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The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby

Confronting George Kamel on credit cards, student loans, and financial infidelity

The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby

Matt & Abby

Society & Culture

4.816.7K Ratings

🗓️ 11 March 2026

⏱️ 97 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

George and Whitney Kamel join Matt & Abby for an honest conversation about money, marriage, and what financial freedom actually looks like behind the scenes. Known from The Ramsey Show and Smart Money Happy Hour, George shares how he and Whitney followed the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps to pay off all their debt, eliminate their $165,000 mortgage in just 26 months, and reach millionaire status by age 32. They talk cutting up credit cards, renting vs. buying, why so many Americans feel stuck financially, and the real sacrifices required to become debt-free. We also answer listener questions about budgeting on one income, saving while paying off debt, and buying your first home, before putting George and Whitney to the test in a fun round of Agree to Disagree: Financial Edition. This episode is sponsored by Upwork, Little Spoon, Square, and Olipop. UPWORK: Visit https://Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. LITTLE SPOON: Give them meals + snacks that are actually right for where kids are developmentally—balanced, intentional and made to support real growth. Go to https://littlespoon.com/UNPLANNED30 and enter code UNPLANNED30 for 30% off your first order. SQUARE: Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/unplanned! #squarepod Chapters: 00:00 - George Kamel 02:17 - How we met 06:13 - Working for Dave Ramsey 07:42 - We got our wedding paid for 11:15 - Ramsey Solutions Baby Steps 22:08 - Getting out of debt 36:07 - Buying a house w/out a credit score 39:16 - Credit Cards 45:54 - Talking to our kids about finances 50:00 - How frugal are you really? 58:38 - Viewer questions 1:12:48 - Agree to Disagree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Thank you to Time for Learning for sponsoring this portion of today's episode. Schooling is one of the most important decisions you make for your children, and I'm really excited about the option time for learning. We are coming to that point where our kids are getting ready to enter pre-K, and there's all these decisions to make. And I love that we're in this day and age where there are so many options, but I'm also very overwhelmed by it. But I'm really excited about Time for Learning because they have everything you need to teach pre-K through 12th grade at home, but with all the core and elective classes offered in a traditional brick-and-mortar school. I love that option because you get the structure that you would like with a traditional school format, but with the personalized, intimate setting of homeschooling. And that's because Time for

0:37.6

Learning believes in harnessing the flexibility of homeschool to help families explore passions,

0:42.2

travel, and hobbies without the constraints of traditional school hours. It can also be used

0:46.1

for more than homeschooling. It is also used for school or summer learning to address learning

0:50.4

or maintain skills. It was created by experts for parents with over 1 million students served. Time for learning is also super user friendly. It can go on your computer or on your phone and they have really easy to read calendars for the day or the month. It also has a progress bar so you can see where your kids are at, what they've completed, and what they still have yet to do. I think it's a really, really great options for families that are looking for that flexibility and that nuance in their child's education. So if you're also curious if Time for Learning is right for your family, visit timeforlearning.com. That's Time Number 4 Learning.com to explore their curriculum and find the perfect plan for your student. You can get started with a monthly subscription to see just how much your kids enjoy learning on their own terms.

1:30.2

I think you should be able to go in debt for Disney to take your kids to Disney.

1:33.9

I didn't know I was talking to a Disney adult. I think it's the reason she had me on was to confront me. The reason people get divorced over money is because someone was hiding something, someone was controlling something. If you have total transparency, you have a shared bank account, it is so much harder to screw this out. Most people can knock out their consumer debt in 18 to 24 months if they get in tens. No saving, no investing, no vacations. But what if I want to go on vacation? Well, you pay so much to live in your house. So just think about it that way and treat it like a hotel. Today on Unplanned, we sat down with George Camel and his wife Whitney to talk about money. I know. That's probably just made you uncomfortable saying that out loud. But I think it's really important that we talk about it. Through the day, Ramsey Baby Steps, George and Whitney were able to pay off all their debt, including their house, and reach millionaire status by age 32. We talk about why you should cut up your credit cards,

2:18.3

why so many Americans are broke,

2:20.3

and why you shouldn't have a car payment all on today's episode.

2:25.3

What's up, dudes?

2:27.3

And welcome back to unplanned.

2:30.3

Yay!

2:31.3

Sorry, I like, I'm losing my voice right now,

2:33.3

but today we're with George and Whitney Campbell.

2:34.7

He was yelling at us right before this.

2:36.6

You guys don't know. Excuse me. George and Whitney Campbell, welcome to unplanned. It's an honor to be here. Do you need it? Do you need, I get some, you know where I have some vocal spray? You do. I do. Honestly, I think this coffee right here and just this warm, fuzzy conversation we're out to have is going to be the medicine.

2:54.0

I'll have a sudden. I do. Honestly, I think this coffee right here and just this warm, fuzzy

2:51.6

conversation we're out to have is going to be the medicine. I'll have care of grab it in case. It's in the side pocket of my bag in there. It's called Entertainer's Secret. No way. Are you a singer, George? Do you say it? That was my past life. He has a Spotify album. No way. I don't know how to delete my album off of Spotify.

3:07.9

Don't delete it. I have music on Spotify too.

3:10.0

No way.

3:10.9

Wait, what kind of music? He has a Spotify album. I don't know how to delete my album off of Spotify.

3:07.9

Don't delete it. I have music on Spotify too. No way. Wait, what kind of music? So I did like singer-songwriter stuff, pop. Me too. Should we collab? We should collab. Let's sing it. Should we sing a song right now? Just two grown men trying to relive the glory days. He should probably sing a song. Yeah, what would you say your music was like?

...

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