Comparing Disney Villains to Sneaky Financial Industry Traps

💸 Uncover extra cash in your budget with the Money Finder Challenge. When building wealth feels extra challenging, it’s easy to get caught up pointing fingers at the wrong bad guy. Today, George and Rachel are exposing the real villains of the financial industry—with a fun Disney twist. Next Steps: 🎥 Watch our video Reacting to the Wildest “Am I the Jerk?” Reddit Threads. 🍸 Follow Smart Money Happy Hour on TikTok: @smartmoneyhappyhour 📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Leave us a voicemail with your question at 877-306-1517 or send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it. 💵 Create a budget and track expenses with EveryDollar. Connect With Our Sponsors: Check out the FAIRWINDS credit union exclusive account bundle. Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. Get up to 40% off with code SMARTMONEY at Cozy Earth. Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍷 Witch’s Elixir Mocktail Recipe: @themindfulmocktail 4–5 blackberries, plus more garnish if you wish 1/2 cup berry or ginger kombucha (or your sparkling beverage of choice) 1 ounce lemon juice 3 ounces chilled butterfly pea tea Optional: a little maple syrup, agave or your sweetener of choice Instructions: Muddle the blackberries in your glass with sweetener of your choice. Add ice to the brim, then kombucha. Slowly pour in half of the butterfly pea tea, then the lemon juice. Give it a stir, then top with the remaining butterfly pea tea to create a layered effect. Garnish with blackberries and enjoy! 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?

  Have you ever looked around and thought, "Wait, am I the villain?" Today, we're gonna figure out who's to blame for the spooky financial troubles a lot of people are facing.

• 0:14Rachel Cruze?

  We need Aladdin to save the day, you know, George. You're just like, you're like Aladdin, just the everyday.

• 0:19George Kamel?

  I am the street rat.

• 0:20Rachel Cruze?

  Did you buy ice cream and your pregnant wife can't have it and you had it in the house?

• 0:23George Kamel?

  I bought eight pints. And I stored them in the outside freezer.

• 0:28Rachel Cruze?

  George.

• 0:28George Kamel?

  But then she caught me.

• 0:34Rachel Cruze?

  Hey guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.

• 0:36George Kamel?

  I'm George Kamel.

• 0:38Rachel Cruze?

  And this is...

• 0:39George Kamel?

  Smart Money Happy Hour.

• 0:46Rachel 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.

• 0:53George Kamel?

  First, let's talk about what we're sipping on. I think it's 80% glitter. But there is liquid in here, too. This is the Witch's Elixir Mocktail. I'm sorry, Mom. She's not gonna like that.

• 1:05Rachel Cruze?

  What?

• 1:06George Kamel?

  Anything involving witches.

• 1:08Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, she's not, yeah.

• 1:09George Kamel?

  She's Arabic Baptist. That's on the other side of the spectrum.

• 1:13Rachel Cruze?

  You couldn't watch Hocus Pocus growing up?

• 1:15George Kamel?

  Gimme, I couldn't read Harry Potter growing up. I couldn't look at words.

• 1:18Rachel Cruze?

  No. Were you a non-Harry Potter?

• 1:21George Kamel?

  I got to read the first one before she got wind.

• 1:24Rachel Cruze?

  Wow.

• 1:24George Kamel?

  I think it must have made it to focus on the family radio and they said, "Watch out if your kids are reading this Harry Potter."

• 1:29Rachel Cruze?

  James Dobson was like, "Get it out of here." Well, wow, Dave and Sharon were rebels.

• 1:34George Kamel?

  They were like, "Witch is fine."

• 1:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, they didn't care.

• 1:37George Kamel?

  Ain't bothering nobody.

• 1:38Rachel Cruze?

  Our movies, watch it, but careful on the music. Ferngully, no.

• 1:45George Kamel?

  Ferngully soundtrack, think twice.

• 1:48Rachel Cruze?

  That's the double whammy. Never Ferngully soundtrack.

• 1:52George Kamel?

  That's what it was. If you grew up like me, witches equal demonic.

• 1:55Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 1:56George Kamel?

  That's all I gotta say.

• 1:57Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 1:57George Kamel?

  Now wizards, somehow slightly more magical, less demonic? I don't know.

• 2:02Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know.

• 2:02George Kamel?

  Isn't a wizard just a male witch?

• 2:06George Kamel?

  I'm probably gonna get roasted by the Harry Potter crowd. Like, actually, if you've been to Harry Potter World, you would know. Okay, relax.

• 2:13Rachel Cruze?

  There are, um, wands.

• 2:16George Kamel?

  Spells? That's not a good thing.

• 2:18Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I'm thinking more of like Cinderella's, like, and the dress changes, you know?

• 2:22George Kamel?

  Okay, yeah, yeah. That feels less weird.

• 2:25Rachel Cruze?

  It's magical.

• 2:26George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 2:27Rachel Cruze?

  And happy.

• 2:28George Kamel?

  Well, hey.

• 2:28Rachel Cruze?

  A little of this glitter on your outfit. We could just change it right up, George.

• 2:31George Kamel?

  It's the day before Halloween, so we're just trying to get in the spirit.

• 2:34Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah.

• 2:35George Kamel?

  So if you're enjoying this and you want to make this at home, it is a mocktail, so the whole family can enjoy, and it is a beautiful, fun, sparkly drink. So there you go. We're gonna give you the rating and reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode, so stick around for that.

• 2:47Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, so speaking of Disney, George, if you had to be a villain, think Disney character, what villain would you be?

• 2:52George Kamel?

  Disney. Can I go Nickelodeon?

• 2:56Rachel Cruze?

  Sure. We'll go just childhood. Childhood villains, who would be like, I'd probably be that villain. Do you have one?

• 3:02George Kamel?

  Yeah. Um, I'm going Plankton.

• 3:05Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, from SpongeBob?

• 3:06George Kamel?

  Yeah. You remember the little guy, Plankton?

• 3:09Rachel Cruze?

  Just brrrrrr.

• 3:10George Kamel?

  Yeah, but I just liked, as a, as a small guy, I always respected his confidence that he had to take over the world with some harebrained scheme.

• 3:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 3:20George Kamel?

  And he was, he was getting everyone in on it, you know? He was like, hey, here's what we're gonna do.

• 3:23Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, figuring out the system.

• 3:25George Kamel?

  But never could quite figure it out.

• 3:27Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 3:27George Kamel?

  And that, I was, I related to that.

• 3:28Rachel Cruze?

  That's fair, alright.

• 3:29George Kamel?

  I could take over the world if I wanted to, but I'm not gonna, because I'm a nice guy deep down. I am Plankton. Hear me roar.

• 3:37Rachel Cruze?

  That's good, I can see that.

• 3:38George Kamel?

  How about you?

• 3:39Rachel Cruze?

  Um, who do I vibe with? I'm gonna go, uh, Cruella De Vil.

• 3:45George Kamel?

  Hundred percent. I was hoping you would say that.

• 3:47Rachel Cruze?

  De Vil?

• 3:49George Kamel?

  She had great style.

• 3:50Rachel Cruze?

  It's like devil, but it's not duvill.

• 3:52George Kamel?

  Yeah, Cruella De Vil.

• 3:53Rachel Cruze?

  De Vil, yeah.

• 3:54George Kamel?

  Fashion icon.

• 3:55Rachel Cruze?

  Fashion icon. Loved, loved her, like, yeah, the energy she put toward the clothes and the outfits. I appreciate.

• 4:01George Kamel?

  Did you see Emma Stone as Cruella?

• 4:03Rachel Cruze?

  You know what? No. So I say I like her, I mean, I don't like her, you know what I mean? But I, yeah, I didn't follow it closely. Was it great? Is that a good one?

• 4:13George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 4:13Rachel Cruze?

  Man, I probably would like it.

• 4:14George Kamel?

  And you don't care about dogs that much.

• 4:17Rachel Cruze?

  I do.

• 4:18George Kamel?

  Which I think tracks with Cruella. Like, if one of those Dalmatians need a wheelchair, bye-bye. It's a hundred Dalmatians now, sweetheart.

• 4:27Rachel Cruze?

  For the betterment of that dog, yes.

• 4:29George Kamel?

  She's like, we like even numbers. I don't know why she's turning into Trump.

• 4:33Rachel Cruze?

  Trump, I'm like slowly coming Trump.

• 4:35George Kamel?

  Bye bye.

• 4:36Rachel Cruze?

  Bye. Yeah. I know, I'm okay on dogs. I don't hate them as much as she doesn't like them. Right?

• 4:44George Kamel?

  Well, she sure had a lot of dogs for someone who didn't like dogs.

• 4:46Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, but she was doing it for other reasons.

• 4:48George Kamel?

  I haven't seen the movie yet, do not spoil it.

• 4:51Rachel Cruze?

  Oh my gosh. Yeah, so I'm gonna go her. She'd probably be my villain.

• 4:54George Kamel?

  That's a strong one.

• 4:55Rachel Cruze?

  I can appreciate it.

• 4:56George Kamel?

  Why, a lot of the villains are female, I feel like. Is that true?

• 5:00Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, let's think through it. We got, yeah, Tangled, Cinderella.

• 5:05George Kamel?

  No, Aladdin.

• 5:06Rachel Cruze?

  Oh my cheese.

• 5:08George Kamel?

  Oh, Jafar was a really good one.

• 5:10Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 5:13Rachel Cruze?

  Little Mermaid, Ursula.

• 5:15George Kamel?

  Oh, Ursula.

• 5:16Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, we got, why am I blanking on all the Disney movies? Did I say Tangled already? The mom in Tangled? I love Tangled. That movie still makes me laugh.

• 5:25George Kamel?

  Who was the villain in Frozen?

• 5:28Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, it ended up being, um, Hans?

• 5:33George Kamel?

  Okay, sorry kids, Rachel just ruined an entire franchise for you.

• 5:38Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, so he was a guy, but yeah, a lot of women villains, you're right.

• 5:41George Kamel?

  Just starting to think, why is Disney portraying women as the problem?

• 5:46George Kamel?

  What was Walt's relationship with his mother?

• 5:48Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, okay.

• 5:49George Kamel?

  Let's look into that.

• 5:51Rachel Cruze?

  Oh my gosh. Okay, who do you think are some money villains that people love to blame?

• 5:56George Kamel?

  Oh gosh, I mean, truthfully, Dave Ramsey. That's a funny, in people's minds, like, well, Dave, he's the reason why I can't buy stuff.

• 6:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 6:04George Kamel?

  They have like guilt or shame because like, well, Dave wouldn't want me to make a terrible financial decision.

• 6:08Rachel Cruze?

  It becomes like a cuss word too for some people.

• 6:10George Kamel?

  Dave said.

• 6:10Rachel Cruze?

  Dave said, and the other spouse is like, oh damn.

• 6:12George Kamel?

  When you weaponize Dave in your household.

• 6:14Rachel Cruze?

  That's good.

• 6:14George Kamel?

  No one's going, well, Rachel said, it's always like, well, Rachel said I could buy it, so.

• 6:18Rachel Cruze?

  Rachel said to go, Rachel said to do it.

• 6:20George Kamel?

  She's the fun villain.

• 6:21Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, the president, I feel like usually gets to blame.

• 6:24George Kamel?

  It's a great villain. When things aren't going well. I still do, thanks Obama.

• 6:27Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yes, I know, I'm.

• 6:29George Kamel?

  Missed my flight, thanks Obama.

• 6:30Rachel Cruze?

  Thanks Obama. That was like an SNL skit.

• 6:33George Kamel?

  That's right.

• 6:34Rachel Cruze?

  Was that it?

• 6:35George Kamel?

  He was involved. He did. He was a part of the skit.

• 6:37Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, it was so fun. That was funny. He was very self-aware. Winston will say that randomly.

• 6:40George Kamel?

  Yeah, no matter the party, no matter the policies, 30 years from now, we'll still be blaming the president.

• 6:45Rachel Cruze?

  For sure. Yep. That's a villain.

• 6:47George Kamel?

  Wealthy celebrities.

• 6:48Rachel Cruze?

  Oh. The Kardashians.

• 6:51George Kamel?

  Anybody with, quote, "too much money," I'm like, villain.

• 6:54Rachel Cruze?

  Bezos. Look at him out there, just getting married in Italy.

• 6:57George Kamel?

  On his ninth mega yacht.

• 6:57Rachel Cruze?

  Unbelievable.

• 6:58George Kamel?

  You got Zuckerberg buying up all of Hawaii.

• 7:02Rachel Cruze?

  What?

• 7:02George Kamel?

  Yeah, he like owns, people are enraged about it.

• 7:05Rachel Cruze?

  Wait, stop it.

• 7:06George Kamel?

  He just keeps buying more and more land in Hawaii.

• 7:07Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, I didn't realize that. There's not a lot of land out there, you know, little islands out there. Oh, man. Okay, your corporate boss.

• 7:15George Kamel?

  Toxic.

• 7:16Rachel Cruze?

  People love the boss to blame. That guy up there, that woman up there.

• 7:21George Kamel?

  Your parents?

• 7:22Rachel Cruze?

  Oh.

• 7:23George Kamel?

  That's a money villain.

• 7:24Rachel Cruze?

  Siblings, like family?

• 7:25George Kamel?

  Oh, yeah.

• 7:26Rachel Cruze?

  Hmm, that's a good one. Your circumstances, you know? People are like, oh, my gosh, look at this. Look at the housing market we're in.

• 7:35George Kamel?

  The economy?

• 7:35Rachel Cruze?

  I'm single. I don't have a dual income. What are you talking about?

• 7:37George Kamel?

  Inflation? That's a great villain.

• 7:39Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, like the themes of the economy.

• 7:41George Kamel?

  The invisible villains are sometimes the worst.

• 7:43Rachel Cruze?

  Ooh, because you can't get them. You can't like grab on.

• 7:46George Kamel?

  They're in the headlines, but who are they? They're not a person.

• 7:48Rachel Cruze?

  We don't know. Oh, that's good.

• 7:50George Kamel?

  Oh, my favorite.

• 7:51Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 7:51George Kamel?

  The boomers.

• 7:52Rachel Cruze?

  The boomers.

• 7:54George Kamel?

  They're the easiest.

• 7:55Rachel Cruze?

  People love just to blame the boomers.

• 7:56George Kamel?

  Yeah, because they're all like, well, just pull your stuff up by the bootstraps. I'm like, you don't know how to use that trash can at Chick-fil-A because it has technology built. Like, just hold it in front of the trash can, Dad.

• 8:08Rachel Cruze?

  It's right there. It'll open.

• 8:09George Kamel?

  Is that a button? No, it's not a button. You just hold the trash in front of the...

• 8:12Rachel Cruze?

  Push it. Oh, those boomers.

• 8:15George Kamel?

  And yet, we can't get their jobs? We're not qualified?

• 8:19Rachel Cruze?

  Those people.

• 8:20George Kamel?

  There you go.

• 8:20Rachel Cruze?

  Well, here's the thing. When people are suffering, there's usually some level of legitimacy of something going on in their life that's out of their control, right?

• 8:29George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 8:30Rachel Cruze?

  Like, we can control a lot, and we're big on that. Like, we gotta control what we can control. But there are things out there that it's like, I can't, I don't want to say in that, but it's affecting me.

• 8:39George Kamel?

  Yeah, inflation is real. It's a real villain, considering consumer prices are 24% more expensive since the pandemic, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Well, that's a legit pain point for families. Things just cost more than they used to.

• 8:53Rachel Cruze?

  But it is real. Like, when we did, like, back-to-school shopping even... And you're getting the stuff, you're like, oh my gosh, like what things cost now? It is, it's wild. So, yep, everyone, everyone's feeling that one, the housing market. Now, this one I feel for people.

• 9:07George Kamel?

  That's a legit villain.

• 9:08Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 9:09George Kamel?

  Cause if you had a home before the pandemic, you're like, woo, my house doubled in price.

• 9:14Rachel Cruze?

  November of 19. Like, what?

• 9:18George Kamel?

  Who knew? What a time to buy that was.

• 9:20Rachel Cruze?

  Lucky ducky, old Cruella over here.

• 9:22George Kamel?

  But if you weren't a homeowner and you're trying to buy a home in the 2020s and beyond.

• 9:27Rachel Cruze?

  It is.

• 9:27George Kamel?

  You're like, cool, starter homes are now half a million dollars where I live.

• 9:31Rachel Cruze?

  I know, I know. So yeah, expectations have to change, location has to change.

• 9:36George Kamel?

  Timelines.

• 9:37Rachel Cruze?

  Timelines, yeah, that's hard. That's a good villain. The cost of education.

• 9:41George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 9:42Rachel Cruze?

  Up, up, up, up, up. We're seeing it. So there is a, uh, there's a lot out there that affects our decisions, what happens with money, 100%. But also, on the other side of the coin, there's some things that we can't control.

• 9:56George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 9:56Rachel Cruze?

  And things that we can make decisions about our income to do better or worse for ourselves in our circumstances. So we can choose to make really bad decisions with our money, and it puts us in a worse spot. Or, you know, you choose some other decisions that may not be probably the best feeling, or what you necessarily want to do in the moment, but long-term, better for you.

• 10:18George Kamel?

  Yeah, so we want you guys to be the hero, not the villain.

• 10:21Rachel Cruze?

  That's right.

• 10:22George Kamel?

  You can tweet that. That's a good, it's a decent tweet.

• 10:24Rachel Cruze?

  That is good. Okay, so there's some industries out there, George, that I'd say are the villains. And I think they can match up to like a Disney villain. Would that be fun? I don't know why Disney is in play with this episode, but I like it.

• 10:37George Kamel?

  So we're in a pair, different parts of the financial industry with a villain, from some of the top movies.

• 10:42Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm. It's gonna be fun. Are you ready?

• 10:44George Kamel?

  Yeah, let's do this.

• 10:45Rachel Cruze?

  All right, we got the credit card industry.

• 10:48George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 10:48Rachel Cruze?

  And this is Ursula.

• 10:49George Kamel?

  Little Mermaid.

• 10:50Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, this is the dirty deal maker. So, credit cards tempt you to do something, you know, like spend more money, spend money with them, so that you can get the points. But in turn, there's usually hidden things in the fine print. You end up deeper in debt. So it's like a switch and bait sometimes, you know? They promise something, they take it from you, and then they end up winning.

• 11:15George Kamel?

  Yep.

• 11:15Rachel Cruze?

  Just like when she stole Ariel's voice.

• 11:18George Kamel?

  Ah. Again, a big spoiler.

• 11:21Rachel Cruze?

  Look at that.

• 11:25Rachel Cruze?

  But it's a big deal, you know?

• 11:26George Kamel?

  Yeah, you agree to the deal, thinking it's temporary.

• 11:29Rachel Cruze?

  You do agree to it. You are hers. She signs it away.

• 11:32George Kamel?

  And it turns into forever if you can't jump through all the hoops properly at the perfect time. So, interest rates now, on average with credit cards, well over 20%, which is frightening.

• 11:41Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 11:42George Kamel?

  If you actually see that payment, you're going, "Well, I can't just make the minimum payment. I'll be paying it off for decades."

• 11:47Rachel Cruze?

  That's right.

• 11:47George Kamel?

  You have to make way more than the minimum payment just to attack that principal. Uh, so that's a scary cycle. And then late fees, sneaky, growing by the day. And they'll always tempt you. The marketing from these companies is always, "Young people having the time of their lives."

• 12:00Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 12:01George Kamel?

  Traveling the world. What they don't tell you is what an APR is. And how it's gonna affect you, and how it's gonna slow you down from other goals.

• 12:09Rachel Cruze?

  And just how many people we talk to, and, you know, they sign up for a credit card thing, "Oh yeah, that's kinda what you're supposed to do. Maybe a little bit here or there." And then you end up 18, 19, $50,000 in credit card debt, right? So, it's just a, it's a steep decline really fast, if you're not careful.

• 12:26George Kamel?

  And they're one of the, it's the gateway drug in the debt world. Like, if you're 18, what do you do? "Well, I guess I'll open a credit card to start building my credit, 'cause everyone told me that's the smart thing to do when I'm an adult." Little did they know, it's not gonna actually lead them anywhere financially where they wanna go.

• 12:41Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. Sneaky. Stay free, America.

• 12:46George Kamel?

  Stay free.

• 12:46Rachel Cruze?

  In the world. Don't sign up with Ursula.

• 12:49George Kamel?

  And I talked to so many people in downtown Nashville, and the people that weren't from here, that were visiting from other countries, they were like, "We don't have credit cards."

• 12:58Rachel Cruze?

  Oh.

• 12:59George Kamel?

  I was like, "What? This is like Ireland and Scotland and England." They're like, "No, we just use debit cards." And I was like, "I think I need to move."

• 13:06Rachel Cruze?

  I think, I think I'm now European.

• 13:09George Kamel?

  I'm the crazy one in America who doesn't have a credit card.

• 13:11Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 13:12George Kamel?

  Like, "How would you live your life, man?" I'm like, "How are they all doing it?"

• 13:15Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, look at them.

• 13:16George Kamel?

  With actual money they have.

• 13:18Rachel Cruze?

  Just free. So good. Well, you know another sneaky villain? Online scammers and spammers.

• 13:25George Kamel?

  Don't love that.

• 13:26Rachel Cruze?

  Man, that's why you need Delete Me. Georgia and I both use Delete Me with our families. Y'all, it is incredible. They are a great company and they go in and remove your data from online data broker websites because these data brokers sell your data. And then also they and/or the companies they sell it to will spread your information across the internet and that puts you at risk for scams and fraud. So get your information removed and Delete Me helps you out there.

• 13:53George Kamel?

  Delete Me will make you the hero because they'll send you a report showing you exactly what they've done, what they removed, how much time they've saved you. And so far I have saved over 100 hours. They've removed me from over 250 of these websites and I just sleep better at night and it's super easy. I can't take credit. I just signed up for the service and their real data privacy experts do this behind the scenes all year long and they're giving you 20% off the annual plans. Just go to joindelete.me/smartmoney or use the link in the description.

• 14:23Rachel Cruze?

  All right, next, the student loan industry. We're going to go Mother Gothel from Tangled on this one.

• 14:28George Kamel?

  I never saw this one.

• 14:29Rachel Cruze?

  The Controlling Captor. Isn't that good?

• 14:32George Kamel?

  I know her already.

• 14:33Rachel Cruze?

  So good because they kind of pose as like a friend. We have your best interests at heart, you know?

• 14:39George Kamel?

  Like a good mother.

• 14:40Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, but then they trap you and they prey on you and they manipulate you.

• 14:45George Kamel?

  In a tower of debt.

• 14:46Rachel Cruze?

  In a tower of debt. Look at you. And you're like, yeah, Rapunzel, let your bank account down so we can, you know, get out of this tower.

• 14:57George Kamel?

  And here's my checking account info.

• 14:59Rachel Cruze?

  Just stay in. It's not a big deal. Just pay the minimum for 20 years. Everything's fine and good. What do you mean? She gaslights you a little bit. What are you talking about paying off your...? Don't worry. Someone else will take care of it. Don't worry. Just stay here.

• 15:12George Kamel?

  Can't make the payment? Put it in forbearance. Defirm it. Don't worry about it.

• 15:17Rachel Cruze?

  But then, I'll start singing. I'm not going to.

• 15:21George Kamel?

  Sing it, please. The world needs this right now.

• 15:23Rachel Cruze?

  At Last I See the Light, one of the best Disney songs. So good.

• 15:33George Kamel?

  Just beautiful. Can you imagine?

• 15:36George Kamel?

  There is a reason God didn't give her pipes, guys.

• 15:38Rachel Cruze?

  When her and Flynn Rider are on that boat and she's finally out and sees the light, that's what we want for you and your student loan debt. Just see the light, swim away, paddle away. It'd be great. It's pretty good.

• 15:50George Kamel?

  That was actually really good. You hummed a melody.

• 15:53Rachel Cruze?

  I did.

• 15:53George Kamel?

  That's big progress for you.

• 15:55Rachel Cruze?

  Did you hear tone? Did it go up and down?

• 15:56George Kamel?

  I'm not gonna go that far, but you did hum a melody.

• 16:00Rachel Cruze?

  Thank you. Thank you.

• 16:01George Kamel?

  That was good.

• 16:01Rachel Cruze?

  It's one of the best Nissie songs, in my opinion, though.

• 16:04George Kamel?

  Let's get sad, though. Have you seen this viral clip of a girl sobbing and she's asking Jeff Bezos to Venmo her?

• 16:10Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 16:10George Kamel?

  I did a react to this because so many people sent it to me.

• 16:13Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 16:13George Kamel?

  She was making $1,500 payments forever and the balance had gone up.

• 16:19Rachel Cruze?

  Hmm. Because of the interest and everything?

• 16:21George Kamel?

  Because of the interest. Sky-high interest. I don't know if she ever had done forbearance or deferment or something that caused the interest to continue to accrue.

• 16:28Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 16:28George Kamel?

  But a lot of people don't realize, you sign up for these income-driven repayment plans that keeps your payment nice and low while the interest is so big that it's growing the balance day by day.

• 16:38Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, so it's like ends up growing. You're not even like really chipping away that much at it.

• 16:41George Kamel?

  So it's brutal to watch and I feel for anyone who's struggling with student loan debt. You can get out. It takes some hard work, some sacrifice. The debt snowball is your best path out of this. So you list all the debts, smallest to largest. Don't do the debt consolidation, making it one big mountain. Just split them all out, attack the little one first with the vengeance, make minimum payments on the rest, and I promise you, you can get through this. And hopefully you graduated with a degree that has marketplace value. You're doing that work. You're making good money.

• 17:08Rachel Cruze?

  Your income will go up over time, all of it. But it is. It is the people that we talk to on the Ramsey Show that become debt-free. And I mean, a lot of them, George, it's 35, 40, 80, 90,000 dollars of student loan debt.

• 17:19George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 17:19Rachel Cruze?

  And it's pretty common. Like, that's a big chunk usually of people's debt. And they do it, though, but it's like, it is intense. Like, you've gotta get out ahead of it. You can't stay in that cycle like what this girl's doing because you won't ever get ahead. So it is. You kind of, kind of get right to it and...

• 17:34George Kamel?

  And Jeff Bezos is not gonna Venmo you. I don't know how to, I don't want to be the guy to tell you that, but...

• 17:39Rachel Cruze?

  He's getting married in Italy, you know, or was married, I guess.

• 17:43George Kamel?

  Is he not?

• 17:44Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, sorry. Was marriage, wedding-wise. Like, he did have the wedding, is what I meant. His marriage is done.

• 17:52George Kamel?

  I mean, I go to you for pop culture news. I'm like, is she already letting this out?

• 17:55Rachel Cruze?

  No, no, no. I mean, like, the wedding is done. That's what I was. I said, I said, he's getting married in Italy. Makes it sound like he is right now, and he's not. Like, that's over. The wedding is over. Not the marriage. Just the wedding.

• 18:06George Kamel?

  But by the time this airs.

• 18:08Rachel Cruze?

  Don't sue me, please.

• 18:10George Kamel?

  We don't know. Are they still together?

• 18:13Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, they will still be together when this airs. All right, next up, banks. Scrooge McDuck from Duck Tales.

• 18:21George Kamel?

  That's a good one. Just swimming in that pool of coins.

• 18:24Rachel Cruze?

  The hottie hoit-horder.

• 18:26George Kamel?

  Hottie-horder. That's a tough one to say.

• 18:28Rachel Cruze?

  Hottie-horder.

• 18:29George Kamel?

  Hottie-horder.

• 18:32Rachel Cruze?

  Hottie. It makes it sound like it's H-O-T-T-I-E.

• 18:35George Kamel?

  Oh, yeah, not a hottie.

• 18:37Rachel Cruze?

  Hottie. What a hottie.

• 18:38George Kamel?

  Scrooge McDuck.

• 18:39Rachel Cruze?

  Hottie.

• 18:40George Kamel?

  Was he pantsless?

• 18:43George Kamel?

  Can someone tell me?

• 18:44Rachel Cruze?

  I think they were. Donald Duck was. Didn't have pants.

• 18:48George Kamel?

  When did we decide as a society that ducks are like, we're good, no pants needed?

• 18:52Rachel Cruze?

  Well, I think because the majority of the time, they don't need pants, George.

• 18:56George Kamel?

  Says who?

• 18:57Rachel Cruze?

  Nature.

• 18:58George Kamel?

  Why is Mickey Mouse wearing pants? He's a mouse.

• 19:01Rachel Cruze?

  No, that's true. And he walks on two legs.

• 19:05George Kamel?

  They got those little thin legs, little wispy legs.

• 19:08Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know.

• 19:08George Kamel?

  All right, hey.

• 19:09Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, but these bankers, though, you know?

• 19:12George Kamel?

  Yeah, banks are prancing around, fancy top hats, red blazers, soaking in a giant pool of cash while dishing out only pennies and interest in return.

• 19:19Rachel Cruze?

  I know. Those big banks, you know, they're sitting at the top of a 68-story building, looking out on all us peasants down below.

• 19:28George Kamel?

  How are they making all this money, Rachel?

• 19:30Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 19:30George Kamel?

  Fees. That's a big one. Interest from loans to profiting off of your money while you keep up the grind day in and day out. So who you bank with, where you keep your money? It's very important.

• 19:41Rachel Cruze?

  It is. That's one reason I love Fairwins. Because Fairwins is a credit union, not a bank. So you're not just an account number. And they're owned by their members, not by Wall Street. And so Fairwins does an incredible job. Even their customer service, George, you feel like a person. Like, the setup is so easy. They made it so user-friendly to set up an account, get going. They're a great credit union. And then, the personal touches of the customer service, incredible. They're amazing people. We love them. And they love Ramsey, too, which I love, because they love the plan. They encourage their members to follow this plan. They want you to have savings. They don't want you to have a ton of debt. Like, it's, like, they're on it, on board with our message.

• 20:22George Kamel?

  They talk about freedom with money as much as we do. Like, if you go to their website, you'll be like, "Am I on the Ramsey site? This is crazy."

• 20:28Rachel Cruze?

  It's so great.

• 20:28George Kamel?

  They believe it.

• 20:29Rachel Cruze?

  So make sure to check them out. You can go to fairwins.org/RamseyToday. Set up an account, and I promise you will not regret it. You guys did, right?

• 20:36George Kamel?

  Yeah, mine was less than five minutes on my phone. And I've gotten two phone calls from them in the past week. And they're so nice. "Okay, just checking in, seeing how everything went." And I was like, "Like, I've talked to you more than my own family. This is amazing."

• 20:49Rachel Cruze?

  Making sure everything's good.

• 20:50George Kamel?

  So nice.

• 20:52Rachel Cruze?

  All right, next. Buy now, pay later. It's kind of like Hans from Frozen. We were talking about him earlier. It's the fake friend with a hidden agenda. And it's good, because they pretend to be on your side, you know?

• 21:05George Kamel?

  Yeah, they make it sound like they're the good guys in the debt world.

• 21:09Rachel Cruze?

  Look at, look at this massive bill, this payment you're gonna have to pay. You don't have to do that. You don't have to pay that total. Just spread it out. We're here for you.

• 21:17George Kamel?

  Four easy payments. "Hey, we'll check back in two weeks from now. You can give us a little bit more. But you deserve it. Get it now. Don't wait until you have the money."

• 21:24Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, you can't afford it. That's okay. Just split it up. So then, in turn, not only are you in debt, but we find that people end up spending close to double what they have originally spent, because that total goes down, because it's split up into four payments. So you feel like you're getting a great deal.

• 21:40George Kamel?

  Psychological mind games and the tab keeps adding up because you added seven other things.

• 21:44Rachel Cruze?

  That's right.

• 21:45George Kamel?

  Your buy now, pay later tab. Oh, and by the way, there is late fees. There is interest if you miss payments. And we know that a third fall behind on payments with buy now, pay later.

• 21:53Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 21:54George Kamel?

  The stats are more and more alarming and it's becoming more and more normal to just put everything on payments. So that frightens me. Even little purchases, that adds up.

• 22:01Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. Oh, yeah. We hear about people getting like a hot dog.

• 22:04George Kamel?

  You've got Klarna and DoorDash and Costco and Affirm. And so just run away when you see the pay in payments. Just go, nope, if I can't afford it now, I'm not getting it now.

• 22:12Rachel Cruze?

  Say not me. Say no to that love.

• 22:14George Kamel?

  Say no to Hans.

• 22:16Rachel Cruze?

  Anna, just say no. Say no. Okay, next payday loans. Little Hades from Hercules.

• 22:23George Kamel?

  Throwback.

• 22:24Rachel Cruze?

  The underworld deal broker. Oh, this is good. This is so good.

• 22:28George Kamel?

  Deal broker. That's an interesting take.

• 22:30Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, because they trap people and it's like they can't even, they can't escape. Cause the interest is so high on these payday loans that when you're stuck in that cycle.

• 22:38George Kamel?

  It can be like three or 400%.

• 22:40Rachel Cruze?

  Kind of stuff like, man, you are in it. And it is, it is hard to break out of that cycle. Kind of like Hades.

• 22:47George Kamel?

  It's like breaking out of a circle of hell. It's just good luck.

• 22:50Rachel Cruze?

  Terrible.

• 22:51George Kamel?

  And the saddest part is where you find these payday lenders. You know, they, they take an old abandoned Pizza Hut and turn it into an old title loans place. And that you pass by them, they're always in lower income communities. And so they prey upon people who are desperate for that a hundred bucks or that 500 bucks. And then they trap them in the cycle needing to come back for more and more and more.

• 23:11Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 23:12George Kamel?

  So it really is one of the most disgusting predatory.

• 23:14Rachel Cruze?

  It is. It's, it's, it's terrible. They, yeah, you're absolutely right.

• 23:17George Kamel?

  It is like making a deal with the devil.

• 23:18Rachel Cruze?

  Society, that's who they go after. Like it's horrible. It's very, and again, they act like they're helping. And when you're in a desperate situation, you'll do anything to feel like you're keeping your head above water. But then they trap you in that and they're like, sorry, you're in this cycle of hell forever.

• 23:33George Kamel?

  Pass 400% interest.

• 23:35Rachel Cruze?

  So horrible.

• 23:38Rachel Cruze?

  All right, next, car loans. We got a little Jafar from Aladdin.

• 23:42George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 23:43Rachel Cruze?

  The smooth talker.

• 23:45George Kamel?

  Oh, that's right. He was very convincing.

• 23:47Rachel Cruze?

  Very, yeah. I mean, I'd say intelligent.

• 23:49George Kamel?

  When he got Aladdin to go into that cave.

• 23:50Rachel Cruze?

  He did. And he was like, hey, do this deal. And, and again, you're like that confidence.

• 23:56George Kamel?

  Convincing the Sultan.

• 23:57Rachel Cruze?

  Very, yes, very persuasive, kind of gets on your good side a little bit. You know what I mean? Like, important, big deal, you're on the car lot.

• 24:05George Kamel?

  Hey, we want to help you get the right payment. We want to make sure we're rooting for you.

• 24:09Rachel Cruze?

  And then you get stuck in a car payment. Bleh.

• 24:11George Kamel?

  Gross.

• 24:12Rachel Cruze?

  Jeez. Not good. We need Aladdin to save the day, you know, George. It's like you're like Aladdin, just the everyday.

• 24:19George Kamel?

  I am the street rat.

• 24:20Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, the street, just the everyday street rat.

• 24:22George Kamel?

  Yeah. And I'm like, guys, you can pay cash for a car. And they're like, what? Get out of here, bozo. I'm getting a sick new car from Jafar.

• 24:29Rachel Cruze?

  And then you get into, and then you try to dress up and you try to be someone you're not. I'm like, George, don't do that. Be yourself, George.

• 24:35George Kamel?

  That's true. I ride in on the elephant. You're a camel guy. We all know you're a camel guy. Elephant's too tall. No, that is so true. And you know, I did ride in as Aladdin on a camel at Battle of the Bands 2020.

• 24:51Rachel Cruze?

  You did?

• 24:51George Kamel?

  Our Ramsey Solutions event. We rented the same camel that I had at my wedding.

• 24:55Rachel Cruze?

  And you were dressed up like Aladdin?

• 24:57George Kamel?

  I dressed up as, as Prince Ali.

• 25:00Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, very different.

• 25:01George Kamel?

  And they played the song and people threw roses at me.

• 25:04Rachel Cruze?

  What was the song from Battle of the Bands you did?

• 25:06George Kamel?

  It wasn't. It was me hosting. And I was like, hey, guys.

• 25:09Rachel Cruze?

  You used to host it.

• 25:10George Kamel?

  I want Prince Ali playing blasting in the amphitheater as I ride in on a real camel. They adorned the camel with like the little carpet. It was amazing. Also, I was frightened up there. I was, I was playing it cool, but I was scared for my life. It was like getting on it. I thought this guy had like a special camel ladder that you like climb up on and get on the hump and go.

• 25:29Rachel Cruze?

  What do you do?

• 25:30George Kamel?

  He just went, ah, get on that loading dock right there and just kind of just hop on. The camel's like a T-Rex. I mean, it is 19 feet tall. And so just getting up there was so frightening.

• 25:41Rachel Cruze?

  No saddle? You got a saddle?

• 25:43George Kamel?

  There was some sort of saddle, but then getting down, I was like, so how do I get off? When I'm, I need to run on stage. And he went, ah, we'll figure it out. So he just yanks the camel down on the front two knees, making me fly forward.

• 25:57Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, no!

• 25:57George Kamel?

  And I just gave a nice little wave.

• 26:00Rachel Cruze?

  Had no idea, George. I missed that completely.

• 26:03George Kamel?

  But that was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

• 26:05Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 26:05George Kamel?

  Totally worth 700 bucks. If you guys ever want a good time, and you got 700 bucks to kill.

• 26:10Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. Don't waste it on a car payment.

• 26:11George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 26:12Rachel Cruze?

  Waste it riding a camel.

• 26:13George Kamel?

  Shout out to Phil Hooker, Hooker Farms, Tennessee.

• 26:15Rachel Cruze?

  That's great. That is so great.

• 26:17George Kamel?

  So, yeah.

• 26:18Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. Don't be greater. Don't act like you need to be someone you're not. Don't be Prince Ali.

• 26:21George Kamel?

  Don't be me.

• 26:22Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. Just...

• 26:23George Kamel?

  Act your wage. There you go.

• 26:25Rachel Cruze?

  Pay for a car with cash, okay? And if you have a car loan, pay it off, keep the car, then save up. And if you have to replace the car years later, do that. Now, if your car, what you own, your car, is as much or more than 50% of your annual income, you have too much car. So let's say you make 80,000 and your car loan is 50,000. You have too much car, okay? So get rid of it. So sell it, but if you're underwater, you may have to take a small loan for the difference and to get a beater car. But I would rather have $10,000 in debt than $45,000 in debt, right?

• 27:00George Kamel?

  100%. And realize that going into debt and paying interest for a thing going down in value every day is one of the worst decisions you can make for your financial future.

• 27:09Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 27:09George Kamel?

  And once you get out, it is so freeing. Even if you drive something crappy for a while, this is not forever.

• 27:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 27:14George Kamel?

  A year or two, just to get you some better financial footing, then upgrade over time with cash.

• 27:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. What will make you sick is putting your car payment in an investment calculator at RamseySolutions.com and just map that over 30 years. So instead of paying yourself and investing, you're paying a car dealer or a bank.

• 27:34Rachel Cruze?

  See what you're losing.

• 27:34George Kamel?

  Because most people will just carry a car payment and then trade in that car, get a different car.

• 27:38Rachel Cruze?

  Oh yeah, once you're done with the loan, you go get another one.

• 27:40George Kamel?

  And as long as they can quote "afford the payment," they feel fine.

• 27:43Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 27:43George Kamel?

  Don't fall for it and don't fall for Jafar's tactics.

• 27:45Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 27:46George Kamel?

  He's slimy and I don't trust that, whatever beard is on his face.

• 27:49Rachel Cruze?

  Trust him at all.

• 27:50George Kamel?

  Creepy goatee.

• 27:51Rachel Cruze?

  You know, I do trust though, Cozy Earth products.

• 27:54George Kamel?

  Always.

• 27:55Rachel Cruze?

  Because you always know, when you get a shipment from Cozy Earth, it's gonna be fantastic.

• 27:58George Kamel?

  You will be transformed from Aladdin into Prince Ali.

• 28:01Rachel Cruze?

  Ah, but the real deal.

• 28:02George Kamel?

  The real deal.

• 28:03Rachel Cruze?

  You'll be actually Aladdin at the end of the movie.

• 28:04George Kamel?

  So silky. You know, Aladdin was rocking that, that premium viscose, that bamboo material. Very breathable in Agrabah.

• 28:13Rachel Cruze?

  Hundred percent. No, it is. Their products are amazing, you guys. Everything from their loungewear, pajamas, their sheets, their blankets, the cuddle blanket, one of the faves. It's a, it's a little bit of an investment, but it is worth it.

• 28:27George Kamel?

  It's like a magic carpet. It really is.

• 28:28Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. When you're watching all your Disney movies on the couch, you just cuddle with that thing and it is phenomenal. But we also have a great discount for our listeners, which I love.

• 28:37George Kamel?

  Forty percent off their products. Just go to this link, cozylearth.com/smartmoney. Use the promo code SMARTMONEY at checkout, or just use the link in the description. Make it easy on yourself.

• 28:47Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, you should wear the Cozy Earth pajamas with the cuddle blanket and watch a Disney movie. Wouldn't that be great?

• 28:54George Kamel?

  You just gave me my weekend plans.

• 28:56Rachel Cruze?

  I think that's it. That sounds like a dream.

• 28:58George Kamel?

  Family's not invited. It's just me.

• 29:00Rachel Cruze?

  Me solo.

• 29:01George Kamel?

  She's not ready. She's just simply not ready.

• 29:03Rachel Cruze?

  Oh my gosh. All right, George, so what can we take away from all these villains out there in the world? Because they're out there trying to get our money. What do you think?

• 29:13George Kamel?

  I think you need to remember to keep your head on a swivel. That if you don't make a plan for your money, someone else will. There's a company out there that is already working on their next ad campaign to get someone like you into debt. Into their grip. And so you need to be very aware and play offense and go, "I'm not falling for it." And so you need to be rooted in principles like the Ramsey plan where you go, "If I don't have the money, I'm not gonna buy it." "If it wasn't in the budget, I'm not gonna buy it." "My future is too important to be swindled by the next salesperson, or the next ad, or the next thing."

• 29:44Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, that's so good. I love that. And I was trying to think of someone that was like convicted and strong. You know, like a Belle from Beauty and the Beast or something, you know?

• 29:54George Kamel?

  A lot of strong female characters. I will say that about Walt.

• 29:56Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, yeah. Did that well. Yeah, but for real, I think that there is something to be said that they're gonna be out there doing their thing and you get, you're an adult, you get to make decisions about your life and your money. And you get to choose to fall into the traps of everything that they're selling and doing. And again, they're shiny and it looks great, it sounds great. But then when you're in it, it's not only financially exhausting that most of your paycheck is going out to these people. I mean, upwards easily of 1,500 bucks a month, you know, is leaving, it's not staying with you, it's going out. And for stuff that you've already done, you know, it's, it's meals you've already eaten from the credit card that you swiped to a car payment. Like, it's always usually living backwards, decisions you made in the past.

• 30:41Rachel Cruze?

  So live in the present, use the money that you have and you get to, you get to be the hero. With that conviction, I think that's great.

• 30:49George Kamel?

  I love that.

• 30:50Rachel Cruze?

  So good. Okay, so if you guys need a plan, the Ramsey Baby Steps, the best plan. If you need a great budgeting app to help you implement the plans, keep things going. Every dollar is here to help you win, not just with your budget, but your overall money scope. So, uh, so we have some great tools for you that'll actually help you win in your life. And so it is, it is the way to do it.

• 31:11George Kamel?

  It will make you feel like a hero to just actually have a plan for your money and have control instead of letting some villain, you know, pull the old puppet strings.

• 31:20Rachel Cruze?

  All right, before we get to our guiltiest charge segments, uh, give us the details on the drink, George.

• 31:24George Kamel?

  This is the Witch's Elixir Mocktail and it costs $2.57 because glitter ain't cheap in America today. It's got blackberries, berry kombucha, lemon juice and chilled butterfly P T.

• 31:39Rachel Cruze?

  What?

• 31:40George Kamel?

  I don't even know where we bought that from. It sounds like something too fancy for us.

• 31:43Rachel Cruze?

  We'll take it, we'll take it. Okay, I'm gonna go seven out of 10.

• 31:49George Kamel?

  I'm with you on the seven. It's, I like it tart. I'm getting a lot of sour tart notes. I think it needs a little something to sweeten it up. I'm not seeing where that would be on here. Kombucha has a little sugar.

• 32:01Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 32:02George Kamel?

  And I, there's just a-

• 32:03Rachel Cruze?

  I love the glitter.

• 32:04George Kamel?

  There's a large amount of glitter. I don't think you can see at home, but the glitter is just sitting at the bottom.

• 32:11Rachel Cruze?

  Stir it.

• 32:12George Kamel?

  I think it's probably four ounces of glitter is what you would take. And let me tell you, this goes into your body and it doesn't really ever come out. You know what your parents told you, like, don't swallow gum. It's seven years, it's gonna, I think that's what happens with glitter.

• 32:28Rachel Cruze?

  With the glitter, you know, it's worth it.

• 32:30George Kamel?

  But it's a really fun looking drink and it, the taste was actually wonderful.

• 32:34Rachel Cruze?

  And the name is fun. What is it again?

• 32:36George Kamel?

  Witch's Elixir Mocktail. Make, you know, be fun. Do a little like cauldron of this. For Halloween and leave it out for the kids.

• 32:44Rachel Cruze?

  Oh my gosh, that's cute.

• 32:45George Kamel?

  Little to go cups.

• 32:46Rachel Cruze?

  I wouldn't let my kids drink a drink from.

• 32:49George Kamel?

  That's true. Well, if in your neighborhood, I would trust it.

• 32:52Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that's fair.

• 32:53George Kamel?

  You know, everyone in your neighborhood, you know your friends.

• 32:55Rachel Cruze?

  You know, someone one year did like an adult, they like gave adult stuff.

• 32:59George Kamel?

  That's the move.

• 33:00Rachel Cruze?

  Isn't that funny? Yes. I was like, I never even thought about that, but funny.

• 33:03George Kamel?

  It has to be fun for the adults too.

• 33:05Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, was it expensive?

• 33:06George Kamel?

  $2.57.

• 33:07Rachel Cruze?

  That's right, you said that, sorry.

• 33:09George Kamel?

  I think the kombucha probably spiked the price a little bit.

• 33:11Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 33:12George Kamel?

  And wherever we sourced the, the very fine chilled butterfly PT.

• 33:16Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm.

• 33:16George Kamel?

  I love that it's chilled. It feels like it took a lot of effort. So shout out to the team for all the work that they put in.

• 33:21Rachel Cruze?

  They always do great mocktails, y'all. We appreciate you guys.

• 33:24George Kamel?

  So get the recipe in the show notes, give it a try whenever you so choose, but Halloween is here, so now.

• 33:30Rachel Cruze?

  All right, now it's time for Guilty as Charged. And this is where we ask each other a new guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip. All right, George, when is the last time you were the villain in a friend or relative story?

• 33:46George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 33:47Rachel Cruze?

  Wow.

• 33:49George Kamel?

  I mean, my marriage. I'm, if you had to make us into a Disney movie, Whitney would look like just most beautiful, perfect princess.

• 33:57Rachel Cruze?

  Just a princess and you.

• 33:58George Kamel?

  And I am just Jafar lurking in every corner.

• 34:00Rachel Cruze?

  Just looking around.

• 34:01George Kamel?

  Scheming.

• 34:02Rachel Cruze?

  Scheming and scamming. No, you're not.

• 34:03George Kamel?

  This is the latest because my wife was pregnant.

• 34:05Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 34:06George Kamel?

  And she had gestational diabetes.

• 34:08Rachel Cruze?

  Hmm.

• 34:09George Kamel?

  Which means no fun for anyone in the house.

• 34:11Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 34:12George Kamel?

  Not a single carb or sugar to be found.

• 34:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 34:14George Kamel?

  So she told me, hey, don't bring that around here. You got some sweets? Don't show me. I don't want to be tempted.

• 34:20Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 34:21George Kamel?

  I went fine. So what did I do? Whole Foods had a 50% off all ice cream sale.

• 34:26Rachel Cruze?

  No, they didn't.

• 34:27George Kamel?

  Which makes Jenny's ice cream like $4 a pint.

• 34:30Rachel Cruze?

  Unbelievable.

• 34:31George Kamel?

  Which you, I mean, that's.

• 34:32Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that doesn't, that never happens.

• 34:34George Kamel?

  It's more expensive not to buy it.

• 34:35Rachel Cruze?

  And your pregnant wife can't have it and you had it in the house?

• 34:37George Kamel?

  I bought eight pints. And I stored them in the outside freezers that she wouldn't see them.

• 34:43Rachel Cruze?

  George.

• 34:44George Kamel?

  But then she caught me.

• 34:45Rachel Cruze?

  What a villain.

• 34:46George Kamel?

  I was sitting in the corner of the garage, just mainlining. But my thinking was, is no one allowed to enjoy life for nine months?

• 34:54Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, okay. That makes me think. You ready for this?

• 34:57George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 34:57Rachel Cruze?

  Winston got diagnosed with Afegow. I think I've told you this.

• 35:00George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 35:00Rachel Cruze?

  From a tick bite. So he can't have red meat. It's been hor- it's not been good. Terrible. But we've survived. A lot of ground chicken. So you can do fins.

• 35:09George Kamel?

  Which means you're not eating a lot of red meat.

• 35:10Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, fins and feathers is what he can have. So it's a lot of ground turkey, uh, ground chicken, chicken, a lot of chicken.

• 35:18George Kamel?

  It's got to fly or swim.

• 35:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 35:20George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 35:20Rachel Cruze?

  So you got feathers on it or fins, good to go. Everything else, no go. So, and I would say, I'm more of a chicken person. I'm not one that's like, I just crave a big old steak. Like sometimes at steak houses, I sometimes like get fish. Like I'm one of those people. Oh, I don't like love red meat. But I love a hamburger.

• 35:39George Kamel?

  Yep.

• 35:39Rachel Cruze?

  I love it in our spaghetti sauce. Like I will eat, you know. So Winston made, before he got this, the best smash burgers. So he would do two smash burgers. He even like bought all like the gadgets for him. Would melt the cheese. He would do this onion mix on the grill too, that he'd put on. He made a sauce. Like y'all, it was, it was the highlight of summer of 24. Like that's what we lived off of. So then summer comes around this year, but he can't eat burgers. But we made him still make a smash burgers.

• 36:11George Kamel?

  You are the villain.

• 36:12Rachel Cruze?

  Am I a villain? You're eating ice cream and I'm making my husband make hamburgers.

• 36:14George Kamel?

  Yeah, but I didn't force her to churn the butter for the ice cream in front of me. I'm like, hey, get the ninja creamy out. Whip me up something nice. Why don't you?

• 36:24Rachel Cruze?

  I know, I made him make us the burgers.

• 36:25George Kamel?

  The smell of the burgers and the onions and he's just going, well, this is my life.

• 36:29Rachel Cruze?

  He had like a turkey burger that he made on the side.

• 36:32George Kamel?

  Oh, no.

• 36:33Rachel Cruze?

  So that's probably, I probably was worse than you. I just thought of that. Yep.

• 36:37George Kamel?

  Nothing gives me clinical depression like a turkey burger. Instantly. I'm like, oh, okay. This is what.

• 36:42Rachel Cruze?

  You know what? J. Alexander's has one of the best veggie burgers, though. Like I think you can find.

• 36:46George Kamel?

  Veggie, like a black bean and quinoa situation?

• 36:48Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, and it doesn't taste like it. You wouldn't know. But the flavor, it is so good. If you're ever at J. Alexander's, get the veggie burger. I promise. You will not be disappointed. It's actually legit.

• 36:56George Kamel?

  You sold me and I will be asking if Winston can make me a smash burger.

• 37:01Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 37:02George Kamel?

  Because at least I'm a friend and not married to him. I'm not that cruel. What a guy though. What a guy. He probably did it with a smile on his face.

• 37:10Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and I don't make him do it a lot, you know, it was just random. But I eat a lot of-

• 37:14George Kamel?

  I like random cruelty. You know what I mean? You don't want to be planned. You want to be spontaneous and fun. Like, "Hey babe, what if we..."

• 37:20Rachel Cruze?

  "What if you made us some red meat that you can't have?" Oh man, well, if you have a guilty as charged question for us, make sure to DM us at Rachel Cruz and at George Kamel. And if you enjoyed this episode, you're definitely gonna love our episode reacting to the wildest "Am I the Jerk?" Reddit threads. Coming up after this, we will link it for you. And make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an all-new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.