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Dave Ramsey Says Social Media Gave Unqualified Critics a Megaphone: 'You're 29, Get Out of Your Mother's Basement'

MarketDash Editorial Team
1 day ago
Personal finance guru Dave Ramsey is pushing back against social media critics, arguing that platforms like Twitter and Facebook have given people without financial expertise an outsized voice. His blunt message to young critics living at home: maybe focus on fixing your own situation first.

Dave Ramsey has built a career giving financial advice, but he's getting a bit tired of taking it from people who, in his view, have no business offering it. The personal finance personality recently went off on "The Ramsey Show" about how social media has created a somewhat awkward situation: platforms that let him reach hundreds of thousands of people instantly also give everyone else a microphone, including critics he considers fundamentally unqualified.

"I love the fact I can jump on Twitter with an idea and 800,000 people see it instantaneously, I love that, it's kind of cool," Ramsey acknowledged. "There's a lot of fun stuff about Facebook you can do, but I'll tell you what the other thing it's done, it's given voice, it's given people who shouldn't have an opinion a place to have one. You're 29, it's time to get out of your mother's basement."

Ramsey's frustration stems from critics who challenge his decades of experience and multiple books on financial management despite lacking their own track record of success. He points out that many of his most vocal detractors on Twitter and Facebook weren't even alive when he started his show.

When Broke People Talk About Money

"Notice how many broke people have opinions about money," Ramsey said. "It's like fat people having opinions about marathons, just stupid, just a dumb idea."

The comparison might be blunt, but it captures Ramsey's core argument: expertise should come from results, not just volume. His approach to personal finance hasn't changed much over two decades because, he argues, the fundamentals haven't changed. Live on less than you earn, get out of debt, build an emergency fund. These principles have worked for countless people, he says, and continue to work today.

The Problem With Defending Failed Strategies

What really gets under Ramsey's skin isn't just the criticism itself, but critics who are struggling financially yet refuse to reconsider their approach. "If the set of behaviors about handling money, your viewpoints, your big-time philosophies about money have brought you to where you are and you don't like where you are, you probably need some new ideas darling," Ramsey said. "Quit telling everybody how smart you are about money because the fruit in your life says you're not, it says you're stupid."

Ramsey insists real change happens when people get fed up enough with their financial situation to actually change their habits, rather than defending the behaviors that got them there in the first place. He emphasizes that he's not criticizing people for having low incomes, but rather for their attitudes and unwillingness to try something different.

For what it's worth, Ramsey says he's speaking from experience. He reminds listeners that he's been broke himself and knows what financial struggle feels like. That personal history, combined with decades of professional success helping others, is why he thinks his voice carries more weight than anonymous critics arguing from their parents' basement.

Back to News

Dave Ramsey Says Social Media Gave Unqualified Critics a Megaphone: 'You're 29, Get Out of Your Mother's Basement'

MarketDash Editorial Team
1 day ago
Personal finance guru Dave Ramsey is pushing back against social media critics, arguing that platforms like Twitter and Facebook have given people without financial expertise an outsized voice. His blunt message to young critics living at home: maybe focus on fixing your own situation first.

Dave Ramsey has built a career giving financial advice, but he's getting a bit tired of taking it from people who, in his view, have no business offering it. The personal finance personality recently went off on "The Ramsey Show" about how social media has created a somewhat awkward situation: platforms that let him reach hundreds of thousands of people instantly also give everyone else a microphone, including critics he considers fundamentally unqualified.

"I love the fact I can jump on Twitter with an idea and 800,000 people see it instantaneously, I love that, it's kind of cool," Ramsey acknowledged. "There's a lot of fun stuff about Facebook you can do, but I'll tell you what the other thing it's done, it's given voice, it's given people who shouldn't have an opinion a place to have one. You're 29, it's time to get out of your mother's basement."

Ramsey's frustration stems from critics who challenge his decades of experience and multiple books on financial management despite lacking their own track record of success. He points out that many of his most vocal detractors on Twitter and Facebook weren't even alive when he started his show.

When Broke People Talk About Money

"Notice how many broke people have opinions about money," Ramsey said. "It's like fat people having opinions about marathons, just stupid, just a dumb idea."

The comparison might be blunt, but it captures Ramsey's core argument: expertise should come from results, not just volume. His approach to personal finance hasn't changed much over two decades because, he argues, the fundamentals haven't changed. Live on less than you earn, get out of debt, build an emergency fund. These principles have worked for countless people, he says, and continue to work today.

The Problem With Defending Failed Strategies

What really gets under Ramsey's skin isn't just the criticism itself, but critics who are struggling financially yet refuse to reconsider their approach. "If the set of behaviors about handling money, your viewpoints, your big-time philosophies about money have brought you to where you are and you don't like where you are, you probably need some new ideas darling," Ramsey said. "Quit telling everybody how smart you are about money because the fruit in your life says you're not, it says you're stupid."

Ramsey insists real change happens when people get fed up enough with their financial situation to actually change their habits, rather than defending the behaviors that got them there in the first place. He emphasizes that he's not criticizing people for having low incomes, but rather for their attitudes and unwillingness to try something different.

For what it's worth, Ramsey says he's speaking from experience. He reminds listeners that he's been broke himself and knows what financial struggle feels like. That personal history, combined with decades of professional success helping others, is why he thinks his voice carries more weight than anonymous critics arguing from their parents' basement.