George Kamel

Kamel lays out an order for retirement contributions: employer match first, then Roth accounts, then traditional accounts.

“So the easy strategy here is match beats Roth beats traditional”

The Ramsey Show: Don't Stay Trapped In Payments (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:13:50

Kamel says Ramsey's millionaire study found that millionaires were mediocre investors who succeeded through consistent contributions.

“we found in our millionaire study, Jade, the actual millionaires out there were mediocre investors”

The Ramsey Show: Don't Stay Trapped In Payments (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 30:27

Kamel states the Ramsey rule of investing 15% of household income until the house is paid off, spread across four types of mutual funds.

“Invest 15% of your household income until you're in baby step seven with a paid-for house”

The Ramsey Show: Don't Stay Trapped In Payments (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 26:26

Kamel shares that his wife left her Ramsey job after nine years to stay home and found the identity shift difficult.

“My wife made that decision after nine years here at Ramsey, and it was really hard for her”

The Ramsey Show: Don't Stay Trapped In Payments (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 17:27

Kamel describes having a stay-at-home spouse as a luxury that families can afford by following the Ramsey plan.

“it's a luxury to have a stay-at-home spouse and you can create that luxury by following this plan”

The Ramsey Show: Don't Stay Trapped In Payments (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 19:25

Kamel tells Jean that buying a small house instead of paying off her student loans would leave her dying with the debt, and that applying the inheritance would make her debt-free within a year.

“if you throw it at the debt, one year from now, you're debt-free”

The Ramsey Show: Don't Stay Trapped In Payments (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 2:07:24

Kamel advises Maddie to work full time for a year and save so she can complete nursing school without loans.

“So we're going slow so that we can go fast and graduate debt-free with a whole lot of peace”

The Ramsey Show: Don't Stay Trapped In Payments (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:42:23

Kamel argues parents should fund their own retirement before college savings because retirement is certain while a child's college attendance is not.

“There's a 50-50 chance your kid goes to college and probably even less of a chance they graduate with a four-year degree”

The Ramsey Show: Don't Stay Trapped In Payments (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:44:02

Kamel argues bankruptcy does not change spending behavior, damages credit permanently and is costly rather than a clean slate.

“This is not a clean slate, and it costs thousands of dollars, by the way”

The Ramsey Show: Don't Stay Trapped In Payments (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:34:59

Kamel warns that rolling negative equity into a new car loan is very hard to escape.

“rolling over negative equity is one of the hardest things to get out of”

The Ramsey Show: Don't Stay Trapped In Payments (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 51:53

Kamel calls payday and title lenders predatory businesses that target desperate people in low-income areas.

“There is a reason these places exist in low-income areas. They are predatory”

The Ramsey Show: Don't Stay Trapped In Payments (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 42:02

Kamel argues robo-advising sits between do-it-yourself investing and a human advisor and is not a bad option for nervous investors.

“Robo advising is somewhere in the middle. Where it's really not a bad option. It's better than DIY for people who are scared they're going to screw it up”

The Ramsey Show: Don't Stay Trapped In Payments (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 25:10