Knoxville man, 23, quits his job, moves into his in-laws’ trailer to save money while in school — but Dave Ramsey tells him his hustle is misplaced

After years of juggling debt and tight finances, he’s hitting the reset button. But he’s made some decisions, like quitting his job and moving into his in-laws’ trailer, that have Ramsey questioning him.

Brock’s financial story reads like a cautionary tale and a lesson in big life choices.

How to prosper

Brock moved out at 18 years old after his parents’ divorce, and for years, he and his fiancée struggled to make ends meet. “I’ve just now dug myself out of that hole for the most part,” he said.

An offer to move into his fiancée’s family’s trailer and live rent-free in Oneida pushed them to make a big decision. “So we gave up our $2,700 a month house payment in Maryville, where I’m from, to move to where she’s from,” he explained.

The decision meant quitting his job in Madisonville, a two-hour commute from the new home, and relying on family support while pursuing IT certifications at TCAT and later attending a coding bootcamp at the University of Tennessee.

Ramsey praised Brock’s initiative but cautioned on execution. “You traded your job for a trailer rent with your mother-in-law. So that's what's blowing my mind here. The way you're going to prosper is you're going to go back to work, okay?” he said.

“You set your feet on fire,” said co-host John Delony.

Ramsey advised Brock to get back to work full-time even while he's in school so that he can get back on track with his finances.

Are wages keeping up?

Ramsey’s advice to Brock was to work full-time to get his finances back on track, while going to school at the same time.

During the conversation, Brock said that wages aren't proportionate to the expenses of everyday living, something Ramsey immediately dismissed. “Your wages maybe aren’t,” he said.“Lots of people prospering out there.”

A recent Bankrate study reported on by CBS News says Americans on average are earning 1.2 percentage points below the rise in the cost of living over the past four years [2]. It pointed out that some professions are falling further behind than others.

"Wage growth is often a reflection of who has the power in the labor market," Bankrate economic analyst Sarah Foster told CBS. "If there are more job openings than workers to fill them, businesses will often lift pay to retain or attract talent

In a study by Monster, 95% of U.S workers said their current wages have not kept up with the cost of living [3].

Brock may want to consider the types of jobs where he could earn more money by looking at hourly wages.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics, average hourly wages range from around $22 for those in the leisure and hospitality industry to almost $40 in the construction industry.

So is it income or money habits that determine a person’s wealth?

Income is important, but your financial habits play an important role in determining your financial success.