Here's a problem most people would love to have: Robin from Florida called into The Ramsey Show because her husband wants to buy a $300,000 car, and even though they have $20 million sitting in the bank, something about it just feels wrong.
"It just puts a rock in the pit of my stomach," Robin told personal finance experts Dave Ramsey and Jade Warshaw. The couple is retired after selling their construction business, and by any measure, they've won the financial game. But that doesn't make the emotional part any easier.
The Gut Says No, Even When the Math Says Yes
Robin was refreshingly honest about her struggle. "I really have no reason to say no to this except something in me says this is absolutely ridiculous," she admitted. "This is the worst idea he's ever had."
When Ramsey asked what kind of car her husband was eyeing, Robin revealed it was a Shelby. Ramsey acknowledged it was "a very cool car," but he understood the real issue wasn't about horsepower or leather seats.
To help Robin understand her own reaction, Ramsey shared something revealing about his own psychology. Even though his company generates $300 million annually, he still gets twitchy about the office coffee bill.
"My emotions still feel that," he explained. "My mind though knows that the company took in $300 million last year. We can probably pay the coffee bill, right?"
That gap between emotional comfort and financial reality is where Robin found herself stuck. Ramsey explained it's completely normal for feelings to lag behind the numbers. "It's hard for your emotions to keep up with the math," he said.
When a $300K Purchase Is Actually a Rounding Error
For Robin, decades of frugality and careful money management built the wealth they now enjoy. That mindset doesn't just evaporate when the bank account grows. But Ramsey wanted her to understand the actual scale of what they were discussing.
"The stock market will move on your $20 million worth of investments more than 300 grand in the next 60 days, up or down," he pointed out. In other words, their portfolio fluctuates by more than the car's price tag in a typical two-month period.
Robin knew the logic made sense. "It just makes him so happy. A $300,000 car is just outrageous though," she said, still wrestling with the feeling.
Ramsey flipped the script on her. "You know what else is outrageous? You got $20 million, girl. That's freaking outrageously wonderful."
You Earned This Through Callouses, Not Luck
Instead of telling Robin to simply get over it, Ramsey encouraged her to own both feelings. "Tell him you think it's dumb, but you think he's earned it," he advised. "Luck didn't have nothing to do with this, girl. You paid a price."
He circled back to their construction business background, recognizing the grit it took to build that kind of wealth. "Y'all know what a callous looks like," he said. When Robin confirmed their industry experience, Ramsey added, "Yeah, you definitely know what a callous looks like. You've put up with some bull crap over the years."
The conversation seemed to help. By the end of the call, Robin said, "The rock in my stomach is a little easier."
Sometimes permission to spend money you've earned is harder to give yourself than the discipline it took to earn it in the first place. For Robin and her husband, a $300,000 Shelby might be less about the car itself and more about finally allowing themselves to enjoy what they built.