A Tennessee man who followed Dave Ramsey's financial advice to the letter called back into “The Ramsey Show” recently with an update and a new problem he didn't see coming. After first speaking with Ramsey in 2019 at 22, he...
Adrian Volenik
9 min read
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A Tennessee man who followed Dave Ramsey's financial advice to the letter called back into “The Ramsey Show” recently with an update and a new problem he didn't see coming. After first speaking with Ramsey in 2019 at 22, he said he was told he could become a millionaire by 32. Instead, he got there even faster.
“You told me that if I did exactly what you said that I would be a millionaire by the time I was 32,” the caller, Landon, said. “And we were able to accomplish that by the time we were 28.”
Now worth just over $1 million, debt-free, and earning around $250,000 a year, Landon said his family are facing a deeply uncomfortable situation that has nothing to do with money. A man who recently moved in next door, after serving 20 years in prison for crimes involving children, has been watching his kids through the fence.
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“It really freaking sucks that I can’t let my kids in the backyard to play because he will watch them through the fence pickets,” Landon said.
The situation has pushed the family to consider moving, even though they just bought their home two years ago. Landon already owns 15 acres where he wants to build a new house, but the path forward isn't simple.
He laid out two main options: take out a construction loan to start building immediately and sell later, or sell now and rent temporarily while the new home is built. The second option would mean moving twice with two young children and a dog.
“I’m so nervous to make a dumb decision after what we’ve worked so hard for,” he said.
Instead of taking on a construction loan, Ramsey suggested a temporary solution that surprised the caller.
“Rent something for one year that’s ridiculously nice,” he said. “Go rent an $800,000 house.”
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The advice may sound counterintuitive for someone who has spent years avoiding debt and unnecessary expenses. But Ramsey emphasized that this situation is different.
“This is not a permanent decision. It’s a temporary decision,” he said. “It’s making an uncomfortable thing a double move fun.”
Because Landon has no debt and strong income, Ramsey argued that a short-term rental, even an expensive one, won't derail his long-term plan. In fact, it avoids the stress and cost of a construction loan while allowing the family to leave a troubling situation immediately.