A recent call to the "The Ramsey Show" revealed a couple trying to make all the right financial moves: no debt, a six-month emergency fund, and a combined post-deduction income of $145,000. Their plan? Live on one income and invest the other.
Ramsey Steers Away
"Of that $145,000 that is take-home, $85,000 is mine and $60,000 is hers," the caller said. "So invest 60% of our take-home income. Is that overkill?"
The couple, both recent college grads, are renting and have big plans. The wife eventually wants to stay home with future kids. Until then, they want to go all in on investing to build wealth quickly.
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But Dave Ramsey wasn't on board.
Instead of celebrating the couple’s intensity, Ramsey redirected the conversation to real estate. "Very, very few people that we have studied or that we know of and have tracked with that became wealthy used that plan," he said of long-term renting while investing aggressively.
Ramsey emphasized that rent will keep going up. "When the largest line item is rent and it goes up every single year, your largest item is out of your control," he said. "When you fix it by buying and then you pay that house off … you have a net worth of a million and a half."
He urged the caller to save for a down payment instead of investing so much. "I would save a maximum of 15% of my household income into retirement," Ramsey said. "I would stop the HSA … and then I’d see how fast I can build up a fat, juicy down payment."
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Ramsey also chimed in with a cultural observation. "Guys can live under a bridge, 100%," he joked. His co-host, Ken Coleman, added, "When she becomes a stay-at-home mama, I promise you this … she’s gonna want a house."
Even Ramsey admitted he might be out of touch. "I forget ‘cause I’ve gotten old and I’ve been doing this so long," he said.
Buying a home can offer long-term financial benefits that renting typically doesn't. While renting may seem more flexible in the short run, homeownership locks in housing costs and allows for equity growth, which can result in significantly greater wealth over time.
In the end, Ramsey praised the caller's mindset but offered a course correction: focus less on extreme investing and more on stability. "You’re actually paying attention, you’re planning, you’re thinking," he said. "You’re going to win."
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