I wonder if her being analytical is what led to Ramit labeling them as mechanical? Because I didn’t get the sense at all that she was mechanical about money (even though she said her big takeaway was that she was mechanical - I didn’t get that at all). It seemed to me Ramit made this leap from “His spreadsheet bores me” to being “Mechanical about money.” I honestly didn’t think we knew enough about her to put any labels on her money management style. Maybe that means I’m mechanical about money?
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All good points!!! I didn’t really have a sense of how they operate around money in general, other than the money meetings.
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this gets to me because once again Gavin has picked up a person & framework that he thinks will solve everything (just like MMM before) - it’s a pendulum swing
Gavin is I’ve done x and y and z - please validate me and give me a gold star at how well I’m following your perfect program.
called it. but that of course isn’t part of Ramit’s narrative of learning to spend, or why Carolyn acts the way she does around money. Or even that Gavin has flip flopped around how she should behave (spend too much! not willing to spend!) because he has a new mancrush.
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Gavin is more self aware than Ramit is aware of other people.
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Bahhahahha. This is so spot on. I’m always kind of puzzled by people like this who can’t seem to think for themselves but then easily get swept into other people’s ideas/identities/ideologies. It really is like he wants a gold star on his report card or something. I think in his case he needs better values when it comes to money. Like, I would have asked:
What do you think the impact is for your kids to see you condescending to their mom? Is the $3 savings worth that to you?
Why do you gravitate towards money gurus to tell you how to make decisions? Would you blankly take someone’s advice at work or in other areas of your life?
What are three big takeaways you’ve gotten from looking at Carolyn’s spreadsheet?
When you do all the meal planning and shopping what are some strategies you use to keep costs low?
When you’re dead, what do you hope your kids say about how you behaved with money while you were alive?
Why didn’t you believe Carolyn when she told you tipping in hotels was expected? Do you think you dismiss other correct things she says? What might that feel like to her?
Like there’s a way to ask things so that someone has realizations or pushes back against them which can be just as illuminating. Not just like, “Wow, great job Gavin, you tried to set up a money meeting and were a total asshole about it but good boy for trying and bringing a drink to the table. A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR GAVIN!!!”
Honestly, if I were Gavin I’d be super insulted by the low standards.
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The living abroad in Germany gave me US military vibes, although it could be anything. And the shift to Carolyn earning more after a move makes me think he’s retiring from the military? Just a theory.
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That would explain a lot of the heirarchical authoritarian tendencies, too…
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Hello, I’d like to subscribe to the AllHat Asks The Questions Podcast, please?
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10/10 Perfect name for it too 
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Haha same! At this point I think I’ve squeezed all the use I can from Ramit’s POV, so I’m only listening to read @AllHat’s review after!
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This makes sense: it seems like they must have had kids young too, so it checks out.
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I want to listen to another money podcast with y’all. Is there something similar to IWTYTBR where it’s one POV of a published personal finance guru that we can really dig in with and learn stuff from? And also gossip about, of course lol. Is anyone else looking to mix it up a bit?
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Definitely!
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YES. Ive gotten all i can from Ramit.
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I am definitely less like Gavin in that I’m an idea magpie, taking shiny bits and pieces of ideas and Frankensteining my own ideology. From Ramit, I am taking away that my money goals should, where possible, come from a place of abundance and joy rather than fear and scarcity. So now I’m ready for something else to see what other new bits and bobs I can borrow!
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Interesting. I know typically military married and has kids young. Usually there’s a super strong economic and logistical push to get married, is there an incentive from the military itself to have kids, because that seems less in the US govts budgetary interest.
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Some ideas (I’ve never listened to these just heard of them):
Afford Anything
Mad Fientist
So Money
Brown Ambition
Suze Orman
How to Money
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Alrighty. Here are a few I’m interested in, but let me know if there are others you’ve been thinking about or listening to already that sound fun to do a group listen!
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Podcast - The Financial Diet
I have a personal love/hate relationship with The Financial Diet. interested in how it translates to a podcast. -
https://podcast.farnoosh.tv/
Tons of episodes but she’s interviewed Ramit. And, more importantly, Tim Gunn and Queen Latifah. But maybe we’d miss the “regular anonymous people” angle. -
Podcasts — Jill on Money
Might be less interesting re: gossip -
The Rich Dad Radio Show with Robert and Kim Kiyosaki
I’m interested in the husband/wife host duo–I often wonder what Ramit’s wife would say.
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Oooo, rich dad sounds promising, especially bc Ramit slammed this guy during one of the episodes.
OK! I’m going to say it in this thread since we’re eviscerating personal finance celebrities - if you look at Chelsea Fagan’s personal Twitter she has major post high school mean girl energy. Meaning she wasn’t cool enough to be a hs mean girl and is taking it out on society now. It’s like multiple years of her shtick and she does not seem to be growing or moving away from it. I hate it. Actually Financial Diet content is broadly fine in my opinion.
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