Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey has a provocative theory about unsolicited money advice: it usually comes from people who are terrible with money, and they're offering it for all the wrong reasons.
"Broke people care deeply about what you think," Ramsey wrote on X. "That's why broke people are always giving you advice: They're afraid that you're going to outpace them because you're doing smart things with money."
It's a blunt assessment, but Ramsey's point is that fear, not experience or wisdom, drives most bad financial advice. People worried about their own money situation see others making smart moves and panic that they'll be left behind.
The Millionaire Mindset Is Different
Ramsey contrasts this with how genuinely wealthy people think. According to him, someone with a $1 million to $10 million net worth operates from an entirely different playbook. They didn't accumulate wealth to show off or win approval from neighbors and coworkers.
"Most people who aren't broke don't give a crap what you think. Because the way they achieved that first layer of wealth... is that they didn't do it for you," Ramsey explains.
This mental shift matters more than you'd think. When you stop making financial decisions based on what will impress other people, everything changes. Your purchases look different. Your lifestyle looks different. You're optimizing for actual wealth building instead of the appearance of success.
The System Profits From Your Debt
In another recent post, Ramsey laid out what he sees as a rigged game. Credit card companies, banks and retailers have built a highly profitable system around keeping people in debt, and most Americans are playing right into it.
"This is not an accident: Everyone else is getting rich with your money, and you're helping them," he said. The trap is straightforward: people make endless payments on credit cards, car loans and student debt while their income—the actual tool for building wealth—disappears into someone else's pocket.
"We don't have any money because we're following THEIR plan for THEM, and it's called staying in debt," Ramsey said.
How To Actually Build Wealth
Ramsey's solution isn't complicated, though it requires discipline most people don't have. Stop giving your income away to creditors. Eliminate debt. Cancel the credit cards. Focus relentlessly on saving and investing instead of paying interest.
He points out the absurdity of the current situation: 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck in one of the wealthiest countries on earth. The culprit, according to Ramsey, is the widespread belief that debt is normal and acceptable. "It's stupid on steroids," he said.
The millionaires Ramsey has interviewed over the years didn't get there by financing lifestyles meant to impress others. They were intentional. They spent less than they earned. They used their income to build wealth for themselves, not to enrich credit card companies and big-box retailers.
It's harsh advice delivered in Ramsey's characteristically blunt style, but the underlying message is simple: if you want to build wealth, stop listening to broke people and stop playing a game designed for you to lose.