Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Maria and Andre, a married couple in their 50s navigating a difficult retirement gap. Maria has built nearly $500K in net worth, a strong pension, and a clear path toward retirement. Andre, who moved from Brazil and only recently received his green card, is rebuilding his career in the United States with just $16K saved for retirement.

They earn around $187K a year combined, but their financial tension is not really about the numbers. Andre feels ashamed that Maria earns twice what he does, while Maria worries that she will have to carry their future alone. Ramit helps them unpack the pressure Andre feels to be the provider, the cultural beliefs shaping their relationship, and how they can build a retirement plan that gives them more time together not less.

In this episode we uncover:

• Why Andre feels ashamed that Maria earns twice as much as him

• How Andre’s recent green card changed his ability to build a career

• Why $16K in retirement savings feels so frightening at age 50

• Why Maria’s pension could transform their retirement future

• Why Andre believes a man should earn more than his wife

• How their finances are combined, but still feel separate

• Why Andre’s business expenses are creating confusion and resentment

• The hidden cost of working six days a week

• Why Maria wants more time with Andre, not just more money

• Why Andre keeps defaulting to “work harder” instead of building a plan

• How Ramit reframes retirement from fear into options

• Why their future may be much stronger than they realize

• The importance of acting like a team rather than competing with each other

• How Andre could double his income after getting his HVAC licence

• Why their Rich Life includes time in Brazil, leisure, and being present together

Chapters:

(00:00:00) “What would you do if your partner had no retirement plan?”

(00:00:48) Meet Maria and Andre

(00:02:12) Andre’s career, green card, and starting over

(00:03:32) Andre has just $16K saved for retirement

(00:04:48) Building their Conscious Spending Plan

(00:05:54) Their $496K net worth revealed

(00:07:35) “She makes double what I make”

(00:10:11) How Maria increased her income as a teacher

(00:12:05) Learning to spend consciously

(00:14:16) Maria wants Andre to have a retirement plan

(00:20:03) Their fixed costs and uneven financial burden

(00:25:43) How long their savings would last

(00:29:20) The reality of rebuilding your life in a new country

(00:39:43) Andre’s childhood beliefs about work and money

(00:45:17) What if Andre never earns as much as Maria?

(00:52:07) Ramit’s message to Andre

(00:58:33) Rebuilding their Conscious Spending Plan

(01:07:15) What their retirement could actually look like

(01:11:11) “None of this means Andre has to work until 80”

(01:12:09) “It’s not a competition. It’s a team.”

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Connect with Ramit

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• Get Money Coaching with Ramit 

• Download the Conscious Spending Plan

• Listen to my book—now on Audible

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Apply to be coached for free on this podcast at https://iwt.com/apply

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Alexis, 29, and Edwens, 30, a married couple with a 10-month-old baby and two completely different ideas of what money should look like in a marriage. Edwens immigrated from the Dominican Republic less than two years ago, and personal finance is still new to him. Alexis has been trying to teach him, manage the bills, build the budget, and create a future for their family. And yet, their biggest fight keeps coming back to one question: Why won’t Edwens open a joint bank account?

But the account is only part of the story. What Ramit uncovers is a marriage where Alexis wants partnership, transparency, and a shared family system, while Edwens is still holding on to independence, privacy, and the idea that giving her $1,000 a month should be enough. Alexis feels like she has become the household manager, the bill payer, and eventually more like his mother than his wife. Edwens feels criticized and controlled, especially around credit cards and spending. Underneath all of it are cultural differences, childhood money patterns, and a couple with a baby who are still trying to turn two separate money lives into one shared future.

In this episode we uncover:

Why a joint bank account becomes the breaking point in their marriage

What Alexis means when she says Edwens still acts like a single man

Why Edwens sees separate money as independence, not betrayal

The $1,000 arrangement that leaves Alexis managing everything alone

How cultural differences shape their money rules

Why Edwens struggles to understand credit cards and debt

The moment Ramit almost ends the session

Why Alexis feels like she has become Edwens’s mother, not his wife

How childhood money patterns are showing up in their marriage

Why their cheap rent is a financial gift they are not fully using

The moment they finally start building a shared money system

Chapters:

(00:00:00) “He still operates like a single man”

(00:01:58) The joint bank account fight

(00:07:19) “I don’t want to be married without a joint account”

(00:12:19) She wants partnership. He hears control.

(00:18:05) The credit card argument

(00:25:50) Why does he listen to Ramit, but not his wife?

(00:30:56) Ramit almost ends the session

(00:35:31) Their real income changes the conversation

(00:45:20) The bills, the $1,000, and who actually manages the money

(00:55:04) Repeating their parents’ money fights

(01:02:25) Building a new money culture as a couple

(01:07:13) Alexis has been carrying the household alone

(01:15:20) “I feel like his mom, not his wife”

(01:21:52) Breaking the generational money pattern

(01:27:54) Why therapy needs to happen before it’s too late

(01:32:33) Rebuilding their Conscious Spending Plan

(01:43:16) From separate money to real partnership

(01:48:02) Follow-up

This episode is brought to you by:

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Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Melissa and Taryn, a married couple in their 40s living in Los Angeles with five children. They have a net worth of over $700K, nearly half a million invested, and a successful business, but their finances are on the edge.

After Taryn took a $75K pay cut and was later laid off from Netflix, they continued building a $200K pool, took on a $100K family loan, and now face fixed costs of 179%. Ramit helps them confront the brutal math behind their situation, the emotional reasons they keep avoiding it, and the radical changes they may need to make before they run out of money.

In this episode we uncover:

• Why Melissa and Taryn built a $200K pool after a major pay cut

• How Taryn’s Netflix layoff changed everything

• Why their fixed costs hit a shocking 179%

• The real cost of their $100K family loan

• Why “everything goes on a credit card” became normal

• How they ended up with $1.2M in debt

• Why selling the house may not solve the problem

• The hidden danger of renting another expensive home

• Why Melissa’s successful business still may not be enough

• How grief and loss shaped their relationship with travel and money

• Why Taryn feels like she just “makes the money”

• The emotional power dynamic behind their spending decisions

• Why small cuts like subscriptions won’t fix a structural problem

• Ramit’s warning that they may be setting themselves up to struggle again

• The uncomfortable reality of moving out of Los Angeles

• Why their marriage needs a mission, not just a budget

• How their kids are already affected by their money choices

• Ramit’s advice for making radical change before the clock runs out

⏩ CHAPTERS (00:00:00) “I just want the debt gone”

(00:01:23) Meet Melissa and Taryn

(00:02:40) Taryn’s Netflix layoff

(00:04:18) Buying the house after a $75K pay cut

(00:05:39) The real cost of the pool

(00:07:48) Taking a $100K family loan

(00:10:50) Why the debt cycle keeps repeating

(00:15:25) Taryn’s role as the “money maker”

(00:18:03) Their income no longer matches their life

(00:20:03) Ramit reveals their 179% fixed costs

(00:21:20) Why selling the house isn’t enough

(00:22:51) The rent math gets even worse

(00:26:46) The clock is ticking

(00:31:25) Could they move to South Carolina?

(00:41:24) The power dynamic in their marriage

(00:57:16) Defining their Rich Life

(01:02:18) What happens after selling the house?

(01:15:28) Ramit confronts the decision they’re avoiding

(01:28:48) Talking to their kids about money

(01:36:58) Final thoughts and next steps

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Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to J and Ana, a couple in their early 40s with three children who have built nearly $4 million in net worth through decades of hard work, saving, and real estate investing. On paper, they are in an incredible financial position. They have around $4.8 million in assets, more than $1.2 million invested, $136K in savings, and a net worth just under $4 million. But despite all of that, they still don’t feel free.

J applied because he feels like they’ve had their foot on the gas since they were teenagers and don’t know when they’re allowed to cruise. He wants to relax, travel, and enjoy the life they’ve built. Ana wants that too, but her fear of debt, her desire to protect their kids, and her instinct to keep building make it almost impossible for her to stop. What looks like a conversation about rental properties, credit cards, cars, and spending is really about safety, identity, immigrant family scripts, and learning how to enjoy money after a lifetime of working.

In this episode we uncover:

• Why J and Ana still feel stressed despite having nearly $4 million in net worth

• How decades of hard work and real estate investing shaped their money dynamic

• Why J feels ready to slow down, but Ana struggles to believe they have enough

• Why selling one house feels like both a financial decision and a family decision

• How credit card spending, shoes, cars, and hobbies became recurring conflict points

• Why J feels like he has to justify his spending

• The parent-child dynamic that shows up in their money conversations

• Why Ramit challenges them on changing the CSP numbers

• How immigrant family history shaped Ana’s relationship with work, money, and worry

• The question of whether multiple properties are still part of their Rich Life • How becoming more decisive may be the real work ahead

Chapters:

(00:01:44) Meet J and Ana

(00:03:34) “Our foot is stuck on the gas”

(00:04:28) Ana doesn’t know when it’s time to sell

(00:05:21) Why they are never on the same page about money

(00:07:11) The credit card statement fights

(00:08:44) Ana’s dream: take away the card and pay off properties

(00:10:14) Shoes, cars, and spending guilt

(00:13:04) The parent-child dynamic in their money conversations

(00:14:47) Looking at the Conscious Spending Plan together

(00:18:08) Income, rental properties, and CSP confusion (

00:30:32) The family house they can’t agree on selling

(00:34:12) Why making more money hasn’t made them feel better

(01:38:30) Ana’s challenge: learning to spend on herself

(01:42:53) Ramit’s final warning: they need to become decisive together

This episode is brought to you by:

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Connect with Ramit

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Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Freya and Blake, a couple in their mid-40s with two young children who are facing one of the most urgent financial situations we’ve seen on the show.

Together, they earn around $143K a year, but their fixed costs are at 102%, they have $0 in savings, only $180 invested, and more than $96K in debt. Freya applied because she feared they were close to becoming homeless.

On the surface, their problem looks like debt. Underneath, it’s avoidance, guilt, lack of partnership, and years of “we’ll figure it out later.” Freya carries the emotional labour of the household and money decisions, while Blake admits he avoids the numbers and tries to solve problems by simply making more money.

Ramit helps them confront the reality of their situation, stop tinkering around the edges, and build a radical plan that gives their family a chance to get stable.

In this episode we uncover:

• Why Freya and Blake are spending more than they make every month

• How their fixed costs reached 102% of their income

• Why having a $143K income still isn’t enough when there’s no system

• The $96K debt number that forces them to face reality

• Why Freya feels like she has to manage everything alone

• Blake’s “ostrich” approach to money and avoidance

• How trips, skiing, and everyday spending became symptoms of a bigger issue

• Why being intelligent doesn’t protect you from bad money decisions

• The emotional cost of having $0 in savings with two young children

• How childhood, privilege, resentment, and guilt shaped their money habits

• Why hustling stops working once fixed costs get too high

• Ramit’s warning that they are weeks away from not being able to pay rent

• Why Blake may need to aggressively increase his income

• How they move from blame and panic into a shared plan

• Their follow-up reflections on what finally felt doable

Chapters:

(00:01:20) Meet Freya and Blake

(00:03:30) Why Freya applied to speak with Ramit

(00:05:23) “Do you want to have a budget conversation?”

(00:05:56) The skiing trip that became a money fight

(00:08:22) The Mexico trip they couldn’t afford

(00:13:52) Savings are gone and the safety net has disappeared

(00:15:16) Freya carries the planning, groceries, kids, and money stress

(00:21:54) Looking at the Conscious Spending Plan together

(00:24:01) The real debt and net worth numbers land

(00:31:24) Why 102% fixed costs means they are broke

(00:32:04) Ramit warns they are weeks away from not paying rent

(00:34:54) Childhood money lessons and blame

(00:43:57) Borrowing money to avoid eviction

(00:48:11) Blake’s belief that more income will solve everything

(00:57:14) Guilt, family, and saying yes when they should say no

(01:03:00) Defining a realistic Rich Life from where they are now

(01:08:30) Childcare costs disappearing

(01:15:03) Freya asks Blake to help with grocery planning

(01:18:00) Why savings comes before debt payoff right now

(01:34:00) Why the plan finally feels doable

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Connect with Ramit

• Get my new book, Money For Couples

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Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Drew and Amanda, a married couple earning around $167,000 a year with a net worth of over $800,000.

On paper, they look financially successful but behind the scenes, their fixed costs are dangerously high, their savings are low, and their spending decisions are causing tension in the relationship.

Drew admits he struggles with spending, while Amanda finds it difficult to say no, leaving them stuck in a pattern where money feels stressful instead of empowering.

In this episode we uncover:

• Their household income of around $167,000 a year

• Why they still feel financially stretched despite a strong net worth

• Their surprisingly low savings compared with their assets

• How fixed costs reached around 89% of their gross income

• Drew’s struggle with spending and impulse decisions

• Amanda’s difficulty saying no without feeling like the “bad guy”

• The hidden relationship dynamic behind their financial stress

• Why eating out 6–8 times a week became a major spending leak

• The role of bonuses in justifying bigger spending decisions

• Amanda’s childhood experiences with financial instability

• Drew’s “you only live once” money mindset

• How their daughter is learning from their financial behaviour

• Ramit’s challenge for them to stop making emotional money decisions

• Why vacations may need to pause while they rebuild savings

• Their plan to create a family money philosophy and emergency fund

⏩ CHAPTERS

(00:03:15) Why Drew applied to the podcast

(00:07:00) The hidden decision-making problem

(00:10:30) Why they don’t feel like a team with money

(00:16:15) Their financial numbers revealed

(00:21:15) The reality of their household income

(00:29:25) Fixed costs are the real problem

(00:33:10) The truth about eating out

(00:35:50) How bonuses fuel spending

(00:39:30) The couple who struggle to say no

(00:45:30) Amanda’s childhood money story

(00:56:30) Their inherited money beliefs

(00:58:20) Starting their Rich Life vision

(01:04:00) Pausing vacations to rebuild stability

(01:10:00) Drew practices saying no

(01:16:30) Amanda’s role changes

(01:20:30) Cutting subscriptions and eating out

(01:29:30) Redirecting money toward savings

(01:36:00) Creating a family money philosophy

(01:44:30) Ramit’s final advice

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Connect with Ramit

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• Get Money Coaching with Ramit 

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Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Sebastien and Hope, a married couple in their forties who have been together for 20 years, married for 16, and have a nine-year-old son. They earn around $195,000 a year, have $674,000 in assets, $129,000 invested, just $11,000 in savings, and $437,000 in debt.

On paper, they are not broke, but emotionally, Sebastien still feels like they are constantly scrambling, while Hope believes their personal finances are in the best place they have ever been.

Both recently became business owners, with Hope running an architecture firm and Sebastien running a wine importing business, but the risk of entrepreneurship, debt, low emergency savings, and under-investing for retirement has left them stuck between optimism, fear, and avoidance.  

In this episode we uncover:

• Why Sebastien still feels broke, even though their finances are stronger than they used to be

• How Hope’s optimism clashes with Sebastien’s fear about the future

• Their combined income of around $195,000 a year

• Their assets of $674,000, investments of $129,000, savings of $11,000, and debt of $437,000

• Why having only one month of emergency savings puts them in a risky position

• How both Hope and Sebastien became business owners after buying existing companies

• Hope’s architecture business and Sebastien’s wine importing business

• Why Ramit says they are talking around the numbers instead of confronting them directly

• How their current retirement projection could give them only around $35,000 a year

• Why Hope’s $130,000 retirement dream requires a much more aggressive investing plan

• Why their guilt-free spending and fixed costs are squeezing savings and investments

• How one final credit card payment could drop their fixed costs from 67% to 52%

• Why their grocery spending becomes one of the first practical areas to tighten

• Ramit’s math mistake in the episode and why the overall lesson still stands

• Sebastien’s need for a clear business runway and decision point

• Hope’s realization that she was not being fully honest with herself about their finances

⏩ CHAPTERS

(00:00:53) Introduction: is it too late to be successful with money?

(00:02:40) Sebastien and Hope’s financial snapshot

(00:04:11) Their annual “executive household planning retreat”

(00:06:01) Ramit asks if their planning system is actually working

(00:08:02) Sebastien’s fear about his wine importing business

(00:11:31) How they each became business owners

(00:15:31) Feeling broke vs actually being broke

(00:16:47) Ramit reads Sebastien’s application back to Hope

(00:20:08) Assets, investments, savings, debt, and net worth

(00:21:21) Ramit pushes them to say: “It’s not enough”

(00:23:20) Their projected retirement number

(00:25:31) Ramit points out they only have one month of emergency savings

(00:33:31) Their CSP: fixed costs, investments, savings, and guilt-free spending

(00:34:24) Breaking down their $437,000 debt

(01:01:22) The $45,500-a-year investment target

(01:15:59) Sebastien’s business plan and runway

(01:24:20) Ramit’s final advice: redo the CSP and lock in the numbers

(01:25:46) Hope’s follow-up

(01:27:40) Sebastien’s follow-up

(01:29:22) Their updates: increased IRA contributions and Vanguard investing

This episode is brought to you by:

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Get 25% off my programs until Friday May 15th at iwt.com/programs with code RESET26.

Connect with Ramit

• Get my new book, Money For Couples

• Get Money Coaching with Ramit 

• Download the Conscious Spending Plan

• Listen to my book—now on Audible

• Get my New York Times best-selling book

• Get my no-numbers journal

• Other episodes

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Calling LA couples: Apply to be coached for free on this podcast at https://iwt.com/apply

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Nicole and Shane, an engaged couple in their forties getting married in just 11 days. Together they earn $241,000 a year, have a net worth of $588,000, and hold $265,000 in savings, but their financial lives are still tangled.

Nicole has built a rich life around travel, dining out, and intentional spending, while Shane is a natural saver whose job has covered most of his living expenses. As they prepare for marriage, a future child, and a major shift in Nicole’s income, Ramit helps them confront the messy reality of combining money, separating business and personal finances, investing more aggressively, and turning vague dreams into a real shared Rich Life.  

In this episode we uncover:

• Why Nicole’s $10,000-a-month spending shocked Shane early in their relationship

• How Nicole built a “Rich Life” for one through travel, dining out, and dedicated savings

• Shane’s unusual work setup where housing, food, and utilities have been covered

• The tension of combining finances just 11 days before their wedding

• Why Nicole feels judged for her lifestyle, even though her numbers are strong

• Their combined income of $241,000 a year and net worth of $588,000

• Why Shane has a higher net worth despite Nicole earning slightly more

• Nicole’s concern that her income could drop by half after having a child

• How Nicole’s business and personal finances became dangerously tangled

• Their surprisingly low fixed costs and unusually high savings rate

• Why having $265,000 sitting in savings may actually be holding them back

• Shane’s habit of trying to time the market when investing

• Why their projected $1.7 million retirement portfolio may not be enough for the life they want

• Ramit’s advice on turning their messy numbers into a shared financial vision before marriage

⏩ CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Teaser: “You spend $10,000 a month?”

(00:01:02) Introduction: combining money before marriage

(00:02:47) Nicole and Shane’s financial snapshot

(00:06:53) Nicole feels judged by her lifestyle

(00:08:50) Nicole’s Rich Life: travel, dining out, and $500 dresses

(00:12:45) How marriage changes Shane’s living situation

(00:15:38) Reviewing their Conscious Spending Plan

(00:19:42) Their $241,000 household income

(00:24:01) Ramit explains why letting the prenup discussion go was a mistake

(00:27:20) Nicole’s business and personal finances are mixed together

(00:35:00) The problem with saving 42% but under-investing

(00:40:32) Nicole’s guilt-free spending doesn’t add up

(00:45:26) Ramit explains the danger of tracking without understanding

(00:48:53) Their retirement projection

(00:50:13) Why $1.7M may not be enough

(00:52:05) Reallocating savings instead of only cutting spending

(01:20:12) Turning dreams into a realistic financial vision

(01:47:11) Ramit’s final advice: use the time before income changes wisely

(01:50:00) Follow-ups and closing thoughts

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Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Mikaela and Dave, both in their early thirties, parents of two young children, and earning an impressive $278,000 a year. Despite a net worth nearing $1.5 million, they struggle to spend money, even on necessities. Mikaela wears clothes with holes, and Dave sits in an uncomfortable chair, all rooted in a scarcity mindset developed from past challenges and recent life events. Ramit helps them explore their money beliefs, encouraging them to redefine their rich life beyond just accumulating wealth.

In this episode we uncover:

• Their surprising net worth of nearly $1.5 million in their early thirties

• Mikaela's struggle to replace workout leggings with holes, even when she can afford it

• Dave’s discomfort with his office chair despite working from home

• The recent health scares that have frozen their spending decisions

• Why Mikaela still views money through a lens of scarcity despite their wealth

• The shocking realization of their actual household income versus their perception

• The invisible labor dynamics in their financial management

• Mikaela's childhood experiences with financial stress and lack of fun

• How past trauma and family loss continue to influence their spending habits

• The challenge of transitioning from a "hoarder's mentality" to enjoying their money

• Their vision for a Rich Life that includes travel and personal well-being

• Ramit’s advice to ban the word "need" from their financial vocabulary

⏩ CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:03:08) Why they struggle to spend money

(00:06:08) The impact of past health scares

(00:14:00) What it means to be "frozen"

(00:16:32) The origins of their frugal mindset

(00:33:51) The shock of their true income

(00:40:00) Rebuilding financial foundations

(00:46:08) Mikaela's childhood and money lessons

(00:52:19) The profound impact of family loss

(01:06:00) Building an amazing relationship with money

(01:14:38) How to get help from Ramit

(01:16:40) Reimagining the concept of "need"

(01:19:15) The value of Mikaela's time

(01:27:00) The invisible labor in financial planning

(01:31:00) Ramit's challenge for Dave to initiate fun spending

(01:35:10) Setting boundaries for family finances

(01:37:00) Defining their rich life together

(01:44:30) Ramit's parting advice

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Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Kristina and Erin, a married couple who have been together for 10 years, raising two children in Toronto. They make good money, but they have no system for their finances, which has led to years of avoidance. They've accumulated $106K in debt and have only two weeks of savings. While Erin, the "stable one," has a full-time job, Kristina’s entrepreneurial journey has been marked by wildly inconsistent income, including a $50K loss on NFTs. They both admit they don’t trust each other or themselves with money. Ramit helps them confront their fears, redefine their relationship with money, and finally start working as a team.

In this episode we uncover:

• How Kristina lost $50K in NFTs

• Why Erin struggles with "spending with emotion"

• The cultural component of their Catholic guilt around money

• How their childhood experiences influence their money habits

• Kristina's fear that her income won't last

• The surprising truth about their combined income

• Why they avoid tracking their spending

• Their identity as "coach collectors" who avoid real change

• Ramit's "60-second truth-telling" exercise

• Why they need to be aligned as partners to achieve their goals

• The true cost of credit card debt

• Why their "guilt-free" spending is holding them back

• Ramit's radical advice on cutting fixed costs

• How they can quickly pay off their debt

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:02:40) Feeling stupid about money

(00:05:23) Unspoken financial conversations

(00:08:44) Fear that money won't last

(00:09:25) Lack of trust around money

(00:15:16) Emotional spending and guilt

(00:19:55) The surprising truth about their net worth

(00:22:52) The impact of high fixed costs

(00:27:00) "We work too hard to feel like we don’t have anything"

(00:30:45) Why past coaching failed

(00:34:54) Childhood money lessons and scarcity

(00:41:46) The impact of Catholic guilt

(00:49:30) Goals for debt and savings

(00:54:30) Ramit's 60-second truth-telling

(00:58:33) Fixing the Conscious Spending Plan

(01:07:07) Aligning on a Rich Life together

(01:17:35) How Kristina and Erin are going to get on the same page

(01:21:40) Why they're afraid to talk about money with their kids

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Connect with Ramit

• Get my new book, Money For Couples

• Get Money Coaching with Ramit 

• Download the Conscious Spending Plan

• Listen to my book—now on Audible

• Get my New York Times best-selling book

• Get my no-numbers journal

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Have you or your partner fallen for a scam? Maybe gotten bad financial advice from someone who didn't keep their promises? If so, I want to talk. Apply to be on my podcast at https://iwt.com/apply 

Molly and Jason are 45 and 46, living together with a 2-year-old daughter. They earn $142,000 a year combined. They have $0 in savings, $46,000 in debt, and a net worth of just $4,842. They dream of buying a house, investing in real estate, and retiring early. But when Ramit opens their Conscious Spending Plan, the picture is stark. Fixed costs at 77%. No savings rate. $25,000 in credit card debt in Molly's name that Jason can't fully account for. And a financial system built entirely on Venmo transfers, separate accounts, and crossed fingers.

What Ramit finds underneath the numbers is a relationship where one person is managing everything alone, and the other has quietly checked out. Molly researches, opens accounts, tracks the bills, and covers the overdrafts. Jason works, pays rent, and sends Venmo transfers when asked. Neither of them planned financially before having a baby. Neither of them has seen what a real financial partnership looks like.

But something shifts. When Ramit shows them that working together they could reach $1.75 million by retirement, something clicks. They stop explaining why things are the way they are and start talking about what they are going to do.

In this episode we uncover:

• Why two people earning $142,000 a year can have $0 in savings and $46,000 in debt

• The Venmo money transfer system that has kept them financially disconnected for years

• What it looks like when one partner manages everything alone while the other disengages

• How $4,000 in annual subscriptions disappears when nobody is looking at the full picture

• Why dreaming about real estate investing is the wrong move when your own finances are on fire

• The moment Jason admits he feels resentful and apathetic about money

• The plan to sell the truck, wipe the credit card debt, and combine finances for the first time

• What Ramit means when he says the biggest savings anyone can make is on housing costs

• The follow-up update from Molly and Jason

Chapters:

(00:00:00) "We wanna be rich. We have $0 in savings"

(00:03:01) Meet Molly and Jason

(00:10:00) How often do you talk about money?

(00:14:00) Jason completely disengaged

(00:19:00) No decisions are ever made

(00:30:00) Dreamers who won't save $250 a month

(00:34:11) Opening the Conscious Spending Plan

(00:40:15) Fixed costs at 77%

(00:46:50) Separate accounts, Venmo transfers, no shared vision

(00:59:20) "Resentful. And apathetic."

(01:03:00) Money psychology and upbringings

(01:17:46) "You're gonna sell a truck and pay off debt"

(01:41:13) Follow-ups

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Connect with Ramit

• Get my new book, Money For Couples

• Get Money Coaching with Ramit

• Download the Conscious Spending Plan

• Listen to my book now on Audible

• Get my New York Times best-selling book

• Get my no-numbers journal

• Other episodes

• Instagram

• Twitter

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If you or your partner get stressed spending $150 on dinner, or are covering up spending, I'd like to help. Apply to be coached for free on this podcast at iwt.com/apply