Transcript of The Best Money Advice You Will Ever Receive: 4 Rules From the Top Financial Minds In The World

Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins Podcast. Lately, I have been getting a ton of questions about money. Questions like, Mel, I am living paycheck to paycheck. I do not know what to do. How do I save when I can barely pay my bills? Why do I keep buying things I do not need? Where is all my money going? What if I'm not making enough money to get ahead? How the heck do I get out of debt? My partner and I are constantly fighting about money. I'm just not good with money. If that's where you are right now, I need you to hear me. I get it. I've been there. I have felt the crushing stress, the shame that you feel when you cannot get out of debt, when you don't believe you're good with money. But here's the good news. You can learn how to take control of your financial life, and I want you to. That's why today you're going to meet 4 world-renowned financial experts. They are here to give you their number 1 rule on how to take control of your money, starting where you are, so you feel more financially secure and you can finally create a simple plan you can stick to stick to and feel and see the results.

This is the best money advice we've ever featured on the Mel Robbins Podcast. It's simple, powerful changes that are 100% within your control, so that by the end of this episode, you're going to know exactly what to do first, what to do next, and you're going to stop letting money stress run your life. If you have ever wanted an episode that you can come back to anytime you feel overwhelmed and stuck about money, an episode you can send to everyone in your family who needs help taking control of their financial life, this is it. Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins Podcast. I am thrilled about the conversation you and I are gonna have. It's always an honor to be together and to spend this time with you. And if you're a new listener, or you're here because somebody shared this episode with you, I just wanna take a moment and personally welcome you to the Mel Robbins Podcast family. You have picked a home run of a conversation to listen to because today, 4 world-renowned financial experts are here for you. They're going to give you their number 1 rule on how to take control of your money, starting where you are with what you got.

You will feel more financially secure when you follow these simple rules, and you will also finally create a plan that you can stick to. This is the best money advice we have ever featured on the Mel Robbins Podcast. And today I am summarizing it for you. And I know for a fact that this is the most powerful advice because I went back and relistened to every episode we have ever done about money and finances since we started this podcast 3.5 years ago. My team and I've selected the absolute best, the most powerful moments, the most tactical and easy to follow and impactful advice, then we went further. We crunched the data on what you rewatched, shared, and commented on the most, especially on YouTube, so that these 4 rules about money that you're about to learn, they're gonna change your life. They certainly have changed my life, and I am so glad that you are here right now with me so you can hear them, you can learn them, and you can apply them. And I'm gonna tell you something before we jump in. There is something that one of these 4 experts are gonna say that you need to hear right now, because it's gonna be the exact solution or mindset shift or simple tactic that changes everything about your current financial situation.

Whether you're living paycheck to paycheck, whether you've made a ton of financial mistakes, you're trying to get outta debt, you can barely make ends meet, or whether you just wanna get better. With investing your money. There is something in this that's meant for you. And I also wanna point something out. The conversation today is gonna give you 4 rules to get you started, but it's also gonna make you realize, holy cow, there's so much I wanna learn about taking control of my financial life. And so I wanna remind you that the moments, these 4 rules come from 4 incredible episodes. So if you wanna go deeper, and listen to the full episodes with each one of the 4 extraordinary experts, I've made it super simple for you. You can get a link to all 4 of these extraordinary episodes and all of the resources that we discuss in the episodes right in the show notes. And that's always there for you as a free additional resource. These are the 4 most trusted money experts we've ever had on the Mel Robbins Podcast. And what I love about them is they don't just teach us the math.

They're gonna teach you the mindset. And one of our experts says something that I love so much. You don't have to pay off all your bills or have $1 million in savings to start feeling better. You will start feeling better about your financial life if you simply follow one of the rules today, because it will be a sign that instead of feeling at the effect of everything, that you are now taking a proactive step to take control. And that's what's gonna put you in charge immediately. So let's get into it. The first world-renowned expert that is here to help you today is the incredible Tiffany Aliche. She is known as the Budgetnista. She is one of the most trusted money experts in the world. Tiffany Aliche is a New York Times bestselling author who has helped over 2 million people learn how to save, manage their money, and pay off debt. Now, when she first appeared on the show, and that episode is linked below in the show notes, you loved her because she's one of those people you could just listen to all day. Her advice is insanely practical. It's so easy to listen to and understand, and she can help you solve one of the biggest money problems most people don't even realize they have, which is that money stress builds when you're kind of guessing about what's happening.

If you don't even know what's kind of coming in or going out of your bank account, everything feels scary and overwhelming. I mean, stop and think about that for a minute. Do you even know where your money is going? How much you spend on groceries every month or electricity or transportation or your cell phone bill or streaming services or apps or subscriptions? Do you have any clue what's going in and out of your bank account every single day? I'm sure you don't, because you haven't had any time to think about it. But Tiffany Aliche is gonna tell you that when it comes to money in your financial life, one of the biggest mistakes is that most of you are trying to earn more money. You're trying to earn your way out of the situation you're in. But you haven't even done the first required step, which is to get clear where your money is going. So how about we just rip off the Band-Aid when it comes to your finances? You need a budget. Yep, I said that word. I know you hate that word. Me too. But you've never heard Tiffany Aliche explain a budget in the way that she does.

And she's going to tell you a budget is just like your mom. A budget helps you understand what's coming in versus what's going out. And hearing her explain why this is the first step, it's going to give you more freedom and peace than you thought was possible. So let's take a listen to our first money rule. From world-renowned money expert Tiffany Aliche.

So your budget is like your mom. She's there to say yes, when, if, after. So it's really a say yes plan, but one that's safely implemented so you can maintain the thing that you want, right? So you can call it a money list. That's what I usually start with because people hate that name.

I like the name money list. What does a money list mean?

A budget.

Okay. I— Love this reframe because I hear the word budget and I hear no and restriction. And you're saying no, that the budget is how you say yes to what's important to you. Yes.

It's not there actually to tell me no. It's there to find the yes in the safest way possible.

So for somebody hearing you say that and they're like, but I've never made a budget or I've never stuck to one. I don't know what my budget should be. Like, where do you begin?

Step 1 is to write everything down, just the words of what do I spend money on. Don't think about the month, just in general. So it's like, oh, the kids. Oh, credit card. Oh, grooming. Going out. Like, just— I want you to just write the words. Don't think about the money, just words.

OK.

So that's the first part.

Step 1.

Yes. Then step 2 is now you say these words on my money list, how much am I spending approximately monthly? Some stuff you'll know, like your mortgage or your rent. Some stuff you might not be sure. Go pull out your bank statement and see on average the last few months how much you're spending on groceries or eating out or grooming.

Or electricity.

Mm-hmm.

Or water.

Yes.

Or any of those things that you don't even really think, oh my God, I got that bill.

Exactly. So then that's within a month frame on average, right? Yeah. So that's step 2.

Okay.

Then step 3 is to write down how much you make on average every month from all of your areas. So maybe you get alimony, maybe you get child support, If you have a job, whatever that is, how much are you making monthly? Then you add up step 4. You add up how much you're spending monthly and subtract it from how much you're making monthly. I call that the tears and tissue step because usually people get there and they're like, can I have a tissue? So I, when I used to do one-on-ones, we would do all of that and people would be like, okay. And then I would literally just grab a box of tissues and just put it here because I'm like, it's about the waterworks.

It's coming.

And so they added up. I remember it was a nurse. I'll never forget. I'll call her B. And I came to her house and it was beautiful condo. And so we did that step and she started crying. And then I started crying because, baby, I'm a baby. And she was just like, I didn't realize how much over I was spending. And she said, as a matter of fact, I can't even afford the air conditioning that's on. Can I turn it off? And I was like, yes. So we sat with the fan on because she just turned on the air conditioning because I was coming over. So I was like, turn off the AC. A fan is fine. That tears and tissue step allows you to see what do you need to do now?

And so let's say you've done that, right? And you've made the money list and you see what's coming in and what's coming out. You're like faced with the reality.

Yeah.

Tears and tissues.

Yes.

And you see that you are outspending every month. What's actually coming in. What is the next step?

The next step is I want you to categorize your expenses before you get to slashing and dashing, you know? Because that's what people want to do. I won't eat out.

I won't.

Yeah, I'm never going to eat again. Never going to turn the lights on in this house. Get the candles.

So I'm like, categorize your expenses into 3 categories. One, I want you to write a B next to all the bills on your list. So bills are if you don't pay it, someone's going to come knocking on your door and say, where's my money? Right?

Yeah.

So put a B next to all those things.

And give me an example. I know that sounds like a basic question, but is your mortgage a bill?

Yes, mortgage is a bill. Rent, car note, student loans. So if you don't pay, you're likely to be sued. Think about that.

Gotcha. Like when you were like standing at Walmart or Sephora and you're like, yeah, I'd like 10% off this. And then you're like, oh wait, that's a credit card. Yes, that's a bill.

Mm-hmm.

Got it. So B next to all your bills.

Okay.

And then And those are really like fixed expenses. So that way you understand, right? And then I want you to put a U in front of any B that fluctuates based upon your usage.

Oh, I love that.

So I call these like the U stands for usage or utility.

So your student loan does not have a U. Your mortgage or rent does not have a U. But the— Water. Water.

Electricity. So your usage.

Yes. The data on your phone plan.

Yes. And so it's important to separate those two because I want you to— you'll see that I want I want you to understand the level of control you have on these expenses. And whatever is not a B or UB, everything else is a C. C stands for cash or choice, meaning that you have full choice of how you spend here. So grooming might be leftover, groceries might be leftover.

How much eating out with friends?

Yes. And so entertainment. Yeah. And so now before you get to slashing, I want you to ask yourself, where is most of your money going? For many people, most of their money might be going to the Bs and UBs. Uh-huh. But for some people, it's actually all the Cs.

Yes.

So then I— then we have to identify, do you have a don't make enough issue or spend too much issue? And so if most of your money is going to the Bs and Ubs, you might not make enough. So it's not about slashing because these are your bills, you know? But if most of your money is going to your Cs, your choices and your cash expenses, then you probably have a spend too much issue. So now we need to slash.

Yes.

You know, because it's entertainment and grocery and all those things where your money is going. Because what I find is that frugal people want to get more frugal when things are tight. I'm like, that's not the answer.

Right.

You know, that instead I want you to put your energy toward learning how to earn more if all of your money is going to your bills. Because we're— what are we— we're cutting the mortgage? What are we cutting? That's true.

You know, one of the things that I worry about, and I'd be curious to hear your perspective, is that you and I both had the experience of being in college. And it's that opening week. And literally at the opening registration fair, there were banks with credit card tables. You get your Snickers bar when you sign up for one, and then it's free money. But I worry a lot about the fact that in today's world, particularly for people who are in their 20s and 30s, that social media has become like shopping with a click. And you and I had to leave our house to go spend money back in the day.

Yeah.

And when I think about TikTok or Instagram, every other fricking suggested thing has a shop now button. Mm-hmm. And stuff gets sent to your house.

Mm-hmm.

And have you seen a big increase, because you've been doing this for a while, in people in the spending category, that spending has gotten so easy because of social media? It's always in your face. You always see what you're missing out on. There's an influencer that has the product for free who's like, this changed my life. And go click, click, click. It's $11. 7:30 at night.

Yeah.

So do you see a spike in this or is it— Absolutely.

Overconsumption is the new way. We all have so much that we don't need. I mean, even I sometimes I'm like, Tiffany, you do not need like another, like you don't even vacuum. I'm like, but that one is so cool, you know? And I'm like, like, this is influence from who I follow, who I love her because so esthetically pleasing.

Yes.

But you know, the ones that were like everything in the kitchen is esthetically pleasing.

Yes, these Amazon shops. Yes. Like I can click through to my Amazon thing. Yes.

So I got this all for free.

I'm going to make money on you buying it.

A container for the container.

Yes.

Like, well, who wants to eat cereal out of a cereal box? We want to eat it out of an esthetically pleasing glass container.

Yes.

Do I need an esthetically pleasing? You don't.

Yes. Don't you love her? Don't you love her? As she's explaining, I'm laughing at myself because, yes, I want to eat cereal out of an esthetically pleasing glass container that I do not need. And then I wonder, why do I not know where my money is going? Because I'm not clear what I'm spending it on. I'm spending it on all these things I don't need. I just love the way she explains things because she calls you out and then puts her arm around your shoulder and laughs with you. I mean, who knew that budgeting could actually be fun? And now that you've listened to Tiffany Aliche, doesn't it make sense? Of course, this is the first rule. You have to look at where your money is going, because when you look at where your money is going, now you're empowered to understand the actual issue that you're facing. And I want to highlight this because I want to make sure that you get the takeaway away here from this first rule, and that is, what is your issue with money? Is it that you don't make enough money? Is that the issue? Maybe not. The issue is probably the second one, at least this is the issue for me, and that's, wow, I spend way too much.

Those are the two places you could be in. I don't make enough, or whoa, I'm spending too much. And once you understand what's happening, now you can take the next steps forward. That's why this is important. And here's the other thing I love about Tiffany. She says your money list is there so that you can find the yes, so that you can say yes to the things that you want to say yes to. And that's so important because so often when you and I think about money and taking control of our finances, we think restrict, restrict, restrict. Be frugal. Don't spend on yourself. Bad, bad, bad. And you assume that's the only way to feel less overwhelmed, less stuck, and more in control. But that isn't true. And now you know it. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, I'm going to introduce you to our second world-renowned financial expert, because now that you understand where your money is going, I want to turn to our next financial expert who's going to talk about, okay, with the money that you have, right? There are 4 buckets, only 4, that you need to think about when it comes to where you put your money.

And when he explains it this way, you're going to immediately exhale because he's going to simplify this so much. You're not going to want to miss this. So don't go anywhere. And while you take a listen to our extraordinary sponsors, copy the link to this episode and drop it in your family group chat. Share this with somebody who is so stressed about money, who's always worried about money. Maybe somebody who lost a job. This episode is the lifeline and the playbook they need. All right. Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with rule number 2, the best money advice you will ever hear when we return. So stay with me. Welcome back. It's your friend Mel Robbins. And today you and I are learning from 4 world-renowned financial experts and we're getting the best money advice you will ever hear. Now, you and I just spent time with Tiffany Aliche and she explained how to make a money list so you can stop guessing about where your money's going and get clear about what's coming in, what's going in and what's going out. And she also helped you think about whether or not you have an earning problem or a spending problem.

Okay, now that we have a clear idea of where things are and we feel a little bit more in control, let's build on that clarity with Ramit Sethi. Ramit is a New York Times bestselling author and one of the most trusted money experts in the world. He is also the host of How to Get Rich on Netflix. And he has such incredible and empowering approach to money because he simplifies the topic of what to do with your money and helps make it so easy to understand. Ramit says that there's only 4 buckets that you need to understand when it comes to your money, and he's gonna share those with you right now. And here's what I love about this. Once you understand what these 4 buckets are and why they matter when it comes to taking control of your finances, You're gonna feel empowered. One of the things that you're gonna love in particular is that one of these buckets helps you spend money on things that you love guilt-free. So in this next clip from the Mel Robbins Podcast, you're gonna hear Ramit explain these 4 buckets. But before he does, he's gonna talk about an important issue because once you follow Tiffany Aliche's advice and you understand whether you have a spending problem, or you have an earning problem and you take some of the steps to stop all the unnecessary spending, which of course makes you have more money to play with, Ramit says you might be surprised by how much money you have left over.

And that means you're going to be ready to understand exactly what to do with it now that you see that you have it. So let's take a listen. To Ramit Sethi when he last appeared on the Mel Robbins podcast.

You will be quite surprised that a lot of people discover they have more money than they actually realized once they go on offense with their personal finances.

Oh wow. Okay, so what are the 4 things that we all need to go through?

Everybody needs these 4 numbers. These are all part of my conscious spending plan. The first is your fixed costs. Okay, so that would include your rent or mortgage.

Yep.

Your utilities, car payment, gas, insurance, anything that's fixed, even groceries every month, that goes there.

And what about the minimum debt payment, or is that part of another category?

Yeah, yeah, that's, that counts there. Exactly.

Thank you. Okay.

And that number, you should try to get it between 50 to 60% of your take-home pay. Okay.

Okay.

Let me, let me run through these all and then I'll tell you what they mean. 50 to 60% of your take-home pay for fixed costs. Next up, your savings. How much money are you saving every month? This should be roughly 5 to 10% of your take-home, and savings would be an emergency fund or money you don't need for at least 1 to 5 years. Things like a down payment for a house, etc. Next up would be investments. Roughly 5 to 10% of take-home, although I like to see it higher because investing early in life pays dividends later.

Okay. And then little shame for Mel Robbins, did not invest early in life. Just wanted to acknowledge that when you said that, 'cause yeah, I mean, look, people say that, I'm like, I didn't do that. Okay.

Well, I wish I started deadlifting when I was 13 years old, but I didn't even know what that was, you know? So we all start from the place we start at.

That's true.

Okay. The last category is my favorite one of all. It's guilt-free spending. And this is 20 to 35% of take-home pay.

What?

Yeah, that's right. Desserts. Mel, go get them. Beautiful cashmere coat. That's for me. Go get them. You want to go— you want to get roller skates. You want to go to your gym. 20 to 35% of take-home. Now let me tell you why I love this and why I'm getting excited about 4 numbers. Okay, so many of us shrink our lives and we agonize over some stupid $5 purchase. You really think coffee is going to change your life? It's irrelevant. It does not matter how much coffee you buy. So please stop thinking about that. The same people who agonize, go, oh, I'm so overwhelmed. I don't know anything. I go, what's your savings rate? They go, what's that? How much are you investing? Well, I try, but I don't really know. Okay, how are you supposed to feel not overwhelmed if you don't know any key numbers? So know the 4 numbers and you will suddenly feel totally in control. Some of you aren't gonna be able to hit these numbers. That's okay. At least we can work with it. We got the puzzle pieces on the table. Now we can start assembling your rich life.

Wow. Okay. I, I think I can do this. So you just like carve out some time on the weekend and get your arms around these 4 things.

Yeah.

Which should take 15 minutes. Do not overthink it.

No, I, I think it's gonna take me a while. Really? It takes 15 minutes?

Yeah.

But here's what, here's what people, how do you do it? You know, Because the biggest challenge is people don't have the right logins. So their logins are spread all over. They got their Fidelity account or some old 401(k) or whatever. So I would recommend breaking it up into 2 days.

Okay.

The first day is just get all your stuff assembled.

Love it.

It's like cleaning the garage. And then the second day, 15 minutes and done. Do not overthink it.

Okay.

We're going for approximate numbers.

Okay.

That's it.

I love you. I love you, love you, love you. You have that— what is it, the 85% rule? Get 85% of this right. You're good.

Get, yeah, get on with your life. You don't need to sit there and optimize everything. It's a waste of time.

And I also love this because like it can feel so insurmountable when you've made major financial mistakes in your life.

Yeah.

That this gives you a place to start that you can then start to get better from. And, and I just actually had a huge wake-up moment. The fact that I can't answer those numbers like that at this stage in my life. For me, it used to be because of fear and shame and how bad the numbers were. I used to be one of those people that the bills would arrive and I would just not open them.

Yeah, common.

And because it was confronting to see the debt and confronting to see how much I had spent because I was, you know, basically shopping to escape my life with money that I didn't have. And then you'd open up the bills and be like, I don't have that money. and so I, it used to be that, but I think now that I've paid off all the debt and I have savings and I've, you know, maniacally saving, mm-hmm. I don't look at it at all still.

Okay. Let's, let's talk about a couple things that are so interesting about what you just said. I love the honesty. All of us have something in our lives that we are we feel like we should be doing better.

Mm-hmm.

And we kind of push the envelopes away. And I deeply understand this because for me it was fitness. And I grew up half joking, calling myself a skinny Indian guy. And I really wish I had not said that because it became part of my identity.

Mm.

And you know, if, if any of us say something like, I'm bad with money, I would gently encourage you to not say that. Maybe reframe it and say, gosh, I haven't learned the skills of money yet, but I'm changing that now.

This is so important. If you just heard Ramit say, I'm bad with money, I want you to pay attention loud and clear because he's absolutely right. Or if you say something like, I, I don't understand, it's overwhelming.

Yeah, I'm not good with math.

I'm not good with math. What are other things that your students say, Ramit, that really crystallize a terrible psychology around money?

Uh, my family's never been good with money. We're all bad. Um, I'm never gonna get out of this debt. Um, we always fight about money and I'm just an overspender.

Or my husband. Yeah. Took care of the finances.

Oh, classic. Oh, that drives me insane. Hold on, I'm getting mad, but I got— I'm getting mad at multiple things right now, so let me take them each in turn. Okay. First off, um, what you said about not opening envelopes is totally common, but what I do want and what I do for myself is I spend 1 hour per month on my finances. That's it. Just 1 hour. I review the CSP. My wife and I talk about money.

Hold on. The CSP was that conscious spending plan of the 4 things.

So all those things, when you have money carved out for guilt-free spending, it is literally defined so that if you want to eat and get an extra cheesecake, or you want to go to the movies, like you don't have to feel guilty because you know my debt is being paid off, my rent or mortgage is being covered. I'm even saving money. I'm not trying to save money, just like I don't try to brush my teeth. It is happening automatically. It's even better than brushing. If you're listening, I hope that's a sense of relief that you don't have to feel bad about having debt. You do not have to track a gajillion numbers that you don't even care about. You do, and I would highly encourage you to focus on 4 key numbers that will totally transform your life.

Holy cow. Ramit is full of incredible advice, and I'm sure as you were listening, you're like, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. And I want to remind you, the link to that complete episode is in the show notes if you want to dig in deeper. But let's focus on what he said. There are 4 buckets, and that's the only thing that we need to worry about right now. And these buckets are so important that I want to list them off one more time for you to make sure you really got this rule of understanding where your money needs to go once you understand how much money you have. So first bucket, fixed costs. That's rent, mortgage, utilities, insurance, car payment, minimum debt payments, groceries. These are the things that you have to pay. And I also want to remind you of what you learned from Tiffany Aliche, that there are all sorts of these silly things that you do not need in your fixed budget, like glass containers on Amazon that we are all buying. They feel like a necessity. They are not. Fixed budget, very black and white. It is the things you must pay and cannot live without.

That's bucket 1. Bucket 2, savings. That's your emergency fund, plus the money that you may need in the next 1 to 5 years if you got some big goals like wanting to make a down payment for an apartment or a house. Bucket number 3, investments. That means long-term investing, retirement, 401(k), IRA, brokerage accounts. And by the way, if you're thinking, Mel, I can barely pay my bills. I can't even think about savings. The next expert that you're going to meet is going to teach you an amazing rule around how you can start saving now, even if you're living paycheck to paycheck or working an hourly job. This is a genius trick you're going to love. And that fourth bucket, guilt-free spending. This is money set aside to enjoy your life. So that while you're working hard to pay off your bills, to put away savings, you're not depriving and punishing yourself. This is the bucket that allows you to buy those glass containers on Amazon if it makes you happy. Because I remember when my husband and I were nearly $1 million in debt, it was all one big glob of shame and stress. I felt like I couldn't spend money on anything, and I mean anything, even on things that brought me joy.

The fact is that if I had had a clear plan, if I had made a minimum payment, if I had gotten my life in order faster by having a target that I could hit, understanding how long it was gonna take, I would've seen that I had an extra $20 to $50 every month to work with, money that I could use to go to the movies or go get a latte with a friend or take the kids to the half day, you know, Admissions Day at the zoo in Boston. But I lived in such a state of overwhelm because I didn't understand that there were these 4 buckets. So every single dollar felt like life or death and that it had to go towards paying off debt. I felt like I had to say no to everyone and everything, including myself, because my only priority was debt, debt, debt. God, I wish I had had this framework back then, because if I had had these 4 buckets, these 4 numbers, I would have had a very clear picture of the debt I was in, a realistic plan and timeframe for paying it off, and a way to build a life and small pockets of money to still enjoy my life at the same time.

Because when you're in a situation of crushing debt, you start to believe that unless you get to a zero balance, you don't deserve to spend money on anything else. And that's the trap. And that's why I love this framework, because when you've made major financial mistakes like my husband and I have, money feels impossible. And this second rule gives you a place to start and a way to take control step by step by step. Now, I promised that we were going to talk about how to save. How do you save when you're living paycheck to paycheck? And when we come back, that's exactly what we're gonna teach you to do. We're on to rule number 3 with David Bach, who is the author of 10 New York Times bestsellers. This is a man who has dedicated his life to helping people. He's globally renowned for this concept called the Automatic Millionaire, and he will teach you exactly what to do. I'm talking the tiniest of decisions that can help you start saving right now, even if you only have an hourly wage, even if you're living paycheck to paycheck. David Bach will teach you this technique he's taught to millions of people, and it will change your financial life and your future forever.

Stay with me. We'll be right back. Welcome back. It's your friend Mel Robbins. Today, you and I you and I are taking control of our financial life with the help of 4 world-renowned financial experts. This is the best money advice you will ever hear, broken down into 4 easy-to-follow rules. Now, we just covered rule number 1 from Tiffany Aliche and rule number 2 from Ramit Sethi, where he broke down the 4 buckets you need to know when it comes to your money. And one of those buckets is savings. And because this is one of the most asked about topics as it relates to money, I wanted to dive even deeper into savings with very tactical insights and specific things you need to do from David Bach, who is going to make this part of your financial life feel doable. And I mean, even if you're starting from zero, you've never saved a dollar, David is one of the most respected voices in personal finance for over 30 years. He's the author of 10 New York Times bestselling books, including the smash hit The Automatic Millionaire. His books have sold over 7 million copies. They have been printed in 21 languages, and he has made a career out of helping millions of people just like you and me get out of debt, build real wealth, and stop making the mistakes that are holding you back.

And here's why I love David. I love David because He has this way of just meeting you where you are. And although a lot of you want savings advice, you also find yourself feeling like you have no money to save because you're barely getting by. And right now everything costs more. Just think about the price of gas and how that's rippling through the price of groceries or buying the small luxuries like a plane ticket or trying to do something fun over the weekend. Buying a house right now probably feels completely out of reach. If you're falling behind or if there are people in your life who are struggling, what I love about David Bach in this third rule that you're about to learn is that he makes saving feel possible even when you're starting from what feels like an impossible place. He is going to show you how small daily savings can accumulate into millions of dollars over time. Yes, millions. And he will also explain why it's never too late to start or to catch up. And one thing I want to just set up before we jump into this moment from his appearance on the Mel Robbins podcast, as he's talking, I want you to imagine that David Bach is holding $10,000 in cash in his hand, because he is.

He brought $10,000 in cash to the studio. So let's take a listen to David Bach when he was on the Mel Robbins podcast and shared Rule Number 3 and this incredible advice.

A lot of people right now are missing hope when it comes to their money, which is impacting their life.

Mm.

So I believe that nobody should be left behind when it comes to money. That's why I've spent 30 years of my life teaching people about money. And so the challenge right now in this country, honestly, Mel, We're leaving people behind in this country right now. 7 out of 10 people are being left behind because they're living paycheck to paycheck.

Wait, 7 out of 10 people in the United States live paycheck to paycheck?

Stop for a moment and take that in, because that means if you're driving down a street and there's 10 houses, 7 of those 10 are living paycheck to paycheck. So if you're living paycheck to paycheck, if you've got credit card debt, you maybe have student loans and you don't have hope. I promise you will see the light at the end of the tunnel. Compound interest is the 8th miracle of the world. That's what Einstein said. So I actually brought a prop for us.

Okay.

Okay. Went to the bank yesterday, kind of shocked them.

Wow. How much money is that?

For those of you who are listening and you can't see me, how much money would you guess that is, by the way?

Uh, are— what are— where are those?

This is real money.

That's real money. I have no idea how much money. I mean, I don't know. That's a couple thousand dollars.

So interestingly, so I'm holding $10,000. You're holding $10,000?

$10,000.

$10,000 in real cash. This is a very important amount of money I'm holding here for many reasons that people will probably understand. When we've done surveys and we have asked people how much money would change your life, the number one answer has been $10,000, which is fascinating, right? It's not $100,000, it's not a million, it's $10,000. And usually the reason is it would help them either pay off their credit card debt or give them enough financial freedom to leave their job or a relationship they don't want to stay in.

Got it. So $10,000 buys freedom from a job or a relationship for many people.

Buys freedom. Now here's the really interesting question.

Okay.

How much money does it take to blow $10,000 in a year? A day? How much money you have to spend a day to blow $10,000? So I'm holding a brick here of 10 grand.

Okay.

A lot of people would like this brick.

Yes.

It's $27.40 a day.

Wait a minute. $27.40 a day is $10,000.

Okay. Now, what happens, Mel, if you invest $27.40 a day? This explains compound interest. If you invest— and if you invest $27.40 a day and you're in your 20s, and you do this until for 40 years at a 10% rate of return, which is what the stock market has averaged for 100 years, you use that fund I told you about, the VTI fund, you'd have $4,424,000.

Say that again.

If you invested $27.40 a day, which comes out to $10,000 a year, in 40 years you'd have $4,424,000. That's a fortune. Now, the question is, are there people who are blowing $27.40 a day on stupid shit?

Yes.

Yes.

Every one of us.

Well, probably there are people listening there like, I'm not. But there are people— there are a lot of us doing it, right? Because everything's so expensive now, it takes nothing to blow $27.40 a day.

Now, give me examples of how you can find that money, because I think when you feel— having been somebody that not only was in paycheck to paycheck for a decade, but then was in a situation where I had no money and was in massive amounts of debt. But when you're in paycheck to paycheck, where can you find the 20? Give me some examples of where it's hidden.

You, you've gotta go through your lifestyle, right? I mean, everything today is about convenience, right? So people are getting food delivered to them every single day. They're, they're not really paying attention to what that's costing. People are taking Ubers every single day. I mean, there's just, you gotta look at your own lifestyle. Everybody's got something that they're wasting small amounts of money on. People don't think like, if I spend $5 a day on something, that's $150 a month. That's well over $1,000 a year. It's $5, right? But if you're spending again, $27.40, it's $10,000. I've done podcasts in the past, in the past where I've talked about a 100-day savings challenge.

All right, let's do a 100-day savings challenge. What is that?

The 100-day financial challenge that I have for people is this, especially people who do not have $1,000 in savings, because there's a lot of people who don't have $1,000 in savings. So for 100 days, save $10 a day.

Where am I putting it? In a savings account?

Literally, you, for, you just start off by putting it in a jar in your house, but you could put in a savings account, right? Save like my grandmother, where she put the money in a, in a coffee can. Save for 100 days.

And what—

pick anything, it could be a dollar, just to prove to yourself.

I actually like the idea of putting it in a jar because you can see it and then you're like, oh, I'm doing it. Yeah.

So go and think about your life and see, is— am I— is it— am I wasting $27 a day? $27.40 a day on something?

I guarantee you I am, because I guarantee you there are subscriptions I don't even know about that are draining out of my bank account every month that probably add up to $27 a day.

So I'll tell you a classic story. This is, this is a really funny story actually. One of my first book signings I did for The Automatic Millionaire was in New York City at Barnes Noble. So I do the book, so I do the book event, right? Mm-hmm. And then, and then I take questions from my audience and this woman stands up and she's like, David, I love you. I've read all your books. I've read Smart Women Finish Rich, Smart Couples Finish Rich. I got the Finishers Workbook and I'm gonna get The Automatic Millionaire. And she says, but you haven't written the book that I need. And I go, oh, well, all my book titles for the most part have come from readers. What do you need? And she goes, I need Start Late, Finish Rich. Ooh. And the room cracked up. And I'm like, okay, I hadn't thought about that, but how old are you? And she says, I'm, I think, I think she was in her 50s.

Okay.

And I said, okay, well, let me ask you a question. I go, are you married? She said, yes, I am. I said, So my question to you would be, could you save $20 a day more than what you're saving? Could you save $20 a day more? She's like, yeah, I could. I said, could your husband save $20 a day? She goes, I would make him. Everybody laugh, right? I go, all right, so that's a lot of money actually. That's $40 a day between the two of you. If you just put that in— I gave her an example of a mutual fund and invested that for the next 15 years, here's what could be worth.

Worth?

And the answer was it could be worth close to $500,000.

Wow.

And she's like, okay, so I could— so you're telling me that I could catch up a little? Like, I could catch up a little bit, right? I go, let's just play this out. It's 65. Is it better to have $500,000 or have nothing? She's like, it's much better to have $500,000. I said, great, so start with the $20 a day. She's like, okay, I can do that.

Right?

'Cause that's the whole thing. You gotta figure out what can you do? Yes. Some people who are listening to me right now can do more than $20 a day.

Yes.

You gotta come up with what can you do? But you, but here's a big thing. Your 50s are a beautiful time to save and invest and catch up.

I love that David explains things the way that he does. I mean, as you listen to him and he's so passionate, and the other thing that I love about him, don't you believe him? You believe him because he has spent 3 decades helping people just like you and me do this. That's why he's so passionate. He knows, It works. And don't you want to do this? Don't you want to take advantage of compound interest? Of course you do. Don't you want to automate this? Of course you do. And I really hope you follow this advice. Now, here's the thing. After hearing rule number 3 and listening to this incredible recommendation from David Bach, I know the number 1 question that you're going to write to me about, you're going to put in the comments wherever it is that you're listening or watching this podcast right now. And that question is going to be, Mel, how do I possibly automate savings when I am paycheck to paycheck? He said $20 a day. I can't do $20 a day when I just do the advice of Tiffany Aliche. When I divide what I have into these 4 buckets, you know what I got, Mel, for savings?

I got pocket change. What do I do when I just have pocket change left after my fixed costs? Great question. David Bach has a recommendation. So here he is explaining that you and I live in what's called the automatic economy. Basically, if you don't have a plan for your pocket change, someone else is going to steal it. And he's also going to recommend some savings apps that weren't even around a decade ago when my husband and I were crawling out of debt, living paycheck to paycheck. These are savings apps that can help you start saving automatically today, even if you're talking about nickels. Quarters, or a dollar. And David Bach will tell you, just taking control of that tiny amount of change in your pocket, it will immediately make you feel better and more in control about your money. So let's take a listen to David Bach explaining what is the automatic economy that we're living in and how do you start automatically saving when you're struggling to make the ends meet. Let's take a listen to David's appearance on the Mel Robbins podcast.

So let me tell you what's really going on in this economy, because this is probably the most important thing you're going to hear in this podcast.

Okay.

We are living in what I call now an automatic economy.

Automatic, automatic economy. Okay. Okay.

An automatic economy either makes you rich or it keeps you poor. And there are a lot of people, Mel, right now becoming rich. In fact, we're going into a decade where I believe more wealth will be created in the next decade than in any time in our lifetime.

Really?

100%. There's two escalators to wealth in America. Okay. Because the system's rigged. You need to hear this, especially young people. Okay. There's two escalators to wealth. They are real estate and stocks. You have to own real estate and you have to own stocks. And this market's now more rigged than it's ever been. And when I say rigged, what I mean is Everything in our country is designed for those two asset classes to go higher. All the tax laws, all the incentives, all the opportunities that exist are for, for investors. If you are not an investor, you are being left behind faster than you've ever been left behind. Anyone who's in their 20s today can start investing their change.

That's true.

You can start investing literally today. You can open an app like Acorns and be investing. Your change every time you spend money. You can be investing a dollar at a time in diversified portfolios. You can click a button at almost no cost. And that was not true 20 years ago. 20 years ago, it was hard to sometimes become an investor with a small amount of money. Today, with technology, the whole playing field's been democratized.

What are some of the biggest mistakes that people make when it comes to money that keep them stuck?

Okay, number one, when it comes to money, you either have a plan for your money or someone else has a plan for your money.

Oh, what do you mean?

So, so like, like, let that sit for a second. Either you have a plan for your money or someone else has a plan for your money. Lots of people have a plan for your money. The automatic economy is driven by your phone, okay? That phone that we hold all day long is a money magnet. Think about that as a money magnet. What do I mean by that? That means this tool is either helping you build wealth or it's taking wealth away from you.

Oh, hold on.

So the phone is either helping you build wealth or it's taking money away from you. And by the way, in both cases, it's automatic. So what's happening today, there's never been greater technology ever in the history of our lifetime to separate you from your wealth. But nobody wants to separate you, Mel, from your wealth. Want. They want to separate you from your wealth for your lifetime. They call it the lifetime value of a customer. Okay, so when I bring you into whatever I'm selling you, I don't want you to buy from me once. I want you to buy from me on subscription level. I want you to be paying me, whether— everybody, think about Netflix, the gym, every single service, your vitamins, your creams, your lotions, and your potions. Everyone's got you signed up to pay them automatically. If you go through, open up your credit cards, or someone, one of your people in your office already told me they did this, use a system like Monarch.

Yep.

Uh, or YNAB, right? These are different software systems where you can track all of your expenses and you can see who are you paying monthly. People have lost touch with how many people are attached to their paychecks.

Oh, when he said this, on his appearance on the Mel Robbins podcast. I felt like the money creepers were coming from the grave to steal my money from my pocket. Didn't you? I remember the second this interview was over, I picked up the phone and called Chris and was like, we have to get control of our money. And I was shocked by the number of subscriptions that I was paying for that I wasn't even using. I had no idea that I was still paying for it. And that's why it's so important for you to hear this. And it loops all the way back to Tiffany and Lecce's money, that if you do step 1 and you get a handle on where is your money going, this is what David's talking about. It's going to the automatic economy. And if you're not aware and you're not specific and you're not looking at the money that you have and being intentional about it, taking control of it, if you don't have a plan for your money, someone else is going to steal it from you. This is a huge wake-up call. But I also love that he gave you practical strategies for how to start saving now and why it matters.

So daily choices, they set you up for a better future. So here's your simple question for the next week. Just notice your small spending, the subscriptions you forgot about, Delivery fees, convenience spending, like getting Uber Eats instead of walking or driving to pick up your takeout. Those little, ah, it's only a— Then choose one tiny action. Cancel one subscription or download the app like Acorns. In fact, there's a couple sponsors that offer free apps that help you identify subscriptions and cancel them. I mean, anything that helps you take control, stop somebody from just draining the money from your paycheck, and build a little breathing room. Even if it's $5, even if it's $1 today, it sets you on the right track to save more. And then you can accumulate compound interest, which is how you can grow your savings easily, effectively, and automatically. So David just gave you the 8th wonder of the world. Which is compound interest. He also gave you kind of a cold bucket of water in the face about the importance of really getting a handle on who's taking your money because you live in the automatic economy. He also gave you strategies to start saving pennies on the dollar every day.

Tiffany gave you the budget. She gave you the question: do I need to earn more, or do I have a spending problem? Ramit gave you the 4 buckets. But here's the thing, I realize we have to go a layer deeper because you just got the tactics and the math and the buckets and exactly what to do. Now we gotta change the way you think about your life and you think about money. We gotta change your mindset. And that's why I wanted to introduce you to Morgan Housel. Now, when Morgan Housel appeared on the Mel Robbins podcast, There were so many listeners from around the world that wrote in saying, I am forever changed. And I can tell you, Morgan is unlike any other expert we've ever had on the Mel Robbins Podcast. Morgan Housel is the bestselling author of The Psychology of Money and one of the most trusted financial thinkers in the world. His insights are really profound because it's not about what to do with your money. It shifts entirely how you view the role that money plays in creating a fulfilling life. So let's take a listen to New York Times bestselling author of The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel, when he appeared on the Mel Robbins podcast and taught us how to shift our mindsets and your expectations and how that helps you take control of your financial life.

What happens with expectations for a lot of people is, look, if I said I want to be a 10% better dad. That's a good goal. But what does that mean? What does that even mean? How do I track that? How do I measure? That's impossible. But if I said I want— I'm living in a one-bedroom apartment and I want a two-bedroom apartment, that makes sense. If I said I want 3 new pairs of jeans, that's easy to wrap your head around. Money is so quantifiable. It's so easy to just say, right now I'm making $20 an hour. I want to get to $25. I can measure it so quickly that it becomes this thing where we chase money because it's so easy to measure. And we chase spending because it's so easy to contextualize. And so if you don't have a good idea of what a good life looks like, it's very easy to just say a good life is one in which I have more money because it's so much easier to understand than how can I become a better dad? How can I be a better parent, a better spouse, a better friend, a better worker?

That's hard to wrap your head around. Will Smith had this great— I thought it was so astute and profound. He wrote this in his biography. He said when he was depressed and poor, He could tell himself, if only I had more money, all my problems would go away. And that gave him hope. I just need to go out and make more money. And once I have more money, all of my depression, all of my doubts will go away. And then he became rich and he was still depressed. And then he said he lost hope because he couldn't say, if only I had more money. And so we chase money because it's so easy to wrap our heads around, and we chase it with the idea that it's the solution to all of our problems, even if it can solve some problems, but not the biggest ones. The hole that you're trying to fill, the psychological hole that you're trying to fill, is probably not gonna be filled with money.

So the takeaway that I've got from what you just shared, which is much deeper, is to ask yourself is, what is the hole that money is trying to fill for me?

Yes.

And are there things that I can do right now in terms of redefining what it means in my 20s or my 60s to be a good friend or to have a good life or to take better care of myself that don't involve hitting myself over the head about my financial life.

Exactly. That's it.

Got it.

The first step is realizing that a lot of your money woes and a lot of what you're feeling in terms of falling behind and a lot of your gap between what you have and what you want is solely a factor of your expectations. Because I think the pull is so profound in our heads that if only I had more money, these problems would go away. It seems like, how could that not be true? And I think the people who have experienced it would say, no, it can be true, just much than you thought.

What if you don't think you're good with money though? Like, so, because, because for a long time I had a story in my head, I'm just not good with money. Like, I'm bad with money. And let's say you're somebody who's gone through a divorce, you're financially wrecked, you gave all the power to your partner, now you're starting over. Can anyone get good with money for real?

You can if you want to. And I think the people who say I'm not good with money don't want to be. That's— they use that as their excuse to say—

come on, really?

I think that they use that as their excuse This is not a difficult thing to wrap your head around. This is very basic arithmetic. Spend less money than you make, save the difference, be patient. That's, that's it. This is what we're talking about. You can explain this to a 5-year-old. And so if you're saying, I'm not good with money, it's you're making a choice to not get better.

Wow.

I wanted to end his clip there, and I'm gonna tell you why. The reason why is he is so matter of fact, and I wanna repeat some of the words that he said to you. This is not a difficult thing to wrap your head around. This is very basic arithmetic. Spend less money than you make. That's Tiffany Aliche. Save the difference, which is Ramit and David Bach. Be patient. That's compound interest. Those were all the tactics. And I also wanted you to hear him be very blunt with because while it sounded harsh, he was telling you the truth. If you're saying, I'm not good with money, you're making a choice to not get better. You are listening to this episode, you are sharing this episode with family members, with your spouse, with people that you care about because you want to get better. You now have a roadmap for exactly what to do to start spending less money than you make, saving the difference, and being patient. That is the advice that has been around since the beginning of time. It's boring and it works. You can get good with money. You can do this.

And you've invested all this time to listen up until this point, so I know you want to. And I hope you heard the last thing he said, because he just put into words something that most of us never realize that we're doing. That you turn money into a scoreboard for a good life. When money becomes a scoreboard, you can never win because there's always someone with more money. So here's the takeaway. Your money stress isn't only about what you have. It is about the gap between what you have and where you are right now and what you think you should have compared to other people. If you don't define what a happy, content life is for you right now, your brain will turn money and chasing money and buying things into something that you will never actually reach because you will keep moving the goalpost. You will keep feeling behind. You will keep seeing everyone else and everything that they have as more, better, something that you're missing, and you'll keep chasing a number instead of starting where you are, doing the 3 simple things that you've just learned that you need to do, and then following this 4th rule and flipping your mind around money and use the money that you have to start building a life that you're proud of where you are.

So here is the assignment. Finish this sentence right now. Enough for me is— and maybe for you it's enough for me is bills paid on time. Enough for me is no missed credit card payments. Enough for me is $1,000 saved over the next 6 months. Enough for me is contributing to retirement or opening up one of those apps and starting to save change. Enough for me is I can take my kids on a trip this weekend without guilt. Enough for me is I can buy myself something without guilt because I know where my money is. Enough for me is following the advice on this podcast and giving myself a pat on the back because I, for the first time in years, sat down on a Saturday or a Sunday and spent half a day following all this expert advice, and now I actually feel a lot better. Once you define enough based on where you are, money stops being a measure of your worth and it becomes what it was always supposed to be: a tool. A tool for peace, for options, a tool that gives you back time, a tool for the people you love, And because of everything that you've learned in this episode from these 4 amazing financial experts, that's what you can achieve.

And I wanna make sure that you have all of these takeaways at your fingertips that our extraordinary experts taught you today. So let's just go through them. First, rule number 1, you cannot change what you will not look at. So start taking control by following Tiffany Aliche's guidance on creating a money list. It will help you understand where your money is going. And I want you to be honest with yourself, whether you have a, I don't make enough money, or if your problem is I spend too much money. Second, the second rule came from Ramit, know your 4 buckets. He taught you about the numbers, these 4 buckets that money fall into, and that simplifying your money into these 4 buckets is the fastest way to stop guessing, to be intentional, and to feel in control of what you got. And those 4 buckets are very simple: fixed costs, savings, investments, and guilt-free spending. And third, David taught you about the 8th wonder of the world, compound interest, and how tiny daily automatic choices create massive outcomes in the future. He also taught you about the fact that you live in the automatic economy, which is why you need a plan.

Because if you don't have a plan for your money, someone else is going to have a plan for stealing your money. And you don't need a perfect plan. You need a consistent one. Whether you're starting to save $1 a day, $5 a day, $10 a day, $20 a day, it doesn't matter. The amount isn't the point. The habit is. And I loved his specific recommendations on how you can achieve this regardless of how little or much you make and make it automatic. And the fourth rule: define enough for yourself. Because if you don't, you will chase money forever and you will never have enough. Comparing yourself to others, chasing money, chasing things that you need to buy, it steals your happiness and it keeps you feeling overwhelmed, stuck, and dissatisfied. If you can learn how to be content and happy where you are by defining what enough is for you right now, you create happiness and control. Starting today. And if you need more support, I'm gonna remind you that the links to all 4 of these incredible episodes with these world-renowned experts are linked right in the show notes along with all the resources we discuss in this episode.

I promise you, they are so worth your time. No matter what your relationship with money is, no matter what your balances are in the bank, how long it's been since you've opened up the banking app or never at all, Regardless of what you are dealing with, these experts are here to help you feel more powerful and in control and to give you the step-by-step plan to build the life you want using money as a tool. And if no one else has told you this today, as your friend, I wanted to be sure to tell you that I love you and I believe in you, and I believe in your ability to create a better life. And there's no doubt in my mind that if you take absolutely everything that you learned today, these 4 rules from these amazing world-renowned experts, and you put it into practice, like for real, not for money's sake, but for your sake, for a more meaningful life's sake, I promise you, you can do this and you will start feeling better the second you do. All righty. I'll see you in the very next episode. I'll be waiting for you there the moment you hit play.

Okay, great. It was the French fries, everybody. We put pickles on them. Green for money. I did not follow any of the rules about mindful eating over lunch, but— Yeah, it's exactly— Great. You ready, Ben? Awesome. Okay. You know, of course, here comes a frog in the throat right when we're about to start. Let's hit it with some honey.

Really?

It's just honey. Okay, here we go. Yep. Hold on a second. Let me get up. Is it Chris? Like, who's here? Are you hearing it, Jesse? That's how we do it, people. Okay. Oh, and one more thing. And no, this is not a blooper. This is the legal language. You know what the lawyers write and what I need to read to you. This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. I'm just your friend. I am not a licensed therapist, and this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Got it? Good. I'll see you in the next episode. SiriusXM Podcasts.