Pod Insights Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel Are These Common Money Habits Broke, Average or Wealthy? About this episode 💪🏼 Which side hustle is right for you? Get personalized recommendations with this Side Hustle Quiz.
When you think you’re slaying the personal finance game by following the latest money trend . . . but you’re really just taking one step forward and two steps back—no more! Today, George and Rachel are explaining why these common financial habits will make you broke, average or wealthy.
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Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍋🟩 Cucumber Lime Mocktail
Recipe: Vibrant Plate
· 1 large cucumber
· 1 cup of water
· 2 limes
· 3 tablespoons mint leaves
· 2 tablespoons maple syrup
· Pinch of salt
· 1 cup carbonated mineral water
· 2 cups of ice cubes (or more as needed)
Instructions: Peel and dice one large cucumber, then add to a high-speed blender. To the blender, add one cup of water, the juice of two limes, three tablespoons of mint leaves, two tablespoons of maple syrup, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Strain the cucumber juice through a fine strainer or cheesecloth into a jar. To the jar, add one cup carbonated mineral water and two cups of ice cubes (you can add more ice cubes if you like). Serve in glasses with ice cubes. For decoration, you can add some cucumber slices, a lime wedge and some more mint.
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Transcript Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:05 George Kamel? When you think it's a financial slam dunk, but it's actually a major airball. That's right, I can make sports references. And today, we're playing a little game of broke, average, or wealthy. Nothing else will trip you up more when it comes to building wealth. And I think all of those three can play into it.
0:21 Rachel Cruze? Oh, this is gonna stir the pot. This will, this will make people mad.
0:30 Rachel Cruze? Hey guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.
0:32 George Kamel? I'm George Kamel.
0:34 Rachel Cruze? And this is Smart Money Happy Hour.
0:42 Rachel Cruze? Well, this is the 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.
0:50 George Kamel? But first, we have to talk about what we're sipping on, Rachel. We must.
0:54 Rachel Cruze? Okay. And our production coordinator went home to get a blender to make this drink. So be very kind with your words. The amount of effort that went into this.
1:05 George Kamel? I have no blame toward the person who made it. I have a blame toward the recipe.
1:09 Rachel Cruze? There you go, it's the recipe's fault.
1:12 George Kamel? There we go, this is a cucumber lime mocktail.
1:14 Rachel Cruze? That makes sense.
1:17 George Kamel? We're gonna give you the rating and reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode. And I highly recommend you stick around to the end. If you want an unfiltered review of this drink.
1:28 Rachel Cruze? Oh my gosh.
1:30 George Kamel? All right, moving on. Have you ever seen an influencer? Don't answer yet. Post something they think is gonna go viral, but the comment section is just full of comments. That's like, who's gonna tell her? This is just not it, sis. Which I find condescending, to be fair.
1:47 Rachel Cruze? Call her sis.
1:48 George Kamel? Don't call anyone sis.
1:49 Rachel Cruze? You're not related to them.
1:50 George Kamel? That you're not friends with deeply or related to.
1:53 Rachel Cruze? That's fair. That's fair, yeah.
1:55 George Kamel? Just like you'd call me bro. Don't call me bro.
1:57 Rachel Cruze? Dude, that's what my kids are saying now.
1:58 George Kamel? Only my bros call me bro.
1:59 Rachel Cruze? Bra. That's what my kids are saying now. They came home from school being like, hey, bra.
2:03 George Kamel? Sweet Amelia is like, hey, bra.
2:05 Rachel Cruze? Not as much Amelia, Charles and Caroline.
2:09 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
2:09 George Kamel? Because Amelia respects her elders.
2:11 Rachel Cruze? I think so too, I know. But yeah, it's like they're not quite getting the vibe. You know what I mean?
2:15 George Kamel? Yeah.
2:15 Rachel Cruze? That's kind of, that's kind of the lesson there.
2:17 George Kamel? That's the energy that we're going to attempt to bring in today's episode to set the record straight on financial habits that are broke, average, or wealthy. It's basically a fun way we can be judgmental, which I think is the goal of life.
2:29 Rachel Cruze? That's fair, yes. Because I think there are a lot of things floating around that people just assume, oh, that's what wealthy people do, right? And it can be distractions at times. So we're gonna bring the reality to some of these, you know, money trends or situations and be like, okay, is this really like what broke people are doing, but they're acting wealthy? Average people, sure. It's kind of an average thing.
2:50 George Kamel? Middle class, okay.
2:51 Rachel Cruze? Or is this what wealthy people do, right? So.
2:54 George Kamel? I like it. We're gonna make it into a little game. We're gonna read popular money strategies and decide whether it's broke, wealthy, or average, and play along in the comments as we go or in real time as you listen to this. If you're with someone or if you want to talk to yourself. We don't judge unless it's inside of the episode.
3:10 Rachel Cruze? There you go. That's right. Perfect. All right. First up, George, what is it?
3:14 George Kamel? Investing 15% in retirement. Is that broke, average, or wealthy?
3:19 Rachel Cruze? Oh, this is a little softball. A little easy pitch for the first one. I'm going wealthy. So there's a guy on Instagram. We actually talked about it in a meeting earlier today.
3:31 George Kamel? Yes.
3:31 Rachel Cruze? I'll give him a shout out because he's great.
3:33 George Kamel? Sure, J.C. Rodriguez.
3:34 Rachel Cruze? J.C. Rodriguez.
3:35 George Kamel? Nice guy.
3:35 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, and I found his, um, his account recently, and he interviews people on the streets, and a lot of them are like these like totally quiet millionaires. Like, they don't look wealthy, and then he starts interviewing them. I'm like, what have you done? And like, well, and they talk about how they've become multimillionaires, and one of the number one things always that helped them was investing. They all say, "Fund every retirement account you can and do it consistently." And they do it over 30 years, and they retire at like 60 with millions of dollars. And it's just like, it's just what you do. Like, one guy, which I wouldn't recommend this necessarily, but he was like, "You don't have to understand it. Just..."
4:18 Rachel Cruze? Put it in index funds. That's all you gotta do. Just put it in index funds and you're gonna be fine.
4:22 George Kamel? Basically, you don't have to be a financial genius or some Wall Street guru.
4:25 Rachel Cruze? No.
4:26 George Kamel? It's not for people of a certain IQ.
4:29 Rachel Cruze? No, but it is the key of building wealth today. It really is. Like, tried and true, you guys, this is how people become wealthy.
4:35 George Kamel? Yeah.
4:35 Rachel Cruze? And I love it.
4:36 George Kamel? And in our Seven Ramsey Baby Steps, this proven money plan that we've developed over the last few decades, Baby Step Four, once you're out of debt with an emergency fund, is to invest 15% in retirement. And so whether you are broke, average, or wealthy right now, if you invest 15% once you follow those steps and you continuously do that for the rest of your life, it's almost a guarantee that you're gonna have a seven-figure portfolio.
5:01 Rachel Cruze? For sure, yeah. It's amazing. Compound interest is an incredible thing.
5:04 George Kamel? And with the tax advantages of retirement accounts where, you know, maybe it's a Roth account, it grows tax-free.
5:09 Rachel Cruze? Right.
5:10 George Kamel? It's a major win. That's like net income.
5:12 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
5:12 George Kamel? In retirement.
5:13 Rachel Cruze? Incredible.
5:13 George Kamel? So, and here's the thing. If you're relying on social security, do better because the average social security check falls just shy of about two grand a month. And there's no guarantee this program will even be around when younger generations get there.
5:26 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
5:26 George Kamel? So do not rely on it. We take calls on The Ramsey Show all the time of people who thought it would be enough, or they just didn't save for whatever reason, and they're trying to live off of social security.
5:35 Rachel Cruze? Yep.
5:35 George Kamel? It's a sad, scary scenario.
5:37 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, and the wildest thing is people that do have social security, but they've done the baby steps and they like paid off their house and everything. They use that money.
5:43 George Kamel? It's gravy.
5:44 Rachel Cruze? To like buy food and they take everything they've saved to like go travel. Like, it's funny, like they can like use it to their advantage versus depending upon it.
5:51 George Kamel? Yep.
5:52 Rachel Cruze? Right up next, George, HELOCs.
5:54 George Kamel? Ooh.
5:54 Rachel Cruze? Home equity lines of credit.
5:57 George Kamel? Broke, average, or wealthy? I would say.
5:59 Rachel Cruze? I'm gonna say average.
6:00 George Kamel? Average people do this because broke people likely may not have a home yet.
6:04 Rachel Cruze? May not have equity.
6:05 George Kamel? May not have equity in the home.
6:07 Rachel Cruze? Yep, yep.
6:07 George Kamel? And usually HELOCs are done to do middle-class stuff, like build a pool or renovate the kitchen, or maybe even pay off other debt or fund college because they didn't save. And this is really scary because your home is collateral. And so if you don't make the payments on the HELOC, which by the way have a variable interest rate in most cases, you could lose your house.
6:27 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, for sure. And you go backwards in your. Equity, right? You're borrowing on it.
6:30 George Kamel? This is basically a reverse mortgage for people under 65.
6:33 Rachel Cruze? Yes, totally, totally. So, but I would say, yeah, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go average here too, George.
6:38 George Kamel? I don't like it. I've never heard someone do like a really wonderful thing. Usually it's just something they impulsively didn't have time or patience or know how to save up for. Well, I'll just take a HELOC.
6:49 Rachel Cruze? Well, the crazy thing is depending on how much you borrow on your home, the thing you're using the money for, especially if it's like an upgrade or something, it's out of style anyways.
6:59 George Kamel? It doesn't add value to the home.
7:01 Rachel Cruze? Like, yeah, it ends, so.
7:02 George Kamel? It just moves you backwards.
7:03 Rachel Cruze? It does. It moves you backwards. So, stay in, stay in the course, people. Stay the course.
7:08 George Kamel? Do not do it. You're just robbing yourself and moving backwards.
7:11 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, but one way to propel yourself forward in a comfortable way, George, is when you have Cozy Earth on.
7:18 George Kamel? Now, that's an investment worth making.
7:20 Rachel Cruze? Absolutely.
7:21 George Kamel? No debt required.
7:22 Rachel Cruze? It's an incredible company and everything that they sell you guys, the quality is outstanding. Everything from the bedding to the clothes, I mean, all of it. It is, it's incredible. It's incredible.
7:32 George Kamel? And it holds up. They have a 10-year warranty on their bedding, just in case, but it's really incredible. I've been rocking their t-shirt. I got the lake house clogs, the no-show socks. My wife loves the PJ sets. I have not yet delved into the PJ world.
7:46 Rachel Cruze? Okay, well, you got Whitney PJs, and I saw them because they came to the office.
7:50 George Kamel? I influenced you.
7:50 Rachel Cruze? And I was like, those are so cute. And I went and bought some because they had the, they had the white with the blue pattern on it.
7:57 George Kamel? Yes. Cozy Earth knows more about fashion than I do, clearly, but.
8:00 Rachel Cruze? That's why you depend on them. That's why you need them in your life, George.
8:03 George Kamel? Got a pair for my mom for Mother's Day.
8:05 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, I did that too.
8:06 George Kamel? Who's the favorite son now? But really, check it out. 40% off when you use the promo code SMARTMONEY at checkout or go to cozylearth.com/smartmoney. We'll drop a link in the description and you can thank us later for living your wealthiest life with Cozy Earth products.
8:22 Rachel Cruze? All right, up next, George, social membership clubs.
8:25 George Kamel? Ooh.
8:26 Rachel Cruze? So you got like the Soho House, country clubs.
8:28 George Kamel? Screams wealthy.
8:29 Rachel Cruze? Golf clubs. Yeah, it's gotta be. That's a lot.
8:33 George Kamel? Yeah, I mean, these memberships can range from a couple thousand to 10 or 12,000 annually. Some have like buy-ins, like the initial buy-in that would blow your mind, like six-figure buy-ins.
8:42 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
8:43 George Kamel? I don't understand it. I'm not at that place in life to be interested in that, but...
8:47 Rachel Cruze? Well, it's funny, because I do think it depends on the circles you run with.
8:50 George Kamel? Yeah.
8:51 Rachel Cruze? The more common these things are, right? So like, I didn't grow up with country clubs. That wasn't like the circles my parents ran around in. And, and even today, like, I think we know some people have like golf memberships places. Um, but there's a whole world where that's like their societal norm.
9:08 George Kamel? Yes.
9:08 Rachel Cruze? Are these kind of things, and so, yeah, it's...
9:10 George Kamel? And it is nice. I'm not here to knock it, but for people that can't afford it, it's a terrible idea. But most people that do this, it's a small part of their world.
9:19 Rachel Cruze? Yep.
9:19 George Kamel? You know, they're not worth $500,000 and spent 200 grand on a country club membership.
9:24 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, right, right, right. And usually it comes with like a minimal, like, fee every month that you, like a food and drink beverage, like, you know, you have to...
9:32 George Kamel? You gotta spend this much to stay in the club?
9:34 Rachel Cruze? Yes, to stay in the club, or you just end up paying it and not even using the food and beverage line item, you know?
9:40 George Kamel? That stresses me out. But hey, if you love golf and fanciness, country clubs are for you.
9:46 Rachel Cruze? There you go.
9:47 George Kamel? I'm more of a putt-putt guy.
9:49 Rachel Cruze? Love a little putt-putt.
9:50 George Kamel? I think we should start a country club for putt-putt lovers. I'm sorry, but if pickleball can be a sport, why is putt-putt not up there? Does it not require skill?
9:59 Rachel Cruze? You know what?
10:00 George Kamel? Most of golf is short game.
10:02 Rachel Cruze? I'm gonna say that's probably fair, right?
10:05 George Kamel? Thank you.
10:05 Rachel Cruze? I've never played golf.
10:07 George Kamel? Never?
10:08 Rachel Cruze? Mm-mm.
10:08 George Kamel? Your family loves golf.
10:10 Rachel Cruze? We went on a personalities retreat.
10:12 George Kamel? Yep.
10:13 Rachel Cruze? Were you on that one?
10:14 George Kamel? Oh, I was there.
10:14 Rachel Cruze? Okay, so that's the only...
10:15 George Kamel? The guys went.
10:17 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, but we went, no, some of the girls went.
10:19 George Kamel? Oh, I wasn't on that one then.
10:20 Rachel Cruze? Okay.
10:21 George Kamel? I was on one with just the guys.
10:22 Rachel Cruze? And I swung a golf club for the first time ever on a golf course. I don't get it.
10:29 George Kamel? I'll tell you this, I went, so it was Dave Ramsey, of course. He drags us out there, it's the only word for it. And it was very nice. He took us to the club by the lake house. Deloney's out there, cargo shorts, graphic tee, sneakers. If you know anything about golf, like, the number one rule is you gotta dress the part.
10:47 Rachel Cruze? Your attire is important to the game.
10:49 George Kamel? Ken Coleman looks fabulous.
10:51 Rachel Cruze? Walked out of a magazine.
10:53 George Kamel? Like, he is mostly, 99%, he is there for the attire.
10:56 Rachel Cruze? Hundred percent.
10:57 George Kamel? 1% for the golf. So Deloney, Ken and I go our own way, because Dave's a serious golfer. We didn't want to distract him. Deloney almost breaks a window from the golf, because he's just swatting. He's just happy Gilmore out there.
11:08 Rachel Cruze? You didn't golf, right?
11:09 George Kamel? I wouldn't say he's a golfer.
11:10 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
11:10 George Kamel? I'm hitting air and dirt with guess whose clubs? Sharon Ramsey, because I don't own golf clubs, as you can imagine. And Dave's like, this is Sharon, you'll be fine. You're about the same height. First of all, rude. I'm at least two inches taller than Sharon.
11:25 Rachel Cruze? Oh.
11:25 George Kamel? So then I go, well, Dave, let me clean these off at the end. They're covered in dirt, because that's all I hit. And Dave goes, no, don't worry about it. He's then there in the truck, just wiping off every club that I used. And I'm just so embarrassed.
11:37 Rachel Cruze? What a servant leader.
11:38 George Kamel? And I have not played golf since.
11:39 Rachel Cruze? Well, yeah, I'm kind of with you.
11:42 George Kamel? It's a difficult, there's a big learning curve.
11:44 Rachel Cruze? I think I'm gonna take it up at like 52.
11:46 George Kamel? Okay. Is that when your mom took it up?
11:48 Rachel Cruze? When I'm 52.
11:49 George Kamel? She was like a late woman.
11:50 Rachel Cruze? No, she was late, no, she was like 60.
11:53 George Kamel? Wow.
11:53 Rachel Cruze? Yep.
11:54 George Kamel? I guess she just looked 50.
11:55 Rachel Cruze? Yep. Sharon watches every episode, so well done.
11:59 George Kamel? Shout out to Sharon. And thank you for letting me use your clubs. I don't think you knew that happened, but you just found out. And it was a big blessing in my life.
12:07 Rachel Cruze? Oh, my gosh.
12:07 George Kamel? That's fun, okay. All right, moving on, broke, average, or wealthy? Combining bank accounts.
12:12 Rachel Cruze? Ah, can I go wealthy, please?
12:16 George Kamel? Yeah, I mean, I feel like anyone can do this.
12:19 Rachel Cruze? Oh, yeah, anyone can.
12:20 George Kamel? So in that regard, it's a trick question, because I think if you're broke, you should still combine bank accounts.
12:24 Rachel Cruze? But I feel like it's the wealthy mindset of like, we are one.
12:26 George Kamel? It's the mindset.
12:27 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, people that build wealth together win faster. And so it is a team sport, if you will. And when you're in it together, studies show, you build wealth faster, so.
12:39 George Kamel? Think about it, if you're in the same canoe rowing together, you're gonna go faster than the guy who's in a separate canoe.
12:44 Rachel Cruze? I know.
12:45 George Kamel? I always go to canoe analogies. That's how my brain works.
12:48 Rachel Cruze? You just love water sports, George.
12:50 George Kamel? That's what can I say?
12:50 Rachel Cruze? I know. And if I'm to be all sappy, I don't know, I think it'd be kind of sad if it was like all separate.
12:56 George Kamel? Like Winston had his own little world and you had your own kingdom.
12:59 Rachel Cruze? And then I have to like figure out this thing. I don't know, part of me is like, it just feels good to do things together when you're married, you know? You're in it together.
13:05 George Kamel? Well, I do think it's more complicated to have a shared account, but then you have your own separate accounts, which is what a lot of people do.
13:12 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
13:13 George Kamel? So it's like, well. Our income goes into this, but then we split it off into this and then I have my money. He has his, because here's the thing, what you guys don't hear is the Ramsey show calls we take. When someone goes, he's upset because he found out that I have more in savings than him, even though he makes more than me. I'm like, this is a silly scenario. Why are we doing this? So since day one, my wife and I have had a shared joint checking account and a shared high-yield savings account since the day we got married. And it's the simplest way to go.
13:43 Rachel Cruze? Yes, totally.
13:43 George Kamel? But we get hate for this.
13:45 Rachel Cruze? So much. It's our number one place of like, everyone hates this idea.
13:49 George Kamel? Because men go, well, she's gonna take you to the cleaners. I'm like, do you not know how divorce works?
13:53 Rachel Cruze? And women are like, don't depend on a man ever fully.
13:56 George Kamel? Yes, I'm like, well, if that's the case, then don't marry that person if there's deep trust issues. So a separate accounts will just hide the problems, which works for a season.
14:07 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
14:07 George Kamel? The joint account will just expose the problems early on and you can actually deal with it then.
14:12 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, and work through it. Yeah. And if something major happens in life, if there's like a massive shift in the marriage, you know, something comes out and you're not trusting your spouse anymore, then get, yes, you need your own account then, right? Like that, there is a reality to that.
14:25 George Kamel? Have a good reason for it.
14:26 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, and we've told people that on the show. People call in and we're like, you have to protect yourself.
14:30 George Kamel? If there's a gambling addiction, yes, separate accounts while you work through this.
14:34 Rachel Cruze? That's right. That's right. So I like it.
14:36 George Kamel? You just got me riled up on that. But yeah, I think regardless of where you find yourself, broke, average, or wealthy, combining bank accounts, if you're in a healthy relationship,
14:44 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
14:45 George Kamel? is a great move.
14:46 Rachel Cruze? I love it. All right, up next, day trading slash investing to cash flow big purchases. Broke, average, or wealthy?
14:54 George Kamel? Oh, boy. I mean, day trading for sure leans broke to average. Because here's the thing, day traders, they're really like smart people. If you looked at their IQ, their intelligence, like you have to know a lot just to be able to even attempt this.
15:07 Rachel Cruze? Get into that. Yeah.
15:08 George Kamel? But I recently took a call on the Ramsey show of a guy who made a bunch of money after leveraging some debt and then was $100,000 in debt.
15:17 Rachel Cruze? Oh.
15:18 George Kamel? Just due to day trading.
15:19 Rachel Cruze? Shoot.
15:20 George Kamel? And his relationship was ending because of it. He was in a terrible place mentally, emotionally, financially because of it.
15:26 Rachel Cruze? You know, I just had a thought, call it the Holy Spirit, whatever it was saying. Some of this, we're just chasing, chasing, chasing, chasing the next dollar, just trying to get wealth. Like, there's a spirit of greed there.
15:39 George Kamel? Can I hit you with a verse to tie that in?
15:41 Rachel Cruze? I was gonna throw out Judas, but yes.
15:46 Rachel Cruze? I just read a thing about how Judas was like the treasurer of the disciples. Did you know this?
15:50 George Kamel? I did not know that.
15:51 Rachel Cruze? He like, yes. And so there's like all of this.
15:54 George Kamel? He would be the guy to embezzle.
15:55 Rachel Cruze? So yeah, I'm not kidding. There's a, there was, there's like, I read this whole commentary about it. And I was like, that is so fascinating. I never knew that. Whether it's true or not, I'm not saying that, but I'm saying like, that spirit of greed, what it will lead you to is so dangerous. It really is.
16:09 George Kamel? Well, think about it. If you make money, you're gonna go, well, I can do that again. And if you lose money, you go, I gotta keep playing until I get back up.
16:16 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, the money thing, and we're a money show, right? We help people with their money.
16:20 George Kamel? Smart money, happy hour.
16:22 Rachel Cruze? Smart money, happy hour. So it's not that we're against it. In fact, we are about building wealth to change your family tree. But we are very much on the slow train, like invest consistently, be wise, like, you know, I mean, it's the,
16:35 George Kamel? We want to make sure anyone can do it.
16:36 Rachel Cruze? It's not for a money grab, though. And I feel like a lot of this situation, it's a money grab. And let me tell you, money can be a blessing, and we say it all the time, but it also can be a curse. Like, it can be the thing that takes you out in life, if that's all you're chasing. Like, I think there's a lot of like, caution around it. So when I hear that, it's like, how can I make the most amount of money the fastest? And if that is like your number one thing in life, it's not, that's not gonna suit you well in life. It's just not. Like, it's gonna get you in a lot of trouble. So have some peace, financial peace, huh? One of our taglines. Around this subject, and this kind of stuff doesn't create peace. It fuels the greed. And I don't like it, George. Hi, what's your verse?
17:17 George Kamel? I'll hit you with my verse. I'm not like a verse guy.
17:20 Rachel Cruze? Is it a proverb?
17:20 George Kamel? Let me just put it out there. I'm not a guy who's like memorized all the verses, but this is one that's really stuck with me. It is proverbs.
17:26 Rachel Cruze? Okay, I believe it.
17:27 George Kamel? Because I like that it speaks in tweets.
17:29 Rachel Cruze? I'm reading through proverbs right now, because our church is doing like a two-year read through the Bible plan.
17:33 George Kamel? Yeah.
17:34 Rachel Cruze? There is so much money stuff.
17:35 George Kamel? They're just dropping little bombs in there. It's amazing. Okay, here it is. Proverbs 14:11. Don't quote me on that, but I think it's right. Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. And that's been a great source of encouragement to me.
17:50 Rachel Cruze? That's so good.
17:50 George Kamel? Cause I'm going slow and low like a crock pot. While culture and Instagram says, hey, microwave it, bro. You can do it in 10 seconds.
17:57 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
17:58 George Kamel? Why wait six hours?
17:59 Rachel Cruze? Y'all.
18:00 George Kamel? So there it is. And in my book, I talk about the three stooges of wealth. And it's fear, greed and pride.
18:05 Rachel Cruze? I believe it.
18:06 George Kamel? Nothing else will trip you up more when it comes to building wealth than fear, greed and pride. And I think day trading, all of those three can play into it.
18:14 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
18:15 George Kamel? Or anything that's a get rich quick scheme.
18:17 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
18:17 George Kamel? Which, listen, find another hobby if day trading you think is like, well, I'm just passionate about. No, you just want to make money quick.
18:24 Rachel Cruze? I know. Yeah. And there's a spirit in that, y'all. Check yourself. Check yourself.
18:29 George Kamel? Yeah.
18:29 Rachel Cruze? All right.
18:31 George Kamel? So what do you do instead, Rachel?
18:32 Rachel Cruze? Instead, I use my money for Delete Me subscriptions.
18:36 George Kamel? That's way less risky. In fact, it helps protect you from the risks that are out there.
18:41 Rachel Cruze? A hundred percent. Yep. So it ends up being less than $9 a month. And Delete Me goes in and removes your data from online data broker websites. Cause these data brokers collect your data. And this is your name, your phone number, your address.
18:55 George Kamel? Your family's names?
18:56 Rachel Cruze? Your family's names. It's wild what all they have, you guys. And then they sell your data and make money. Cause they sell it to other companies. And those other companies take all of your information. They, and they put it out there into the world with emails and other companies. And you are a major risk for scams, spam.
19:14 George Kamel? Harassment.
19:15 Rachel Cruze? Harassment, phishing even, PH phishing. So it's not good.
19:19 George Kamel? Bad news bears. So if you sign up for Delete Me, here's what you get. You'll get a custom report every few months showing you where they removed your data, how much time they've saved you. So far, they've removed me from over 240 data broker sites, saved me 94 hours. So you can get 20% off their annual plans by going to joindelete.me/smartmoney or click the link in the description.
19:38 Rachel Cruze? Amazing. Um, all right, next, George, giving money away or being generous.
19:43 George Kamel? Ooh.
19:44 Rachel Cruze? I love that.
19:45 George Kamel? I'm going to say this is a wealthy trait. You can do this in any stage, broke, average or wealthy.
19:51 Rachel Cruze? They want you to.
19:51 George Kamel? But I think the people who have the heart plus the means to do it lean wealthy.
19:57 Rachel Cruze? Mm hmm.
19:57 George Kamel? We call them philanthropists. There's a fancy word for it.
20:00 Rachel Cruze? Yeah. You know, George? I may go all three.
20:05 George Kamel? There's broke people who are very generous.
20:07 Rachel Cruze? That's what I'm saying.
20:08 George Kamel? There's average people who are very generous.
20:09 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, yeah. So this goes all three for me.
20:11 George Kamel? There's wealthy people who are very stingy. So we can call that out, too.
20:14 Rachel Cruze? A hundred percent, for sure.
20:15 George Kamel? It's not like just because you have money means you will give. It's a habit that you build from broke to wealthy.
20:21 Rachel Cruze? Yes, that's right. Yeah, but be doing it regardless of which category you are in. If you are broke, if you are average or wealthy, be generous. But it does create,
20:32 Rachel Cruze? I don't know, a level of joy in life and peace. I don't know. There's something about it. When you live life with an open hand.
20:37 George Kamel? Yeah. Can I quote Rachel Cruze?
20:39 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
20:41 George Kamel? Give a little until you can give a lot.
20:43 Rachel Cruze? Thank you.
20:44 George Kamel? That haunts me. That quote. I wake up in the middle of the night, I'm like, give a little until you can give a lot. Oh, my gosh. Love your life, not theirs. Know yourself, know your money. Smart money, smart kids.
20:57 Rachel Cruze? Oh, I love it.
20:58 George Kamel? It's so good. But that is, that is a true statement. And when we talked about fear, greed, and pride just a moment ago, I think giving is the antidote to most things that ail us in life. Because it's in our control. We can make impact. It makes it not about us.
21:13 Rachel Cruze? And you're kind of releasing control in a way when you're given. Yep.
21:17 George Kamel? Very freeing.
21:17 Rachel Cruze? I think it's great. Beautiful.
21:19 George Kamel? All right, next up, broke, average, or wealthy habit. Refinancing the house.
21:25 Rachel Cruze? Ooh.
21:26 George Kamel? Tricky, tricky.
21:28 Rachel Cruze? If you're refinancing, I'm gonna say this is like an average to wealthy decision.
21:35 George Kamel? Yeah.
21:36 Rachel Cruze? I don't know. Yeah, if the interest rate drops for long enough, you're like, oh, we're gonna refinance. Or you were in a bad mortgage and you wanna refinance to like a better.
21:44 George Kamel? Yeah, that's true. If you're not in like a fixed rate mortgage.
21:46 Rachel Cruze? So I guess depending on which way the financing is going, but hopefully if it's going to the better side.
21:52 George Kamel? Yeah, well, back, you know, during the pandemic era, we saw those like 2% and 3% rates. We have not returned to those as of this recording. We're still sitting in the 6% and 7%. And so if rates do come back down and you do have a 7% and rates go down to a 5%, you can do the math pretty easily and figure out your kind of break even point to go, all right, within a year, we're gonna Recoup the cost for this refinance. And pay off our mortgage earlier, especially if you're going from a 30 year to a 15 year fixed rate mortgage. That can be a great deal. But yeah, I think this does. It kind of depends on where you're at. It's not like all wealthy people do this, but I do think it's smart to look at your options and to shorten your timeline anytime you can.
22:31 Rachel Cruze? Absolutely.
22:32 George Kamel? Because that's a forced savings plan. A lot of people think, well, if I get a 30, I'll just pay it off like a 15. I haven't seen any data that proves that's actually happening. But when you get a 15, worst case, it's paid off in 15 years.
22:43 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, it forces you into it. That's great.
22:45 George Kamel? So I like that.
22:46 Rachel Cruze? All right, next subject is budgeting.
22:50 George Kamel? This one's a trick question. Because everyone should be budgeting. Who is actually budgeting? I think it would have to lean average to wealthy.
23:01 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
23:02 George Kamel? Because by definition, if you are totally broke consistently.
23:06 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
23:07 George Kamel? And doing a budget, you're doing it wrong. Because the purpose of a budget is to live on less than you make.
23:11 Rachel Cruze? And I'm going to say, we've been doing these EveryDollar webinars more and more. And when you're talking to people, and it's groups anywhere from three to 900 people that are in these. We do multiple a week and most people that are in there for this one, like their, like majority of the audience is living paycheck to paycheck. And most of them have been living that way their whole adult life. Because we'll ask them like these questions during it.
23:32 George Kamel? Little polls they can take.
23:32 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, and so it's just a good baseline to kind of see. And so I do think budgeting helps you go from broke to average. And then eventually average to wealthy. Because to get out of that paycheck to paycheck cycle, unless you have this crazy jump in income and you're really disciplined. Budgeting really is the thing that helps control that income coming in, to find margin, to make moves. Because you actually know where your income's going, so.
24:01 George Kamel? Well, and I found most people who have an aversion to budgeting, they either go, well, budgeting is for broke people. Or they go, well, budgeting is for like Excel-loving nerds who have money.
24:11 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
24:12 George Kamel? And I found that I was broke until I started doing a budget. And so, once I downloaded EveryDollar, it changed the game. Because it just held up a mirror to what was happening in my life and it showed me a plan out. And so, if you guys want to check it out, we'll drop a link in the description. Or you can go to everydollar.com and start your budget for free today. Makes it super easy to get control of your money.
24:33 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, it's great. And what else is really easy is setting up a FairWinds account.
24:38 George Kamel? That comes with a budget. You gotta have a bank account for money to come in to budget with.
24:42 Rachel Cruze? So, FairWinds is a credit union, it's not a bank. And if you're working the baby steps, you want your financial institution that you're using to be on your side. And there's a lot of big banks out there, you guys, that just aren't. Like, they are advertising debt out the wazoo. You know, pushing every, all of this stuff on you. And FairWinds is such an incredible credit union, because it's run by the people, which we love. And the setup, even to set up an account, George, is so easy. Winston and I did it. I think I even did it on my phone. Like, it was just like, it was, it was so simple.
25:15 George Kamel? You didn't have to walk in anywhere. You just pull up the website on your phone and knock it out.
25:19 Rachel Cruze? Yes, and they send you the debit cards. And it's great. And you can access a lot of ATMs around the country that they have like business with. And it's, it's fantastic. So, make sure to check out FairWinds.
25:30 George Kamel? Yeah, it's cool, because, you know, they've been fans of us, and now we're fans of them. They want to help Ramsey fans win with money. And so, they've set up a smart checking and savings bundle, designed specifically for our fans. And it's simple, it's practical, lines up with the baby steps. So, get started today. Head to fairwinds.org/Ramsey to open your account, or click the link in the description.
25:49 Rachel Cruze? All right, to next one, chasing the trend cycle.
25:53 George Kamel? Ooh.
25:54 Rachel Cruze? So, this could be like fashion, luxury brands, what's in.
26:01 George Kamel? Outdoor gear.
26:02 Rachel Cruze? Outdoor gear.
26:04 George Kamel? It's all Rachel.
26:06 Rachel Cruze? Oh, even ways of like making money. The trendy cycle. Okay.
26:11 George Kamel? It could be a coffee shop that just launched in town. There's one that just launched in Nashville that is very, do I want to go? Yes.
26:19 Rachel Cruze? So, I'm going to say the like diehard of this is average.
26:23 George Kamel? Yeah.
26:24 Rachel Cruze? Like if you are on the trend cycle all the time, I'm gonna go average. So I do think you can get to a place where you're like exhausted by the change of everything. And you're like, I'm fine. I'm content. I'm good.
26:34 George Kamel? Well, you find like the truly wealthy people, they're into the sort of quiet luxury. They're not as concerned with the flashier brands, the flashier trends.
26:41 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, they're great with like a pair of loafers, jeans, and a cardigan that could cost a lot still.
26:46 George Kamel? Could be cashmere.
26:47 Rachel Cruze? But it may not like look on trend necessarily. But see, I like it, you know? That's where I fall in towards. This is my trap. I do.
26:55 George Kamel? You know what I say? If you follow the trends, you fall for the traps. And Rachel consistently, but intentionally falls for these.
27:01 Rachel Cruze? And I buy inexpensive trendy things. That if they go out next year, I'm fine.
27:07 George Kamel? So there's a trend, but you're gonna get the Amazon version.
27:09 Rachel Cruze? It's like a pair of like $80 jeans versus $300 jeans or something, right?
27:13 George Kamel? Yeah.
27:14 Rachel Cruze? Yes, or Amazon.
27:15 George Kamel? I wanted you to tell us what the trends currently are, because I don't know.
27:18 Rachel Cruze? Okay, there is a trend, and I just don't like it. Are the mesh shoes, sorry. I don't know if it's if anyone has the mesh shoes. I don't like them, but they're out there.
27:28 George Kamel? Who's this for?
27:29 Rachel Cruze? This is a Target, fine. So these like strappy sandals are kind of in. I'm gonna say the barrel bigger jeans.
27:35 George Kamel? You're talking about medieval mesh?
27:36 Rachel Cruze? The mesh.
27:37 George Kamel? Well, what kind of mesh are we talking?
27:39 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, it's like, oh, look, look, look, look, she's got it up for you. So they're, yeah, but they're like see-through shoes, and you can see her toes and stuff.
27:45 George Kamel? It feels like you've got to be like a ballet dancer.
27:47 Rachel Cruze? If you want to show like the feet, just show it. I'm making sure no one has mesh shoes on right now.
27:53 Rachel Cruze? Just show it. Don't be like, I'm kind of hiding it, but then I'm not under this mesh material.
27:58 George Kamel? I agree. Don't go havesies.
28:00 Rachel Cruze? It's kind of like spider webby or something. Part of me is like, I don't know. I don't like it.
28:06 George Kamel? There's a lot of trend.
28:06 Rachel Cruze? But yeah, the barrel jeans are in now where it used to be these. Like these were last season, these jeans.
28:12 George Kamel? So out of style.
28:13 Rachel Cruze? They're like the wide leg, and now it's like the barrel leg, which I think are super cute.
28:16 George Kamel? There will be comments on this episode saying, Rachel, tell us where you got your jeans and your top.
28:21 Rachel Cruze? I know.
28:22 George Kamel? Never is it, where'd you get that tiny denim jacket, George?
28:24 Rachel Cruze? Abacrombie Target shoes. So like, that's my thing is I'm like, I will go buy, yeah, stuff like that. But if the next season comes around, I'm like, you know what? I bought it for the, I bought it for the moment.
28:37 George Kamel? Yep.
28:38 Rachel Cruze? It wasn't like an investment kind of thing, so I don't know.
28:41 George Kamel? My goal is to never be on trend and that way I'll never go out of style. You know what I mean? It's just an easier life.
28:47 Rachel Cruze? I think that's fair.
28:48 George Kamel? I go for timeless, out of style.
28:51 Rachel Cruze? That's a wealthy mindset.
28:52 George Kamel? But even trends like, you know, sports betting can be a trend that people chase of the latest app people are downloading. Where are people spending their money? And so I don't like, I don't like any of it because I find that it tends to cause you to stay broke.
29:03 Rachel Cruze? Yes, that's fair.
29:05 George Kamel? There's nothing wrong with them inherently, but the marketing is so good and you're so tempted and you want to keep up with the Joneses that it causes you to stay there.
29:12 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, so outside of fashion trends, financial trends, I stay away from. I've literally been doing the same thing with my money for like 15 years.
29:18 George Kamel? Just your 401K.
29:20 Rachel Cruze? I mean, yeah. Actually, we've done some real estate, so that's, yes.
29:23 George Kamel? That's pretty trendy. You've done some flips.
29:25 Rachel Cruze? I know.
29:25 George Kamel? With cash.
29:26 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
29:27 George Kamel? Way to do it.
29:27 Rachel Cruze? Winston.
29:28 George Kamel? Still waiting on a TV show, Winston.
29:30 Rachel Cruze? Man, it would be good. Sledgehammering.
29:34 George Kamel? I think that's what mostly women want to see is just Winston sludge hammering through a wall.
29:40 Rachel Cruze? Just working the real estate houses.
29:42 George Kamel? Why can't you be like him?
29:45 Rachel Cruze? Why can't you do that?
29:46 George Kamel? A thousand reasons, Whitney.
29:50 Rachel Cruze? Oh, George. All right, last, but certainly not least, financial education.
29:56 George Kamel? This was a trick question. This one's for everyone.
29:59 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
30:00 George Kamel? There's no one this is not for.
30:03 Rachel Cruze? No.
30:03 George Kamel? How you like that for a double negative?
30:04 Rachel Cruze? But I think people that, um, study it and want to be intentional with it, it's great mindset.
30:12 George Kamel? Yeah.
30:13 Rachel Cruze? It's going to lead to.
30:14 George Kamel? And that's kind of the space we are in is financial education. Now we sneak it because we like, we're really cool. And we have drinks and we make it real fun and conversational. But the goal here is to kind of make financial education great again.
30:26 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
30:26 George Kamel? And just make it mainstream to where it's normal to want to tune into your favorite personal finance YouTubers.
30:32 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
30:32 George Kamel? Like George and Rachel.
30:33 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, not great.
30:34 George Kamel? And to learn about it.
30:35 Rachel Cruze? But for real, like, yeah, and the purpose of all of it, again. Is to have peace in this area of your life. To be able to do amazing things for your family, to do amazing things for other people, and for money not to be this paralyzing issue in your life, like it is for so many people. And that's what we do not want for you. So, the goal is not just to become rich, rich, rich, rich, rich. That's not why we're doing this, no. It is for you to get control of this area of your life, to sleep good at night where this doesn't keep you up and stress you out, and you have the ability to do fun things.
31:10 George Kamel? Live your dreams.
31:11 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, if you want to travel, start a business. And again, the generosity piece is big in this, is to be a generous person through it all and to help a lot of people. Like, it's incredible what we can do. So, yeah, that's, I think it's a great thing.
31:23 George Kamel? I like to say that I want to talk about money so we can stop talking about money.
31:27 Rachel Cruze? Oh.
31:28 George Kamel? That's not the goal.
31:29 Rachel Cruze? Love it.
31:30 George Kamel? But we have to talk about it so you get control of it, so that you can focus on everything else that's important in your life.
31:35 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
31:36 George Kamel? And you're talking to a guy who loves to nerd out.
31:38 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, and like anything else, if we get so obsessed with it, even if you're doing well, then you end up becoming so obsessed with the topic and you end up like not doing anything great with the money that you've earned.
31:50 George Kamel? Yep.
31:50 Rachel Cruze? And made, and you end up hoarding it, and that's not what we want. It's like health, it's like people that are really into health.
31:55 George Kamel? It's like paralyzing in a way.
31:57 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, that they like literally can't enjoy themselves ever because they're so paralyzed by it.
32:02 George Kamel? Nobody else can enjoy them because they're so obsessed. Like, I don't hang out with my friends, I'm like, hey guys, can we talk about this latest mutual fund?
32:08 Rachel Cruze? That's right. So it is, I'm like, it's for the benefits of, to your point, getting control of it so it's not a thing in your life, so don't make it a thing once it's not a thing.
32:18 George Kamel? Well said, tweet that.
32:20 Rachel Cruze? Get it?
32:21 George Kamel? This is good.
32:22 Rachel Cruze? Makes sense to me, George.
32:24 George Kamel? This is good. What's the takeaways today?
32:26 Rachel Cruze? Okay.
32:26 George Kamel? Broke, average, wealthy.
32:27 Rachel Cruze? I think that there are common themes that each group of people can tend to fall for or do. So let's all lean towards the wealthier mindset, not, again, just so you have a bunch of money, but so that money doesn't have to be an issue and you can do great things with it.
32:45 George Kamel? Yes, I would say wealthy people are earning interest, broke people are paying it, and average people are trying to keep up and just keep up with the status quo, it's not going to get you anywhere. So leaning toward that wealthy mindset means living on less than you make, investing the surplus, not owing people money, and it's a better life. I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did, as long as you love me. That's my final takeaway.
33:09 Rachel Cruze? Good time. All right, before we get to guilty as charged, let's share the details on our drinks and what do we rate them?
33:15 George Kamel? This is a cucumber lime mocktail. As you can see, mine is still largely full of liquid.
33:23 George Kamel? Let me get a second opinion. Okay, I'll go two out of 10.
33:27 Rachel Cruze? Oh my gosh.
33:29 George Kamel? I think that's fair. Here's the thing, if I was at a spa...
33:32 Rachel Cruze? That's what I just thought. This is a spa drink.
33:35 George Kamel? This is a spa drink.
33:36 Rachel Cruze? I'm going seven out of 10. I'm going seven out of 10.
33:40 George Kamel? Would I order this at a restaurant and take it back? Absolutely. But if I was at a spa and it was served for free after my $150 massage, I would gladly be like, mm, so refreshing. It is very hydrating and I love cucumber. I would want more lime in this if it's a cucumber lime mocktail. And I think it needs some fizz. So add some La Croix blackberry cucumber to this and you might have a real winner. Here's what's in it. Cucumber lime, mint leaves, maple syrup, salt, and carbonated mineral water. I'm not tasting the carbonation. Did that... It's in there.
34:15 Rachel Cruze? Oh, we just waited. You waited too long to drink it. It fizzled out.
34:19 George Kamel? Okay, maybe. But here's the good news. We needed some silver lining. It's only 98 cents for a glass. I'm not sure water is that cheap. I don't know how this turned out to be 98 cents. But I do think it is refreshing.
34:33 Rachel Cruze? It is.
34:33 George Kamel? I'm willing to concede 2.5 out of 10.
34:35 Rachel Cruze? Okay, he's going up.
34:36 George Kamel? Final rating.
34:37 Rachel Cruze? It's growing on him.
34:38 George Kamel? Get the recipe in the show notes. Make it for your kids. You might sneak a vegetable in there.
34:42 Rachel Cruze? There you go.
34:43 George Kamel? They like vegetable water.
34:45 Rachel Cruze? Oh, all right, now it's time for Guilty as charged. And this is where we ask each other guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip of our spa water. All right, question. Are there any internet rabbit trails you're guilty for falling for?
35:03 George Kamel? Have you lived, if you haven't gone down, an internet rabbit trail? It's one of the joys of humanity. Okay, what's your latest one, I think is the real question.
35:11 Rachel Cruze? My latest one?
35:14 Rachel Cruze? Church history.
35:16 George Kamel? Do tell. Pray tell, I might, I think is the better word there.
35:21 Rachel Cruze? I have. I've been down, you know, I don't know, I just always knew that there were the Apostles and then Martin Luther. That was in my timeframe of Christianity.
35:28 George Kamel? Okay.
35:29 Rachel Cruze? Had no clue what was in between all of that. Ecumenical councils. You got the Great Schism in 1054 from the Catholic Church split, the first big split. You, you go back all the way to see what happened and how did church become what it did.
35:44 George Kamel? What's your big takeaway so far? Like, who was the original church in your mind?
35:48 Rachel Cruze? Oh, this is gonna stir the pot. This will, this will make people mad. Here's where, here, as, I'm an innocent little Protestant over here, okay, just, just doing my research. It does keep going back to the Orthodox Church.
36:04 George Kamel? Okay.
36:04 Rachel Cruze? Those that are Catholic will not like that, so I love y'all.
36:08 George Kamel? Can you explain?
36:08 Rachel Cruze? We're all under the Nicene Creed.
36:10 George Kamel? Like, where does Orthodox fall? In between like Catholicism and the Protestants, where does Orthodox fall?
36:17 Rachel Cruze? Oh God, I'm not an expert, y'all. I'm gonna go in the middle. Uh, I would say Catholicism.
36:24 George Kamel? Catholic, but it's not Protestant.
36:26 Rachel Cruze? No.
36:27 George Kamel? So it's just floating in the middle somewhere. It's more, uh, liturgical, is that fair?
36:31 Rachel Cruze? For sure, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
36:33 George Kamel? A little more tradition, a little more pomp and circumstance.
36:36 Rachel Cruze? So a lot of like, mostly, like, I, um, yeah, yeah, it's, it is.
36:41 George Kamel? There's more robes and hats.
36:43 Rachel Cruze? Yes, yes, yes. I mean, but they, they would claim, as Catholics would, that they are the original church.
36:49 George Kamel? Okay.
36:49 Rachel Cruze? So there's like, there was a big split that happened in 1054, the first split ever of church. And then off the, and then the Catholics, which again, depending on who you are, which way you would take my hands, but go with me. You got Catholics that split from the Orthodox, okay? And then out of Catholicism is where Protestants split. So then over here, but, I don't know, it, it's, it is, I was gonna say, it is so fascinating, and I love it. I love researching. That, or the Denver Airport.
37:19 George Kamel? Those are your two.
37:21 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
37:22 George Kamel? Wow. Okay.
37:23 Rachel Cruze? Denver Airport.
37:24 George Kamel? That's a good one.
37:25 Rachel Cruze? Pizza Gate.
37:27 George Kamel? Here's my question.
37:27 Rachel Cruze? Don't go down that rabbit hole.
37:28 George Kamel? Have you researched? I grew up Arabic Baptist. I imagine that was invented in 1962. I don't know.
37:34 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're in the Baptist realm over here.
37:36 George Kamel? So like, when was that invented? And when did the Arabs get a hold of that?
37:41 Rachel Cruze? That's a good question. I don't know.
37:42 George Kamel? Because the Middle East is largely Muslim. But there's like 5% that are Christians.
37:47 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, so that's what's interesting is when you look at the split.
37:50 George Kamel? You have a lot of Orthodox in that world.
37:51 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, yes, I was gonna say, so really, the, out of the, out of the five original churches, Alexandria, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Rome, Rome was the only one that went west. All the others stayed east.
38:06 George Kamel? Oh.
38:07 Rachel Cruze? So Rome took the western part of Christianity, which is largely Catholic. So when you go.
38:14 George Kamel? Which then became America.
38:15 Rachel Cruze? I'm saying all of this, that I am not an expert, so.
38:18 George Kamel? Please roast her in the comment section if you are a historian or a theologian or both.
38:22 Rachel Cruze? Seriously, I, I, this is very, this is like ChatGPT rabbit hole stuff. But yeah, you go over, you go over to Western Europe and it's, it's cathedrals. It's, it is very Catholic, but then you go eastern and very Orthodox.
38:39 Rachel Cruze? Like in the map, when you see it.
38:40 George Kamel? That's helpful.
38:41 Rachel Cruze? It's just the truth. I mean, I think that's what happened.
38:43 George Kamel? There's worse things to delve into, so I'm proud of you.
38:46 Rachel Cruze? So to take Orthodox over here to float it to Little Rachel in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2025, took a jump, but I like it. It's interesting. It is fascinating.
38:56 George Kamel? Have you been to a Coptic Orthodox church?
38:58 Rachel Cruze? Hey, no, so Coptics, they came out of, so they're in Egypt, they're mostly Egyptian. And they split, I think, after the Second Ecumenical Council, because they were talking through like the theology of the Trinity. Very fascinating. That, yeah, I mean, it gets real nerdy, real fast.
39:14 George Kamel? Really trying to follow, my brain hurts.
39:15 Rachel Cruze? It's so interesting. But here's what's crazy too, George. We can stop about this. But a lot of that was, a lot of them were meeting to figure out theology before the canon of the New Testament was even created.
39:26 George Kamel? Wow.
39:27 Rachel Cruze? So they're very, I mean, and it's pretty, and it's pretty wild when you go back and read the stuff, because it's a lot over the branch of Christianity, Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, of what we all still really, truly believe from like the Trinity standpoint and all of that. Like, it's really crazy, but they did all of that through Constantine. Cheers, Constantine.
39:46 George Kamel? Cheers to Constantine. He doesn't get a lot of cheers these days.
39:49 Rachel Cruze? Then drop a comment in the section if you are Catholic Orthodox. I would love to hear.
39:54 George Kamel? I think everyone's gone at this point. I think it's just us, just us in the crew.
39:57 Rachel Cruze? I think it's all, I think it's fine. Okay, what's your rabbit hole?
39:59 George Kamel? Washer dryers have been my latest rabbit hole. Specifically, top load versus front load. Why did we make the switch as a society?
40:09 Rachel Cruze? Do you know that I think top load is better?
40:12 George Kamel? Well, technically because of the agitator, but it uses more water.
40:15 Rachel Cruze? Okay.
40:16 George Kamel? So it's more efficient to go front load.
40:18 Rachel Cruze? Okay.
40:18 George Kamel? But front load has the issue of mold because of how the water sits.
40:22 Rachel Cruze? Oh, no way. Okay.
40:24 George Kamel? So now there's a GE profile that has an odor control and it actually has a drying cycle that will dry out the water sitting inside of it.
40:31 Rachel Cruze? Wow.
40:32 George Kamel? But they do say if you're a front loader, you gotta keep it open to let it air out.
40:36 Rachel Cruze? To let it air out. I've learned that.
40:37 George Kamel? But we've been a top load family. We're about to make the switch and I'm nervous.
40:40 Rachel Cruze? Okay. Why are you switching though? Why do you want to switch?
40:42 George Kamel? Um, the efficiency, a lot of the modern ones just happen to be front load.
40:46 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
40:47 George Kamel? They look nicer. I almost got the pedestals with it so that it raises the entire thing.
40:51 Rachel Cruze? Yes, and then you have a drawer underneath. We did that.
40:54 George Kamel? I asked Whitney. She said, "I'd rather be able to fold on top." So we're getting like a platform on top to fold.
40:59 Rachel Cruze? Yep, fair.
41:00 George Kamel? But I was like, "You're gonna break your back doing that." But hey, it's your funeral, you know? So that's been my journey spiritually. Is washer dryers. While Rachel has been, I guess, trying to convert those.
41:15 Rachel Cruze? I'm not converting anyone.
41:17 George Kamel? Maybe not of the faith.
41:19 Rachel Cruze? It's just good to, not of the faith. It's good to know where we've come from.
41:23 George Kamel? There's at least one atheist listening who's going, "I'm intrigued."
41:27 Rachel Cruze? That's fair.
41:28 George Kamel? Buy my washer dryer conversation.
41:31 Rachel Cruze? So good. Well, if you have a great guilty as charged question.
41:34 George Kamel? Let us know your rabbit trails in the comments. We're not the only ones.
41:38 Rachel Cruze? If you enjoyed this episode about being intentional with your money decisions, you're going to love the episode, "Habits That Are Wasting Your Time and Money." You can click the link down below to check it out because it is a great episode. And also, if you don't want to miss a future episode, make sure to subscribe. So we will see you next Thursday on an all-new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.
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