek. A little scavenger hunt.

• 24:23Rachel Cruze?

  Oh my gosh.

• 24:24George Kamel?

  I can get in the small places. Like, think about it, a little hole in a tree, like I can get, dig in there for some.

• 24:29Rachel Cruze?

  Some nuts.

• 24:30George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 24:31Rachel Cruze?

  George comes out with some acorns.

• 24:33George Kamel?

  Me and a squirrel get into a fistfight, I could take a squirrel. One, two squirrels, dangerous.

• 24:38Rachel Cruze?

  No, I think that would be the worst time to live, like during that. Like I, it would be so difficult for me. Titanic days, I could do that. Like 1912s, you know?

• 24:49George Kamel?

  Oh, not on the Titanic. I was like, you know, you wouldn't have survived the Titanic.

• 24:56Rachel Cruze?

  I am a woman, women and children, you know?

• 24:59George Kamel?

  How many survived?

• 25:00Rachel Cruze?

  Ah, you know, I don't know my Titanic knowledge, even though I've been to two Titanic museums.

• 25:04George Kamel?

  Next Google search.

• 25:06Rachel Cruze?

  But, but I do think Oregon Trail Day, like all of those days, that would be tough. Like when we went as kids to Traveler's Rest in Nashville, Old Nashville.

• 25:15George Kamel?

  What is that?

• 25:15Rachel Cruze?

  We went with our Girl Scouts. It was like a-

• 25:17George Kamel?

  Like a theme park?

• 25:18Rachel Cruze?

  No, it was like a historical site of like-

• 25:20George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 25:21Rachel Cruze?

  Like settlers and stuff, you know what I mean? Like, but you look at that, I mean, that is, that is tough, though. Like Little House on the Prairie days. Man.

• 25:29George Kamel?

  You lost me washing my own dishes, let alone dying of dysentery.

• 25:32Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. I mean, seriously, like that's har- that is hard. That's hard. You know what?

• 25:38George Kamel?

  Thank you for acknowledging that. I'm sure they're out there going, finally, someone acknowledges how hard we had it.

• 25:44Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, we are bored in today's world. What we argue about all this is because we don't have to find deer and kill it for skin to trade a buck.

• 25:52George Kamel?

  We have to forage. No foraging.

• 25:54Rachel Cruze?

  Or no foraging.

• 25:55George Kamel?

  We forage for fun now.

• 25:55Rachel Cruze?

  We're bored. We have everything provided and now we just get to make up stuff that we're all mad at.

• 26:00George Kamel?

  If you took nothing else from this episode, know that you have it good in today's America.

• 26:03Rachel Cruze?

  It is true. That's right.

• 26:04George Kamel?

  All right, what's the, what's the stats?

• 26:08George Kamel?

  That's pretty good.

• 26:09Rachel Cruze?

  Only 700? Man.

• 26:10George Kamel?

  I thought that was a lot. How many people were on it total?

• 26:15Rachel Cruze?

  More people.

• 26:17George Kamel?

  No, it was 2,200 total and 700 survived.

• 26:20Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, but more died. Wow.

• 26:24George Kamel?

  More died?

• 26:28George Kamel?

  Well, yeah, I would think.

• 26:31Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, that's right, because Rose says there's not enough white boats for half on the ship. That's right, she does say that in the movie.

• 26:37George Kamel?

  I'm just saying, as far as tragedies go, that's a lot of survivors. It's a pretty good survival rate for an entire ship that went down.

• 26:44Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know. That is terrible, though.

• 26:47George Kamel?

  Wait, is your knowledge of Titanic based on the movie only?

• 26:50Rachel Cruze?

  I've been to two museums.

• 26:51George Kamel?

  Oh, they have multiple museums?

• 26:54Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, there was one in Pigeon Forge and then one in Branston, Missouri.

• 26:59George Kamel?

  I don't think either of those are official museums.

• 27:02Rachel Cruze?

  No, they are. No, they're legitimate. Yeah, they have artifacts and stuff. And when you go, you get a ticket as a passenger. And then at the end, you get to see if you survived or died.

• 27:11George Kamel?

  So if you're a woman, you go like, "I survived the Titanic museum."

• 27:14Rachel Cruze?

  Apparently not, because I think, I mean, I don't know.

• 27:19George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 27:19Rachel Cruze?

  It's real.

• 27:23George Kamel?

  I'm just glad I wasn't on that ship, because it was inequality back then.

• 27:27Rachel Cruze?

  We've been on a cruise recently.

• 27:28George Kamel?

  Women and children, yeah.

• 27:29Rachel Cruze?

  Could you imagine?

• 27:31George Kamel?

  Very thankful. I was a little bit nervous. I was like, I know that cruises don't just sink anymore, but what if I'm on the one?

• 27:37Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I know.

• 27:38George Kamel?

  And it's not even like, I wouldn't even get named on it. It would just be like, Dave Ramsey and others. You know what I mean? Like, I would just be others.

• 27:47Rachel Cruze?

  The tragedy would all...

• 27:48George Kamel?

  Yeah, that's why I never want to die with a celebrity. I want to be the most important of all the people who died. At least make the headline. If I died with you, they'd just be like, Rachel Cruz and friends didn't survive the Titanic.

• 28:04Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 28:05George Kamel?

  That's comforting.

• 28:06Rachel Cruze?

  That one reason I appreciate living in today's world is that we get to experience Cozy Earth products.

• 28:11George Kamel?

  Yes. No more deer skin for warmth.

• 28:13Rachel Cruze?

  No, no, we get big blankets.

• 28:16George Kamel?

  Much more luxurious.

• 28:17Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, cozy, wonderful products that just make you just feel warm inside, you know? That's what we want, so.

• 28:23George Kamel?

  That's how we know we're thriving and not just surviving in today's world, is because Cozy Earth exists.

• 28:28Rachel Cruze?

  That's right, and we are happy. We are happy they exist. Because the pajamas, the sheets, the bathrobes, the joggers. I mean, we could go on and on. The socks. Everything about the products are such quality. They're amazing.

• 28:40George Kamel?

  I wore the socks yesterday proudly with shorts.

• 28:44George Kamel?

  Which I know is kinda Gen Z of me.

• 28:45Rachel Cruze?

  That is.

• 28:46George Kamel?

  Yeah, I'm showing less ankle these days with my Cozy Earth socks.

• 28:49Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 28:50George Kamel?

  Cover those ankles up.

• 28:51Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. How were they? Comfortable?

• 28:52George Kamel?

  Amazing.

• 28:53Rachel Cruze?

  So good.

• 28:53George Kamel?

  I got comments on them. People were very impressed.

• 28:57Rachel Cruze?

  George, it's great. What color were they?

• 28:58George Kamel?

  Uh, they were blue on the, on the tip and then white all the way.

• 29:02Rachel Cruze?

  So Gen Z.

• 29:03George Kamel?

  Got my brother a pair.

• 29:03Rachel Cruze?

  Cause they are stylish over at Cozy Earth. The fits are great. They really are.

• 29:07George Kamel?

  And we just put our Cozy Earth bed sheets on. It was bed sheet day at the Camel House.

• 29:11Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 29:12George Kamel?

  Game changer.

• 29:12Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 29:13George Kamel?

  Still just as good as the day we got them.

• 29:14Rachel Cruze?

  It's amazing. Yeah, their stuff is absolutely incredible. So if you've not checked it out, make sure you do because it's worth it. It is worth the investment because man, the quality and it lasts. That's what I love. You wash the sheets. We've had them for months. We wash them every week. They are still great. They are still, they still feel new. The clothes, everything. It's great.

• 29:31George Kamel?

  So if you want a sweet discount, they're giving Smart Money Happy Hour listeners and viewers up to 40% off if you use the code SMARTMONEY at checkout or go to cozylearth.com/smartmoney. We'll drop a link in the description to make it easy on you.

• 29:44Rachel Cruze?

  All right, next trivia question. How much was the Louisiana Purchase a sale in 1803, which the US doubled its size by purchasing approximately 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi from France?

• 30:02George Kamel?

  There's a lot going on there.

• 30:03Rachel Cruze?

  There's a lot. Okay, ready for this? A, 217 million. B, 150,000. C, 15 million. Or D, 557,000. How much was the Louisiana Purchase in 1803?

• 30:18George Kamel?

  In 1803, 150 grand might as well be 15 million. So I'm gonna say B, $150,000.

• 30:25Rachel Cruze?

  Mm, no.

• 30:27George Kamel?

  How much?

• 30:27Rachel Cruze?

  C, 15 million.

• 30:29George Kamel?

  I think they overpaid.

• 30:32George Kamel?

  To be fair.

• 30:33Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, man.

• 30:33George Kamel?

  800,000 square miles. That's a lot of miles.

• 30:36Rachel Cruze?

  That's a lot. Yeah. For 15 million.

• 30:38George Kamel?

  How do you like do a valuation on land back in 1803?

• 30:43Rachel Cruze?

  Do you ever have this thought? Cause I do sometimes. What if you like picked up your money today and got placed like back in history?

• 30:52George Kamel?

  Oh my gosh.

• 30:52Rachel Cruze?

  And what you could do, like, you know, do you ever think about that?

• 30:54George Kamel?

  I've never have, but now I'm excited at the prospect. Building a time machine.

• 30:59Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I know.

• 30:59George Kamel?

  I would probably have a moat. I think that'd be a starter for me. I've always wanted a moat. If anyone with wealth had a moat.

• 31:05Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 31:05George Kamel?

  Like, separate.

• 31:06Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 31:07George Kamel?

  A little bit of water.

• 31:07Rachel Cruze?

  The peasants from George.

• 31:08George Kamel?

  You're not getting over here. I'm not lowering the drawbridge.

• 31:10Rachel Cruze?

  King George, you are who we were against in America in 1776.

• 31:16George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 31:16Rachel Cruze?

  Wow, I didn't think about that.

• 31:17George Kamel?

  Where was Queen Rachel?

• 31:18Rachel Cruze?

  You as the enemy, yeah, for our freedom.

• 31:21George Kamel?

  I...

• 31:22Rachel Cruze?

  But we're celebrating tomorrow.

• 31:23George Kamel?

  I do have a punchable face, so it makes sense.

• 31:25Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 31:25George Kamel?

  I'm an adversary.

• 31:26Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, next.

• 31:27George Kamel?

  Fifteen million. Can you imagine if France never let go of it? Would everyone be French west of the Mississippi?

• 31:33Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, that would be very interesting.

• 31:34George Kamel?

  That explains New Orleans.

• 31:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 31:36George Kamel?

  Think about it. Get back to me.

• 31:37Rachel Cruze?

  They do, yeah.

• 31:38George Kamel?

  What form of currency is the world's currency? Is it A, the British pound? B, US dollar? C, euro? Or D, Japanese yen?

• 31:48Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, man.

• 31:51Rachel Cruze?

  This is so American. I'm gonna say dollar.

• 31:53George Kamel?

  Well, as usual, you are right as an American.

• 31:56Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yes, okay, okay.

• 31:58George Kamel?

  The US dollar accounts for around 60% of global foreign exchange reserves.

• 32:03Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 32:03George Kamel?

  Here's the quote: "The dollar is to international finance what the English language is to international communication."

• 32:08Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, well, there you go. Ooh, I can't wait for this next one. Are you ready? Rachel on the Oregon Trail, here she comes. What was the approximate cost of a covered wagon in 1850? $325, $73, $50, or $185?

• 32:26George Kamel?

  Let's see, covered wagon, alright, it's just a piece of wood. Wooden wheels. Doesn't come with a horse, horse not included?

• 32:33Rachel Cruze?

  It doesn't say in the question. $325, $73, $50, or $185?

• 32:38George Kamel?

  I'm going, uh, $185.

• 32:40Rachel Cruze?

  You are correct!

• 32:41George Kamel?

  Yes!

• 32:42Rachel Cruze?

  Ding ding ding, $185, yeah.

• 32:43George Kamel?

  The high answer, I feel like, was a, that's a trap.

• 32:46Rachel Cruze?

  So in today's money, it would cost you around $7,092.77. So, hey.

• 32:53George Kamel?

  Oh, I thought that was like the going rate for a covered wagon currently. I was like, you can buy them?

• 32:59Rachel Cruze?

  No, I think if we like, yeah.

• 33:00George Kamel?

  That's a tiny home for a lot of people.

• 33:01Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 33:01George Kamel?

  For seven grand, that's a deal.

• 33:02Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, it's pretty good.

• 33:03George Kamel?

  All right, let's do a little finale rapid fire round.

• 33:06Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 33:06George Kamel?

  So, your one request for this episode was a presidential currency quiz.

• 33:11Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, I did think this was fun, y'all. I was like, oh my gosh, what if we took all the bills and the coins? Like, do we know all the presidents on all of them? Because I don't.

• 33:18George Kamel?

  I'm covering up.

• 33:18Rachel Cruze?

  But that'd be fun.

• 33:19George Kamel?

  The president's next.

• 33:19Rachel Cruze?

  I am too, I'm gonna be, I'm gonna play fair.

• 33:21George Kamel?

  Let's start easy, play along at home. If you're by yourself, say it out loud so that the Lord knows.

• 33:25Rachel Cruze?

  I'm gonna be so bad at this. Okay. The one dollar bill. Anyone know? Anyone, anyone?

• 33:31George Kamel?

  Whose face is on the one dollar bill? Kids, guess at home. George Washington.

• 33:36Rachel Cruze?

  George Washington, I did know that one. Okay. Next. The two dollar bill.

• 33:39George Kamel?

  I know this one because we just played a game downtown called Dropping a Deuce, where you got two dollar bill if you guessed who was on the bill.

• 33:47Rachel Cruze?

  Man. What a name. Uh, I don't know, I don't know.

• 33:52George Kamel?

  Thomas Jefferson. Ever heard of him?

• 33:55Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I have.

• 33:58Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, the five dollar bill.

• 34:01George Kamel?

  Okay, I'm thinking, thinking.

• 34:02Rachel Cruze?

  I think I know. Isn't it Lincoln?

• 34:06George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 34:07Rachel Cruze?

  Oh.

• 34:08George Kamel?

  It is Lincoln.

• 34:08Rachel Cruze?

  Lincoln, okay. Ready, guys? The ten dollar bill.

• 34:11George Kamel?

  This is where it starts to get tricky for me.

• 34:14Rachel Cruze?

  Hmm.

• 34:17Rachel Cruze?

  Uh.

• 34:18George Kamel?

  What's your guess?

• 34:21Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, John Adams?

• 34:23George Kamel?

  I was gonna say Jackson?

• 34:25Rachel Cruze?

  Who is it?

• 34:26George Kamel?

  Hamilton.

• 34:27Rachel Cruze?

  Hamilton! Hamilton! Golly, we should have known that one.

• 34:32George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 34:33Rachel Cruze?

  All right, the twenty dollar bill.

• 34:35George Kamel?

  I'll give it a beat for the people.

• 34:36Rachel Cruze?

  Okay. I think.

• 34:38George Kamel?

  But this one's Jackson.

• 34:39Rachel Cruze?

  I think this one's Jackson. Correct, okay. Fifty dollar bill. I think this is Grant.

• 34:46George Kamel?

  A hundred percent it's Grant.

• 34:48Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, Ulysses Grant.

• 34:48George Kamel?

  Ulysses.

• 34:49Rachel Cruze?

  Ulysses Grant.

• 34:50George Kamel?

  What, that name needs to come back.

• 34:51Rachel Cruze?

  Now, that name, ooh, I'd have a hard time pronouncing that one. Ulysses?

• 34:55George Kamel?

  Imagine having a Starbucks cup?

• 34:57Rachel Cruze?

  Never get it, never get it right.

• 34:58George Kamel?

  Would you just go by like, Uli? That's even more confusing.

• 35:02Rachel Cruze?

  Uli, um, you? I don't know, I was trying to like, get a... Um, all right, next. The hundred dollar bill.

• 35:10George Kamel?

  Oh, I can picture it.

• 35:11Rachel Cruze?

  This is Benjamin Franklin.

• 35:13George Kamel?

  That's your boy.

• 35:14Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, we got him. The penny. Abe Lincoln.

• 35:17George Kamel?

  Lincoln.

• 35:18Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 35:19George Kamel?

  Classic.

• 35:19Rachel Cruze?

  Nickel.

• 35:20George Kamel?

  Oh, gosh.

• 35:23George Kamel?

  Is it Jackson?

• 35:25Rachel Cruze?

  Adams. Jefferson.

• 35:28George Kamel?

  Jefferson, how did he get the nickel?

• 35:30Rachel Cruze?

  Um, dime.

• 35:32George Kamel?

  This is so much harder than I thought. I'm trying to picture a dime. We've already burned Lincoln. We already got Jefferson. Who's left? There's only so many presidents.

• 35:44George Kamel?

  They have to be super old. And it's not Jackson. We're not reusing presidents anymore for some reason, okay.

• 35:51Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know.

• 35:52George Kamel?

  Adams?

• 35:54George Kamel?

  Okay, that one really...

• 35:56Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that throws me.

• 35:57George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 35:58Rachel Cruze?

  We need to see this in action.

• 35:59George Kamel?

  Don't act like you guys knew it at home.

• 36:00Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, and then I should know this, the quarter?

• 36:03George Kamel?

  Washington.

• 36:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I was gonna say, but you didn't say we were gonna reuse presidents.

• 36:07George Kamel?

  I was just surprised.

• 36:08Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, yeah, so we got Washington, alright. That was fun.

• 36:11George Kamel?

  That was really stressful for me.

• 36:13Rachel Cruze?

  So great, wow.

• 36:14George Kamel?

  Do they teach this stuff in school?

• 36:16Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, yeah. Yeah, they teach like, the, I mean, I don't know about the presidents' faces, I'm sure they do.

• 36:23George Kamel?

  I feel like that's somewhat important.

• 36:25Rachel Cruze?

  They should know, yeah.

• 36:26George Kamel?

  I haven't needed to know it until now.

• 36:28Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 36:28George Kamel?

  Is it that important?

• 36:29Rachel Cruze?

  Man, what a history, you know? It's always good to know. Go back to your roots, if you will. Where, how did we get here?

• 36:34George Kamel?

  We still don't know. But we know random money trivia that we can impress our friends with.

• 36:39Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. But always remember, when it comes to the government, the economy, everything else in our world and our country, that what happens to your house is the most important thing. So, we are learning over and over again, from the macro level, like, you can't control everything, right? There's stuff that's gonna happen that we have no control over, but controlling what's in your house is so key. So that's always an important message to remember, because we can't get caught up in what's going on with the deficit, and you know what I mean, like, you know, all this stuff, and it's like, listen, what can we control? Is what we can control.

• 37:11George Kamel?

  And I like to just zoom out, get some perspective, and realize that when economics and politics stress me out, I need to remember we are living our ancestors' dreams. So it's easy to feel entitled, like, things should be better. You're right, there's still progress to be made. But we have it pretty dang good.

• 37:29Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. I appreciate that.

• 37:30George Kamel?

  That we can just do a podcast for fun. We can just send out a tweet to all the world to see.

• 37:35Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and it's amazing.

• 37:37George Kamel?

  There's a lot of freedom there. And there is a lot of opportunity to be had in America specifically.

• 37:41Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 37:42George Kamel?

  And it's why people want to be here.

• 37:43Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, it is the land of opportunity. There is. There's something about it that's beautiful and it sparks like this wonderful spirit of innovation and like creating things and it's awesome.

• 37:54George Kamel?

  And I say that as a child of immigrants. That, you know, my family, when they came here, like, I can't imagine what my life would have been like

• 38:01Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 38:01George Kamel?

  if they had never moved.

• 38:02Rachel Cruze?

  Well, the stat, and I wish I knew it off the top of my head, I don't. But, but people that immigrate to this country legally and they do it all, like, they are like eight times more likely to become millionaires

• 38:11George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 38:12Rachel Cruze?

  than Americans who were born here. Isn't that wild?

• 38:15George Kamel?

  Is that just a lack of entitlement and more just like, I gotta really work my butt off?

• 38:18Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah. And they see opportunity. They come and they're like, oh, my gosh, I can do this, this, and this. Where I think we are probably more apt to be like, oh.

• 38:24George Kamel?

  And maybe more entrepreneurial. Like, they start their own thing.

• 38:27Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, totally, yeah. But it's awesome.

• 38:29George Kamel?

  I love that.

• 38:29Rachel Cruze?

  So great, so great.

• 38:30George Kamel?

  Makes me grateful.

• 38:31Rachel Cruze?

  Beautiful thing. A melting pot, if you will.

• 38:33George Kamel?

  Proud to be.

• 38:34Rachel Cruze?

  I'm telling you, if you ever go to Disney World, The Great American Adventure is one of the best shows in Epcot in the American area. It is so, it is so good. It does. It makes you just feel like, man.

• 38:44George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 38:44Rachel Cruze?

  It's just great.

• 38:45George Kamel?

  You should be a travel agent, because so far, I want to go to Pigeon Forge and Branson to the two Titanic museums, and I want to go to Disney.

• 38:53Rachel Cruze?

  Hey, the Titanic museum, you know what else they have? They have a massive area where the iceberg and the water is, and you get to put your hand in and feel how cold the water was.

• 39:04George Kamel?

  Wow. Poor Jack. Poor Jack.

• 39:08Rachel Cruze?

  That'll get you to some reality real quick.

• 39:10George Kamel?

  And lastly, if you're looking for a helpful way to take control of your money, we think Every Dollar is a great way to start.

• 39:15Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 39:16George Kamel?

  It's our budgeting app. We'll put a link in the description if you want to go check it out and get started.

• 39:19Rachel Cruze?

  If you're going to Branson for the Titanic museum, budget your way there, you know?

• 39:22George Kamel?

  I imagine it's at least $10 to enter that museum.

• 39:25Rachel Cruze?

  No, I think it's probably a little bit more than that. But go get a great dinner in Branson, go see the Titanic museum, budget for like the Bucky stops on the way there, and it'll be a great road trip. But use Every Dollar for it. It's great. Fantastic. All right, before we spill the tea on Guilty as Charged, um, I am way ahead of you, George, on this one. This drink, I liked it. It was so summery.

• 39:46George Kamel?

  It's the Broad Stripes and Bright Stars drink.

• 39:49Rachel Cruze?

  I know. I appreciate, Michael.

• 39:50George Kamel?

  You did better than I did. Uh, I'm gonna give, let me get one more sip to really get a vibe on it.

• 39:58George Kamel?

  I'm gonna go eight out of 10 on this one.

• 39:59Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 40:00George Kamel?

  I thought it was really nice. It's got the right amount of sweetness. It's got a complexity to it, so I'm interested to see what's in it.

• 40:06Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, so this would not be a drink I would order at a restaurant before dinner. Like, I would probably get like more of a cocktail. This feels more like a, uh, because there's a lot here. It's kind of heavy.

• 40:16George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 40:17Rachel Cruze?

  It's kind of a heavy drink, so it would be like a, I don't know, four o'clock?

• 40:22George Kamel?

  Okay, we're putting times now.

• 40:24Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know. But you're saying like it is a heavier, sweeter drink. So just remember that when you make it.

• 40:30George Kamel?

  Here's the cost breakdown. You want to take a guess, since we're doing trivia?

• 40:34Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, sure. Um, $2.73.

• 40:39George Kamel?

  You were literally 20 cents off.

• 40:41Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, man, what was it?

• 40:42George Kamel?

  It's $2.53.

• 40:43Rachel Cruze?

  So close.

• 40:45George Kamel?

  Here's what's in it. It's got absinthe. That kind of gives it that licorice-y flavor. Blueberry vodka.

• 40:51Rachel Cruze?

  Wow.

• 40:52George Kamel?

  Simple syrup, lemon juice, raspberry liqueur, ginger beer, blueberries to garnish, and a sugar cube to garnish.

• 40:59Rachel Cruze?

  Wow.

• 41:00George Kamel?

  So a lot going on there, but still a very affordable drink. Give it a try this weekend. The recipe's in the show notes. Or on a Tuesday night. Who am I to judge? You can drink it at 4:00 PM if you want.

• 41:10Rachel Cruze?

  That's the time I would recommend.

• 41:11George Kamel?

  It's America, all right? Land of the free.

• 41:13Rachel Cruze?

  Especially during the Fourth of July. You know, during this weekend's celebration.

• 41:16George Kamel?

  That's true, if you have not batched a cocktail yet for your guests.

• 41:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that would be a fun, that would be a fun one.

• 41:22George Kamel?

  And you can all say, hey, guys, we should all watch Smart Bunny Happy Hour. Before the fireworks.

• 41:29George Kamel?

  You laugh, but someone's gonna do it, and they're gonna say everyone had a great time.

• 41:32Rachel Cruze?

  I know. Thought this was so good. All right, George, are you ready? Now it's time for Guilty as Charged. And this is where we ask each other a guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip. Here's this week's question, George. Have you ever been in another country and thought, hmm? They're doing this better than we are.

• 41:53George Kamel?

  Oh, 100%. As someone who grew up with a different culture food, Middle Eastern food, I find that American food can sometimes be just salty, not very interesting. So here's what happened. There was a time I went to Europe on a college trip. And I went to McDonald's and I got like a Big Mac. And it was served on a brioche bun and it was elegantly prepared. It was beautiful. I don't know why, and it turns out in Burger King in France, you can get caviar with your meal. They're just doing it different over there in France.

• 42:24Rachel Cruze?

  Wow, they're bougie.

• 42:26George Kamel?

  And so I had that McDonald's in France and I went, wow, this is what McDonald's could be. It was like McDonald's with a master's degree. You know, it got its life together. It moved out of its parents' basement. It was like, we can do this, guys.

• 42:38Rachel Cruze?

  Elevated, got that first salary, invested in a 401K. You know, it's just like, he's doing something right. Man, that feels great.

• 42:46George Kamel?

  So that one felt different. I was like, I didn't know fast food could be this good.

• 42:48Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that's good.

• 42:49George Kamel?

  How about you?

• 42:50Rachel Cruze?

  That's good.

• 42:50George Kamel?

  Any international experiences?

• 42:53Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, I have had some and they've all been great, but I think the best, I studied abroad in college. I was in Spain.

• 42:59George Kamel?

  Of course. You were the target demo for I studied abroad. How much studying did you do?

• 43:04Rachel Cruze?

  For a six week. It was only six weeks. So it was like a half a semester. It was like a mini semester.

• 43:08George Kamel?

  Be honest. Did you crack open a textbook?

• 43:10Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, we had to do Spanish. So.

• 43:12George Kamel?

  In where? Spain?

• 43:13Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. So we were north of Madrid in Salamanca. That's what it was called.

• 43:18George Kamel?

  That's your best pronunciation after spending six weeks there?

• 43:21Rachel Cruze?

  That's how you pronounce it. And I will say, you know, in Spanish, no offense to the Spaniards out there, but how they, you know, enunciate their words and say their words, it's not very pretty Spanish. Like, it's not like Mexico Spanish, but because they.

• 43:36George Kamel?

  I've heard this, like the real way to say it is Barcelona.

• 43:39Rachel Cruze?

  Barcelona. Yeah, they like, yeah, gracias. Like it's, I'm sorry. I don't know. I think I'd rather, gracias.

• 43:47George Kamel?

  I want to know how many Spaniards are watching and are you offended? Let us know in the comments.

• 43:52Rachel Cruze?

  I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You can be honest. You know. So what I liked about it, so we live in this like little town where you walk everywhere. It's like cobblestone streets, very picturesque. And all the shops, I remember, like we'd go to class for like maybe what? An hour and a half or something. And then you have all day to like hang out and yeah, and everything would shut down from like one to four for siestas. So people would go and like, everything would shut down. Then you'd come back out for dinner and like, it was just this like walking, slow paced, beautiful, fun, vibrant time, you know? But granted, I was 20 years old and had no responsibility in life. So that's probably the eyes I was seeing it out of. But I do think that slower culture, there is something about it that is, uh, they're

• 44:37Rachel Cruze?

  getting it right over there.

• 44:38George Kamel?

  That's a good one.

• 44:39Rachel Cruze?

  In that way, I do, I think so.

• 44:40George Kamel?

  I do, I need to go back in my adulthood now. Have you been back to Europe as an adult?

• 44:44Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, we did Scotland and Ireland's. Um, yeah, but not, I haven't done like Mediterranean, like we haven't done like Italy or like those kind of places. It's like on my bucket list.

• 44:54George Kamel?

  Group trip.

• 44:55Rachel Cruze?

  Group trip.

• 44:55George Kamel?

  Me and Winston on a Vespa, are you kidding me? Not together, we'd have separate Vespas.

• 45:01Rachel Cruze?

  Just going all the way through the streets. Beautiful thing.

• 45:04George Kamel?

  All right.

• 45:04Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh. Well, if you have a guilty as charged question, make sure to DM us at Rachel Cruz and at George Kamel and like and subscribe to this channel because we put new episodes out every Thursday and make sure to check out the episode, Unique Holiday Traditions That You Will Not Find In The U.S. It's a great one. So make sure to click over to that and we'll see you guys next Thursday on an all new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.