We’re Talking America, Freedom and . . . Finances?
46:22 Share

Today, we're putting the fun in founding fathers. I know it's a stretch, but go with me. All right, we're covering fascinating money trivia, America edition. I feel like Ben Franklin got all the like quotable tweets of the day. He's just great. I really liked him. That was really stressful for me. Do they teach this stuff in school? Hey guys, I'm Rachel Cruz. I'm George Camel. And this is Smart Money Happy Hour.

Well, this is the show where two friends who happen to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. Everything from pop culture, current events, and money. And before we get to the content, let's talk about what we're sipping on, Rachel. It is the Broad Stripes and Bright Stars cocktail. Okay, my thing. Look at that thing. Look at that. It sank to the bottom. Am I going to drink a knife? You'll be all right. Just don't chug. That's the key.

Okay. You want to keep the... I'm good. I know. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. Well, Rachel already... This got knocked down a peg on her rating because there's a dagger in there. But stick around to the end. We're going to give you our rating on the drink and reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode. George, we don't always do, like, calendar holiday episodes, you know? Like, there's some, like... Yeah. Sometimes you just kind of let April Fool's go. It's a little too on the nose. You know, St. Patty's Day, just let it happen. But every now and again, when America has her birthday...

We're going to point it out. That's right. And tomorrow, if you're watching this, tomorrow is Independence Day, or as Rachel calls it, 4th of July. 4th of July. What do you call it? July 4th? It's July 4th. No, the 4th of July. I've never called it Independence Day, to be fair. Only when I sing a Martina McBride song. Oh, that's right. Which I will not do. Can't trick me there. You were the one who showed me that song. I had never heard that song. Of Independence Day.

You'll be shocked at how easily I can avoid Martina McBride hits. I avoided it my whole life until you brought it into my life. Oh my gosh. No, Independence Day or the movie, Little Will Smith action. Now we're talking. Okay, so we got it. Yeah. This is a fun holiday though. This is one that I can get behind. I like the parades. I like the feel of like a lake.

Fireworks, family festivities, some barbecue. Everyone's just out and about, and it's just great. It's a fun holiday for me. I will agree with that. So happy Independence Day to all who celebrate. We hope your day is full of bald eagles, safe fireworks, and just the right amount of bomb pops. I love a bomb pop. Oh, yeah. Do you get the fireworks? Is that the little... What's a bomb pop? Yeah. The ones they snap when you throw them at the ground? Yeah, we have those. I also love the bomb pop popsicles, to be fair. Mm-hmm.

The red, white, and blue popsicles. You've never had one of those? Oh, yeah. What are they called, though? Aren't they called bomb pops? Wow. Which is like the name of a firework. Maybe they changed the name to be more family-friendly so that kids would want them more. Can you shoot off fireworks in your home or is it illegal in your city? I think it's illegal in my city. It's illegal, too. In Franklin, Tennessee, I believe it's illegal. Yeah. Now, they have neighborhood fireworks. Yes. In my old neighborhood, they used to do that. So fun. I love it. I love it. It's so fun.

Well, before we jump in, it goes without saying, I'm going to call this out, Rachel. Our country's history isn't perfect. Like most of our monthly budgets, America is a work in progress. All right, we're working on it. That's right. But, you know, we're blessed to live in this country. It's a great one. Absolutely. Great. So we are going to celebrate it in a few lyrics. You ready for this? About America's early fall.

Financial Strategy, compliments of Alexander Hamilton. Have you seen Hamilton, the Broadway play? I have. Incredible. It's pretty impressive. Yeah. So he was the U.S. first secretary of treasury and now a Broadway star. Thank you, Broadway. You ready for this? What can't he do? His financial system is a work of genius. I can't undo it if I tried. He took our country from bankruptcy to prosperity. He doesn't get enough credit for all the credit he gave us.

It's pretty good. Hamilton's new financial plan is nothing less than government control. That's what some of these people said about old Hamilton. Oh, I thought these were lyrics from the Broadway musical Hamilton. I was like, these are terrible lyrics. Oh, it is. I take it back. Great work, Lin-Manuel. I was like, are these, did he have like Amazon reviews? Like who was reviewing? Yeah.

Great Secretary of the Treasury. 10 out of 10. Would recommend. No, these are actual lyrics from the musical. Man. I wanted you to rap them, I guess is what it was missing. I gave a little... I don't know. Could you do it? None of this rhymes, so I struggle. It's hard. To read in a rap format. It's very difficult. I feel like that'd be offensive. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll let the talented people do their thing. Well, hear me out. Don't tell Dave Ramsey. Dave, if you're listening, scroll past this. Uh...

Was Hamilton both the creator of credit and the OG get-out-of-debt guy? Was he? The original get-out-of-debt guy. Can you be both? That's right. If you created a system by telling people not to work in the system, what do you do? Well, he proposed the idea of a national bank, which would help manage the national debt. Yeah. So there we go. He wants to manage the national debt. He encouraged the federal government to pay off all debts from the Revolutionary War, even the ones that were sold at a discount. Mm-hmm.

And he believed in a strong, united federal government, which was essential to economic stability and national security. Love it. I feel like he was a fiscally responsible guy. Yeah, it sounds like it. And he cared. He cared about the finances of America, which we appreciate. Yeah. I mean, I feel like that's kind of your job as Secretary of the Treasury. Well, yeah. You are the CFO of the government. Yeah. He was the first one, though, right, too? He was the very first. We've had, I don't know, is it 70? How many since then? 79, I think.

I think Scott Besson. The current is 79th. Oh, wow. Good for you. Don't quote me on that. Look at you. But Google it and prove me wrong. I dare you. Look at those numbers. Unbelievable. No one even is going to dare to Google. I love doing dares that no one else cares about but me. I dare you. That's how you know you're a loser.

Well... I was right. I got three thumbs up. Wow. George, look at you. Did my research. All right. Well, the national debt or the deficit is still a big talking point, you know, in our world today, especially during election cycles. So the national debt, ready for this, is the running total of what the government owes to its creditors.

That's a big scary number. Yeah, the budget deficit occurs when expenses exceed revenue and increase than the national debt. So we are living beyond our means in America today. And we've been doing it a long time. Long time. I think we're at, at the time of this recording, 37 trillion? Is it? Yeah. In debt? Like when you start to think about, I'm like, it kind of feels like eternity. When I think about heaven and you're like, it just keeps going.

going and going. You know where you kind of spin out? It is unfathomable. Because think about it for a second, right? You have a million. You know how much a million is? I do, George. Yeah. It's a thousand thousands. Yes. Okay. It's a hundred thousand times ten. Okay, keep going. A billion...

is a thousand millions. It's a lot of millions. So a trillion is a thousand billions. I mean, that's a lot. And then it's 36, is that what you said? 37, I think. Oh, man. My home screen is the national debt clock, which is very exciting for me. Oh, my God. I don't have friends. Do you know what I think a good goal for America could be? Just, like, get our budget balanced. Like, let's don't go deeper in. Like, could we just sustain where we are? Regardless of paying off debt, right? If we were in the baby steps, let's just to get to, like...

where we're starting baby step one. Like, let's just get even, right? Where we're not digging in more. We're just, that'd be a good step, don't you think? I love how positive you are. You should run for office. I should.

I'm too cynical. I know the unfathomable number and going like, that's going to take generations upon generations to undo. And I hope it happens. It is really hard. So yeah, the national debt and the deficit, two different things. So always remember that. So the national debt, think of it like America's credit card bill. The deficit is America living beyond their means and overspending in their every dollar budget. Can you imagine if we actually saw an every dollar budget with all the government numbers of the income, which is...

From us, the taxpayers? This is fun. If America called the Ramsey Show and we were hosting. I love this. Uncle Sam is in Washington, D.C. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's good. That's good. Yeah, we got Sam. Sam in Washington, D.C. Sam in D.C. And he's like, oh, hi, Dave. Hey, Sam. Welcome to the show.

How can we help today? And he's like, well, I'm spending more than I make. What would we tell Sam? Well, we'd go, how much debt do you have? $37 trillion. Well, dadgummit, Sam, what have you been spending all your money on? Sam! Funding other countries and war and military and stuff.

We say, Sam, you got to cut the budget, you know? You got to make more. What do you make? Up the income, lower the expenses. I don't make 37 trillion. It's going to take a while to pay this off. Sam, you got to get seven side hustles. You got to sell the truck, Sam. You got to sell some tanks. Whose name is on the tank? Oh, it's Israel, I think is on the... Oh, come on, dude.

Like fund your own life before you go funding all these other countries. What are you doing? Sam. Look at him. I don't think I'd be very kind to Sam. I bet he's got a top hat and a cocktail. That's how I picture him. I think he should cut the cocktail and get to work. Sell the top hat. Well, thank God that we're not in charge of that, George. Can you imagine? We can just sit here and talk about it.

to fix it. Yeah. Well, the other thing is the thing that's been coming up in the news is the devaluation of the dollar. You've heard the death of the dollar and how money gets its value. What is the value of a dollar? That's confusing because you would think $1 equals $1. Nay. So how much do you know about the gold standard, Rachel? You heard about this? Yeah, I have heard about it. Teach me though.

Here's the spark notes because nobody cares. Until the early 1900s, there were four kinds of currency. You had gold and silver coins, gold and silver certificates. You had banknotes, which were backed by government bonds. And then you had greenbacks, which was a fiat currency declared legal by Congress to help fund the Civil War. So fiat, you're probably wondering...

It's a government issued, not backed by physical commodity. Okay. So gold is backed by physical gold, right? Fiat is backed by trust in the government. Okay. Give me a dollar and you say, this dollar is good for a dollar worth of goods, and I

And I trust you. Okay, trust. Got that? Big board. So the U.S. dollar began with the Federal Reserve in 1913, and it was intended to be backed by gold. So FDR signed legislation during the Great Depression that criminalized the possession of monetary gold. Can you imagine? You couldn't have actual gold? No.

It was illegal. Really? I learned something new this episode. Well, the reason is he did this to remove constraints on the Federal Reserve so that it could increase our money supply and stimulate the economy. So basically, as long as the gold's out there, it's not helping the mission here. Okay, okay. So we tried to get back to the gold standard after his presidency, but in 1971... President Nixon came into play. What did he do, George? He severed any remaining ties between the U.S. dollar and gold. So he cut the gold standard. So now money is not backed by gold.

which is mostly okay until inflation gets out of hand. Yeah, man, what a history lesson, George. You're welcome. Thank you for that. Are we teaching kids this stuff in school still? I don't know what's happening out there. The history of our money. You know, that's what I wanted for this episode. So I really appreciate Savva, our writer, doing some great research and you delivering the message. That's what I'm here for. She writes the SparkNotes, I read the SparkNotes. I know, but it's good though. I think it's good to know, you know, where we came from.

I'm in the middle of my church history research, George, you know? Oh, that's right. You are deep in it. Where did we come from? And I think, and the same with this, to know where did we come from with our money? Where did we come from? Where did we go? Where did we come from? You have that $1 bill. You think, where did this come from? Eastern Orthodox. How did we? It's true. That could be another podcast. One that nobody wants to listen to. What? It may.

They may. But listen, one, I will say, there's not a lot of things that we can control, right? Like when Nixon decides if gold is going to be backed by the US, all of these things. But one thing we can control is how much of our information is out on the internet. Our digital privacy. Yeah. I mean, it's amazing. When you do not protect your information, it is like a billboard with your name, your email address, your kids' names, everything's out there for data brokers to go and grab. And then

And then they sell your data to other companies. And then, you know, there's texting harassment, there's phishing, there's all this stuff that can happen. So removing your data is key. Absolutely. And to solve all of those problems, I use a service called Delete Me, which is worth its weight in gold.

So great. Full circle moment there. It's so true. It's so true. Yeah. It's like, it's amazing. And really, phishing isn't just a tech issue at this point. It's a family issue. So the people that you love in your circles, they're susceptible, vulnerable to this stuff. And it's terrifying how your address, your name, your kids' names, your old phone numbers can be used against you.

And so Delete Me goes in, removes all this stuff, sending you a report, showing you what they've done, how much time they've saved you. And it is worth it for the peace of mind. And they're giving our fans, our listeners and viewers 20% off the annual plans. So it comes out to like nine bucks a month. Yeah, it's worth it. And honestly, in our world today, being online and having your information out there, it is a type of security that you want in place because it is. We live online. We do so much online. So getting it removed and making sure that there's not

yeah, all these data brokers collecting your information. It is worth it. It's a great service. So go check it out. Go to joindelateme.com slash smartmoney or use the link in the description to get the deal. All right. I think we should do a little quiz, George. A little American money trivia? Yeah, wouldn't that be fun? I love trivia, even though I'm terrible at it. That's not true. Yeah. Okay, well, we're going to find out here. We'll see. Let's start with the first one. Okay, this is my question to you. True or false? False.

There was once a $100,000 bill that was only used in bank-to-bank transactions. I believe that. A $100,000 bill. You are correct. It is true. Because it wasn't for the consumers. It was just bank-to-banks. Yeah. It just made it easier because they're moving a lot of money at once. Yeah, I know. But a $100,000 bill. I'd love to see it. Me too. Wouldn't it be crazy? Imagine losing that in your coat pocket. Think about a $10,000 bill.

Or a $1,000 bill. I mean, you know what I mean? They jump to $100,000. When I have a $100 bill on my person, I get a little nervous. I'm like, today's the day I get robbed. Shouldn't have carried it. I'm an easy target. Here I am. Look at me. I look like easy money in the streets. Can I say, do you carry cash, though? I know we teach cash all the time. Don't kill me, everyone. But, you know, sometimes I don't carry cash. Yeah, I have it in a separate little wallet that I only take with me when I know I'm going to need cash, if that makes sense. Okay.

Because I don't carry a wallet on my person. Oh, you don't? No, my phone has a wallet and it just has my debit card and my license. I'll prove it to you. No credit card here. Pretty great. That's it. You should put a little $100 bill right in there. I don't know. I could shove it in there, I guess, just as a flex. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. The only time I do use cash a lot, but it's only for my haircuts because I get a $5 discount famously.

So I do go to the ATM. I'll cash out. I'll give the exact change to him. Yeah. Good for you. Okay. All right. Next trivia question. Which president's face was on that $100,000 bill? That's a much harder question. Okay. Give me the presidents. Oh. Calvin Coolidge. A. Okay. Feels right. B. Abraham Lincoln. Uh-uh. C. George Washington. Uh-uh. D. Woodrow Wilson. Ooh. I'm going to go A or D. Uh.

Can I phone a friend? No, I'm kidding. Let's go Coolidge because it just feels cool. Well, it might feel cool, but it's wrong. Oh, man. Who was it? It was your boy Woodrow. Oh, so close. Man. What happened to the name Woodrow? We got to bring it back. Can I tell you? Is there a guy named Woody out there? Is it full name Woodrow? I don't know about a person, but I know about a dog, one of our puppies.

That left us and went to a family. They named him Woodrow. So it's Woody. That's cute. Isn't that sweet? I know. A Woodrow. Hey, leave a comment if your son's name is Woodrow. What a great name. Woodrow? Yeah, Charles and Woodrow. Yeah. Because it's one of those names that as you get older, it gets better. It's like a fine wine. Yeah. But a baby named Woodrow, we can all admit, weird. But you go with Woody. Oh, look at the little baby Woody. I know, but then I'm thinking Toy Story. 100%. So what do you do about that?

What if you had a Buzz and a Woody? What's his official name, Buzz? Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story. I just got to know, like, Buzz Aldrin. His real name is not Buzz, right? Oh, that's true. No, I bet it is. I think it was a nickname. Another Google search. Edwin Eugene. Perfect. Oh, Edwin, another great name.

Man, we've lost some good... Bring back Edwin. I love it. All right, next up, George. Here we go. I'm not going to look. Trivia question number three. Which U.S. president added to the national deficit the most? Okay, who added? Ready? Ronald Reagan, FDR, Bill Clinton, or Jimmy Carter? I know it wasn't Clinton because he actually did a bang-up job with the deficit. He did do great. Who were the others? We got Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and FDR.

That's it? Three options? And Jimmy Carter. Oh, Carter. I don't think it was Carter. He does Habitat for Humanity. He doesn't seem like a guy who's trying to overspend. I'm going to go FDR. You are correct. Yes! I say that with a little disdain, but you're winning. That's pretty good, and I did not cheat. So get this, George. The top four presidents who increased the national debt the most by percentage. You ready? FDR,

grew it from about, oh my gosh, 792% because of the Great Depression. Yeah, in World War II. That's a bad hand he got dealt with. Oh no, we got Woodrow again. Woodrow Wilson. He grew the debt by 790%. So he increased it from 2.9 billion in 1913 when he took office. And then when he left in 1921, it was...

$23.9 billion. Almost 10x. Not good. Ronald Reagan by 161%. Tax cuts, decreased social spending, and increased military spending.

And then George W. Bush grew the debt by 73%. Tax cuts, war costs, and the Great Recession. Wow. Man, look at that. Here's the good news, though. Woodrow Wilson had his face on the $100,000 bill while growing the national debt by 790%. I know. He should have had some of those. Anything's possible. Dream big, guys.

Do what you can. All right, next trivia question. What were the average weekly earnings for a factory worker during the industrial boom of the 1920s? Okay. Was it A, $10.50? Okay. B, $34.19? C, $23.82? Or D, $18.70? I'm going to go A. Average weekly earnings. A weekly. So what you would earn in a week. Is it $10, $34, $23, or $18? I'm going to go $23. Okay.

Correct. No way. Way to go.

So kids out there, whenever you're complaining about the wages these days, 23 bucks was the weekly earnings. That's wild. For a factory, which is, that's hard work in the factory. Yes, yes. The physical labor. Wow. All right, you ready? Why is money green, George? A, green ink was used to limit the risk of counterfeit cash. B, it was a well-liked color that was different than other colors used in the flag. C,

C, it was George Washington's favorite color. Or D, green symbolizes fertile land and prosperity. Wow. Okay, process of elimination. I don't think they were in the marketing meeting and Washington was like, green's my favorite color? If we could go with that, it'd be really cool. I also don't think that green ink limited counterfeit cash. Okay. I don't think it was a well-liked color. I'm going to go represents the fertile land and prosperity. Okay.

You're wrong. No. It was his favorite color, wasn't it? No, it wasn't. That would be so funny. Which one is it? It was A, green ink was used to limit the risk of counterfeit cash.

Okay. Who knew? I don't know how that limits the risk. I'm not sure. I don't know the history. When I was at the Apple store, we had to check any bill over, I think, a 20 or more. We had to check it with the marker. With the highlighter thing? Yeah. Yeah, that's fun. To see if it was real. And I always felt like a jerk. Oh, yeah. To be like, I think you're giving me fake money, sir. So I've got to check it. You can say company policy.

Anyways, that's my story. That's good. Next trivia question. Which historical figure is this quote attributed to? Okay. A penny saved is a penny earned. Oh, yeah. Was it A, Teddy Roosevelt, B, Alexander Hamilton, C, Ben Franklin, or D, Dave Ramsey? That's a freebie. Teddy, Alex, Benny, Davey. I'm going to go Frankie.

Ben Franklin. Yeah. You would be correct. Oh my gosh. Okay, yeah. Phil's right. I feel like Ben Franklin got all the quotable tweets of the day. He's just great. I really liked him. I think Alexander Hamilton, a little long-winded, a little long in the tooth, as they say. Yeah, I think that's true. I know. Yeah. Ben Franklin spoke in tweets. He knew. I love it. He knew what was happening. All right. You ready for yours? True or false? False. False.

Correct. In 1943, all pennies were made from steel because copper was needed as ammunition in World War II. So they changed the material of the penny in World War II. I'm going to be honest, I didn't know the reason, but I just knew that it wasn't always that way. Yeah. A lot happened in World War II. You think about that. I guess that's a true statement. I mean, you can't deny it. You can say that about any war. I know, but I do feel like it shifted a lot. You're the person who has a glass of wine and says, there's a lot going on in here. Yeah.

Very complex. Very complex. Wow. There's a lot of notes.

Here we go. Next trivia question. It's number eight if you're keeping track at home on your scoreboards. If this is your big date night, love that for you. Why do we say buck as a slang term that means dollar? Was it A, buck used to mean ticket and a ticket is a symbol of payment? Was it B, deer skins were once traded as currency? Was it C, buck was a nickname for the Secretary of the Treasury? Or was it D, buck was once a popular term for budget in England?

I'm going to go A. Buck used to mean ticket, and a ticket is a symbol of payment? Yeah. Well, no, it's not that. Oh, shoot. I wouldn't have guessed this either. Deer skins. No, I thought that's too obvious. Deer skins were once traded as currency. Really? I guess think about the old, who was the guy with the big raccoon hat? Daniel Boone.

Davy Crockett? Yeah, Davy Crockett. I could see them trading deer skins. Yeah. Like, hey, you got a buck on you? Can I borrow a buck? Got a raccoon, I'll put it on my head, you know? That was currency back then. What they do. Simpler times. The volunteers right there. Would you survive in those times if you had to kill a deer to get the skin to then use it as money? No, I'm very nervous about the end of the world because we are going to have to. Hold on, is this why you married Winston? We are going to have to do all that. I don't know, but Winston is the one that everyone's going to come to

Because I think he's like one of the only hunters like in... America? No, in our vicinity of friends and stuff. I was like, did he tell you that? No, but he's like, yeah, he's going to be our protein guy, you know? I've always said you got to have a protein guy. We need protein and the end of the world happens.

Winston will find it. I think I would forage. I think I'd be a good forager. What does that mean? I'd find like little wild berries and mushrooms, you know? Like I'd be accidentally vegan because I'd refuse to kill anything, but I'd be really good at hide and seek. A little scavenger hunt. I can get into small places. Like think about it, a little hole in a tree. I can dig in there for some... Some nuts. Yeah. George comes out with some acorns. Me and a squirrel get into a fist fight. I could take a squirrel. What?

One. Two squirrels, dangerous. No, I think that would be the worst time to live, like, during that. Like, it would be so difficult for me. Titanic days, I could do that. Like, 1912s, you know? Oh, not on the Titanic. I was like, you know, you wouldn't have survived the Titanic. I am a woman. Women and children, you know? How many survived? You know, I don't know my Titanic knowledge, even though I've been to two Titanic museums. Next Google search.

But I do think Oregon Trail Day, like all of those days, that would be tough. Like when we went as kids to Traveler's Rest in Nashville, Old Nashville. What is that? We went with our Girl Scouts. Like a theme park? No, it was like a historical site. Oh. Like settlers and stuff. You know what I mean? But you look at that. I mean, that is tough, y'all. Like Little House on the Prairie days. Man. You lost me washing my own dishes, let alone dying of dysentery. Yes.

I mean, seriously, like that's hard. That is hard. That's hard. Thank you for acknowledging that. I'm sure they're out there going, finally, someone acknowledges how hard we had it.

Yeah, we are bored in today's world. What we argue about all this is because we don't have to find deer and kill it for skin to trade a buck. We'll have to forage. No foraging. We forage for fun now. We're bored. We have everything provided and now we just have to make up stuff that we're all mad at. If you took nothing else from this episode, know that you have it good in today's America. It is true. That's right. All right, what's the stats? 706 people. That's pretty good. Only 700. 700.

I thought that was a lot. How many people were on it total? 22, 230. More people. No, it was 2,200 total and 700 survived. Yeah, but more died. More died? More people died than survived. Well, yeah, I would think. Oh, that's right, because Rose says, there's not enough white folks.

on this ship. That's right. She does say that in the movie. I'm just saying, as far as tragedies go, that's a lot of survivors. That's a pretty good survival rate for an entire ship that went down. I don't know. That is terrible, though. Wait, is your knowledge of Titanic based on the movie only? I've been to two museums. Oh. They have multiple museums? There was one in Pigeon Forge and then one in Branson, Missouri.

I don't think either of those are official museums. No, they're legitimate. Yeah, they have artifacts and stuff. And when you go, you get a ticket as a passenger. And at the end, you get to see if you survived or died. So if you're a woman, you go like, I survived the Titanic Museum. Apparently not, because I think, I mean, I don't know. Wow. It's real. I'm just glad I wasn't on that ship, because it was inequality back then. We've been on a cruise recently. Women and children. Yeah. Could you imagine?

Very thankful. I was a little bit nervous. I was like, I know that cruises don't just sink anymore, but what if I'm on the one? Yeah, I know. And it's not even like, I wouldn't even get named on it. It would just be like Dave Ramsey and others. You know what I mean? Like, I would just be others. The tragedy would all be the same. Yeah, that's why I never want to die with a celebrity. I want to be the most important of all the people who died. At least make the headline. If I died with you, they'd just be like, Rachel Cruz and friends. Yes!

Didn't survive the Titanic. Oh, my gosh. That's comforting. That one reason I appreciate living in today's world is that we get to experience cozy earth products. Yes. No more deer skin for warmth. No, no. We get big blankets. Much more luxurious. Yes.

cozy, wonderful products that just make you just feel warm inside, you know? It's what we want. So everything- That's how we know we're thriving and not just surviving in today's world is because Cozy Earth exists. That's right. And we are happy. We are happy they exist because the pajamas, the sheets, the bathrobes, the joggers. I mean, we could go on and on. The socks. Everything about the products are such quality. They're amazing. I wore the socks yesterday proudly with shorts.

Which I know is kind of Gen Z of me. That is. Yeah. I'm showing less ankle these days with my Cozier socks. Yeah. Cover those ankles up. Yeah. How were they? Comfortable? Amazing. So good. I got comments on them. People were very impressed. George, that's great. What color were they? They were blue on the tip and then white all the way down.

So Gen Z. Got my brother a pair. Because they are stylish over at Cozy Earth. The fits are great. They really are. And we just put our Cozy Earth bed sheets on. It was bed sheet day at the Camel House. Yes. Game changer. I know. Still just as good as the day we got them. It's amazing. Yeah, their stuff is absolutely incredible. So if you've not checked it out, make sure you do because it's worth it. It is worth the investment because, man, the quality is...

And at last, that's what I love. You wash the sheets. We've had them for months. We wash them every week. They are still great. They still feel new. The clothes, everything, it's great. So if you want a sweet discount, they're giving Smart Money Happy Hour listeners and viewers up to 40% off if you use the code SMARTMONEY at checkout or go to CozyEarth.com slash SMARTMONEY. We'll drop a link in the description to make it easy on you.

All right, next trivia question. How much was the Louisiana Purchase a sale in 1803, which the U.S. doubled its size by purchasing approximately 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi from France? There's a lot going on there. There's a lot. Okay, ready for this. A.

B, $150,000. C, $15 million. Or D, $557,000. How much was the Louisiana purchase in 1803? In 1803, $150,000 might as well be $15 million. So I'm going to say B, $150,000. No. How much? C, $15 million. I think they overpaid. Yeah.

to be fair. Oh, man. 800,000 square miles. That's a lot of miles. That's a lot. Yeah. For 15 million. How do you, like, do a valuation on land back in 1803? Do you ever have this thought? Because I do sometimes. What if you, like, picked up your money today and got placed, like, back in history? Yeah.

Oh, my gosh. And what you could do, like, you know? Do you ever think about that? I've never have, but now I'm excited at the prospect. Yeah, I know. Building a time machine. Yeah, I know. I thought about that. I'd probably have a moat. I think that'd be a starter for me. I've always wanted a moat. In fact, anyone with wealth had a moat. Yeah. Like, separate a little bit of water. The peasants from George. You're not getting over here. King George. I'm not lowering a drawbridge. King George, you are who we were against in America in 1776. Yeah.

Wow. Wow, I didn't think about that. Where was Queen Rachel? You as the enemy. Yeah, for our freedom that we're celebrating tomorrow. I do have a punchable face, so it makes sense. No. I'm an adversary. Okay, next. 15 million. Can you imagine if France never let go of it? Would everyone be French west of the Mississippi?

Oh, that would be very interesting. That explains New Orleans. Yeah. Think about it. Get back to me. They do, yeah. What form of currency is the world's currency? Is it A, the British pound, B, U.S. dollar, C, euro, or D, Japanese yen? Oh, man. This is so American. I'm going to say dollar. Dollar.

Well, as usual, you are right as an American. Oh, yes. Okay. Okay. The U.S. dollar accounts for around 60% of global foreign exchange reserves. Okay. Here's the quote. The dollar is to international finance what the English language is to international communication. Oh, well, there you go. It's a direct quote. Oh, I can't wait for this next one. Are you ready? Rachel on the Oregon Trail, here she comes. Oh, no. What was the approximate cost of a covered wagon in 1850?

$325, $73, $50, or $185. Let's see. Covered wagon. All right. It's just a piece of wood. Wooden wheels. Doesn't come with a horse. Horse not included. I mean, it doesn't say in the question.

$325, $73, $50, or $185? I'm going $185. You're correct. Yes. Ding, ding, ding. $185. The high answer I feel like was that's a trap. So in today's money, it would cost you around $7,092.77. So, hey. Oh, I thought that was like the going rate for a covered wagon currently. I was like, you can buy them? Oh, sorry.

No, I think if we- That's a tiny home for a lot of people. Yeah. For seven grand, that's a deal. Yeah, it's pretty good. All right, let's do a little finale rapid fire round. Okay. So your one request for this episode was a presidential currency quiz.

Okay, I did think this was fun, y'all. I was like, oh my gosh, what if we took all the bills and the coins? Like, do we know all the presidents on all of them? Because I don't. I'm covering up the presidents next time. Okay, I am too. I'm going to play fair. Let's start easy. Play along at home. If you're by yourself, say it out loud so that the Lord knows. I'm going to be so bad at this. Okay. The $1 bill. Anyone know? Anyone? Anyone? Whose face is on the $1 bill? Kids, guess at home.

George Washington. George Washington. I didn't know that one. Okay, next. The $2 bill. I know this one because we just played a game downtown called Dropping a Deuce where you got $2 bill if you guessed who was on the bill. Man, what a name. I don't know. I don't know. Thomas Jefferson. Ever heard of him? Yeah, I have. Okay, the $5 bill. Okay, I'm thinking. I think I know. Isn't it Lincoln? Lincoln.

Yes. It is Lincoln. Lincoln. Okay. Ready, guys? The $10 bill. This is where it starts to get tricky for me. What's your guess? John Adams. I was going to say Jackson. Who is it? Hamilton. Oh, Hamilton. Golly, we should have known that one. Okay. All right. The $20 bill. I'll give it a beat for the people. Okay. But this one's Jackson. I think this one's Jackson. Correct. Okay. $50 bill.

I think this is Grant. 100% it's Grant. Okay. Ulysses Grant. Ulysses. Ulysses Grant. What did that name used to come up? Now that name, ooh, I'd have a hard time pronouncing that one. Ulysses? Imagine that on the Starbucks cup. Never get it. Never get it right. Would you just go by like Uly? That's even more confusing. Uly. Uly.

I don't know. I was trying to like get a... All right, next. The $100 bill. Oh, I can picture it. This is Benjamin Franklin. That's your boy. Okay, we got him. The penny. Abe Lincoln. Lincoln. Okay. Classic. Nickel. Oh, gosh. Is it Jackson? Adams. Jefferson. How did he get the nickel? Dime. This is so much harder than I thought. I'm trying to picture a dime.

We've already burned Lincoln. We already got Jefferson. Who's left? There's only so many presidents. They have to be super old. And it's not Jackson. We're not reusing presidents anymore for some reason. Okay. I don't know. Adams? Okay, that one really... Yeah, that throws me. We need to see this in action. Don't act like you guys knew it at home. Okay, and then I should know this. The quarter? Washington. Yeah, I was going to say, but you didn't say we were going to reuse presidents.

I was just surprised. Okay, yeah. So we got Washington. All right. That was fun. That was really stressful for me. So great. Well. Do they teach this stuff in school? Yeah. Yeah, they teach like the, I mean, I don't know about the president's faces. I'm sure they do. I feel like that's somewhat important. They should know. Yeah. I haven't needed to know it until now. I know. Is it that important? And what a history, you know? It's always good to know. Go back to your roots, if you will. How did we get here?

We still don't know. But we know random money trivia that we can impress our friends with. That's right. But always remember, when it comes to the government, the economy, everything else in our world and our country...

that what happens to your house is the most important thing. So we are learning over and over again from the macro level, like you can't control everything, right? There's stuff that's gonna happen that we have no control over, but controlling what's in your house is so key. So that's always an important message to remember because we can't get caught up in what's going on with the deficit and you know what I mean? Like, you know, all this stuff and it's like, listen, what can we control?

is what we can control. And I like to just zoom out, get some perspective and realize that when economics and politics stress me out, I need to remember we are living our ancestors' dreams. So it's easy to feel entitled, like things should be better. You're right. There's still progress to be made, but we have a pretty dang good

That's right. I appreciate that. That we can just do a podcast for fun. We can just send out a tweet to all the world to see. Yeah. And it's amazing. There's a lot of freedom there. And there's a lot of opportunity to be had in America specifically. Yes. And it's why people want to be here. Yes, it is the land of opportunity. There is. There's something about it that's beautiful and it sparks like this wonderful...

of innovation and like creating things. And it's awesome. And I say that as a child of immigrants that, you know, my family, when they came here, like I can't imagine what my life would have been like if they had never moved. Well, the stat, and I wish I knew it off the top of my head, I don't, but people that immigrate to this country legally and they do it all, like they are like eight times more likely to become millionaires. Wow.

Wow. Than Americans who were born here. Isn't that wild? Is that just a lack of entitlement and more just like, I got to really work my butt off? Oh, yeah. And they come and they're like, oh my gosh, I can do this, this, and this. Where I think we are probably more apt to be like, oh. And maybe more entrepreneurial. Like they start their own thing. Yeah, totally. Yeah. But it's awesome. I love that. So great. So great. Makes me grateful. It's a beautiful thing. A melting pot, if you will. Proud to be. I'm telling you, if you ever go to Disney World-

The Great American Adventure is one of the best shows in Epcot in the American area. It is so good. It does. It makes you just feel like, man, it's just great. You should be a travel agent because so far I want to go to Pigeon Forge and Branson to see two Titanic museums and I want to go to Disney. Hey, the Titanic museum, you know what else they have? They have a massive area where the iceberg and the water is and you get to put your hand in and feel how cold the water was.

Wow. Poor Jack. Poor Jack. That'll get you to some reality real quick. And lastly, if you're looking for a helpful way to take control of your money, we think EveryDollar is a great way to start. It's our budgeting app. We'll put a link in the description if you want to go check it out and get started. If you're going to Branson for the Titanic Museum, budget your way there. Budget for it. I imagine it's at least $10 to enter that museum. No, I think it's probably a little bit more than that. But go get a great dinner in Branson. Go see the Titanic Museum. Yeah.

for like the bookie stops on the way there and it'd be a great road trip but use every dollar for it. It's great. Fantastic. All right, before we spill the tea on Guilty as Charged, I am way ahead of you, George, on this one. This drink, I liked it. It was so summery. It's the Broad Stripes and Bright Stars drink. I know. I appreciate Michael. You did better than I did. I'm going to give, let me get one more sip to really get a vibe on it.

I'm going to go 8 out of 10 on this one. Yeah. I thought it was really nice. It's got the right amount of sweetness. It's got a complexity to it, so I'm interested to see what's in it. Yeah, so this would not be a drink I would order at a restaurant before dinner. Like I would probably get like more of a cocktail. This feels more like a, because there's a lot here. It's kind of heavy. Yes. It's kind of a heavy drink, so it would be like a, I don't know.

four o'clock okay we're putting times now i don't know but you know i'm saying like it is a heavier sweeter drink so just remember that when you make it for where's the cost breakdown you want to take a guess since we're doing trivia oh sure um two dollars and 73 cents you were literally 20 cents oh man it's two dollars and 53 cents i was so close so here's what's in it it's got absinthe

That kind of gives it that licorice-y flavor. Blueberry vodka. Wow. Simple syrup, lemon juice, raspberry liqueur, ginger beer, blueberries to garnish, and a sugar cube to garnish. Wow. So a lot going on there, but still a very affordable drink. Give it a try this weekend. The recipe's in the show notes. Or on a Tuesday night. Who am I to judge? You can drink at 4 p.m. if you want. Yeah.

That's the time I would recommend. It's America, all right? Land of the free. Especially during the 4th of July, you know, during this weekend celebration. That's true. Enjoy it. If you have not batched a cocktail yet for your guests. Yeah, that would be a fun one. And you can all say, hey guys, we should all watch Smart Bunny Happy Hour before the fireworks.

You laugh, but someone's going to do it and they're going to say everyone had a great time. I know. I thought this was so good. All right, George, are you ready? Now it's time for Guilty as Charged. And this is where we ask each other a guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip. Here's this week's question, George. Have you ever been in another country and thought, hmm, they're doing this better than we are? Oh, 100%.

As someone who grew up with a different culture food, Middle Eastern food, I find that American food can sometimes be just...

Salty, not very interesting. So here's what happened. There was a time I went to Europe on a college trip and I went to McDonald's and I got like a Big Mac. And it was served on a brioche bun and it was elegantly prepared. It was beautiful. I don't know why. And it turns out in Burger King in France, you can get caviar with your meal. They're just doing it different over there in France. Wow, they're bougie. And so I had that McDonald's in France and I went...

Wow, this is what McDonald's could be. It was like McDonald's with a master's degree. You know, it got its life together. It moved out of its parents' basement. It was like, we can do this, guys. Elevated, got that first salary, invested in a 401k. You know, it's just like he's doing something right.

Man, that feels great. So that one felt different. I was like, I didn't know fast food could be this good. Yeah, that's good. How about you? That's good. Any international experiences? Yes, I have had some and they've all been great. But I think the best, I studied abroad in college. I was in Spain. Of course. You were the target demo for I studied abroad. How much studying did you do? For a six week. It was only six weeks. So it was like a half a semester. Did you even crack open a textbook? It was like a mini semester. Be honest. Did you crack open a textbook? Yeah, we had to do Spanish.

So, did we study? In where? Spain? Yes. So, we were north of Madrid in Salamanca. That's what it was called. That's your best pronunciation after spending six weeks there? Salamanca. That's how you pronounce it. And I will say, you know, in Spanish, no offense to the Spaniards out there, but how they, you know, enunciate their words and say their words is...

And it's not very pretty Spanish. Like, it's not like Mexico Spanish, but because they... I've heard this. Like, the real way to say it is Barcelona. Barcelona. Yeah, they like... Yeah. Gracias. Like, it's... I'm sorry. I don't know. I think I'd rather... Gracias. I want to know how many Spaniards are watching and are you offended? Let us know in the comments. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You can be honest. Looking forward to that. So what I liked about it, so we live in this, like, little town where you walk everywhere. It's like cobblestone streets. Very picturesque.

And all the shops, I remember, like, we'd go to class for, like, maybe, what, an hour and a half or something. And then you'd have all day to, like, hang out. And, yeah, and everything would shut down from, like, 1 to 4 for siestas. So people would go, and, like, everything would shut down. Then you'd come back out for dinner. And, like, it was just this, like, walking, slow-paced...

beautiful, fun, vibrant time, you know? But granted, I was 20 years old and had no responsibility in life, so that's probably the eyes I was seeing it out of. That helped. But I do think that slower culture, there is something about it that is, they're getting it right over there. That's a good one. In that way, I do. I think so. I do. I need to go back in my adulthood now. Have you been back to Europe as an adult? We did Scotland and Ireland. Yeah.

Yeah, but not, I haven't done like Mediterranean. Like we haven't done like Italy or like those kinds of places. It's like on my bucket list. Group trip. Group trip. Me and Winston on a Vespa? Are you kidding me? Not together. We'd have separate Vespas. Just going all the way through the streets. Beautiful thing. All right. Oh my gosh. Well, if you have a guilty as charged question, make sure to DM us at Rachel Cruz and at George Camel and like and subscribe to this channel because we put new episodes out every Thursday and make sure to check out the episode on,

unique holiday traditions that you will not find in the U.S. It's a great one. So make sure to click over to that. And we'll see you guys next Thursday on an all new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.