Particle Data Platform
Money For Couples with Ramit Sethi

247. "We’re in our 40s — with nothing saved"

2/10/20261 hr 37 min

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Stephanie and Chris, an early-40s couple with three young children, two of whom have special needs. Chris is a professor, and Stephanie, an RN, has recently cut back her hours due to burnout.

Despite Chris’s confidence that “it’ll all work out,” their current financial situation is dire: 92% fixed costs, $544K in debt, and virtually no savings. Stephanie handles the books but feels dismissed when she raises concerns, while Chris struggles to listen and often interrupts.

Ramit helps them uncover hidden money sc...

Clips

Less Than A Week
You Didn’t Hear Her
From 92% To 84%
Tens Of Thousands Lost
How Can I Support You?
The Cost Of Inaction
Accept The Interest
Are You Lazy With Money?
Buzzkill To Partner
Debt Vs. Emergency Fund

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Ramit Sethi· Host0:00

    If you or your partner has fallen for a scam, I wanna help, especially if you've recently fallen for an email or text scam, or you've gotten bad financial advice from someone who did not keep their promises, or maybe you just have not even told your partner because you are embarrassed. If this is you, I wanna talk. Apply for free coaching with me by being on my podcast. Apply today at iwt.com/apply. That's iwt.com/apply.

  2. Stephanie· Guest0:29

    If we have an emergency, I don't know where we're gonna pull money for that from. We have three young kids, two with special needs.

  3. Ramit Sethi· Host0:38

    What's the closest you've got to a true financial emergency?

  4. Stephanie· Guest0:41

    Now.

  5. Chris· Guest0:42

    We need to get out of this hole and get our plan together, and make some sacrifices. That's the key thing that's been missing.

  6. Stephanie· Guest0:49

    I feel like we're just kind of floundering and not going anywhere. We're treading water, but not even anymore.

  7. Ramit Sethi· Host0:55

    The dynamics between the two of you have cost you tens of thousands of dollars. If you stopped earning money, do you know how long you would last?

  8. Stephanie· Guest1:03

    We wouldn't.

  9. Ramit Sethi· Host1:04

    You would last less than a week. Also, accept that you're gonna pay thousands in interest. That's why you're stressed. That's it. That's the ballgame. You're broke.

  10. Stephanie· Guest1:10

    I feel guilty, feel stupid. I'm mad at myself.

  11. Ramit Sethi· Host1:15

    [sighs] Today, I'm speaking with Stephanie and Chris. They're in their early 40s, married. They have three young children, including two with special needs. They recently bought their forever home in Canada, where Chris is a professor on

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click "Accept All" to consent, or "Decline non-essential" to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.