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Well, hey, you guys. So I came across some pretty eye-opening insights in our recent Ramsey

research that I wanted to share

with you because we wanted to get a better idea of the attitudes and behaviors around personal

finance in our country. So we surveyed 1,0006 Americans on what they had to say. So over half, 51%

are struggling to pay their bills. So in this episode, I want to talk about

what's keeping us from financial freedom and what we can do to break the cycle. So first,

let's just take a closer look at the state of personal finance in America. And hold on,

because some of these stats, there's a lot of them, but again, it just paints the full picture, okay?

So 51% of people reported having a hard time paying their bills.

42% are struggling to cover food costs with most people spending more on groceries and utilities than last year.

And if you're a renter and feel like you're paying a high price, well, you're not alone

because 64% of renters reported having difficulties paying the rent. Research also revealed a

pretty worrying trend that 34% said that they're either struggling or in a financial crisis.

So you guys, that's one-third of Americans. Okay, so how did we get here?

Well, there's several reasons that is causing this widespread financial strain. Part of it is

inflation and the rising costs on just, you know, what it takes to live life today. And because of that,

there's a heavy reliance on credit cards. So with 40% of people

leaning on credit for their daily expenses, it really is clear that we're in this cycle. And so

that's when you see you guys that, again, it's not credit, you know, some people are using

them for vacations and all of that. I actually saw a staff that 45% of families that go to Disney, spend it on their

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