Dave Ramsey Says: 'You'll Never Win With Money While Paying Payments' – The Real Cost Of Debt

Dave Ramsey doesn’t sugarcoat when it comes to debt. In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), he said, "You're never going to win with money as long as you're paying payments." Plain and simple. Ramsey says it's no accident people are struggling with money. The system's designed to keep you in debt, and as long as you’re making payments, someone else is getting rich – just not you.

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In his Aug. 29 post, he didn't hold back. "Everyone else is getting rich with your money, and you're helping them," he wrote. He's calling it how he sees it. "THEY have a plan, and WE are just wandering around wondering why we're broke." According to Ramsey, so many people are stuck living paycheck to paycheck because they're playing by someone else's rules, and those rules are designed to keep you in debt.

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He paints a picture of what that looks like. You're on the hamster wheel, working hard, running nonstop, but getting nowhere. "You'll work your butt off and feel like a rat in a wheel," he says. As long as you're making payments – to banks, credit card companies, car loans – you'll never get ahead – end of story.

So, what's the fix? Ramsey says it's about using your most powerful wealth-building tool: your income. But if your money's all tied up in payments, you're just making everyone else rich instead of yourself.

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In a video on Jul. 3, he digs deeper. Ramsey says, "When you give your income to someone else, you don't have it anymore." And without it, you can't save, can't invest. That's why his advice is clear: stay out of debt.

He doesn't pull punches. Borrowing money for granite countertops or that fancy car? "Stupid," he says. In his book, there's no such thing as good debt. "The only good debt is paid-off debt," he wrote in one of his blogs.

At the heart of Ramsey's message? Taking control of your money. "It's time to break the cycle," he says. Getting out of debt is like unlocking your potential. Trying to build wealth while still paying off debt? It's like running a marathon with your feet chained. Time to cut those chains, according to Ramsey.

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Ramsey's approach is about living intentionally with your money. When payments do not tie you down, he says, you're free to invest, save, and build wealth.

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