Live from the headquarters of Ramsey Solutions, broadcasting from the car rental studios, it's the Dave Ramsey Show where debt is dumb. Cash is king in the paid off home mortgage at. Taking the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice, thank you for joining us from OK and Ramsey personality is my co-host today. As we take your questions about your life and your money, open phones at eight eight two five five two to five.

Forty one percent of Americans make New Year's goals and resolutions.

Only eight percent end up keeping. 60 percent already threw in the towel before they started, apparently.

Well, and here's what we know.

We know that people don't set goals because they don't think they can hit them, right?

I mean, eight percent only only eight. I mean, that's why we call people's successes gauley. They're successful. Yeah. I mean, being able to stick to it, to be able to follow up. And I've said this, a dream is a goal without a plan. It's a wish if you don't have a plan. And so what do you want to dream? You do have to dream it, but you don't want to be a dreamer.

No, no, no, no.

By definition is someone that does not ever implement any freaking hard work to do that, right?

That's right. They just bumped their gums and talk about it would be nice one day you.

Yeah, like if your daughter comes home, says, I'm dating a dreamer, you go, oh God, they're going to sure that. Yeah.

We don't live in the basement. Don't work out. This ain't the one honey. This ain't the one. Oh yeah. So I mean you want to be dreaming but dream needs to get the clouds blown off of it and put some work clothes on and knock things out.

So I always wanted to dot. OK then this is your year.

Yeah. OK, right. What is it you're going to do. And here's what we do now.

We do know that we all, even though it's unpopular and politically incorrect to talk about winning versus losing, we all admire people who achieve their goals.

We call them successes. Now, sometimes people we only you know, that's the tall poppy syndrome, as the Australians call it, where we stand them up only in order to knock them down, like we want everybody to be successful. But as soon as they are, we have to do something to make sure that they're not. But and because some of them are jerks. But that's but, you know, some people that are successes, but by and large, people that are successful have worked very, very hard to get there.

They've done things that other people wouldn't do.

I mean, if you want to throw a football like Peyton Manning, if you want to hit a golf ball, you know, like Rory or Tiger, right.

It requires hitting that swinging that club until your hands bleed.

It's not like you go out there three hours on Saturday and go up there. It is just a natural. You know, it requires freaking work, right? It really does.

So, you know, it's and and yet people want to say, oh, well, he didn't earn that or she didn't earn that.

That's not really any of your business to start with.

But let's work on you. How can you be successful?

And it is by setting goals. It really is. And Dave, you know, I have been here, part of this company going on 16 years and goals. This is a topic we've talked on a lot, especially inside of voluntary leadership, where we're working with business owners, business leaders, people that are helping other people achieve. And so a part of that, we have found that there are five things that your goals need to be. Number one specific, you've got to be clearly drawn into what it is you're wanting to accomplish and you need to be very specific.

Number two, it needs to be measurable. You need to look to see, am I making progress toward this or am I not right?

And so I want to lose weight. Not good enough. No, because that is measurable, but it's not specific. Right. I want to lose thirty pounds. Ah. Now we have measurable. That's right. We're the first to do that and we have specific. OK, I want to make more money and work out how much more. Yeah. Measurable and specific. I want to make one hundred thousand dollars win over fifteen years or this year.

What's your goal. What you're aiming at. That's right.

And then that brings the next thing in which Dave was talking about a time limit. So you've got to have a period of time that you're saying I'm going to achieve this by this.

So as soon as you do that, the math kicks in. Those three things. Oh, it's specific. It's measurable, has a time limit. I'm only thirty pounds when over 15 years. Right. Or over fifteen days. We're probably not going to happen or let's say over 90 days. OK, if you say thirty pounds over 90 days. Erm I do the math with me right quick. Ten pounds a month to an eight pounds a week, increase your water intake, increase your sweat level at least 30 minutes a day, do some push, push back some push up push ups, push away, quit eating the white stuff, the branch and the races.

I mean we know what to do. You don't need Oprah, you know what to do and you're going to go do it right. And so this is how you lose weight. You eat less, you exercise more dough. And so you can look at it and go after a week, I'm up five pounds instead of down two and a half. I don't think I'm heading towards my goal. Measurable, specific. And it's broken down then into incremental.

Thanks. I want to write a book OK on. 12 chapters be a chapter a month for a year. The two chapters a month for six months, you've done it, you're moving, and so you've got specific, measurable time limit in writing. This was the game changer for me. Even back in college days, our coach would have us write down, what are you going to do in this upcoming ball game? Yeah, and I'll never forget to write it down and make tackles.

Model has no tackles you.

Oh, I think 14 or 15. It was like no real. No, no. Because I put it down and that little man would reach the goal. And if you didn't hit it, you felt accountable.

I mean, people knew you were coming over the middle as a middle linebacker hitting somebody. I was doing 14, 15 times. That scares the crap out of me. I'm just happy I made my heart. Makes me it makes me happy. I'm screwed over here. But listen here. So the specific measurable have a time limit in writing. And this last one is huge. It's got to be yours. And as we talk about this, other people can have goals and thoughts.

My wife wants me to lose weight. No, I'm not going to work. Your dad wants you to become a pastor. Oh, God. And go to work. I don't I don't want to go to your church. It's got to be yours. And when it matters to you, I'm going to tell you something. I talk to people deep on my show about this, the secret to setting goals. I want you to identify who wins when you win.

Like, think about it. If you get healthier, your kids win because you're better. But what are you going to sacrifice in order to get that win? You know, one of my pastors did the opposite.

He's got written in the front of his Bible who would be negatively affected if he ever fell in the front of his Bible. He reads that every day. Oh, the number of lives I would destroy if I make bad decisions. And this is the opposite. This is if I make good decisions, I can change my family tree. That's right. I can give to this charity. I can give to this ministry. I can grow a business and give people jobs I can.

If I win, this is what happens. Yeah. And yeah. Write down who's who who's going to be affected when you. Wow.

That's powerful. No it does. And it changes the mindset around it and it's really important to Dave. I know you've also been around Zadig for many years. I had an opportunity to meet him through you. That man was a game changer, but he talks about seven areas that we call the wheel of life, financial goals, intellectual goals, family goals, spiritual goals, physical goals, career goals and social goals.

And they are all intermingled. You can't just you know, if you win at finances and lose your family, you missed it. If you win at family and you're all broke because you never work, but everybody's really nurtured, then that's probably not a good plan either. Right. And so, I mean, if you win at your work and your family, but you let your physique get completely out of control, right. Then you've lost. I mean, so these things are intermingled, spiritual goals.

Hey, America, watch them every day. Dave, which area gives you the most challenge?

And then the seven social theory says, if I wasn't married to her, I wouldn't have friends. But that's not true. You just what I said. She said it. I didn't say it's true. So there you go.

It's been the same for sixteen years.

It just makes my heart happy to ask you, how you coming across the metal 14 times in a dadgum game scares the crap out of me. I'm just saying. All right, folks, that some gold specific measurable have a time limit. And in writing and most importantly, they need to be your goals. This is the Dave Ramsey Show. You've got a lot on your plate, a job, your home, your marriage and your growing family, while you're enjoying the present, you can't help but think about your future and your finances as you explore your options.

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For Can Ramsey personality as my co-host today, thank you for joining us, open phones, a triple eight eight two five five two two five. Fairfax, Virginia is with us. Nanos on the line. Hi, Nana. How are you? Hi, Dave.

Thanks for taking my call. Sure. I'm on baby steps for I'm currently renting an apartment, have about maybe 42000 dollars saved up in my savings account. Buy a house while I am renting. I'm still putting money into the house savings that I recently opened up in American Mutual Fund account. I'm a little conflicted because I live in the D.C., Maryland, Virginia Republican area, which is extremely expensive. I went up thinking about moving to the South in about a year or two to purchase a home.

Would you suggest that I buy in this area now or wait until I move down south in a few years to buy a home? I know how you are about purchasing versus renting for help.

Well, if you're not going to be there by a couple of years, I'd probably wait. You could you could get stuck.

I mean, you could buy a home in this white hot real estate market right now and the market slows down two years from now when you're ready to move and you couldn't get out of it in that short a window. How old are you?

I am thirty one. OK, well, you got plenty of time. The point is to become a homeowner over the summer time and I don't want to be renting until we're 94. That's a bad plan financially, mathematically.

But if you give up a year or two in order to not get stuck in something, I'm fine with that. What are you thinking about where you think about ending up?

So I work for the federal government with HHS that I was thinking about relocating to Atlanta area to work for the CDC. So I was just listening to about that's my goal. So I can I have like my smart goals in order. And I'm hoping that, you know, in that time period, I can move down to Atlanta where the homes are a little bit cheaper by then. I mean, I'm given nine hundred to a thousand dollars a month into my health savings account.

My emergency savings was already capped. So by then I'll probably have additional like maybe 20 grand.

Well, here's the thing. I'm curious. I don't know how this stuff works in your world. Why can't you do it now?

I guess it's just more so. I'm paralyzed by fear. I is afraid to buy a house with the biggest purchase I've ever made. No, I'm talking about I moved to Atlanta. Oh, move to Atlanta because I just got my federal job back in August. I'm still about four or five months into it and I'm kind of waiting to get a higher grade before I can start applying for positions within the city. Think, Oh, sure, don't you?

Well, listen, I love the mindset that you have and the level of focus that you have. You've got time frames. You know, you're trying to move up in class and then be able to transfer. But I would tell you this, when you get ready to move to Atlanta, I think it's an excellent idea for you to go there and rent for a few months, get a lay of the land, understand kind of the zones, where to live, where to avoid and figure out where it is you want to be.

And then when you are ready to make that decision to to be somewhere for three years or more, then I think you're ready to buy. Yeah.

So I think I'd move to Atlanta as soon as your career allows you to know when you're ready to buy. Yeah. And if you rented there for a little while, the rent will be cheaper. That's right. It may be depending on where you locate in Atlanta, but if you're careful about it, it should be cheaper and that will enable you to buy faster. But you don't have to buy simultaneous with the move. And matter of fact, I'd get down there sooner rather than later if I were in your shoes.

If that's to that long term goal, I wouldn't put it up. But you got to get your grade up. I understand that. And you to be able to make the move that you're talking about that within the career structure, what you're doing, which I know nothing about. So good luck with that. All right. Greg's with us in California. Hi, Greg. Welcome to The Dave Ramsey Show.

Thank you for taking my call. Sure. What's up? So my pandemic, my wife lost her job and then I was put on reduced pay and hours. And throughout the season, we've been able to save money and get to about thirty thousand saved. But we do have the fifteen thousand dollar for one Kahlan. And what we're trying to do, because we're kind of hesitant to pay it, mainly because my job they just furloughed more general managers, but I was one of the ones that wasn't.

So we're trying to determine if we're holding back because I'm more fearful or should we pay it to get rid of that debt even though we have a risk of my job? Maybe Goche. Well, how real is that risk like, are the sounds kind of real? Yeah, I mean, is it something that could happen in the next few months?

Well, they're telling us they're confident and the movie theater general manager, so they're confident that we'll eventually reopen. We just don't know when. Right. So in California right now, especially in California.

Well, here's here's why I'm asking this. I feel your resume needs to get out and be dusted up and prepared, because here's the downside with the 401k loan. If you do lose that job, you'll have 60 to 90 days before that 401k loan is due and payable.

Correct. So mindset wise, if I were you, I would be dusting off my resume to really start to learn again.

Why is your wife looking for work as well? She found some.

I know we had her not looked because our children had some therapies and some health issues that had required it to really focus on them while my schedule actually beat up on time because I travel a lot more to watch other theaters. OK, so you're more of a regional manager type at this stage, is that what you're saying, that you're more than one player? Is that what you're saying? Yeah, only because right now they furloughed a lot of the general managers are having one GM check multiple times, but you're really just looking at closed buildings right now, right?

Oh, absolutely.

Yes, Lord, I'm sorry. Oh, what a disaster.

Yeah, I think I'm with Chris. I you know, here's the thing.

You stop all baby steps, push, pause and pile up cash if a storm is coming. Now we have to define and that's what Chris and I are doing, talking to you strive to find out what's the probability that this hurricane is going to affect your home. OK, if I'm in Nashville and it's going to hit New Orleans, I'm probably going to be OK. Right. But in your case, you got it. You got winds coming right at you.

It sounds like No. One, you're in an industry that's really struggling and it's going to struggle with covid more than a lot of other industries. I mean, like a live event type setting. I mean, it's a it's a very difficult thing to reopen. And number two, you're in freaking California, which has completely lost its mind.

And so and, you know, politically, you've got all kinds of problems in terms of reopening. And so if I'm you, I'm pretty scared for my job. So I know I wouldn't pay that off today. I'd pile up cash as high as you can pilot. I would have everybody working that could work. And let's really get the plywood over the windows and all of you be looking for jobs and all of you get your resumes dusted off and all of you have a plan for if this doesn't go well now, if the storm passes.

And it wasn't a direct hit, we take the plywood off the windows and we start again, right.

But right now I don't I don't see that storm passing in the next six months in your setting or three months anyway. I could be wrong. I mean, maybe they recall Newsham when they open up the whole state, but I doubt it. I don't I don't I don't know anything about it. I'm just watching from the outside like everybody else going, oh, my goodness, what a mess. And so, yeah.

And Dave, like you said, the piling up cash. Let's cast no doubt that there's not a downside to it. And here's the deal. This wasn't found money like the plan is this. When the storm passes, you then unpause and keep working to pay it off immediately. Yeah. So, you know, once you are secure in your job.

That's right. And or the new job. Right. You pay off that 401k loan immediately with the cash just laying there and you push play again and you go finish your baby steps. That's right. Your point, Chris. So that's the main thing you want to do.

It is it really is to take care of the four walls, food, shelter, clothing, transportation, utility pole up cash. Right. Be ready for the big bad wolf to huff and puff. Right. I mean, be the third pig in the brick house, right. Get the four walls built and then go from there.

And so the big bad wolf wanders off. Now we can come back out. We can you know, the shutters are open. We can be back on the sunshine. Yeah. We can do stuff again and got to re-evaluate you poor folks.

Man, I'm so sorry for you. I mean, we don't have I don't think we have theaters open here. Do we go now? I think we did. They probably just closed them again. I don't I can't keep up with what they're doing. But it's like I mean, it's a it's an industry that was in trouble anyway. Netflix is destroying them, you know, and so they were hurting already. And then they just politically just finished the last great American icon, the movie here.

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Chris and Ramsey personality is my co-host today, open phones and triple eight eight two five five two two five. A couple of big things happening.

It is New Year's. Happy New Year and it's time to reset a lot of you after last year ago.

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And they've got a 90 day program right now to help you with some quick wins and help you make some real progress quickly on your debt. And it's really the team over there has done a wonderful job. I'm so proud of them. So go to Ramsey Plush. If you want it for free, go to Dave Ramsey, dotcom slash reset and you can take on a free trial. Today is the last day to preorder Rachel Cruise's brand new book.

It hits stores tomorrow. No yourself, no your money.

One hundred and fifty dollars worth of free bonus items along with the hardcover book, of course, all for just twenty bucks. If you order it tomorrow, you'll get a book. Which is worth 20 bucks. Absolutely, oh, without a doubt. But you're missing out on and if you don't go into it right now by midnight tonight and the big deal is next Tuesday night, you and Chris Hogan and Rachel Cruise, Craig Rochelle, live from Oklahoma City, from Live Church, not TV, are going to be doing a live free streamed event called Resat to get you ready to reset for the New Year.

I am so excited. I mean, again, talking about 2020 being behind us and now moving forward in 2021, giving people the opportunity to have the information to be able to grow forward. I'm telling you, I'm very excited for this event. I want you all to mark your calendar, January 12th, 7:00 p.m. and you can't just text this right now. Text reset to three three seven, eight, nine. That where you RSVP and you've got a spot right in your home to watch it free.

It is free Tuesday night, seven o'clock one week from tomorrow. Be there January the 12th. Text reset to three three seven eight nine. We're going to walk you through the plan. Some of you already know the plan, but you need a reset. And Rachel is, of course, going to talk about no yourself, know your money. And of course, doctor, our doctor. I may be a doctor, but Craig Roscio Pastor Craig is going to be talking.

He did a talk on discipline that was absolutely made me want to be more disciplined. It'll do the same for you. And he's going to do that talk for us. So pretty cool stuff. If you're in the Oklahoma City area and you want to be in the live and the live audience, appropriately spazzed, live church is going to have our studio audience. Seating is extremely limited, like very, very, very limited. There's just a handful of people, but there are twenty bucks and they're available at Dave Ramsey dotcom slash events.

Make sure you plan to come out if you're in the Oklahoma City area. Yeah.

Now listen to me. All this stuff that live stream is going to be amazing. Put that on your calendar, January 12th. But listen with Rachel's book, know yourself, know your money, you got to preorder this thing. You've got an opportunity to have a coaching session with the financial coach. That's like working with your own personal financial trainer. And so get this thing ordered right now before the pre sale goes away. And you've got many options ahead of you.

Edgar is in Chicago.

Hi, Edgar. Welcome to The Dave Ramsey Show. Hi, Dave and Chris. Happy New Year. Happy New Year. How can we help? I have a question about a subordinate loan. I, I got divorced in 2012 after I find I found out that my house was in foreclosure and stole the mortgage money from 2011. So I was able to get a loan modification and something that was called a support loan. I didn't know anything about it.

For fifty four thousand dollars, I was able to save my house. Now I would like to finance and supported and loan. It is hunting me a little bit. I would like to try to get a fifteen year conventional instead of a thirty year FHA as I have now. So I'm trying to figure out what to do with this thing and how to go about it.

Well, essentially what a subordinate loan is. All subordinate means it's behind the other mortgage. And so a subordinate loan in this case, a second mortgage or a third mortgage, it's probably just a second mortgage. You have a first mortgage on there from the original loan.

All the back payments when you got behind became a new second mortgage. It's it works exactly the same mathematically, Edgar, as if you've taken out a home equity loan to catch up your payments because that's how it's working. So you got 54000 there. What's your first balance?

My first one forty six right now, because that's fifty four is on a zero percent and it off after the thirty years is over.

Yeah. But it's going to be gone if you refinance. Yeah. So you owe, you owe two hundred thousand dollars on your home. What's your home worth.

Twenty five. OK, so you can refinance a two hundred thousand dollars first mortgage and it pays off both the first and the subordinate and that's the only thing that's going to work. They're not going to remain subordinate to a new mortgage after you refinance.

That was a favor they did you because of the screwed up mess you got in. Yeah, ok.

OK. So so it's worth going into a 15 year conventional, possibly two percent or two point nine percent instead of being in the 30 year FHA, three point six percent on 146 and zero on 54.

Yes. Mm hmm.

OK, so it'll be on 200. Even just about 200. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. But the point is, I mean, if you figure out that the total interest paid on the way you're paying it now is three point six on one 146 and the total interest charge might be three percent or two point nine or something on two hundred. But you've also cleaned up your mess. That's you don't have this thing hanging over your head, this knife hanging over your head out there from the past mass and all that stuff.

Yeah. And I would I would do it.

I would get refinanced immediately if you can.

And even if it costs a slight amount more just to smooth everything out, it's going to be, again, that past payment history bumps and all that will be behind you because you move forward with the new loan. That's exactly what I would do. Having been in this industry for many years. This is the better route.

Good question, Adaiah. Good question. OK, teaching moment subordinate. If you have a subordinate at work, it's someone that's under you, correct, on the org chart. Right. If if you're talking about I am so-and-so subordinate, I am after him or her subordinates. The same thing on a mortgage, the first mortgage date when you file a deed of trust, that's the are a mortgage depend on the state at the courthouse. The date that it's recorded makes it what it is.

Mm hmm. So the first one, the first the earliest date. The oldest date is the first mortgage. Correct. You can't just name something first mortgage. You call it first market. That's right. OK, that's right. The next one that is recorded is the second one that is recorded. It is subordinate to the first and it's called a second mortgage. So if you record one and five years later, you record another.

By definition, the second one you did is the second mortgage and the third mortgage and the fourth mortgage and so on.

And even if someone files a lawsuit against you and takes a lien on the property, they don't jump in front of the mortgages they land on that date timeline. They might be in sixth position if you've been sued a bunch. That's right. You know, they might be in second position if you've never been sued at all other than your first mortgage is in place. That's right. And so the we used to call it the race to the courthouse is how title is done.

The first one to record the deed is in first position. And so anything after that is by definition, subordinate. And that's where that name comes from. It doesn't really mean anything except that it's not first.

That's right. We don't know if it could be second. It could be third before his case. I'm pretty dadgum sure it's second. I'm pretty vague. I'm sure there's nothing else on there. But those two things from what he's describing. That's right. So that story is a very clean story.

But yeah. And the other one, Dave, that I'd like to clarify with people is this whole EC home equity line of credit so people don't view those. And the bank was very smart when they brought those on because they don't call them a mortgage when in fact, they are exactly right. And it is a second it is a third or third mortgage mortgage, but they never call it a mortgage. And so it became this very fashionable marketing tool to use for home.

I am sophisticated. Look at it. Yes. Which people have lines of credit now? I have a line of credit.

You have a mortgage on your property. And so just being aware of that and we don't want to fall for those antics anymore. We're going to count. Yeah, yeah. Home equity lines of credit. Home equity loan. Yes. Our mortgages on your freaking house to buy a couch. What's wrong with you? No, no, no, no more. So there was a line of credit and I'm sophisticated. Oh, brother. Yes. This is the Dave Ramsey Show.

Chris Hogan Ramsey personality is my co-host today, open phones, a triple eight eight two five five two two five. You jump in, we'll talk about your life and your money. It's a free call. You jump in. Justin is with us. Justin's in Orlando. Hi, Justin. Welcome to the Dave Ramsey Show.

Hi, Dave. Thank you for having me. Sure. What's up? Just want to call in with a quick question, get your your advice and your input. I'll explain my scenario real quick. I am an elementary school physical education teacher. I've been teaching now for 11 years, and it's been a wonderful career path for my family. It's enabled me to have a wonderful schedule with my children and my wife and I have three young boys all under the age of eight.

Long story short, my wife and I found your program right before we got married and had followed it the best we could all throughout the year. And we've been married now for about nine years, started off working the baby steps, working the debt snowball. And now we're in a position where I feel like we are very, very blessed. God is definitely providing in your program as has been amazing. My situation I'm in now is when we were working the baby steps, kind of took your joke of showing the the dog on Craigslist and the cat on eBay to heart and started selling everything on eBay until we sold out of all of our own possessions.

And I took it a little bit further and started going into wholesaling. And little known to me kind of stumbled upon a business. I've been doing it now for eight, actually, sorry about nine, nine and a half years. And this last year has been my most lucrative in terms of business, in terms of the business. It's grown each year and it's honestly, honestly, my passion, my dream. It's enabled my wife to to quit her job, her career job of working in sports technology.

And she's now a stay at home mom. And I worked hard to be able to get that done for her. And now I'm kind of at the point where I'm itching to to pursue my my passion in terms of being a full time ecommerce seller as well. I just want to get your thoughts on if it made sense and if I was making a wise decision and doing so. Wow.

Just don't leave us hanging.

How much did you make this past year? My gross income was one hundred and twenty thousand and I netted about seven.

And what do you make of your day job?

My day job as a teacher, I make forty four thousand before taxes.

OK, and is your life what's your lifestyle set up on your out of debt? You have an emergency fund, right? We're out of debt. I have an emergency fund fully funded at about fifty thousand dollars. Our mortgage and house is completely paid off. I live in a three hundred thousand three hundred and ten thousand dollar house and it's paid for.

It's completely safe for you, sir. You are a rock star, brother, the ball, so you can live on seventy thousand, right?

I definitely think so. Absolutely. I think I'm very conservative and I know that it scares me. I know I have college campus myself, but I know, you know, going scary, getting a lot of my life to becoming a teacher and going in a completely different direction. But you obviously have been doing this a while.

This is not a lark or something for one year. You did and you got all pumped up. This is something you've gradually grown over nine and a half years. And it's a legitimate, serious business now, right?

Yes, sir. OK. And it's what you want to do. You enjoy it?

Absolutely. I love it. So when are you turning in your resignation?

Well, I've spoken with my wife and I agree with her. She she feels that I should finish the year teaching her to go into a headstrong beginning of next school year after I would quit over the summer, you know, going into the next school year. Yeah. That was kind of, you know, her suggestion. And I value it. You know, I'm well respected in my job and want to leave on a good time. Absolutely.

And, you know, finishing out the school year is kind of a classy thing to do. No harm, no foul. You can do that and, you know, have a lot of energy just knowing that it's coming to an end.

That's right. Sure. Even though it feels like it's a long way away, but it's only five months. And so, you know, just so I would go ahead and let them know that when the school year wraps up, you are and I would get on with my business and you and I think this I think you will always be a teacher.

It just may not be at that location in the elementary school. You might teach someone how to do eBay stuff. You might teach Sunday school at your church. I don't know what, but I think you're a teacher, too.

Yeah. By the way, I love teaching. Yeah. By the way, I'm a teacher. That's what I do. And I love teaching. It's one of my gifts. As a matter of fact, I'm a gifted teacher. A lot of things I'm not gifted at, but that one I am. And so that's that's who you are and does not have to manifest itself as a elementary teacher. No.

And just that I'm going to tell you, buddy, congratulations. Very, very, very well done. Michelle, you remembered the principles that got you. Here is what I want to leave you with, meaning the mindset of looking at and seeing debt for what it is. It's not a tool. It's a threat. And so even as you look to grow your business again, please don't let your guard down. Please don't think that you suddenly have to hit a grand slam when you've been hitting both singles and you've been winning.

So remember those things and don't deviate from your plan, young man.

You're on the ball four yards and a cloud of dust get you get you a a first down every three and you don't have to worry about it to put the ball at risk. And that's all that's all we're trying to do here. Just is ball protection. Just just finish out. You're doing very, very well and jump down to the honorary leadership stuff if you haven't. And it plugged into the inventory leadership elite and get plugged into some groups of some of the other sellers we've got on there, they're doing really well.

You can learn a lot from each other as you go. Jordan is with us. Jordan is in Effingham, Illinois. Hi, Jordan. Welcome to The Dave Ramsey Show. Hey, Mr. Ramsey. Hey, Mr. Hawkins, how are you guys doing? Great man. How can we help? Thanks for taking my call. Hey, I am kind of like that last call. I'm also a teacher and not in the same situation as him. But one day I hope to be.

So today I'm calling because I am on my last house payment the next month and I got a loan without interest from Mom. And I know you told me not to do that, but I did it before I knew you guys. And so I'm just telling those that are out there in the same situation about to make that mistake, don't do it on the borrower to the lender, as you guys say. And you just it just puts a tear in a relationship.

It doesn't need to be there. So now I'm in another situation that's probably a military relationship apart for a short bit. Hopefully it'll heal. But after I came out last helping, my mom gave me the loan and she did not want me to pay for the shed. Originally, I thought that was because she was protecting me, thinking my house. I owe so much my house. And that was like an overwhelming feeling for me. Well, now I think it's more that she wants to own the shed so she can store a boat in it.

However, it's on my land and it's on my feet, so it's not really hers. I just need to pay her for it to thirty five thousand dollars that I work for it. And so she's wanting to give it to me for free as a gift. I'm the oldest of my four siblings that they're estranged.

Yeah. I don't want to tear a relationship with her.

You're afraid if it's it's not really a gift. It's like I want to be a part owner in a sense.

Yeah, possibly. I don't. I mean, she's been pretty good. Originally, it was kind of a terrible relationship when she gave us a little we started paying off so fast that she hasn't really been an issue. But now I feel like this might be her last control piece. And so we don't want to do that. Then I talked about it and I just I feel like an idiot for making that call and making that asking people probably like, why don't you just take it?

But no, it's not funny to listen.

It's not a gift if there's any strings attached and you feel control and other issues are going to pop up and she's going to file some be a travel agent for guilt trips over time she wants to or she said, yeah, George, you were wise and you were wise.

Next January, I'll have it paid off anyway. So it's really just another year. But yeah, go ahead and pay it off. Thank you. I got I agree with you. Yeah.

And it also complicates the estate plan. If you got five siblings, you know, she gave you thirty five thousand. She didn't give anybody else, right.

Yeah. Well and she said she's going to give them something, but I don't know if that's going to be fair or what that's going to look like. So I don't want to. Yeah.

Take a chance on my mom just for the cleanliness of your estate. I think it's better if I just go ahead and pay you off and I'm going to go ahead and do that year. And please don't take offense. I'm just trying to do the right thing. And I just want you to be I just want to have this very simple thing where there's no transaction between you and I except mother and son.

Yeah, that's what the mom says. My mom says my wife says, well, your mom's always going to love you. So if you make her out, it's OK. But if you're if you're brothers and sisters of Mercy, they may never forgive yourself.

Well, if they're mad at you for no reason, that's their problem to themselves. But I wouldn't worry about them. That's not that they didn't come up in this discussion until the last sentence, but I still would pay it off because I think there's a lot of crap flying in the air here. I can certainly. I agree. Hey, thanks for the call, brother. Happy New Year, everybody. That puts us our The Dave Ramsey Show in the books.

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