"We moved abroad for fun. Now we can’t afford to leave"

Video Description

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to Liza and Bradford, a couple with three kids living as expats in Colombia, South America. They earn $120,000 a year, have $273,000 in net worth, and by expat standards, they're living well. But they have $1,500 in savings, zero savings rate, and they've been cycling in and out of debt for years. And Liza has been pushing to move back to Canada nearly every single day for five years. When Ramit opens their Conscious Spending Plan, the problem isn't the income. Investments are protected like a sacred object. Savings don't exist. And a line of credit stands in as a de facto emergency fund. On paper, they look fine. In practice, one bad month away from going back into debt. But the money is only part of the story. What Ramit uncovers is a dynamic that has quietly been draining both of them. Bradford takes on every financial burden alone, working two, three, four jobs whenever money gets tight. And every time he does, Liza loses her sense of purpose and reason to contribute. Neither of them realised how much damage this pattern was doing. But after years of it, they're both stuck. In this episode we uncover: ● The expat "money hack" that became a trap, and why Liza feels stuck abroad ● Why moving back to Canada wouldn't actually improve their finances ● Bradford's taxi fleet business that lost between $60,000 and $100,000, and what it revealed about their patterns with money ● The debt cycle they keep celebrating as a win ● Why Bradford's "efficiency" mindset is quietly disempowering Liza ● How Liza's self-worth became tied to what employers will pay her ● What it looks like when a couple finally builds a shared financial vision ● The follow-up: what Liza and Bradford did differently after the episode ⏩ CHAPTERS (00:00) Cold open: Can we afford to leave? (01:08) Episode intro + financial breakdown (02:31) Meet Liza and Bradford (05:07) The “money hack” that became a trap (09:30) Five years of the same argument (25:00) The debt cycle begins (32:30) Opening the Conscious Spending Plan (38:00) How much can Liza actually earn? (41:39) The line of credit problem (45:52) Breaking down their system (01:30:00) The pattern hurting both of them (01:33:30) What do you each need? (01:47:00) Follow-up 💡 RAMIT’S PODCAST NEWSLETTER ● I share new ways to think about money every Saturday. Get the emails here: https://iwt.com/podcastnewsletter 🙌 GET HELP FROM RAMIT SETHI ● Order my new book: Money for Couples: https://iwt.com/moneyforcouples ● Take control of your money with the Conscious Spending Plan: https://iwt.com/csp ● Optimize your credit cards with the 1st chapter of my book: https://iwt.com/chapter1-pod ● Join my Money Coaching program for monthly help: https://iwt.com/moneycoaching ● Listen to my book now on Audible: https://amzn.to/48zko28 🥳 CONNECT WITH RAMIT SETHI ● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramit/ ● X: https://twitter.com/ramit ✅ SUBSCRIBE SO YOU DON’T MISS ANY EPISODES https://youtube.com/user/ramitsethi/featured/ THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY Factor | Head to https://factormeals.com/ramit50off and use code ramit50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box, with new subscription only, while supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details). Facet | As of the date of this recording, Facet is waiving the enrollment fee for new annual members, and for my audience, Facet is offering $300 into your brokerage account if you invest and maintain $5,000 within your first 90 days. Head to https://facet.com/ramit to learn more about which membership option is best for you. Offer has been extended to 12/31/2026. #FacetAd Netsuite | Get the free guide “Demystifying AI” at https://netsuite.com/ramit Wispr Flow | Try Wispr Flow for free at wisprflow.ai/ramit If you or your partner get stressed spending $150 on dinner, or are covering up spending, I'd like to help. Apply to be coached for free on this podcast at https://iwt.com/apply Calling LA couples: Apply to be coached for free on this podcast at https://iwt.com/apply