Today’s couple is actually on the same page when it comes to their Rich Life, but they’re not making much progress toward it. Alex brings in $70k from a full time job. Charlotte runs their joint business that isn’t making much money yet, but should be soon. They both know what they want, they just have different perspectives on how to get there. Despite their income recently doubling, they are living paycheck to paycheck—while outright ignoring over $200k in student loan debt. Charlotte believes...
May 24, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast How do you manage your finances when your monthly pay is inconsistent? Vince makes around $300k a year in the mortgage industry, while Kasey focuses on raising their kids at home. Despite that rather high average income, the actual monthly takeaway is incredibly variable—one month could be $25k, the next month just $2k. That uncertainty is causing Kasey a lot of stress. On top of that, Vince’s income has been steadily decreasing. Vince chooses to remain positive; Kasey is afraid of the worst hap...
May 17, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast Making a lot of money is surprisingly easy. But if you’ve lived with too little of it most of your life, getting over the fear of spending it can be another story completely. Nicole and Michael have a combined net worth of over $5.7 million—yet they find themselves arguing over the price of a minor car repair. Nicole has crippling anxiety when it comes to spending any amount of money, no matter how insignificant it may be in the long term. While her fears may have once been justified, they haven...
May 10, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast It’s common knowledge that building a business takes time—but how long should you be willing to wait? Rob works a full-time job. Olivia is split between part-time work and her own business. Rob doesn’t think her business is making enough money and has been urging Olivia to call it a loss and get a “real job.” He thinks her entrepreneurial dreams are holding them back from making their current reality more comfortable. What they’re doing isn’t working. Whether Olivia doubles down on the business ...
May 03, 2022•2 hr 35 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast By now, you know: living a Rich Life is more about mindset than money. Look at today’s couple, Jack and Rachel. Following the principles described in I Will Teach You to Be Rich, they’ve managed to turn a $150k income into over $5 million in savings! Despite that, Rachel finds it difficult to actually spend the money—she doesn’t truly believe it’s there. She thinks that, with one wrong move, it could all be gone. This is the complicated nature of money psychology at work. They’ve built up the sk...
Apr 26, 2022•2 hr 38 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast Alex and Nicole are getting married this summer and plan to start a family in a few years. That much, they know. How they’ll get there is another question. Nicole doesn’t want to deal with finances—she prefers to ignore it. Alex, on the other hand, is in the position of having to handle finances on her own for the both of them. Naturally, that leads to stress and resentment. Delegating financial responsibility in a relationship rarely works. Money affects both partners so much that it inevitably...
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast Rebecca and John are both attorneys and make good money. While John makes more, he’s legally obligated to pay around $70k annually in alimony and insurance tied to a past divorce settlement. On top of that, his income can vary widely, making the future difficult to plan for—and he has debt. He’s 61 but sees no way he can retire any time soon. They’re dealing with not only the very real financial problems they face but also the resentment caused by them. That resentment colors every interaction t...
Apr 12, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast Money can be a way of showing love, but what happens when you’re spending money you don’t have? Does spending any less mean you love the people in your life any less? It seems simple, sometimes it’s not. Meet Jessica and Javier. She’s tried to help him with his financial literacy, but Javier only knows how to show love through spending. Unfortunately, his love is bigger than his paycheck. Not only that, he’s admittedly ignorant of how credit works. He relies on magical money thinking and is unre...
Apr 05, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast Sarah and Nat are physical therapists that are making things too hard for themselves. The enormous cost of education coupled with relatively low pay has left them burdened with debt that colors every decision they make—including whether or not to have more children. They’ve spent ten years worrying about it but are still without a decent plan. I want to help them discover what it would look like to live a Rich Life, with or without debt, and I lead this episode in that direction. But when I walk...
Mar 29, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast Ashley and Josh have come to a stark conclusion: That if they can’t manage to find some common ground in their financial struggles, their relationship has no future. They both earn roughly the same amount of money. Besides this huge roadblock, they see a path to marriage and children. But they can’t come to an agreement about who pays for date night. Even worse, individually, neither of them has a solid plan for tackling their own debt. Josh drives a, you guessed it, truck he can’t afford. Ashle...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast Ashley and Josh both have high incomes but they find themselves arguing about who pays for what. Like a few past guests, Ashley thinks certain things are the man’s responsibility to pay for, but Josh wants a partnership. He feels like her spending is more out of obligation than true togetherness. These unspoken expectations are toxic. They’re eating away at what they both like about being together, and they need to be addressed right away. We all have internal beliefs and expectations around mon...
Mar 15, 2022•59 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast Martin and Arly feel suffocated by mounting interest on their debt and are jaded by the corporate world. Martin earns $125,000, but Arly is selling essential oils in a network marketing business (read: SCAM!). With $300 coming in every month, this venture is going nowhere very quickly. The solution seems painstakingly obvious, but their internal narrative is shortcutting their logic. I’m going to need to spell it out to them. Connect with Ramit Website Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube Linkedin...
Mar 08, 2022•43 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast Today is part two with John + Lindsey, and progress on finding a solution that sticks for the couple is slow. Listen to how John gets riled up with rage and resentment when I ask him simple questions. I don’t think he gets it. We need a dramatic solution to pull him through this mess. Will getting into the weeds help them interact on the same page again? Or will his past cloud John and Lindsey’s future forever? Connect with Ramit Website Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube Linkedin If you and you...
Mar 01, 2022•57 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Lindsey and John are stuck. Despite earning a joint income of $150,000, John’s debt is crippling their relationship and financial future. They respond by self-soothing. John runs on auto-pilot avoidance strategies and refuses to get honest about his situation. Lindsey distracts herself with mindless spending sprees at Target. But neither are working together on a sustainable solution. It’s time to get honest. Lindsey and John are unsophisticated with their income and spending. If they want to be...
Feb 22, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast It’s time to create a plan of action for Brad and Becca’s unsophisticated spending habits that we learned about in part one. I want to get them away from the gimmicks of monthly payments and immediate gratification, and instead push them to carve out a Rich Life vision that goes beyond getting to zero debt. There will be resistance. The question is, will Brad be willing to lean into it, even if it’s uncomfortable to hear? Connect with Ramit Website Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube Linkedin If ...
Feb 15, 2022•45 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast Brad and Becca are in debt. Lots of it. Together they make $105,000 a year, but Brad makes impulsive flash purchases on credit cards. There is no saving, no long-term plan–only short bursts of gratification. This is not how you build a Rich Life. I want to get them out of this unsophisticated loop with money, but is Brad finally willing to listen? Connect with Ramit Website Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube Linkedin If you and your partner have a money issue and you want my help, I occasionally...
Feb 08, 2022•46 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast Most people think if they earned 25-50% more, all their money problems would disappear. Katie and Shawn are a living example that that’s not true. They earn almost half a million dollars per year, so there is no reason they should be arguing over a $600 Roomba. Their world is not in sync with their income. So why does Katie obsessively penny-pinch and prepare for the worst? Let’s just say it has nothing to do with wanting to retire early. Listen as I unearth her deep-rooted fears. Connect with R...
Feb 01, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast It all started with a splurge at Target. Tami spent $250 and tried to hide it from her husband, Mike. He likes to make digs and police her spending habits. She likes to make jokes about his bad purchases. They’re sparring over gas station snacks and unused kayaks, and each “win” gives them the satisfaction of saying, “I told you so.” These seemingly minor annoyances are covering much deeper resentment issues. As you’re listening, think about the habits you and your partner have. Ask yourself: ar...
Jan 25, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast My conversation with Mira and Dan was supposed to be about tax returns. He hasn't filed his yet, and it's making Mira feel insecure, anxious, and unsafe. Dan wants her to relax and trust him for once! I knew something else was amiss here, but I was shocked to see how fast the conversation took a turn. Connect with Ramit Website Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube Linkedin If you and your partner have a money issue and you want my help, I occasionally select a couple to work with, free of charge. ...
Jan 18, 2022•55 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast Meet Gemma and Jack. Jack believes that people who delegate certain tasks, like cleaning and laundry, are lazy. It’s one of his many strong opinions that’s causing a wedge in their relationship. Recently, he refused to hire movers because it was a “waste of money.” As frustrating as they are, listen to the layers behind his financial opinions. They have a household income of $200k, but it’s not an even split. Throw in their individual cultural and gender codes, and it starts to make sense why th...
Jan 11, 2022•48 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast On paper, saving for maternity leave shouldn’t be an issue for Hannia and Alex. She earns $100,000 a year, but she likes to spend her money as soon as payday arrives. She plays many subconscious tricks (I call it the “Innocent Doe” technique) to justify a $300 drop at Target and her Old Navy credit card debt. Let’s disregard the distractions. What’s the real reason why Hannia cannot save money? And how is her humble childhood in Costa Rica playing out in her everyday money decisions? Sometimes, ...
Jan 04, 2022•53 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast Lauren and Alex bring in $425,000 a year, and they’ve just invested in a $1.3 million dollar home. Alex feels like they’re flying high, but Lauren’s lost her sense of security. She wants to save for a beach house in Carmel, not invest in double-glazing windows. Their savings plan has gone awry, and all she can hear is her father’s phrase “It’s not how much you make, it’s how much you save” every time they have to make a big purchase. What is stopping Lauren from being more secure? Listen for the...
Dec 21, 2021•56 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast Alexandra and Brandon have a household income of $135,000. Alex just handed in her one week’s notice, but she still has financial needs, and she’s scared to broach the subject of spending money on herself with her husband. As we talk, it becomes apparent that self-agency has been absent from other aspects of their lives. From their relationship to career choices, both have been playing by everyone else’s rulebook but their own. These conversations have been on the back burner for long enough—it’...
Dec 14, 2021•50 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast This is part two with Charles and Michelle. He has a net worth of well over $10 million but still uses someone else’s Netflix password. After 21 years, Michelle has reached her limit with his relentless cheapness. Charles is trying to rewrite his internal money story, but after years of playing the “I’m not the kind of guy who blows money on X, Y, Z,” card, he still worries about extreme what-if scenarios, driving Michelle to consider divorce. As you listen, think about the areas you’re afraid t...
Dec 07, 2021•57 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Charles and his wife, Michelle, are worth $10 million, and he earns over $2 million a year--but he’s cheap. So cheap, he still insists on sharing someone else’s Netflix password. Michelle has been pushed to the limit. Divorce is on the cards unless things change. She wants to start with landscaping the backyard, but I want to investigate the roots of this invisible script that’s costing him his marriage. There’s 21 years’ worth of scar tissue to heal here. Let’s dig in. Connect with Ramit Websit...
Nov 30, 2021•51 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast Brian is a struggling tech entrepreneur and relies on his wife, Serena, a physician with a stable income of $235,000, to support his family. Serena wants Brian to get a job and admit that his start-up isn’t working. She's extremely focused — perhaps too focused — on buying a house. Brian doesn't like saying “No” to Serena, so he evades questions and promises that everything will change "4-6 months from now," but after seven years, Serena's patience is running thin. Can you spot the red flags? Li...
Nov 23, 2021•51 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast Monique expects Pablo to pay for her “as the man” in the relationship. Pablo wants “fairness” in a partner. Last week, I dug into their money psychology. Right at the end of last week’s conversation -- when both were feeling good -- they started discussing an upcoming trip to Mexico City. Suddenly, everything fell apart. All their positive feelings and new skills got thrown to the side, and they went right back to their old habits. That’s why I had to add a part two to our conversation. That’s t...
Nov 16, 2021•54 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast Monique is very open with what she wants in a relationship. “I always expected that fairytale love, the guy pays for everything, the guy opens the door, the guy waits to kiss me at the end of the night...” But her boyfriend, Pablo, disagrees. He feels taken advantage of. He shares the story of Monique ordering a $10 soup in a restaurant when he wasn’t even eating, then both of them staring at the bill to see who would pay for it. Their beliefs come from their upbringing and very specific persona...
Nov 09, 2021•56 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast When Chris shops for food online, he compares the cost of almond milk and strawberries to save a few dollars. He spends hours agonizing over the most economical flight routes. He even stopped and picked up a used stroller from someone’s driveway. Chris and his wife Amy have a net worth of $8 million. Their friends call them cheap. They prefer to identify as "money hackers” and have lots of reasons why they behave the way they do. But even with their explanations, they’re not happy with how they’...
Nov 02, 2021•56 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast Andy and Kate bring in $200,000 a year and live rent free. Andy feels bad about money every day. His partner, Kate, says she wants to work as a financial team, but she walks on eggshells. Andy wants to make her happy, but he has a poor relationship with money. And that’s not all. Andy has $1.1 million dollars in a trust fund, managed by a financial advisor, and he still has holes in his shoes. I asked them, “Do you want to turn 65, have $10 million, and still worry about getting dessert?” Andy w...
Oct 26, 2021•53 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast