If you’ve ever listened to The Ramsey Show, you know Dave Ramsey doesn’t do subtle. Whether you’re a fan or not – there’s no denying the man knows how to cut through the noise. Case in point: a call from a 47-year-old who thought he had his financial life somewhat together – until Ramsey dismantled that illusion in under 10 minutes in a call posted to YouTube in January 2025.
The caller kicked things off with a refreshingly honest admission: “I thought I was pretty fiscally responsible, and then I started to listen to you in 2022 and realized I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was. So I’m gonna ask for help.” That’s like waving a red flag in front of Ramsey, who thrives on turning financial self-deception into teachable moments.
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Turns out, the caller’s only debt was a $1,500-a-month payment on a company truck, which his employer partially reimbursed based on mileage. Ramsey wasn’t having it. “You get that whether you have a car payment or not, correct?” he asked. The caller confirmed. Cue the classic Ramsey takedown: “Yeah, you just used it to justify debt. The program is independent of debt. It does not require debt.” Translation: nice try but no. His advice was clear – ditch the debt, keep the reimbursement and stop pretending one justifies the other.
But the real fireworks happened when the caller mentioned that his tax advisor had recommended switching from a Roth 401(k) to a traditional 401(k) to snag a tax deduction. Ramsey’s response? Zero hesitation: “You should fire your tax advisor. I’m serious as a heart attack. They’re trading a tax deduction for tax-free growth. This guy can’t do math.” The caller, already halfway there mentally, admitted, “That’s what I thought too, so I kept doing the Roth 401(k) this year and changed tax advisors because I don’t know what else he’s doing that’s dumb.”
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With that out of the way, they dove into the caller’s retirement numbers: $19,000 in a Roth 401(k), $67,000 in a traditional 401(k) and $18,000 in an HSA – all accumulated since April 2022. Ramsey didn’t sugarcoat the reality check: “You’re a long way from retiring in seven years. I don’t think you’re going to be mathematically able to live anywhere near like you’re living now at 55 years old with no work.” But, in a rare softer moment, he added, “That’s not a bad thing though. You need to be doing something. I’m 64. I work. It’s not the end of the world.”