Pod Insights Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel Red Flags That Scream, “I’m Bad With Money” About this episode 💰 Which side hustle is right for you? Get personalized recommendations from our Side Hustle Quiz. https://ter.li/8u8nzi
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You can’t judge a book by its cover, but can you judge someone’s ability to build wealth by their financial habits? In today’s episode, Rachel Cruze and George Kamel are waving their red flags at things that scream, “I’m bad with money.”
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Today’s Happy Hour Special:🍹Easy Watermelon Margarita
• 4 cups frozen watermelon
• 1/2 cup tequila
• 1/4 cup triple sec• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup ice
Instructions: Cut up your watermelon and freeze it on a baking sheet for at least six hours. Add watermelon, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, honey and ice to a blender. Blend until completely smooth. Pour into salted rim glass and serve with lime. Enjoy!
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Transcript 10,484 words · 2 speakers
Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:05 George Kamel? Start stretching those wrists, people, because today, we're waving our financial red flags.
0:10 Rachel Cruze? This may be more common than I think it is.
0:13 George Kamel? It doesn't shock me. I'd honestly rather that than you holding a fish. That's a red flag. Especially if you're dating. So, homeboys, the girl is running.
0:26 Rachel Cruze? Hey, guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.
0:28 George Kamel? I'm George Kamel.
0:30 Rachel Cruze? And this is Smart Money Happy Hour.
0:39 Rachel Cruze? This is the show where two friends who have new money experts talk about what you're talking about. Everything from pop culture, current events, and money.
0:47 George Kamel? Before we get to the red flags, let's talk about this red drink we are imbibing this hour. This is a watermelon margarita, frozen, I'll have you know.
0:55 Rachel Cruze? It's just so impressive.
0:56 George Kamel? Very impressive.
0:57 Rachel Cruze? That we can make these cocktails. Isn't that so nice?
0:59 George Kamel? I know, like, I don't have the energy to even think about making this.
1:02 Rachel Cruze? Genuinely, is it a Vitamix that does this? Like, where, how do you?
1:05 George Kamel? It's definitely a blender situation.
1:06 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, it's gotta be.
1:07 George Kamel? Maybe a Ninja, a Bullet? I don't know what they call them these days.
1:10 Rachel Cruze? I like them.
1:11 George Kamel? Stick around till the end. We're gonna give you our rating on this drink and reveal the cost per glass. You don't wanna miss it. Okay, Rachel, we've raised a flag or two on the show before. We're no stranger to raising a glass or raising a flag.
1:22 Rachel Cruze? Ah, there you go.
1:23 George Kamel? Back when the internet was obsessing over beige flags, we did that one. We talked about good, bad, and neutral habits to look out for in money and dating.
1:30 Rachel Cruze? That's right. But today, we're gonna talk specifically about the red flag. When you see it, your red flags should go up, which means...
1:38 George Kamel? Stranger danger.
1:39 Rachel Cruze? Caution, caution, caution. Don't get in the ocean yet. Right, ocean flag, red flag?
1:44 George Kamel? Oh, yeah.
1:44 Rachel Cruze? And they raise the different flags?
1:45 George Kamel? Double red is extra scary.
1:47 Rachel Cruze? Holy, and we got two flags here. So, we're gonna talk about it because there are a lot of things out there that you need to watch out for. And not just, you know, there's the dating relationships, which we're gonna talk about.
1:56 George Kamel? That's one category we'll cover.
1:57 Rachel Cruze? There's also, like, the workplace. There's also family. There's also friends, like, some, there's some...
2:02 George Kamel? Financial industry.
2:03 Rachel Cruze? The industry has some red flags you wanna watch out for, so...
2:06 George Kamel? We're gonna react and share our honest thoughts as we go. And we want you guys to be a part of the conversation. So, join us in the comments. Let us know your thoughts if you think these are red flags. Or maybe you love them. I don't know. Maybe you're a weirdo like that.
2:17 Rachel Cruze? Maybe you're a green flagger. And you're like, listen, that's like, that's not bad.
2:21 George Kamel? Yeah, some people see the green in every red.
2:25 George Kamel? Tweet that. Put that on a high school poster.
2:29 Rachel Cruze? Are you more likely to talk yourself out of a red flag? Or are you more likely to see more red flags than exist?
2:33 George Kamel? I think as a recovering pessimist cynic, I tend to only see red flags. I must be convinced that anything is green.
2:42 Rachel Cruze? Okay, yeah.
2:43 George Kamel? Head on a swivel. Everything is risk.
2:45 Rachel Cruze? Yes, and I'm the opposite.
2:46 George Kamel? Yeah, you're like, everyone's so nice.
2:48 Rachel Cruze? I am to the point that like, I'm gonna get screwed one day. To be like, they were just so kind. Like, I just thought that everything was fun, you know? And then it's like, no, that was not good.
2:56 George Kamel? I think we both could do better in leaning each other's way.
3:00 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
3:00 George Kamel? You go a little my way, a little more, you know, on edge?
3:04 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
3:04 George Kamel? And me a little less on edge.
3:06 Rachel Cruze? I think that's good. I think I need a, yeah, I need a little more street smarts.
3:09 George Kamel? And I need a little more Rachel smart, whatever that is.
3:12 Rachel Cruze? I'm not gonna say that. I'm gonna say my-
3:13 George Kamel? You're very street smart.
3:13 Rachel Cruze? My street smart's pretty good.
3:14 George Kamel? You're actually book smart, too.
3:15 Rachel Cruze? I just see the good in people a lot. Not book smart.
3:19 George Kamel? Wow, but you read a lot of books, I guess is my point.
3:21 Rachel Cruze? I do, I do read a lot of books.
3:22 George Kamel? Not smart books, but like, fun books.
3:25 Rachel Cruze? Yes, right. Books about red flags, actually.
3:28 George Kamel? If it's a part of a book club, you're here for it.
3:30 Rachel Cruze? Hundred percent. Love it all. Um, okay, well, let's start off with the red flags that I feel like most people think of, dating.
3:37 George Kamel? So, dating red flags. The first one on the list.
3:41 Rachel Cruze? This is a good one. A toxic tipper.
3:46 Rachel Cruze? Ooh, you get the bill at a restaurant, and you lean over and you realize, they didn't, they didn't really tip.
3:52 George Kamel? They didn't leave a tip.
3:53 Rachel Cruze? Or a good tip, like, they're kinda cheap.
3:55 George Kamel? Yeah. Or they say things like, "They were awful. I'm not tipping. It took forever for them to come back and get our check." You know, I get it. We've all had bad service at restaurants, and it's okay if you don't wanna tip 25% because there was bad service, but not leaving a tip at all or being spiteful when you don't know the full story, that's, that's a red flag. Especially if you're dating. So homeboys, the girl is running if you're a bad tipper.
4:19 Rachel Cruze? Yep.
4:19 George Kamel? Girls like a generous man.
4:20 Rachel Cruze? Did you see the Friends episode where Rachel Green and her dad and Ross went out to dinner?
4:25 George Kamel? No, I don't recall.
4:26 Rachel Cruze? And the dad didn't like, he left like a really stingy tip and Ross went back and left some money. And then gets caught. It was like this whole thing. I was like, oh my gosh.
4:33 George Kamel? That is something that I would do.
4:35 Rachel Cruze? Be Ross, you know, in a situation. Be Ross.
4:37 George Kamel? Cause what does it point to? Let's go deeper one layer.
4:39 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, yeah, because I think it's a, uh...
4:42 George Kamel? If you're stingy when it comes to tipping someone who has served you, you're probably gonna be stingy in a lot of other areas of your life.
4:48 Rachel Cruze? Yeah. And I'm gonna say a probably pretty critical person too.
4:51 George Kamel? Very tit for tat.
4:53 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
4:53 George Kamel? Keeping score.
4:55 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, probably a lot of that, right? And if you just, I don't know. In my head, if someone serves you, and I get it, it may not be the best service and maybe you go down to 18% or whatever, but like, I don't know, I just feel like you have an obligation to tip. And so it'd be really hard for me if they're like, ah, I can't believe this, we're not tipping. I'd be like, oh man. I mean, unless you got like cussed out or something, right? Like...
5:14 George Kamel? Does that happen?
5:15 Rachel Cruze? I don't think so.
5:16 George Kamel? I mean, I've had people be rude to me, but not cussed at.
5:19 Rachel Cruze? No.
5:20 George Kamel? Yet.
5:21 Rachel Cruze? No, but what if? Would you tip if someone cussed you?
5:23 George Kamel? Depends if I deserved it, honestly.
5:25 Rachel Cruze? Okay, that's fair.
5:26 George Kamel? I would check with my wife. Like, was that warranted? She'd be like, yeah, you deserved that.
5:29 Rachel Cruze? Oh my gosh.
5:30 George Kamel? I don't know what I would do. I'm very nice.
5:32 Rachel Cruze? I know, yeah.
5:33 George Kamel? You know, especially when I have my baby there. If they're nice to my baby, extra tip.
5:37 Rachel Cruze? Oh, okay. Good to know.
5:39 George Kamel? You know, if they like try to interact in a nice way. Not too overbearing.
5:42 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, yeah.
5:42 George Kamel? Don't get my baby crying, but...
5:44 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, yeah. Don't behold my baby.
5:45 George Kamel? We went out this weekend to brunch and they were super sweet to her.
5:48 Rachel Cruze? Yep, talking to her and...
5:49 George Kamel? Like getting her little, her water, plastic water cup and all that stuff. Getting her crayons.
5:54 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
5:55 George Kamel? She throws them all on the ground.
5:56 Rachel Cruze? Yep, I hear it.
5:57 George Kamel? That's a win.
5:57 Rachel Cruze? Okay. Uh, next. Never wants to talk about money.
6:02 George Kamel? Ooh, that's a big red flag.
6:04 Rachel Cruze? I know, I think so too.
6:05 George Kamel? We get that a lot on The Ramsey Show.
6:06 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
6:07 George Kamel? Where someone calls in and says they just won't talk about money, especially like dating is one thing. It's way worse when it comes to marriage.
6:13 Rachel Cruze? Right, yeah. You're married and your spouse won't talk about like what they make or like, they don't want to talk about money at all. Big red flag, for sure. But especially, yeah, dating. And I get if it's not like the first date. Like, we always joke and it's true, like, don't ask for someone's like...
6:26 George Kamel? You don't need to show them your budget.
6:27 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, 401K balance and like tax returns. Like, no, we're not going crazy here. But as the relationship moves along, naturally... I feel like it's a topic of life that's gonna be brought up, should be brought up, I should say. Just like other important topics, talking about like in-laws and work and I mean like life, right? And money is a part of life. So if they don't, if they want to avoid that subject, and I would say any hard subject, they just want to avoid talking about.
6:52 George Kamel? Yeah, that's a good point.
6:53 Rachel Cruze? I wanna go red flag. Red flag.
6:55 George Kamel? Cause that tells me, number one, they could be hiding something that they don't want you to know, which not a great sign because relationships are built on trust and communication.
7:04 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
7:05 George Kamel? But then the other piece is if there's maybe some trauma or baggage there, or shame or guilt, again, if they're unwilling to deal with that, or at least be open to talking about it with someone they might be in a long-term relationship with, that also scares me. That's not gonna bode well for the relationship.
7:19 Rachel Cruze? That's right.
7:20 George Kamel? Long-term.
7:21 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, for the subject of money itself in the relationship, but then also other subjects that they probably wanna avoid too, right? So I'm like, no, no, we gotta, we gotta talk about this. So if they avoid you, I'm gonna say red flag with the money conversations.
7:35 George Kamel? And I always tell people as they get, as they start heading toward marriage, it's a wise idea to go through something like Financial Peace University, our flagship money course, because it sort of forces you to have these conversations, forces you to have common language, which I think is much more helpful than just a cold, let's talk about money.
7:51 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, for sure.
7:52 George Kamel? What are your thoughts on debt?
7:53 Rachel Cruze? Totally.
7:53 George Kamel? Versus going through a course that you go, hey, what'd you think about that lesson?
7:56 Rachel Cruze? Yep, yep. Especially if it's earlier.
7:58 George Kamel? Don't you find that people who don't deal with this when they're dating, it just gets so much worse? It gets amplified.
8:03 Rachel Cruze? Oh, man.
8:04 George Kamel? When you're married, and you think, well, maybe when we're married, things will change because we'll combine our lives, and then they stay the same. Separate bank accounts, and they won't let you have access or transparency into what's going on. Those are the real-life calls we get on The Ramsey Show where we go, this is
8:18 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
8:19 George Kamel? Late in the game. Like you need some emergency counseling to try to resolve this.
8:22 Rachel Cruze? That's right, that's right. So yeah, do it early, folks, if you can. All right, next red flag. You ready? Not generous.
8:30 George Kamel? Oh, that ties in with that tipping one.
8:32 Rachel Cruze? It does.
8:33 George Kamel? Generous in spirit, generous in money.
8:35 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, I think in all of it, just in conversation and time. Like someone that's just like a selfless person is usually gonna be a great companion, a great spouse later in life.
8:44 George Kamel? Yeah.
8:45 Rachel Cruze? But the generosity, the money piece, I think would be hard if they just like wanna just hoard and keep, keep, keep. You know, I think more and more like financial influencers keep coming up on my feed, maybe because I just keep clicking on them, but I keep seeing. And there's a good bit of them, George.
8:58 George Kamel? What are they doing?
8:59 Rachel Cruze? At least from the videos that I keep showing, that I keep being brought to me. It can feel like, and I think it is more common that I realize, again, I see the green flags in everyone, more common of like, oh yeah, I'm gonna win with money, I'm gonna get rich and it's gonna be awesome, I'm gonna have all this stuff. And it's like me, me, me, me, me, me. A lot, there's not a lot of people that talk about giving.
9:20 George Kamel? That is true. And when you do talk about it, people like shut down.
9:24 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
9:24 George Kamel? Like when I make videos about giving on my channel, nobody cares.
9:27 Rachel Cruze? They don't do well, they're gone.
9:29 George Kamel? You need to care.
9:29 Rachel Cruze? I know, I know.
9:30 George Kamel? They don't see the value in it.
9:32 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, I guess. So I would say like, I would not want, I would not wanna be in a long-term relationship with someone where their money goals are all about them.
9:40 George Kamel? Yes.
9:40 Rachel Cruze? So the generosity piece, I really think is huge. But what I'm saying is, this may not be, this may be more common than I think it is. Like I always feel like everyone gives.
9:49 George Kamel? Oh, yeah.
9:50 Rachel Cruze? Does it make sense? Like I'm like, oh yeah.
9:51 George Kamel? Well, you're the exception.
9:52 Rachel Cruze? I'm in a, I'm in a world where we, we love to give. Like giving is like one of the goals of all of this. Like, yes, give. And then the fact that people don't, again, I think it's more common that people don't than they do.
10:03 George Kamel? And maybe they just, that they didn't grow up in an environment where that was the norm and so it's not normal for them growing up. But I think it's really important to make that a habit and include it in your Every Dollar budget. Have the giving line items of, maybe it's to your local church, maybe it's to a nonprofit that you're passionate about, maybe it's to the person on the side of the road. But it just, it changes you more than it does anything else. And I've just found the most healthy people are the ones that have made it a habit to give.
10:28 Rachel Cruze? Yes, I think so too.
10:29 George Kamel? So I wanna, you'd wanna date those people, find them.
10:31 Rachel Cruze? Yeah. And then I've even changed my tune about this, can I tell you?
10:34 George Kamel? Yeah.
10:34 Rachel Cruze? Why do I feel like I'm like attacking you on this episode, George?
10:36 George Kamel? No, it's fine.
10:37 Rachel Cruze? You said it makes you feel good. All this, I've now changed my tune and like, I used to be like, yeah, and the benefit is you feel good about it. But I'm kind of to the point in my life, George, I'm like, I don't care what I get out of it. Like, you should just do the right thing.
10:48 George Kamel? Yes. You don't do it for some sort of feeling.
10:51 Rachel Cruze? Feeling, that's right.
10:51 George Kamel? But it's a natural byproduct.
10:52 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, you will. I think you will. I think there's a beautiful thing. When you help people, you will feel joy. But I used to even frame it in that way of like, oh, yeah, you know.
11:01 George Kamel? Like, if I leave a big tip, I'll feel good about myself.
11:03 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, but that part of me is like, I've changed my tune about it. I'm like, I don't even want to say that. You should just give because like, there's people that need help. So be a giver.
11:11 George Kamel? That's it.
11:12 Rachel Cruze? Be a giver.
11:12 George Kamel? That's it.
11:13 Rachel Cruze? Because it's the opposite.
11:14 George Kamel? You are able to help, so help.
11:16 Rachel Cruze? Yes, I know.
11:17 George Kamel? So help me, God.
11:18 Rachel Cruze? So help me, God.
11:19 George Kamel? That's a good one.
11:20 Rachel Cruze? All right, there's where it's like.
11:21 George Kamel? Next and last on our dating list of financial red flags, credit score obsessed.
11:26 Rachel Cruze? George, are you so excited about this one?
11:28 George Kamel? So excited.
11:29 Rachel Cruze? You love bashing the credit score.
11:32 George Kamel? Well, I found out that guys.
11:33 Rachel Cruze? And you have a chapter of it in your book.
11:34 George Kamel? I do have a whole chapter on credit score. So I guess, am I credit score obsessed?
11:38 Rachel Cruze? You love anti-credit scores. I mean, talk about passion.
11:41 George Kamel? Just such a weird flex. Like, the fact that a bank is willing to loan you $60,000 on a line of credit. That's a flex today?
11:48 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
11:49 George Kamel? Like, that's what you're bragging about?
11:50 Rachel Cruze? I heard on dating apps, do people put their credit scores? Is this a thing?
11:53 George Kamel? I've heard this. The ladies can vouch, but.
11:56 Rachel Cruze? Yes, and I heard, yeah, we're getting some nods. Can you believe that?
12:00 George Kamel? It doesn't shock me. I'd honestly rather that than you holding a fish. I'm gonna be honest. That's actually better.
12:07 Rachel Cruze? Okay, I'm opposite. Really?
12:09 George Kamel? You'd rather see the fish?
12:10 Rachel Cruze? I'm like, look at Harrison fishing with his like, you know, this is great.
12:14 George Kamel? I wish it was a Harrison.
12:15 Rachel Cruze? Harrison's outdoors. Good for him, you know? Out on the land.
12:19 George Kamel? Well, here's what I found. So Professor Scott Galloway has a whole bit where he talks about what women look for in a man. He talks about kindness, intelligence.
12:25 Rachel Cruze? I love him, by the way.
12:26 George Kamel? He's great. And the last one, outside of kindness and intelligence, was a man's ability to signal future provision for the woman.
12:34 Rachel Cruze? Okay.
12:34 George Kamel? So then I go, oh, the fish makes sense. The woman's going, I'll never go hungry. The man knows how to fish. And so my thing is, the credit score is him trying to signal in a very toxic, unhealthy way that he is able to provide. Because he is financially stable.
12:49 Rachel Cruze? Look at you looking for the green flag.
12:51 George Kamel? That's my, my heart is out there for Harrison.
12:54 Rachel Cruze? Wow, yeah, I would want to fish, you know?
12:58 George Kamel? I just, I can smell it through the app.
13:00 Rachel Cruze? My gosh.
13:01 George Kamel? I go, this guy's taking a stinky fish home. And we don't know, does he even know how to like, skin it, debone it?
13:06 Rachel Cruze? Did you?
13:06 George Kamel? Clean it, cook it, I don't know. He knows how to catch them.
13:09 Rachel Cruze? Knows how to catch it, he may throw it back in, it's for the sport.
13:11 George Kamel? So the credit score doesn't actually signal how well you're doing financially. All it does is signal how good you are at playing the debt game, paying your debts back. Which sure, is better than not being able to pay your debts back and having a low credit score. Sure, that's better. But to me, the ultimate sign is, do you have money in the bank? Are you investing for the future? Do you have a fully funded emergency fund? Are you out of debt? Those are much better signals of future provision.
13:36 Rachel Cruze? That's right.
13:37 George Kamel? If you're on a dating app, so.
13:38 Rachel Cruze? Yes, for sure.
13:38 George Kamel? Choose wisely, ladies.
13:39 Rachel Cruze? I love it. Um, all right, let's go into the financial industry, shall we?
13:43 George Kamel? It's time, we just almost got there.
13:45 Rachel Cruze? Red flag number one for the financial industry, store credit cards. So listen.
13:51 George Kamel? I could not wave harder.
13:52 Rachel Cruze? The whole.
13:53 George Kamel? I could be in color guard with how hard I'm waving.
13:55 Rachel Cruze? Can you like, yeah. It, and to save like, 10%, 20%, right?
14:01 George Kamel? Yeah.
14:01 Rachel Cruze? On a pair of jeans that are $60.
14:05 George Kamel? I'm shocked they still do it.
14:06 Rachel Cruze? I don't, um, shop in stores anymore. I'm online.
14:10 George Kamel? Well, you can't be seen in a store. You'd never make it out, there'd be a signing line before you left.
14:15 Rachel Cruze? No, George, that is not true. No, I, but I do, I shop all online right now, in life. So, I've not been, I mean, the pop-up ad, you know, to save 10% or whatever. But that's more like the mailing list.
14:27 George Kamel? It's easier to fall for at checkout, because you go, I could save 15% right now, the person in front of me just asked.
14:32 Rachel Cruze? I know.
14:32 George Kamel? This happened to me recently at a J.Crew factory.
14:34 Rachel Cruze? Oh, yeah.
14:36 George Kamel? Yeah.
14:36 Rachel Cruze? And they wanted the store credit card?
14:37 George Kamel? I politely declined.
14:38 Rachel Cruze? Okay, for the J.Crew factory, is it the factory credit card or just J.Crew?
14:42 George Kamel? I assume it's just the J.Crew card.
14:44 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
14:44 George Kamel? I don't know. But I'm not, I'm not intrigued.
14:47 Rachel Cruze? You can only use that credit card at those places.
14:49 George Kamel? No, you can use it anywhere.
14:50 Rachel Cruze? You can use it anywhere.
14:51 George Kamel? But you get benefits if you use it at that store.
14:53 Rachel Cruze? At the store, that's the big benefit of it, yeah, yeah.
14:56 George Kamel? That's a tough one.
14:57 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, man.
14:57 George Kamel? And it's always some like well-meaning 18-year-old.
15:00 Rachel Cruze? I know. I wonder if the interest rate is higher on store credit cards?
15:03 George Kamel? I believe it is, because whenever I've looked, it's like 29% or APR or something crazy. There's always a range, but generally the higher end of the range is higher than a normal credit card.
15:12 Rachel Cruze? Yep, yep.
15:13 George Kamel? So don't fall for this, and don't think, "Well, I'll get the 15%, then I'll cancel it." Most people don't, and they lure you back in with another offer, another promise. So just politely decline, and if they start, you know, really drilling down, of like, "Why won't you open it? Why would you not want to save?" Then just name-drop Dave Ramsey, that'll shut them up real quick.
15:30 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, they don't like that.
15:31 George Kamel? They don't like that.
15:32 Rachel Cruze? That'll help you. Okay, next is 0% interest loans.
15:37 George Kamel? Oof.
15:37 Rachel Cruze? So, red flag here. So they will try to get you on that of like, "It's 0% interest. You're not paying any extra, you're just paying the payment."
15:43 George Kamel? This happens with cars, with furniture, with appliances, even buy-now-pay-later products now.
15:49 Rachel Cruze? Totally, yep. So for some of these loans, not all of them, but some of them, usually a lot of them, in the fine print, when you sign the contract, it's basically if you miss one payment, they backlog all this interest and all, like it puts you in a horrible spot if you have like a hard month. Like if you lose your job and you can't pay that one month, they will like backtrack everything. So like, it's a horrible setup. And then there's always something, George, I still, I live by this. I think it is so true. There is something about paying for things that are already done. Versus if you just pay in the present, you are like literally living in the present or looking at the future. I mean, there's constant living behind you.
16:26 George Kamel? Put it on a tab.
16:27 Rachel Cruze? With all these payments, you know, the student loan that I already went to college for, and yeah, the credit card, all of this stuff, you're paying for things. You're using your present money, not for your future self, but for your past self. It's already lived that life. So just stay in the present, look forward. Like, let's live in those categories, you know, with our money, not the past.
16:44 George Kamel? Beautifully said. And with cars, this is especially bad, because they'll lure you in with, "Hey, we have a 0% offer," and you get in and you don't qualify, of course. But then you're already there, they've already lured you in.
16:54 Rachel Cruze? That hurts. Ow, yeah.
16:55 George Kamel? Yeah. And you get no deals. And so if you're trying to negotiate, not happening. You're gonna pay full MSRP on that car and get screwed on the deal, and you really shouldn't be buying a brand-new car anyways. Most people taking advantage of this are broke or have good credit, and so they go, "Well, I'm gonna do great." Another payment, who cares?
17:12 Rachel Cruze? Yep, yep.
17:13 George Kamel? Don't fall for it.
17:14 Rachel Cruze? Don't fall for it. Um, all right, another major red flag.
17:20 Rachel Cruze? Is when data brokers take your information, sell your information to other companies, and then you are exposed to phishing and scams and all this stuff. But Delete Me comes in and saves the day.
17:32 George Kamel? That's what they do. They scour the internet for your personal info, and they wipe it, and they send you a report showing you what they've done and how much time they've saved you. And I sleep better at night for having it, so.
17:42 Rachel Cruze? Yeah. It just like really grinds my gears, George, to think that my information, my email address, my phone number, all of it, like they're making money off of my information. I'm like, stop that. Don't make money off me. No, I don't want my stuff out there. And that, and they're getting more sophisticated.
17:56 George Kamel? Oh, yeah. And there's more and more breaches.
17:57 Rachel Cruze? The tech sense, yes, yep. So as much as your information can be removed, as much as possible, and having services like Delete Me that help you and do that, it is, oh, the better off you're gonna be. So really focusing on that these days, George, because in our, in the world we live in now.
18:13 George Kamel? You can't be too safe.
18:14 Rachel Cruze? You can't be too safe. They're everywhere.
18:15 George Kamel? And they're giving our Smart Money Happy Hour fans 20% off any of their annual plans if you go to joindelete.me/smartmoney or click the link in the description below, and we'll take you there.
18:27 Rachel Cruze? All right, next red flag. Debt settlement or relief companies.
18:31 George Kamel? Aye, aye, aye.
18:32 Rachel Cruze? I know.
18:32 George Kamel? These people.
18:34 Rachel Cruze? It, uh.
18:35 George Kamel? Their marketing schemes are so aggressive. We get tons of calls on The Ramsey Show where someone says, "I signed up for this debt settlement company because they promised they'll get rid of my debt and make my life better."
18:44 Rachel Cruze? I know.
18:44 George Kamel? "And I'm trying to get out now because I realize it's kind of a scam."
18:47 Rachel Cruze? Yes. So what I want to say to you, Sarah, out there, you can do it yourself.
18:51 George Kamel? Yeah, Sarah.
18:52 Rachel Cruze? Come on, Sarah. You got this. So that's the thing. They're doing something that you can do yourself. So do not pay them extra. Don't get stuck in a payment plan with these companies. Drags you along. Not worth it.
19:02 George Kamel? Yeah, let's talk about how it actually works. So what they do is they say, "Hey, stop making payments on your debt. Let it go to collections. Instead, give us that payment, and then eventually we'll try to settle the debts and negotiate on your behalf, therefore lowering the amount you owe."
19:17 Rachel Cruze? That's right.
19:17 George Kamel? Here's the problem. That tanks your financial world, and the creditors can still come after you and sue you in the meantime. And the debt relief companies have no promise that they can actually get you out.
19:27 Rachel Cruze? No, and a lot of them, like, like from a legal standpoint, are in the process. So you can't get them out. And that's terrible.
19:32 George Kamel? Aren't they incentivized to just keep collecting your payment and just kick the can down the road for years?
19:37 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, because if you really can't pay it, and we get people that call The Ramsey Show a lot. And their debt is in collections. Well, you actually can negotiate that at that point. Like, you really can. But also, if you have the money to be paying it, you need to be paying it too. Like, the moral obligation of like, we signed up for this debt. And if you have the money to, you know, be paying it and to get out of debt, then we want you to do that. But for some people where it's gone to collections, or they're not, they literally don't have the money to pay, it probably will go into collections, but then you can settle it. You don't need a company to do that for you.
20:05 George Kamel? So if you're in one of these, just cancel it and do the debt snowball method and call it a stupid tax and move on with your life. But the key is, you can do this yourself. You can negotiate bad debts that are in collections. You can do the debt snowball method and knock out the debt on your own.
20:18 Rachel Cruze? All right, last red flag, George, of the financial industry: HELOCs.
20:23 George Kamel? The old home equity line of credit.
20:25 Rachel Cruze? Do you feel like they, like, just skyrocketed over COVID, or was that just me?
20:28 George Kamel? Yeah, because everyone got so much equity in their homes.
20:31 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
20:31 George Kamel? And they were still broke, so they went, well, just tap into our home like a piggy bank.
20:34 Rachel Cruze? We're here, let's put in the pool, let's redo the renovation.
20:37 George Kamel? And the marketing has been so aggressive. I mean, they'll send you, because they know exactly how much equity you now have. So they'll send homeowners, a bunch of mailers, saying, hey.
20:44 Rachel Cruze? It is so tempting.
20:45 George Kamel? Access 250 grand.
20:47 Rachel Cruze? Right.
20:47 George Kamel? Build that pool. You do you. Life is short.
20:50 Rachel Cruze? Life is short.
20:51 George Kamel? Oh, the marketing's gross on these.
20:52 Rachel Cruze? I know.
20:53 George Kamel? And this really puts you at risk, because the second mortgage on your home, so it's another lien against your house, they could take your home if you can't pay that HELOC. And the interest rates are terrible. They're usually variable on HELOCs, which makes them even worse. So stay away, don't fall for the trap. If you can't afford the renovation, or college, or you're gonna use it to pay off debt, unwise. Stay away from these and just save up and pay cash.
21:15 Rachel Cruze? And it has you going backwards in your equity.
21:17 George Kamel? Exactly.
21:18 Rachel Cruze? And we don't want that. We want to be present or future oriented.
21:20 George Kamel? You're robbing yourself.
21:21 Rachel Cruze? Yep, don't go backwards. All right, let's get into parenting and family.
21:25 George Kamel? Ooh, this one's dicey.
21:26 Rachel Cruze? Oh my gosh, are you ready?
21:28 George Kamel? Okay, give us the first red flag.
21:30 Rachel Cruze? Fix-it parenting, meaning you'll automatically, immediately, fix something by just throwing money at the situation. I'll get this in.
21:41 Rachel Cruze? For me, you know, I'm, yes, I was in a habit. This was, I don't know. Gosh, I probably could be more self-aware. It probably has been recent, too. But I was in a habit with my girls, like, something would break, and I'd be like, "That's fine, we'll just get," you know, a necklace breaks or whatever, and I'm like, "It's fine, girls, we'll just get another one." Because on Amazon, it's like $5.99 for 20 of them.
22:01 George Kamel? They're not buying super-nice things.
22:02 Rachel Cruze? No, but I, but I was a fix, I'm like, "Oh, yeah, we'll just fix the situation." And now, I've been so aware that I did that. And now, I'm like, "No, I don't care." It's not about the money, it's about the principle. But I always looked at it from a money standpoint. Like, "Oh, it's not, oh, we could, it's fine, it's not that expensive."
22:15 George Kamel? The principle is you should take care of your stuff no matter what.
22:17 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, and if it breaks, you're still alive, like, we're okay. Like, you just keep on living.
22:23 George Kamel? And adult life says, "I gotta save up and buy another one."
22:25 Rachel Cruze? That's right, that's right. So, um, that, so hopefully, that was harmless, and hopefully, I didn't scar my children for life, I probably did. But also, a- as kids get older, this is where it can get even more toxic, because they're not learning resilience at all, at any level.
22:39 George Kamel? Well, then, you become a snowplow parent, right? That's the term now?
22:42 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
22:42 George Kamel? Where you clear the path to make it nice and smooth for little Johnny?
22:45 Rachel Cruze? Smooth, yes, yeah, no bumps, no grooves, if you will, just easy. Just skate through life.
22:51 George Kamel? Wow, must be nice.
22:52 Rachel Cruze? What a terrible way to enter adulthood.
22:55 George Kamel? Yeah, because then your kid has no clue how to survive on their own. Of course, they're gonna come back to you. For a bank of mom and dad to solve their problems.
23:01 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, or if anything hard happens at work, someone's not, you know what I mean? They're like, "Oh, my gosh," you know, there's a problem, and they're like, "I can't."
23:07 George Kamel? You want to build a resilient kid. And so, you don't want to, you know, cause them undue pain and suffering. But there's some things where they just let them figure it out.
23:14 Rachel Cruze? Yes, that's right.
23:15 George Kamel? Kids are smarter than you think.
23:16 Rachel Cruze? That's right, so, yeah, fix-it parenting, red flag. Don't fix everything with money.
23:21 George Kamel? All right, next red flag for parenting and family is guilt-trip spending.
23:25 Rachel Cruze? Oof.
23:26 George Kamel? So, making kids feel guilty for what you spend on their school, their sports, et cetera. It's kind of emotional manipulation happening there.
23:33 Rachel Cruze? For sure, especially like a little kid, yeah.
23:35 George Kamel? You kind of hold it over their head, and like, they can't fully understand.
23:38 Rachel Cruze? Right, no, yeah, so definitely red flag there. And then, but as adults, parents to their adult kids. Well, I did this. You should come home for Christmas. I can't believe you're not coming.
23:47 George Kamel? Oh, the quid pro quo.
23:49 Rachel Cruze? We did so much for you. You know what I mean? They call back to what they did and how they were, how great they were. And so now the expectation is how you should be.
23:55 George Kamel? We get calls like this on The Ramsey Show where someone says, "My parents want to move in with me and they feel entitled because they took care of us growing up."
24:02 Rachel Cruze? Right.
24:02 George Kamel? So now they want us to fund their retirement because they didn't prepare. I'm like, "That's not healthy."
24:07 Rachel Cruze? No, no. A child needs to be taken care of because they're a child. That's it. Period. Period. Like, oh my gosh.
24:14 George Kamel? So, teaching your kids about money is an important part of this. To go, "Hey, money comes from work. Having work ethic is important. You save up and buy things with money you have. If you don't have the money, you don't buy it. We invest for the future, save for the future."
24:27 Rachel Cruze? And I'm the adult in the situation and I'm choosing to spend money on your sports.
24:31 George Kamel? Yes.
24:32 Rachel Cruze? You're not forcing that on me. I am choosing that. So like, don't put that over their head. Yeah.
24:36 George Kamel? That's gonna, that's gonna cost them a lot in counseling later on. So spare them that cost.
24:41 Rachel Cruze? That's right. All right. Next is gifting with strings attached.
24:46 George Kamel? Ooh.
24:47 Rachel Cruze? That's a hard one. Hey, I'm gonna give you this, but then I'm expecting you to X, Y, and Z, you know? If it's in it for them, the gift. It's not really a gift at that point. Not free and clear.
24:59 George Kamel? Yeah. What are your thoughts about, like, what categories would this fall into? Where there's a gift, but it's like you have to use it under these terms?
25:05 Rachel Cruze? Um, I feel like I hear this. Uh, I hear this like for wedding planning. Like, hey, we're gonna give you some money, but you're gonna have to do X, Y, and Z at your wedding.
25:13 George Kamel? You need to have it here. You need to invite these people.
25:15 Rachel Cruze? Yeah. They start to control. I think it's a controlling thing too, right? Like, um, or we're gonna take you all on vacation and so, but we expect you to X, Y, and Z with us. Or if we do this, then you should do this later in the year. I don't know. Like, it's this, yeah. Did you say quid pro quo?
25:30 George Kamel? Yes.
25:31 Rachel Cruze? Earlier? That's a good, yeah. I think that's it. That's the statement.
25:35 George Kamel? If I do this for you, you gotta do this for me. So I think if you're going to do that, it's okay. It's not always malicious. You know, if it's like, hey, here's money, but you have to use it for college because it's for college. That's one thing. We're not talking about that kind of gift.
25:46 Rachel Cruze? Sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
25:47 George Kamel? It's the, when it's done with an impure motive.
25:51 Rachel Cruze? Yes, yes. Well, it's the keeping score mentality is what it kind of feels like. We did all this for you, so now you should do this with the gift, which isn't really a gift at that point.
26:00 George Kamel? Yes, especially if it's borrowed money, which is not a gift, but we see this a lot when we take calls of the in-laws gave us this money to borrow for this thing, but now we want a vacation and they're judging us now because like, wait, you haven't paid us back.
26:13 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
26:14 George Kamel? You're out here buying nice things, got a new car. So that can really hurt relationships. That's the key with all this stuff. It damages relationships. It's fine to accept gifts. It's fine to give gifts, but just do it with a pure heart.
26:27 Rachel Cruze? Yes, and as freely as possible, because I think that that really does help. But a gift that I will always take freely, George, anything from Cozy Earth.
26:36 George Kamel? Oh, I got my no-show Cozy Earth soft tone right now. You can't see them. They're invisible to the world, but I know. That's all that matters.
26:43 Rachel Cruze? I know. Cozy Earth. I mean, I had some pajamas on recently on a family beach trip and all the girls were like, where did you get those pajamas? And I was like, Cozy Earth.
26:52 George Kamel? Were they the sky toily ones?
26:53 Rachel Cruze? Yes, with the print.
26:54 George Kamel? Yes, because I got them for Whitney and then you were like, I wanted those.
26:57 Rachel Cruze? That's right. They came in for Whitney. That's right.
26:59 George Kamel? Technically influenced you.
27:00 Rachel Cruze? You did influence me, George. I was like, okay, I want those because they are so cute, so cute.
27:04 George Kamel? Yeah, they have tons of great stuff, like from bedding to the athleisure, to the sleep sets, to, I got the clogs in. Amazing. I'm a new man.
27:13 Rachel Cruze? That's right. You were gonna do shoots. Yes.
27:14 George Kamel? I'm a new man.
27:15 Rachel Cruze? That's amazing.
27:15 George Kamel? Move over, Crocs. Get out of here. My lake house clogs are in.
27:20 Rachel Cruze? Oh, I love it.
27:20 George Kamel? So I love everything they make. It's super comfy, great quality, great warranties on their products. They stand behind it. And you can save up to 40% off if you go to cozylearth.com/smartmoney and use the promo code SMARTMONEY. We'll also drop a link in the description below.
27:34 Rachel Cruze? All right, George, we're leaving family and relationships behind.
27:37 George Kamel? Where are we going?
27:38 Rachel Cruze? We are going into work.
27:40 George Kamel? Somewhere I love to go, to work.
27:41 Rachel Cruze? Red flags on working. Ready?
27:44 George Kamel? Yep.
27:44 Rachel Cruze? No raises or toxic promotion norms.
27:48 George Kamel? Ooh.
27:49 Rachel Cruze? So. If you don't get a raise, never, ever, ever, ever, ever. And you're growing up, up, up, up, up, up.
27:56 George Kamel? Yeah, you're busting it. You're killing the K R A.
27:59 Rachel Cruze? But it's not being acknowledged, uh, with the, with the old Benjamins.
28:04 George Kamel? Yeah, and eventually you're gonna lose good people because of that.
28:06 Rachel Cruze? Yes, for sure.
28:07 George Kamel? So it's a good note to anyone who owns a business, leaders out there. If you don't treat your people well, you don't give them a path for growth. Eventually they're gonna leave because humans are wired for growth.
28:16 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, and raises should be expected. Now, if their performance is lacking.
28:19 George Kamel? Yes.
28:20 Rachel Cruze? Then that's, that's understandable, but if they're doing great, performances should be in the normal curve.
28:24 George Kamel? If the company's in a real bind or something where they go, hey, we're not doing any raises this year across the board. That's one thing.
28:29 Rachel Cruze? Totally.
28:29 George Kamel? But if it's consistent over a long period of time, while you've been killing it, I think it's time to go.
28:34 Rachel Cruze? Yes, I know. There, there was someone we were talking to recently, was it Friends? I can't remember. And apparently they sold this big account and they were making a huge deal. They were like, you know, and everyone I think was supposed, I think was promised or said out loud, like getting a cut of something.
28:49 George Kamel? Cut of the deal.
28:50 Rachel Cruze? And after they're like, oh, we're not able to do that, but here's a pizza party.
28:53 George Kamel? Oh, no.
28:54 Rachel Cruze? And they were all like, oh my God. So, yeah.
28:57 George Kamel? Nobody wants a pizza party.
28:58 Rachel Cruze? Don't promise things that you can't deliver on either. That's not fun.
29:01 George Kamel? Skip the pizza.
29:02 Rachel Cruze? Yep.
29:02 George Kamel? All right, here's another one, red flag, not getting paid consistently.
29:07 Rachel Cruze? Mm-hmm.
29:07 George Kamel? And you might be thinking, who are these people? These aren't commissioned people. We're saying like, you work at a job for someone else and they go, hey, not gonna be able to pay you this month. That's real life, we get those calls.
29:18 Rachel Cruze? We get those calls, yeah. And if that, and again, if it's one time, something crazy happens and you're able to stick it out because you love the company, do what you gotta do. But if that's a consistent theme, like they can't make their bills and they can't make payroll.
29:31 George Kamel? Yikes.
29:32 Rachel Cruze? Red flag. And it's funny, like, people call us and like, I feel bad for leaving because they're struggling already.
29:36 George Kamel? They're so nice to me.
29:37 Rachel Cruze? Well, and they're struggling already and if I leave, like, that's gonna leave a big hole. Like, people take on a lot of responsibility for other people's.
29:44 George Kamel? They feel guilty.
29:45 Rachel Cruze? Yeah. But sometimes y'all, you gotta work, you gotta do what's best for you.
29:49 George Kamel? Yeah.
29:49 Rachel Cruze? Let's be honest.
29:50 George Kamel? We always say, choose guilt over resentment, because you're gonna get real resentful.
29:53 Rachel Cruze? Working for free.
29:54 George Kamel? And it's gonna live in your head rent-free, and it's gonna go on way too long, because you're trying to be nice. Just do what you need to do.
30:00 Rachel Cruze? That's right, that's right. Uh, next, fear-based layoff threats.
30:05 George Kamel? Ooh, we see these lately, because there's a lot of scary stuff happening with the economy, and the will there, won't they, with a recession?
30:13 Rachel Cruze? Well, government jobs especially, too.
30:14 George Kamel? Government jobs went through it.
30:15 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, I don't know if I'm gonna lose my job, if not, like, there's a lot of that, yeah.
30:17 George Kamel? And so if you're, like, living in fear, this is a problem. If this is a pattern over a long period of time.
30:22 Rachel Cruze? Especially a business, that, a small business, that you know the peo- you know, or I shouldn't even say that. But a corporation, I don't know, if there's always this constant, like, there's about to be a bunch of layoffs.
30:32 George Kamel? Watercooler talk about who's next and what team is next.
30:34 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, I know.
30:35 George Kamel? That's not good.
30:36 Rachel Cruze? I think that is pretty common in, like, corporate America, though.
30:39 George Kamel? Yeah, I get certain industries.
30:40 Rachel Cruze? They do, like, sweeping layoffs and stuff, you know, like, that does happen.
30:43 George Kamel? Yeah.
30:43 Rachel Cruze? But if it's a continual thing, like, it's not worth the stress and anxiety, you know?
30:47 George Kamel? No, I've got friends and family who work for, like, especially startups and tech. This happens a lot, is they have a lot of investor-funding money, and then the revenue's not there a few years in, and they, they are on the chopping block.
30:58 Rachel Cruze? And they cut people, yeah, it's wild.
31:00 George Kamel? Be careful out there.
31:03 Rachel Cruze? It's a wild world out there, Wild Wild West. Oh, my gosh.
31:05 George Kamel? Last one.
31:06 Rachel Cruze? What a great movie, too.
31:07 George Kamel? Wild Wild West with Will Smith.
31:08 Rachel Cruze? I know.
31:09 George Kamel? We finally found some common ground.
31:11 Rachel Cruze? You like Wild Wild West?
31:12 George Kamel? I never thought you would have watched Wild Wild West.
31:14 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, and the theme song is great.
31:17 George Kamel? The Jim West Desperado one?
31:18 Rachel Cruze? Uh, I had, is that it?
31:19 George Kamel? Who would do Wild Wild West? Jim West, Desperado, Rough Rider. No, you don't want, okay.
31:25 Rachel Cruze? Totally.
31:25 George Kamel? She's a real one, in case you're wondering.
31:27 Rachel Cruze? Oh, my gosh, yep.
31:27 George Kamel? She's redeemed herself.
31:29 Rachel Cruze? Man.
31:29 George Kamel? I just threw my straw. They'll play that back in slow-mo.
31:38 George Kamel? I like flicked it accidentally. Now I gotta...
31:41 Rachel Cruze? Who knew you loved a cowboy movie, George?
31:43 George Kamel? I didn't know anyone even liked an old Will Smith steampunk, high-concept
31:48 Rachel Cruze? You know, listen, I know he punched someone on stage, which is not okay.
31:52 George Kamel? It was a slap. It was a slap, to be fair.
31:55 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, yeah, not good. Like, can't do that.
31:57 George Kamel? A punch is worse.
31:58 Rachel Cruze? But Independence Day, great movie, you know?
32:00 George Kamel? Yeah.
32:00 Rachel Cruze? He was in some great movies.
32:03 George Kamel? Way to defend Will Smith for something that happened years ago.
32:07 Rachel Cruze? I find the green flag and everything. I know, yep.
32:12 George Kamel? Oh my gosh. I just got my sodium intake for the day with one sip with no straw.
32:18 Rachel Cruze? Did you get all that salt?
32:19 George Kamel? I have to.
32:20 Rachel Cruze? Oh, do you feel like you just went in the ocean and swallowed a bunch of water?
32:23 George Kamel? My tongue, I can't feel it. Oh, that's so much salt. Okay, we're done with that.
32:30 Rachel Cruze? Can I say the salt is aggressive, too? It's like really thick.
32:32 George Kamel? Yeah, it's like a... What's it called?
32:35 Rachel Cruze? Like rock salt.
32:36 George Kamel? Rock salt for rimming, which is a much thicker...
32:39 Rachel Cruze? Well, and that's what this should be.
32:40 George Kamel? Somehow saltier.
32:40 Rachel Cruze? Is this... Oh, is that really it? I feel like this is like...
32:42 George Kamel? Yeah, that's what they always use on margaritas.
32:44 Rachel Cruze? Really? Okay. Oh, I'm...
32:46 George Kamel? I don't know where you go. Where do they use table salt for their drinks?
32:50 Rachel Cruze? It just, just, it's everything just...
32:52 George Kamel? I prefer a tajine or tahin rim.
32:54 Rachel Cruze? Tahin is great.
32:55 George Kamel? Yeah.
32:56 Rachel Cruze? Yep.
32:56 George Kamel? I still don't know how to say it. I can't get anyone to verify. I emailed the company.
33:00 Rachel Cruze? I think it's tahin, right?
33:01 George Kamel? You would think. But then someone of culture said, "No, no, no. It's tajine."
33:07 Rachel Cruze? Tajine. Oh, gosh.
33:09 George Kamel? Now I don't know.
33:10 Rachel Cruze? Look, we look so American.
33:11 George Kamel? But I imagine in Latin America it would be pronounced tahin, like the J would be a huh.
33:16 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
33:17 George Kamel? Let us know in the comments. All right, last one on work. Financial red flag: remote work that has zero boundaries.
33:27 Rachel Cruze? Oh, this is hard.
33:28 George Kamel? So, working in an office has perks. We work in an office. I enjoy it. Working remotely also has its perks. But if you're in this work-from-home situation and you're expected to always be on, that's frightening.
33:39 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, that's hard, yeah. Yeah, and I think there's not great boundaries, whether you're in a physical office or not. But I do feel like in a physical office, there's still kind of that old-school mentality. When you leave... People, they don't see you, but when they can contact you all the time, like remote work, it's like they're so used to talking to you whenever. And so, there's a lot of people that work so many hours doing this, so.
33:58 George Kamel? And if you leave an office, there's a physical distance that's created where you can actually leave work at work. It's hard when you're on the couch, you slam your laptop shut, and now you're like, I guess I need to still sit on the couch.
34:08 Rachel Cruze? Right. Just turn on the Netflix instead.
34:10 George Kamel? You need to create some natural separation.
34:12 Rachel Cruze? Yes, for sure.
34:13 George Kamel? That's a tough one.
34:14 Rachel Cruze? Yep, that's good. Um, yeah, you know what, Jeremy Breland, our boss, our boss's boss, I guess we should say. Uh, he always said that, yeah, when you make, when you make yourself available, people expect you to be available. So sometimes there's these boundaries of like, you're not available, you know, just, you're probably not gonna hear from me, and I'm, so, that's the expectation.
34:34 George Kamel? You know what's a good one too, and Dave has mentioned this, because Dave would, you know, sometimes he'll catch an email late, and he would fire off an email, and he was going, oh, the team expects that I also expect them to be working if I send an email at 10:00 PM.
34:46 Rachel Cruze? Oh.
34:46 George Kamel? They go, well, I guess this is the culture, and so he started scheduling emails to fire off at 7:00 AM.
34:51 Rachel Cruze? Like in the morning, okay.
34:53 George Kamel? The next day, to not create stress on the team or pressure that they needed to.
34:56 Rachel Cruze? Oh shoot, I'm bad at that.
34:57 George Kamel? And Rachel's always emailing, 9:30 PM, Rachel's like, looks great.
35:00 Rachel Cruze? But I don't.
35:03 Rachel Cruze? But I don't expect people to email back, but sometimes if I get behind, I'll just shoot off a bunch while I'm thinking about it, but I'm like, I'm not expect, I mean, I know it's at night, I don't expect people.
35:11 George Kamel? But then the other person feels like, well, I guess I should also be responding at night, or this is normalized, so, the schedule button on Outlook, very few good things about Outlook, I'm not scared to sully their name, but the schedule button is a game changer.
35:25 Rachel Cruze? Wow, well, I always do it on my phone, I email on my phone.
35:28 George Kamel? Uh, I think you can still do it on the Outlook app.
35:31 Rachel Cruze? Okay.
35:31 George Kamel? I can teach you after this.
35:32 Rachel Cruze? I don't use that app, I use the mail on my phone.
35:34 George Kamel? Oh. You're hopeless.
35:37 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, I know.
35:37 George Kamel? You're never gonna, we're gonna download the Outlook app now, that's not gonna happen.
35:40 Rachel Cruze? Gross, no.
35:41 George Kamel? Exactly.
35:42 Rachel Cruze? I don't know.
35:43 George Kamel? Okay.
35:44 Rachel Cruze? What's the, what's my, what's that, what's this?
35:47 George Kamel? What's this?
35:47 Rachel Cruze? This is my, um...
35:50 Rachel Cruze? That guy, right there.
35:51 George Kamel? Yeah, yeah, the Apple Mail app.
35:52 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, the blue, white envelope.
35:54 George Kamel? Loaded into.
35:55 Rachel Cruze? Okay.
35:55 George Kamel? I don't think you can actually schedule from that.
35:58 Rachel Cruze? See, told you.
35:59 George Kamel? You know you can schedule text messages now?
36:01 Rachel Cruze? No.
36:02 George Kamel? Game changer.
36:02 Rachel Cruze? Why would you schedule text messages?
36:04 George Kamel? I do it all the time.
36:05 Rachel Cruze? Why?
36:06 George Kamel? If I need to remind my wife of something, but if I tell her now, she will never remember if I text it. So I can schedule the texts to send at a later time.
36:14 Rachel Cruze? Okay.
36:14 George Kamel? In which, you know, it'll be of utmost importance.
36:18 Rachel Cruze? Do you ever do reminders on your phone?
36:20 George Kamel? Yes.
36:21 Rachel Cruze? This is my new favorite feature.
36:22 George Kamel? Do you do the voice to text reminders? Like Siri, remind me to?
36:25 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, I won't say Siri, I just click that button. I just say like, yeah, remind me in two weeks to give Caroline her medicine or whatever.
36:31 George Kamel? Yeah.
36:32 Rachel Cruze? And then in two weeks?
36:33 George Kamel? What a great mom.
36:34 Rachel Cruze? What?
36:34 George Kamel? Way to make it about Caroline. Is she okay?
36:38 Rachel Cruze? She's fine. She had an antibiotic thing, but I was like, ooh, and the last thing, you're supposed to wait a little bit and then like.
36:43 George Kamel? Oh, I was wondering, what condition would it be like two weeks from now?
36:46 Rachel Cruze? That was like last night, yeah, that's that happened recently. But yeah, I love, I love the reminder.
36:51 George Kamel? Game changer.
36:51 Rachel Cruze? Game changer.
36:52 George Kamel? These are the kind of tips you get on this show. You think, oh, we're gonna learn financial stuff now.
36:56 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, no.
36:56 George Kamel? You're gonna learn some Outlook and Siri tips.
37:00 George Kamel? You didn't want it, but you got it.
37:01 Rachel Cruze? Oh, man, all right, George, what can we learn?
37:04 George Kamel? What can't, did we learn anything?
37:05 Rachel Cruze? From this whole episode?
37:06 George Kamel? Don't be a red flagger.
37:07 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, and I think it's okay to recognize the red flags to like the Rachels out there.
37:12 George Kamel? Yes.
37:13 Rachel Cruze? That they're out there and that's okay. Like, you gotta be smart about this, right? You gotta be smart on this, in this life, head on a swivel, look around. And, and that it's okay to call it out, that if something doesn't feel right, it's probably because it's not right. You know what I mean? So like, so that's okay.
37:27 George Kamel? To say no, to set the boundary, to push someone or something out of your life because it doesn't serve you.
37:33 Rachel Cruze? Yep, and sometimes in the moment, the no is easier, just nope. Then drag a situation along and you feel the red flags and then later, it's always gonna be harder. Always gonna be harder.
37:44 George Kamel? Trust your gut. Usually there's that thing where you're like afterwards, like, ah, I felt something, but I didn't do anything, I didn't say anything.
37:50 Rachel Cruze? I know, I read a book called The Gift of Fear. So good. But it talks about for so many women, mm, no.
37:56 George Kamel? Okay. Forgettable author, but grateful.
37:59 Rachel Cruze? I know, I'm sorry for whoever wrote it.
38:02 Rachel Cruze? Uh, but it was mostly about women. It was safety, like a kind of a safety book. And how the num- one of the number one reasons like we, something happens to women is because they feel bad.
38:10 George Kamel? Oh, well, I mean abusive relationships are a great example.
38:13 Rachel Cruze? Wow.
38:14 George Kamel? Right?
38:15 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
38:16 George Kamel? You stay in it.
38:17 Rachel Cruze? We went real dark. Yes. Yes, George, real bad.
38:20 George Kamel? Okay, sorry.
38:20 Rachel Cruze? I'm talking about like at the gas station. Like you're pumping your gas, you feel uncomfortable, but it's like, you feel something in your gut, you're like, I just don't, I don't feel like good, right? You know what I mean? And it's okay to like, just pump your gas and get in your car, you know? Um, where a lot of women feel the need to like be nice and kind to everyone. And it's like, oh, it's okay, it's, you know, and then stuff happens, right? And so that's it. The gift of fear is what it's called. It's in there. You got something for a reason? Guy's trying to help you move up to your apartment, boxes, you know?
38:48 George Kamel? And if you feel like it's sketchy.
38:49 Rachel Cruze? This doesn't feel right, like just say no, thank you. You know, just, you can be strong on that.
38:53 George Kamel? Yeah, that's why I aim to be a safe, a safe male.
38:58 Rachel Cruze? Oh.
38:58 George Kamel? Yeah. You can always ask me to move furniture. It's, um, God made me five, six for a reason. I'm not intimidating. You can take me in a fight.
39:06 Rachel Cruze? People don't get weird vibes off of George.
39:07 George Kamel? If you're over 11 and you have all your limbs, you can take me in a fight, no problem.
39:12 Rachel Cruze? Even Harrison with the fish?
39:13 George Kamel? Even Harrison, if you have, if you know how to fish, you can definitely take me in a fight. I'm not messing with that guy. You know, it takes a lot of muscle strength to reel up a old.
39:22 Rachel Cruze? A hundred percent.
39:23 George Kamel? Catfish.
39:23 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, for sure, for sure.
39:25 George Kamel? I don't know what they're catching these days.
39:26 Rachel Cruze? Oh, man.
39:28 George Kamel? Ask Winston, he'll know. What the fish of the day is.
39:32 Rachel Cruze? I don't know if this episode was, had any, anything for y'all out there in the world.
39:36 George Kamel? Some episodes are just for us. And that was today's episode.
39:39 Rachel Cruze? That was today's episode, okay. Before we get to guilty as charged, what are we sipping on?
39:43 George Kamel? We are sipping on a frozen watermelon margarita.
39:45 Rachel Cruze? Mm-hmm.
39:46 George Kamel? That is or, very ornate, I think is the only word for it.
39:50 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
39:51 George Kamel? It's got, I think we did about the same drink wise.
39:54 Rachel Cruze? Mm-hmm.
39:55 George Kamel? I would have had more, but my straw fell out. And I refused to drink all the salt. So this is, uh, gonna come in at three dollars and 37 cents per drink.
40:04 Rachel Cruze? Okay.
40:05 George Kamel? It includes frozen watermelon, tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and honey.
40:11 Rachel Cruze? Oh.
40:11 George Kamel? Surprise, it's not agave. I'll have to ask, uh, mixologist Michael why he didn't use agave, which is more traditional in a margarita.
40:18 Rachel Cruze? Wow.
40:19 George Kamel? You didn't have concern about the honey? You thought that's a normal thing to put in a margarita?
40:24 Rachel Cruze? I mean, it sweetens it up. It could be like simple syrup. Honey.
40:28 George Kamel? But agave is what margaritas need.
40:32 Rachel Cruze? And remind me, honey comes from bees, agave comes from the plant?
40:34 George Kamel? The agave plant.
40:35 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, okay. And that tastes a lot different than honey?
40:39 George Kamel? Yes, honey has a very
40:41 Rachel Cruze? Sweet.
40:42 George Kamel? Intense sweetness. Agave is a little more neutral, I would say, a little less sweet, depending if you use light agave or dark agave.
40:49 Rachel Cruze? Okay.
40:50 George Kamel? I don't want to get into it. It's for a different episode.
40:52 Rachel Cruze? I know. I could take us real off track, and I'm going to, I may edit this out, but this is the this is the episode with random facts. Have you seen the bee girl on Instagram?
40:59 George Kamel? No.
41:00 Rachel Cruze? Save the bees. Yes.
41:02 George Kamel? Is she like a bee influencer?
41:04 Rachel Cruze? She will go in and find beehives that are like in people's houses, and she like pulls back everything, and it's like this insane colony of bees, and she doesn't get stung, and she like removes, but the way
41:15 George Kamel? Is she wearing the bee suit?
41:16 Rachel Cruze? Not always, not always, and the way she talks, like, and then I remove, you know, this, and so then she'll
41:22 George Kamel? Bare hands?
41:22 Rachel Cruze? And so then she'll eat the cone, and she finds the queen.
41:26 George Kamel? The honeycomb?
41:26 Rachel Cruze? I found the queen bee, and I put her in a clip, and they bring her into the thing, and they're following her to the new colony, and I
41:33 George Kamel? Wait, does she talk like that?
41:34 Rachel Cruze? It's another great day of saving the bees.
41:38 Rachel Cruze? It's her. You've got to find her, George. She's so fun to watch.
41:42 George Kamel? Wow, should we have her on the show?
41:43 Rachel Cruze? Oh, my gosh, I would just have her talk the whole time, because her voice
41:47 George Kamel? Is it a pleasant, calming voice? Like, how would you describe her voice?
41:50 Rachel Cruze? It's like this. I mean, maybe like 10%, like, oh, gosh, everything okay? You know, like, but 90% very calming.
41:59 George Kamel? It's giving a little bit of like Britney Spears on Instagram. Like, are you, are someone forcing you to do this?
42:03 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, it's, but it's so good. Anyways, when I see her eat the cone, and like, there's honey, you're like, oh, that looks great. So if that's what's in my drink, I'm happy.
42:14 George Kamel? Does she know that you can just like buy honeycomb? Like, you don't have to go to those lengths?
42:17 Rachel Cruze? She rescues the bees out of situations and puts them somewhere else.
42:20 George Kamel? Were they in dangerous way?
42:22 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, in like people's homes, or like in a barn or something, but there's like
42:26 George Kamel? So if I have a bee's nest in my house, she will come over
42:29 Rachel Cruze? Yes.
42:29 George Kamel? And save the bees and save me.
42:32 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, I think she lives in Texas, but yes, it's a great account to follow. It's another great day of saving the bees. And she finds the queen in like two seconds, every time.
42:42 George Kamel? It feels difficult. Is the queen the biggest?
42:43 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, sort of, but I mean, like, not really. And she's like, I spotted the queen, and you're like, how? How did you spot the queen?
42:50 George Kamel? Wow, I'm fascinated by this.
42:52 Rachel Cruze? I know.
42:52 George Kamel? Truly intrigued.
42:53 Rachel Cruze? I'm gonna send you, I'm gonna send you a video, cuz it's so fun to watch.
42:56 George Kamel? Thank you.
42:56 Rachel Cruze? Alright, uh, gosh, I mean, nine out of ten. I'm not a big frozen drink, cuz you see what's happening right now? It's all melted now.
43:03 George Kamel? It gets a little bit melted.
43:04 Rachel Cruze? So I'm gonna go nine out of ten. Because the fl- everything else was great about it.
43:09 George Kamel? Yeah, I'm going nine out of ten as well. I could've used a little more lime, a little more sour.
43:14 Rachel Cruze? Yep, yep.
43:15 George Kamel? A little more sour watermelon, sour, sour watermelon. It's all that salt, it just hit all at once.
43:20 Rachel Cruze? I love a salt.
43:21 George Kamel? That's great. Alright, thank you for, uh, for this wonderful drink. Get the recipe in the show notes. Give it a try this weekend. You can always, uh, make a mocktail version and omit the, uh, the liquor if you wanna do that. Still be a great drink.
43:34 Rachel Cruze? Alright, now it's time for Guilty as Charged. And this is where we ask each other a guilty as charged question every week, and if we're guilty, we take a sip. Alright, George, have you ever been secondhand embarrassed because of something your parents did or said?
43:50 George Kamel? Oh my goodness.
43:52 Rachel Cruze? Oh man.
43:53 George Kamel? Where do you start? Where do you start? I mean, this is definitely my dad. I don't think my mom has ever said something that has embarrassed me secondhand.
44:01 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, no, it would be, it would be my dad. I think Dave can't hear. Did you know this? He has like the hearing of an eighty-three-year-old, like, he got it tested.
44:10 George Kamel? Let's make clear, because of thirty-something years of doing radio and blasting speakers and stages and feedback.
44:17 Rachel Cruze? So he, he's had hearing aids for probably the last decade, I'd say. It's been a while. But still, if he gets in a bad echoey room or a restaurant that's really loud, like if he's in a situation, and sometimes not, sometimes just in the kitchen, you know, over there, you know? You have to like really-
44:31 George Kamel? It's one ear specifically that's worse.
44:32 Rachel Cruze? You really gotta like shout, like, "Dad!", you know, you know? But sometimes, like, he's out in public, and like a waiter is like asking a question, and he's like-
44:42 Rachel Cruze? Like, "Dad, Dad." He's like, "Huh, huh, huh." And you're like, "Oh, my God." People just talk to you, you know what I mean? And like, he doesn't hear.
44:50 George Kamel? And they think like, he's being rude or something.
44:51 Rachel Cruze? I don't know, I mean, it looks rude.
44:53 George Kamel? Yeah, because either he's not responding, or he's barking, yelling at them.
44:56 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, "What, what?"
44:58 George Kamel? That's amazing.
45:00 Rachel Cruze? So, yeah, I'd say that sometimes.
45:02 George Kamel? That's a good one.
45:03 Rachel Cruze? Yep.
45:04 George Kamel? Uh, mine, Max Camel, a famous car negotiator. But you do not want to be at the dealership when he's negotiating a car, because it is that embarrassing and cringe-worthy
45:15 Rachel Cruze? Wow.
45:15 George Kamel? as he tries to secure the deal. And so, I have had to leave, along with my mother.
45:20 Rachel Cruze? Because you get just so embarrassed.
45:21 George Kamel? It's just too, too tough to watch.
45:23 Rachel Cruze? Okay. Is it because it's awkward?
45:25 George Kamel? But he gets the deal. I mean, the man, if you need a car, go with Max. That's where I get it from, is his negotiating skills. I'm probably just as cringe-worthy.
45:33 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
45:33 George Kamel? But I'm just younger and hipper, so I guess it comes off a different way than...
45:36 Rachel Cruze? Got no-show socks on.
45:37 George Kamel? My Middle Eastern dad with a little accent, like, "Hey, man." You know, it's how he sounds. It's how he sounds.
45:43 Rachel Cruze? Oh, my gosh.
45:44 George Kamel? But yeah, anytime I'm with him, if he's interacting with other people...
45:47 Rachel Cruze? He's always haggling for a deal.
45:48 George Kamel? Yeah. Or just the small talk can be awkward.
45:51 Rachel Cruze? Oh, really?
45:52 George Kamel? Yeah. To where I'm like, "Sorry, that's just how he is." We love him. Because, you know, he's always making jokes, but if you're a comedian, eight out of 10 jokes don't land.
46:01 Rachel Cruze? Yeah.
46:02 George Kamel? You're aiming for those two that do.
46:03 Rachel Cruze? Yeah, and sometimes they miss.
46:05 George Kamel? Sometimes it falls flat on the audience.
46:07 Rachel Cruze? Oh, man, I love it. I love it.
46:09 George Kamel? That's parents for you.
46:10 Rachel Cruze? Yep, well, if you guys have a guilty charge question, make sure to DM us, @rachelcruz and @georgecamel. We always love to hear what you have to say. And if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to leave a review. But all of this is just the tip of the iceberg, because there's a lot of other flags out there, beige flags, if you will. So, check out our episode, "How to Spot Beige Flags in Money and Relationship." That's coming up next, and we'll put a link down below. So, we'll see you guys next Thursday on an all-new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.
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