Money For Couples with Ramit Sethi

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Meg and Jo, a married couple in their 60s with more than $6 million in net worth, strong incomes, and a retirement problem that is not really about money.

Meg is ready to stop working. Jo wants to retire too, but feels terrified of making the wrong decision and carrying the responsibility for their investments alone. Despite having millions, speaking with financial advisors, and living well below their means, they remain stuck between fear, resentment, and “vibes.”

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.

In this episode we uncover:

• Why Meg feels entitled to retire and Jo feels alone carrying the financial responsibility

• How Jo became the financial gatekeeper in their relationship

• Why Meg has avoided learning the details of their investments

• How different childhood experiences with money shaped their fears

• Why Jo’s experience during the 2008 financial crash still affects her decisions today

• How emotional labor around money can quietly create resentment in a marriage

• Why their disagreement about renovating their home is really about control and security

• What their $6.1M net worth, pension, investments, and spending actually allow them to do

• Why working longer could leave them with $14M they may never use

• The three retirement scenarios that show they can retire sooner than they thought

• Why Ramit says Meg needs to “step into her wealth”

• What Meg and Jo decided after seeing the numbers clearly

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:02:26) Meg wants to retire, but Jo is hesitant

(00:05:40) How Jo became the financial gatekeeper

(00:10:19) “I wish you were a partner”

(00:19:18) Why Jo is scared to manage retirement alone

(00:27:22) Jo’s scarcity mindset and family history

(00:41:02) Renovating the house reveals deeper resentment

(00:46:46) “What do you base that on?” “Vibes.”

(01:01:24) The 2008 crash and Jo’s fear of losing security

(01:04:57) Their Conscious Spending Plan

(01:09:07) “I spent for dopamine. I gambled like an addict.”

(01:16:57) They have enough money but do not believe it

(01:19:22) Three retirement scenarios

(01:30:01) Why Meg thought Jo was saying they could not retire

(01:30:49) “God, I wish you were a partner”

(01:32:38) Choosing their retirement timeline

(01:36:07) Creating a retirement paycheck

(01:40:48) What happens if one of them dies?

(01:48:21) Meg and Jo’s follow-up

(01:49:54) “We have more money than time”

This episode is brought to you by:

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

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

Fabric by Gerber Life | Go to meetfabric.com/RAMIT and apply today, risk-free

LMNT | Get a free LMNT Sample Pack with any order at https://drinklmnt.com/RAMIT

NetSuite | If your revenues are in the seven figures, go to https://netsuite.ai/ramit to try NetSuite Next for free

Ready to stop wondering where your money goes and start building your first $100K? Join Rich Life: Road to $100K at iwt.com/100K.

Connect with Ramit

• Get my new book, Money For Couples

• Join my Rich Life: Road to $100K program

• 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

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Lauren and Mick, a married couple in their 30s with two kids, $93K of debt, and a dream of moving into a bigger home. They earn around $150K a year combined, but with 89% of their take-home pay already going to fixed costs, just $5K in savings, and years of impulsive spending, their money is stretched far beyond what their lifestyle can support.

Both Lauren and Mick have ADHD, which they say makes it harder to manage bills, avoid dopamine spending, and follow through on financial systems. Ramit acknowledges those challenges while encouraging them to explore a deeper issue: ADHD can make money management more difficult, but finding ways to navigate those challenges is still an important part of making the financial decisions their family depends on.

In this episode we uncover:

• Why Lauren and Mick earn $150K but still only have $5K in savings

• How $93.5K of debt is keeping them trapped

• Why their 89% fixed costs make a bigger house impossible right now

• How ADHD affects their impulse spending, overdue bills, and financial systems

• How consolidating $35K of credit-card debt did not solve the behavior behind it

• Why they have avoided fully combining their finances after seven years of marriage

• How Mick losing his job for a year changed their relationship with money

• How both of their childhoods shaped their current spending habits

• Why wanting a third child and bigger home is creating pressure they cannot afford

• Why small cuts will not fix a structural financial problem

• Why Ramit says their household needs a clearer path to $200K in income

• What it takes to turn a fantasy of a better life into a real financial plan

• How Lauren and Mick responded after the conversation

Chapters:

(00:00:00) They admit their biggest money mistake

(00:01:18) Meet Lauren & Mick

(00:02:04) Their shocking financial numbers

(00:05:05) How ADHD affects their spending

(00:07:08) LEGOLAND, LEGO, and impulse purchases

(00:12:22) How job loss changed everything

(00:17:38) Breaking down their finances

(00:21:22) "Do you respect money?"

(00:24:40) Why 89% fixed costs is a disaster

(00:26:24) Breaking down $93,500 in debt

(00:33:15) Why they still want a bigger house

(00:35:11) How childhood shaped their money habits

(00:42:43) Why they keep resisting a financial plan

(00:53:00) Rebuilding their spending plan

(01:02:21) Can they earn more money?

(01:08:36) Ramit rebuilds their budget

(01:14:16) The income they actually need

(01:16:56) Their new financial plan

(01:21:23) Lauren & Mick's biggest takeaways

(01:24:17) Ramit follow-up: ADHD & money

This episode is brought to you by:

Grow Therapy | Visit https://growtherapy.com/ramit to find a therapist today

Factor | Head to https://factormeals.com/ramit50off and use code RAMIT50OFF to get 50% off and free daily greens per box, with new subscription only, while supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details)

Trust & Will | Protect what matters most in minutes at https://trustandwill.com/ramit and get 20% off 

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

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

When will you finally feel rich? Join Ramit’s free live event on July 13 and learn how to build real financial security and more options with your money. Save your seat at iwt.com/liveevent

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

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Maria and Andre, a married couple in their 50s navigating a difficult retirement gap. Maria has built nearly $500K in net worth, a strong pension, and a clear path toward retirement. Andre, who moved from Brazil and only recently received his green card, is rebuilding his career in the United States with just $16K saved for retirement.

They earn around $187K a year combined, but their financial tension is not really about the numbers. Andre feels ashamed that Maria earns twice what he does, while Maria worries that she will have to carry their future alone. Ramit helps them unpack the pressure Andre feels to be the provider, the cultural beliefs shaping their relationship, and how they can build a retirement plan that gives them more time together not less.

In this episode we uncover:

• Why Andre feels ashamed that Maria earns twice as much as him

• How Andre’s recent green card changed his ability to build a career

• Why $16K in retirement savings feels so frightening at age 50

• Why Maria’s pension could transform their retirement future

• Why Andre believes a man should earn more than his wife

• How their finances are combined, but still feel separate

• Why Andre’s business expenses are creating confusion and resentment

• The hidden cost of working six days a week

• Why Maria wants more time with Andre, not just more money

• Why Andre keeps defaulting to “work harder” instead of building a plan

• How Ramit reframes retirement from fear into options

• Why their future may be much stronger than they realize

• The importance of acting like a team rather than competing with each other

• How Andre could double his income after getting his HVAC licence

• Why their Rich Life includes time in Brazil, leisure, and being present together

Chapters:

(00:00:00) “What would you do if your partner had no retirement plan?”

(00:00:48) Meet Maria and Andre

(00:02:12) Andre’s career, green card, and starting over

(00:03:32) Andre has just $16K saved for retirement

(00:04:48) Building their Conscious Spending Plan

(00:05:54) Their $496K net worth revealed

(00:07:35) “She makes double what I make”

(00:10:11) How Maria increased her income as a teacher

(00:12:05) Learning to spend consciously

(00:14:16) Maria wants Andre to have a retirement plan

(00:20:03) Their fixed costs and uneven financial burden

(00:25:43) How long their savings would last

(00:29:20) The reality of rebuilding your life in a new country

(00:39:43) Andre’s childhood beliefs about work and money

(00:45:17) What if Andre never earns as much as Maria?

(00:52:07) Ramit’s message to Andre

(00:58:33) Rebuilding their Conscious Spending Plan

(01:07:15) What their retirement could actually look like

(01:11:11) “None of this means Andre has to work until 80”

(01:12:09) “It’s not a competition. It’s a team.”

This episode is brought to you by:

Superpower | Head over to https://superpower.com and use code RAMIT for $20 off your membership. #sponsored

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

LMNT | Get a free LMNT Sample Pack with any order at https://drinklmnt.com/RAMIT

Gusto | Try Gusto at http://gusto.com/ramit and get 3 months free when you run your first payroll

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

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Alexis, 29, and Edwens, 30, a married couple with a 10-month-old baby and two completely different ideas of what money should look like in a marriage. Edwens immigrated from the Dominican Republic less than two years ago, and personal finance is still new to him. Alexis has been trying to teach him, manage the bills, build the budget, and create a future for their family. And yet, their biggest fight keeps coming back to one question: Why won’t Edwens open a joint bank account?

But the account is only part of the story. What Ramit uncovers is a marriage where Alexis wants partnership, transparency, and a shared family system, while Edwens is still holding on to independence, privacy, and the idea that giving her $1,000 a month should be enough. Alexis feels like she has become the household manager, the bill payer, and eventually more like his mother than his wife. Edwens feels criticized and controlled, especially around credit cards and spending. Underneath all of it are cultural differences, childhood money patterns, and a couple with a baby who are still trying to turn two separate money lives into one shared future.

In this episode we uncover:

Why a joint bank account becomes the breaking point in their marriage

What Alexis means when she says Edwens still acts like a single man

Why Edwens sees separate money as independence, not betrayal

The $1,000 arrangement that leaves Alexis managing everything alone

How cultural differences shape their money rules

Why Edwens struggles to understand credit cards and debt

The moment Ramit almost ends the session

Why Alexis feels like she has become Edwens’s mother, not his wife

How childhood money patterns are showing up in their marriage

Why their cheap rent is a financial gift they are not fully using

The moment they finally start building a shared money system

Chapters:

(00:00:00) “He still operates like a single man”

(00:01:58) The joint bank account fight

(00:07:19) “I don’t want to be married without a joint account”

(00:12:19) She wants partnership. He hears control.

(00:18:05) The credit card argument

(00:25:50) Why does he listen to Ramit, but not his wife?

(00:30:56) Ramit almost ends the session

(00:35:31) Their real income changes the conversation

(00:45:20) The bills, the $1,000, and who actually manages the money

(00:55:04) Repeating their parents’ money fights

(01:02:25) Building a new money culture as a couple

(01:07:13) Alexis has been carrying the household alone

(01:15:20) “I feel like his mom, not his wife”

(01:21:52) Breaking the generational money pattern

(01:27:54) Why therapy needs to happen before it’s too late

(01:32:33) Rebuilding their Conscious Spending Plan

(01:43:16) From separate money to real partnership

(01:48:02) Follow-up

This episode is 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

Fabric by Gerber Life | Join the thousands of parents who trust Fabric to protect their family. Apply today in just minutes at https://meetfabric.com/ramit

Shopify | Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/ramit

Gelt | Gelt is taking on new clients now. Find out if you qualify at https://joingelt.com/ramit.

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

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

Single in LA? Apply now to star in my new reality series about love and money at https://iwt.com/datingshow

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

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Melissa and Taryn, a married couple in their 40s living in Los Angeles with five children. They have a net worth of over $700K, nearly half a million invested, and a successful business, but their finances are on the edge.

After Taryn took a $75K pay cut and was later laid off from Netflix, they continued building a $200K pool, took on a $100K family loan, and now face fixed costs of 179%. Ramit helps them confront the brutal math behind their situation, the emotional reasons they keep avoiding it, and the radical changes they may need to make before they run out of money.

In this episode we uncover:

• Why Melissa and Taryn built a $200K pool after a major pay cut

• How Taryn’s Netflix layoff changed everything

• Why their fixed costs hit a shocking 179%

• The real cost of their $100K family loan

• Why “everything goes on a credit card” became normal

• How they ended up with $1.2M in debt

• Why selling the house may not solve the problem

• The hidden danger of renting another expensive home

• Why Melissa’s successful business still may not be enough

• How grief and loss shaped their relationship with travel and money

• Why Taryn feels like she just “makes the money”

• The emotional power dynamic behind their spending decisions

• Why small cuts like subscriptions won’t fix a structural problem

• Ramit’s warning that they may be setting themselves up to struggle again

• The uncomfortable reality of moving out of Los Angeles

• Why their marriage needs a mission, not just a budget

• How their kids are already affected by their money choices

• Ramit’s advice for making radical change before the clock runs out

⏩ CHAPTERS (00:00:00) “I just want the debt gone”

(00:01:23) Meet Melissa and Taryn

(00:02:40) Taryn’s Netflix layoff

(00:04:18) Buying the house after a $75K pay cut

(00:05:39) The real cost of the pool

(00:07:48) Taking a $100K family loan

(00:10:50) Why the debt cycle keeps repeating

(00:15:25) Taryn’s role as the “money maker”

(00:18:03) Their income no longer matches their life

(00:20:03) Ramit reveals their 179% fixed costs

(00:21:20) Why selling the house isn’t enough

(00:22:51) The rent math gets even worse

(00:26:46) The clock is ticking

(00:31:25) Could they move to South Carolina?

(00:41:24) The power dynamic in their marriage

(00:57:16) Defining their Rich Life

(01:02:18) What happens after selling the house?

(01:15:28) Ramit confronts the decision they’re avoiding

(01:28:48) Talking to their kids about money

(01:36:58) Final thoughts and next steps

This episode is brought to you by:

Trust & Will | Protect what matters most in minutes at https://trustandwill.com/ramit and get 20% off

ZocDoc | Go to https://zocdoc.com/ramit to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today #sponsored

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

Leesa | Go to https://leesa.com for 25% off mattresses PLUS get an extra $50 off with promo code RAMIT, exclusive for my listeners

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