Money For Couples with Ramit Sethi

Ramit digs into why a couple worth $1.8 million and earning around $818,000 a year still struggle to feel financially secure, even when it comes to buying a $78 jacket.

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to Be Rich talks with Laura and Jason, both 38, who have built significant wealth and are considering retiring in their early 40s. Jason believes they can stop working soon, but Laura isn't convinced. Despite their financial success, she worries about what could go wrong and struggles to imagine life without a regular paycheck.

For Laura, spending money has always been difficult. She once became physically sick when buying her first car, and even small purchases leave her questioning whether she's being irresponsible. After her parents lost their home in 2008, she's never quite shaken by the fear that everything could fall apart. As Ramit explores their finances and walks them through three possible retirement scenarios, Laura has an emotional breakthrough. But even if the numbers say they can retire, will she ever feel comfortable enough to actually do it?A special thanks to Facet for sponsoring this episode. As of the date of this recording, Facet is waiving their enrollment fee for new annual members, and for Ramit’s audience, Facet is offering $300 into your brokerage account if you invest and maintain $5,000 within your first 90 days. Head to facet.com/ramit to learn more about which membership option is best for you. Offer has been extended to 12/31/2026. #FacetAd

Facet is a SEC registered investment advisor. Ramit is not a member of Facet, and has an incentive to endorse Facet as he has an ongoing fee based contract for cash compensation based on this endorsement. All opinions are his own and not a guarantee of a similar outcome.

And as always, thank you to our partners at Monarch. Try Monarch for free today, and get 50% off your first year of Monarch’s core tier at https://monarch.com/ramit, promo code RAMIT. When you sign up with my link only, you’ll get your Monarch account customized with my exact CSP categories so you can see exactly how you’re stacking up to your plan each month. That’s https://monarch.com/ramit, promo code RAMIT.

In this episode, we uncover:

Why having $1.8 million in net worth doesn't make Laura and Jason feel financially secure

Why Laura thought they earned around $400,000 when their actual household income was $818,000

Why Laura couldn't bring herself to buy a $78 jacket, despite their financial success

How paying off $250,000 in debt still hasn't eliminated their fears about money

What their 41% fixed costs and aggressive investment strategy mean for early retirement

Why they planned to spend $1,000 a month guilt-free but actually spent nearly $6,000

Why Laura's parents losing their home in 2008 continues to influence her relationship with money

How Jason's optimism about retiring at 40 clashes with Laura's fear of giving up a steady paycheck

What three retirement scenarios reveal about their options to stop working at 45, 47, or 55

How they can prepare for retirement, build financial confidence, and learn to spend without guilt

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:03:41) Can they really retire in their early 40s?

(00:14:14) Spending disagreements and the $78 jacket

(00:20:48) Their $1.8M net worth and financial fears

(00:26:34) Discovering they earn $818K a year

(00:36:45) Breaking down their investments and spending

(00:45:48) How childhood experiences shaped their money fears

(00:59:18) Three retirement scenarios and an emotional breakthrough

(01:17:24) Preparing for life without a paycheck

(01:26:38) Building confidence and learning to enjoy their money

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Connect with Ramit:

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What does a $400,000 family vacation actually look like, and what could possibly make a hotel villa worth $15,000 a night? Ramit goes behind the scenes with luxury travel advisor Hao Tang to uncover the secret world of luxury vacations that most people never get to experience.Chapters:00:00 Introduction00:57 What Does a $400,000 Vacation Get You?03:11 The VIP Hotel Experience Nobody Sees05:24 Inside a $15,000 a Night Villa07:17 Private Chefs Who Make Anything You Want13:10 The Butlers Who Take Care of Everything21:15 The $60,000 Vacation Disaster25:06 Spending $300,000 for $1 Million in TravelThis episode is brought to you by:Gelt | Gelt is taking on new clients now. Find out if you qualify at https://joingelt.com/ramitRamit Sethi is the host of Netflix’s “How To Get Rich” and New York Times bestselling author of “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” and “Money For Couples”Come to me next live event:

Virtual and In-Person Events: https://iwt.com/events

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Check out Hao's business, Besvisor: https://www.besvisor.com/

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Ramit digs into how years of impulse spending, money avoidance, and unequal financial responsibility have left a couple earning around $178,000 a year with $186,000 in debt and just $571 in savings.

Ramit Sethi talks with Michelle and Jeff, both 45, who have three children and are approaching 20 years of marriage. They’re earning more than ever, but still living paycheck to paycheck, with fixed costs consuming 87% of their take-home pay. Michelle feels responsible for making everything work, while Jeff admits that avoiding the numbers helps him avoid worrying about money and leaves her carrying the burden.

A closer look at their spending reveals a $76,000 car purchase, buy-now-pay-later spending, and more than $9,000 spent eating out reveal how their everyday decisions keep them stuck. The conversation reaches a turning point when he asks them to step away and decide whether they’re both ready to commit to change. Together, they explore the childhood experiences behind their money habits and begin building shared rules, a spending plan, and a different financial future for their family.

A special thanks to our new partners at Monarch for sponsoring this episode. Try Monarch for free today, and get 50% off your first year of Monarch’s core tier at https://monarch.com/ramit, promo code RAMIT. When you sign up with my link only, you’ll get your Monarch account customized with my exact CSP categories so you can see exactly how you’re stacking up to your plan each month. That’s https://monarch.com/ramit, promo code RAMIT.

In this episode, we uncover:

Why earning around $178,000 a year hasn’t stopped Michelle and Jeff from living paycheck to paycheck

How Michelle became responsible for managing the money and deciding which bills could wait

Why Jeff avoids the numbers, even while acknowledging the pressure it puts on Michelle

What $186,000 in debt, $571 in savings, and 87% fixed costs mean for their family

How a $76,000 car purchase left them with a roughly $1,000 monthly payment

Why Ramit pauses the conversation and asks them to decide whether they’re ready to change

How childhood experiences with money still shape their spending, trust, and communication

How they spent $9,275 eating out by August, including $2,747 in a single month

Why they agree to weekly money meetings, shared purchase rules, and a $75 monthly dining-out limit

What their follow-ups reveal about sharing responsibility and automating savings, retirement contributions, and extra debt payments

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:02:13) Earning more, still living paycheck to paycheck

(00:16:50) The purchase arguments putting pressure on Michelle

(00:32:04) Ramit asks them to step away and commit

(00:39:04) Facing their debt and high fixed costs

(00:49:08) The childhood money patterns they’re repeating

(01:05:53) Where their money is really going

(01:13:34) Building shared money rules

(01:20:18) Reworking their budget, savings, and debt plan

(01:28:51) Follow-ups

💡 RAMIT’S PODCAST NEWSLETTER

• I share new ways to think about money every Saturday. Get the emails here: https://iwt.com/podcastnewsletter

🙌 GET HELP FROM RAMIT SETHI

• Order my new book: Money for Couples: https://iwt.com/moneyforcouples

• Take control of your money with the Conscious Spending Plan: https://iwt.com/csp

• Optimize your credit cards with the 1st chapter of my book: https://iwt.com/chapter1-pod

• Join my Rich Life: Road to $100K program: https://iwt.com/100k

• Listen to my book — now on Audible: https://amzn.to/48zko28

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This episode brought to you by:

Facet | As of the date of this recording, Facet is waiving the enrollment fee for new annual members, and for my audience, Facet is offering $300 into your brokerage account if you invest and maintain $5,000 within your first 90 days. Head to facet.com/ramit to learn more about which membership option is best for you. Offer has been extended to 12/31/2026. #FacetAd

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Want to know exactly when you’ll hit your first $100K? Rich Life: Road to $100K gives you a step-by-step system to automate your money, accelerate your timeline, and build your Rich Life along the way. Join today: iwt.com/100K

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

Ramit digs into how years of overspending, money avoidance, and relying on future income have left a couple with more than $428,000 in debt, no savings, and a financial life they can no longer sustain.

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to Be Rich talks with Addison, 39, and James, 43, who earn around $138,000 a year but have $0 in savings and fixed costs consuming a staggering 154% of their take-home pay. Addison feels responsible for keeping their finances afloat, while James admits he's spent years relying on optimism and money he expects to earn in the future.

As Ramit digs deeper, it becomes clear they are both contributing to the problem through restaurants, concerts, Ubers, shopping, and pet spending that has reached thousands in a single month. He helps them uncover the childhood money patterns behind their behavior, confront what they can actually afford, and make some of the biggest lifestyle changes attempted on the show all in an effort to stop living on future money and build a financial life they can actually sustain.

A special thanks to our new partners at Monarch for sponsoring this episode. Try Monarch for free today, and get 50% off your first year of Monarch’s core tier at https://monarch.com/ramit, promo code RAMIT. When you sign up with my link only, you’ll get your Monarch account customized with my exact CSP categories so you can see exactly how you’re stacking up to your plan each month. That’s https://monarch.com/ramit, promo code RAMIT.

In this episode, we uncover:

Why Addison says they may divorce if their relationship with money doesn’t change

How more than $428K of debt, $0 savings, and 154% fixed costs have left them financially exposed

Why James admits he has been “betting on money that’s not there yet”

How Addison became the financial safety net while increasingly feeling like a caretaker

Why restaurants, concerts, Ubers, shopping, and convenience spending became part of their everyday life

How they planned to spend more than $3,300 a month on food and over $1,000 a month on their dogs

Why Addison’s frustration with James is only part of the story and how her own spending contributes too

How growing up around financial stress and poverty shaped the way they both think about money today

Why 30% of their spending went toward shopping and why they couldn’t even remember some of what they bought

How they radically restructure their spending, savings, investments, and rules around money

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:03:31) Why divorce is already on the table

(00:08:54) The spending habits keeping them stuck

(00:19:09) How Addison became the financial safety net

(00:34:54) The true scale of their $428K debt

(00:55:29) The childhood patterns behind their spending

(01:17:08) Their shopping wake-up call

(01:18:08) Making a radical lifestyle reset

(01:30:26) Building a new financial plan

(01:47:02) Follow-up

💡 RAMIT’S PODCAST NEWSLETTER

• I share new ways to think about money every Saturday. Get the emails here: https://iwt.com/podcastnewsletter

🙌 GET HELP FROM RAMIT SETHI

• Order my new book: Money for Couples: https://iwt.com/moneyforcouples

• Take control of your money with the Conscious Spending Plan: https://iwt.com/csp

• Optimize your credit cards with the 1st chapter of my book: https://iwt.com/chapter1-pod

• Join my Rich Life: Road to $100K program: https://iwt.com/100k

• Listen to my book — now on Audible: https://amzn.to/48zko28

🤳 CONNECT WITH RAMIT SETHI

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramit/

• X: https://twitter.com/ramit

✅ SUBSCRIBE SO YOU DON’T MISS ANY EPISODES https://youtube.com/user/ramitsethi/featured/

This episode brought to you by:

NetSuite | If your revenues are at least in the seven figures, get the free business guide “Aligning for the Agentic Era: How AI Is Changing Everyday Work” at https://netsuite.com/ramitGranola | Try Granola totally free at https://granola.ai/RAMIT.

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Want to know exactly when you’ll hit your first $100K? Rich Life: Road to $100K gives you a step-by-step system to automate your money, accelerate your timeline, and build your Rich Life along the way. Join today: iwt.com/100K

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

Ramit unpacks what happens when inconsistent income, mounting debt, and years of avoiding difficult money conversations leave a couple in their 40s feeling like they’re running out of options.

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to Be Rich talks with Rebecca and Matthew, who have been married for 16 years and have four children. They earn around $185,000 a year, but their income is unpredictable, their fixed costs are at 84%, and they have just $1,000 in savings and $45,000 invested. They also have more than $633,000 in debt plus another $350,000 in law school loans that could bring their total debt close to $1 million.

Their biggest challenge isn’t simply learning how to budget. Rebecca feels constantly in the dark about when they’ll get paid and where their money is going, while Matthew avoids difficult conversations and tries to solve financial problems on his own. Ramit helps them confront the chaser-avoider dynamic they’ve repeated for years, why borrowing money and moving cash between accounts has never solved the underlying problem, and whether Matthew may need to walk away from his business and choose a stable income to protect their family’s future.

A special thanks to our new partners at Monarch for sponsoring this episode. Try Monarch for free today, and get 50% off your first year of Monarch’s core tier at monarch.com/ramit, promo code RAMIT. When you sign up with my link only, you’ll get your Monarch account customized with my exact CSP categories so you can see exactly how you’re stacking up to your plan each month. That’s monarch.com/ramit, promo code RAMIT.

In this episode, we uncover:

How inconsistent income has made it almost impossible for them to plan their finances

Why Rebecca says their financial situation feels “hopeless”

How their money system keeps them overspending, borrowing, and blaming each other

Why their $633K of debt could actually be closer to $1 million

How Matthew’s $350K law school debt has doubled since graduation

Why 84% fixed costs, 1% savings, and 0% investing are putting their future at risk

How their spending reveals they’re regularly buying things they haven’t actually planned for

Why Rebecca says she feels in the dark about money, paychecks, and their financial situation.

How their chaser-avoider dynamic mirrors the money patterns Matthew saw growing up

Why Matthew may need to leave his business for a stable job and why earning more alone won’t fix their relationship with money

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:07:56) The money arguments keeping them stuck

(00:22:25) Ramit opens up their finances

(00:40:54) Why their fixed costs are so high

(00:51:48) The spending they couldn't afford

(01:05:08) Why Matthew avoids money conversations

(01:14:11) Creating new rules to manage money together

(01:23:16) Should Matthew leave his business?

(01:32:30) The difficult financial choices facing their family

(01:43:41) What their retirement could look like

💡 RAMIT’S PODCAST NEWSLETTER

• I share new ways to think about money every Saturday. Get the emails here: https://iwt.com/podcastnewsletter

🙌 GET HELP FROM RAMIT SETHI

• Order my new book: Money for Couples: https://iwt.com/moneyforcouples

• Take control of your money with the Conscious Spending Plan: https://iwt.com/csp

• Optimize your credit cards with the 1st chapter of my book: https://iwt.com/chapter1-pod

• Join my Rich Life: Road to $100K program: https://iwt.com/100k

• Listen to my book — now on Audible: https://amzn.to/48zko28

🤳 CONNECT WITH RAMIT SETHI

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramit/

• X: https://twitter.com/ramit

✅ SUBSCRIBE SO YOU DON’T MISS ANY EPISODES https://youtube.com/user/ramitsethi/featured/

This episode brought to you by:

DeleteMe | Get 20% off all consumer plans when you go to https://joindeleteme.com/ramit and use promo code RAMIT at checkout

Factor | Head to https://factormeals.com/ramit50off and use code RAMIT50OFF to get 50% off and one free breakfast item per box for one year, while supplies last until 10/31/2026. See website for more details.

Facet | As of the date of this recording, Facet is waiving the enrollment fee for new annual members, and for my audience, Facet is offering $300 into your brokerage account if you invest and maintain $5,000 within your first 90 days. Head to facet.com/ramit to learn more about which membership option is best for you. Offer has been extended to 12/31/2026. #FacetAd

Wispr Flow | Try Wispr Flow for free at wisprflow.ai/ramit

MasterClass | For unlimited access to every class and at least 15% off any annual membership, go to https://masterclass.com/ramit

Monarch | Try Monarch for free today, and get 50% off your first year of Monarch’s core tier with code RAMIT at monarch.com/ramit

Want to know exactly when you’ll hit your first $100K? Rich Life: Road to $100K gives you a step-by-step system to automate your money, accelerate your timeline, and build your Rich Life along the way. Join today: iwt.com/100K

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

YouTube

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