Dave Ramsey has reached a point in his career where he's decided something: if you disagree with him about money, you're probably wrong. Not maybe wrong. Just wrong.
The personal finance expert explained on "The Ramsey Show" that early in his career, he'd work hard to "convince" critics and get frustrated when people pushed back on his advice. But after selling millions of books and guiding countless people through financial struggles, he's moved past that phase entirely. These days, Ramsey believes his track record speaks for itself.
"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," he said. "You're a whiner if you don't agree with me on this stuff, you're what's known as wrong."
Why Critics Are 'A Curse' to Their Friends
Ramsey's confidence comes from what he claims is an unmatched resume in personal finance coaching. He says he's coached more people than "anyone else in the entire world," which makes it particularly frustrating when critics try to steer their friends away from his advice.
"Not arrogant at all, it's confidence," Ramsey insisted. "There's no one else on the planet that has gotten as many people out of debt, that has caused as many people to be millionaires. It's pretty aggravating after all this time that some of you are still trying to convince your friends and relatives to do stupid stuff with money. When you do convince them to do stupid stuff with money, you're causing them to be broke. You are a curse in their lives."
That's a pretty strong accusation. Ramsey isn't just saying critics are wrong for themselves. He's saying they're actively harming the people around them by promoting bad financial habits.
He also pushed back against a common criticism: that his advice only works for broke people, not the wealthy. Ramsey flipped that argument on its head, arguing that rich people became wealthy precisely by following the principles he teaches, including getting out of debt and living within their means.
"You stupid twit, of course it's good for rich people," Ramsey said. "How do you think they got rich? Doing this stuff. What an idiotic statement."
Don't Call Him If You're 'Stuck on Stupid'
Ramsey also took aim at people who don't prioritize paying off their mortgage. He argued that eliminating that monthly payment is crucial for saving money and achieving financial freedom, a cornerstone of his philosophy.
What really puzzles Ramsey is why people cling to financial opinions that clearly aren't working for them. He called it "weird" that individuals form strong beliefs and defend them stubbornly even when those beliefs produce zero positive results.
His message to those people? Don't bother calling his show to argue.
"If you're stuck on stupid, don't call me to argue with me about that, it won't be good for you because I'm gonna bust you for your own good," Ramsey warned. "You got to get unstuck, man, you can't keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. That's the definition of insanity."
Love him or hate him, Ramsey isn't backing down from his confrontational approach. He sees his bluntness as a feature, not a bug, designed to shake people out of bad financial habits. Whether you find that refreshing or off-putting probably depends on whether you agree with him in the first place.