If you've noticed that personal finance guru Dave Ramsey seems crankier these days, well, you're not wrong. And he'll be the first to tell you why.
On "The Ramsey Show," the finance expert recently opened up about how his approach has evolved over the years. When he first launched the program decades ago, Ramsey says he cared deeply about what people thought of him. Getting criticized or having someone dislike him over something he said would genuinely upset him.
Those days are over.
"I used to be a lot nicer when I first started the show," Ramsey explained. "After doing this this long, I'm pretty convinced now that on these money subjects, if you're upset by what I say, it's probably because you need to change."
The Patience Has Run Out
After years of watching people struggle with the same financial mistakes, Ramsey says he's lost his tolerance for those who refuse to change. He's particularly frustrated with people who not only stick to habits that keep them broke, but also "convince" their friends to do "stupid stuff" with money.
His core principles haven't changed: stay out of debt, spend less than you earn, follow what he calls "biblical financial principles." These ideas have worked for countless people, he argues, which is why he's confident that critics are simply wrong.
"I'm a whole lot blunt, more blunt than I used to be, and I probably got less patience," Ramsey said. "I got less patience with somebody who wants to be broke and stupid and argue about it. So that's why I reach over on Twitter occasionally and just knock the crap out of somebody just because it's fun, just fun. 'Oh, but you're thin-skinned.' I'm not thin-skinned."
Decades of Experience, Zero Apologies
Ramsey acknowledges there are plenty of things he's not good at and that he's far from perfect. But when it comes to personal finance guidance, he claims he's been doing it longer than "anyone else in the entire world."
Social media critics don't impress him much. "'I don't like Dave Ramsey, Dave Ramsey this, Dave Ramsey that,' Twitter and Facebook fools out there floating around, most of them not even born yet when I started doing this show," he said.
He's quick to clarify that his frustration isn't directed at people who earn less money. Rather, it's aimed at those who refuse to change their approach even when it's clearly not working. And he wants listeners to remember that he's been where many of them are now.
"All of us have to look up and say, 'I've had enough, that's it, I've had it, I'm not living like this anymore, I'm done,'" Ramsey explained. "That happened to me when I went broke because I was stupid, I mean, I got a PhD in DUMB. I've done stupid with zeros on the end. I know exactly what it looks like."
In other words, Ramsey's tough love approach comes from someone who's made the mistakes himself. Whether that makes his social media feuds more justified or just more entertaining is probably a matter of perspective.