Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel

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Comment section check! That’s right—we’re fearlessly addressing your questions, comments and criticisms . . . all in the name of your financial future (and also just for fun!).

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·   📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it.

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Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍹 Apple-rol Margarita

Recipe By: @cocktailswithval

·   2 ounces tequila

·   1 ounce Aperol

·   1 1/2 ounces apple cider

·   1 ounce lime juice

·   1/2–1 ounce agave

·   garnish: thyme, apple slices and a sugar or salt rim

Instructions: In a shaker, add Aperol, tequila, apple cider, lime juice and ice, then shake. Grab a glass and coat the rim with agave and salt or sugar, then add ice. Pour the shaken drink into your salted rim glass. Garnish, serve and enjoy!

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💻 Wondering how you’re actually doing with money? Find out where you stand.

Since everyone’s “doing their own research” these days, we decided to match that energy and dig into the psychology of money and why humans tend to overspend.

Next Steps:

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·   📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it. 

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Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🥃 Maple Old Fashioned

Recipe by: @thesocialsipper

·   2 ounces bourbon

·   1/4 ounce pure maple syrup

·   2 dashes Angostura bitters

·   2 dashes orange bitters

·   Orange peel

·   Cocktail cherry, like Griottines or Luxardo

Instructions: In a rocks glass, combine bourbon, maple syrup, Angostura bitters and orange bitters. Stir to combine. Add a large rock of ice and stir until chilled. Twist the orange peel above the drink to express citrus oil, then run the peel around the rim of the glass and add to the drink. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.

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💻  Take the Side Hustle Quiz here!

If you can’t beat ’em, follow them? Today we’re reacting to the biggest social and spending trends of 2026—let us know in the comments if the algorithm “got ya” with these, because this list definitely has range!

Next Steps:

·   🎙️ Catch our episode Waste or Worth It: Rating “Life-Changing” Products.

·   💵 Create a free budget and find more margin with EveryDollar.

·   🍸 Follow Smart Money Happy Hour on TikTok: @smartmoneyhappyhour

·   📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it. 

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Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍹 Peach Basil Tingle Mocktail

Recipe By: @themindfulmocktail

·   2 ounces peach purée

·   1 ounce lemon juice

·   6–8 basil leaves

·   1/2 teaspoon honey

·   Kombucha or soda to top

Instructions: In a small dish, combine the honey with 1/2 teaspoon water and microwave for 5–10 seconds to create a quick honey syrup. Add peach purée and lemon juice to a shaker. Toss in the basil leaves and gently muddle. Add the honey syrup to the shaker with ice, then shake well. Strain over fresh ice and top with kombucha or soda. Garnish with basil if desired and serve cold.

*To make the peach purée:

Blend 3 tinned peach slices with 1–2 tablespoons of the liquid from the tin. Fresh, ripe peach works too—just blend with a splash of water until smooth.

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💵 Check out this article How Much You Should Tip in Common Situations.

Here’s one for your next family dinner: Tipping in 2026—you have feelings, we have feelings, and at this point, the social expectations are changing by the day! It’s time to set the record straight.

Next Steps:[JS1] 

·   🎙️ Catch our episode Frugal Hacks That Could Go Too Far.

·    💵 Create a free budget and find more margin with EveryDollar.

·   🍸 Follow Smart Money Happy Hour on TikTok: @smartmoneyhappyhour

·   📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it. 

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Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍷 Cherry Aperol Spritz

Recipe By: @cocktails

·   Fresh cherries

·   2 ounces Aperol

·   2 ounces prosecco

·   1 ounce club soda

Instructions: Crush and strain cherries into glass. Pour 2 ounces of Aperol in glass. Add crushed ice. Pour 2 ounces of prosecco into glass. Pour 1 ounce of club soda into glass. Garnish with a cherry on top. Serve and enjoy!

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💵 Check out the Investing Calculator!

A family trip to the movies can easily cost $80 these days; it’s rough out there! Today we’re talking about the reality of inflation . . . but in a fun way, we promise.

Next Steps:

·   🎙️ Catch our episode Common Money Wasters the Average American Falls For.

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·   📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it. 

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Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍹 Peach Julep

Recipe By: @Cocktails

·   6 mint leaves  

·   2 tbsp. diced ripe peach

·   1/2 tsp. simple syrup  

·   1 ounce peach puree

·   1.5 ounces whisky

·   Fresh mint and peach slice for garnish

Instructions: Put 6 mint leaves, 2 tbsp. diced ripe peach, and 1/2 tsp. simple syrup in a glass and muddle. Pour 1 ounce peach puree and 1.5 ounces whisky in glass. Add ice. Then stir. Garnish with fresh mint and a peach slice. Serve and enjoy!

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❓ Have a money question? Ask Ramsey is here to help!

Have you ever read an “opinions are my own” disclaimer in someone’s social media bio? That’s the vibe of today’s episode. Today we’re confessing (and explaining) some of our most “non-Ramsey” financial takes.

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Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍷 Blackberry Gin Sour

Recipe by Mint & Twist

·   2 ounces London dry or floral gin

·   3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

·   3/4 ounce blackberry simple syrup 

·   1 egg white, optional for foam

Instructions: Chill a coupe glass in the freezer or fill it with ice while you make the drink. Add the gin, blackberry syrup, lemon juice and egg white to a cocktail shaker without ice. Shake hard for 15 seconds. Add a generous handful of ice and shake again for 15 seconds until well chilled. Tip the ice from the coupe glass and strain the cocktail in. Garnish with fresh blackberries on a skewer.

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💵 Create a free budget and find more margin with EveryDollar.

This one goes out to ole Murphy and that pesky little law of his. (If you know, you know!) Today we’re rating your worst-case scenarios and proving why everyone needs an emergency fund.

Next Steps:

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Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🥃 Salty Dog

Recipe by Liquor.com

·   1 1/2 ounces gin or vodka

·   3 ounces grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed

·   Garnish: salt rim

·   Garnish: grapefruit slice

Instructions: Wet the rim of a highball glass and dip it in coarse salt. Fill the glass with ice, then add the gin (or vodka) and grapefruit juice, and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a grapefruit slice. Serve and enjoy!

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💵 Create a free budget and find more margin with EveryDollar.

When it comes to life and money, we’re full of hot takes. Join us for a nostalgic trip down memory lane as we revisit some of our most hilarious (and unhinged) financial advice episodes.

Next Steps:

·   🎙️ Catch our episode Judging People Based on How They Spend Their Money.

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Today’s Happy Hour Specials:

·   🍸 Tequila Manhattan Recipe: Liquor.com

·   🥧 Caramel Apple Pie Mocktail Recipe: Merry About Town 

·   🥃 Aperol Tequila Sour Recipe: @cocktails 

·   🍹 Cherry Basil Smash Recipe: BevsByBeverly 

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💵 Create a free budget and find more margin with EveryDollar.

The “F” in our guest’s name stands for “Fun”—and boy did we have all the fun talking money, relationships, hot takes and more with Annie F. Downs. This one feels like a party, so stick around!

Next Steps:

· 🎙️ Catch our episode How Matt and Abby Went from Broke College Kids to “Unplanned” Influencers

· 📗 Check out Annie’s new book Don’t Let That Hold You Back.

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· 📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it. 

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Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍹 Shirley Temple

Recipe by: bakingbeauty

·   1.5 tablespoons grenadine

·   1 cup Sprite or club soda

·   1 teaspoon maraschino cherry juice (optional)

·   Maraschino cherries for garnish

Instructions: Pour grenadine into a large glass. Add a dash of cherry juice. Fill glass with ice and top with soda. Garnish with maraschino cherries if desired. Serve and enjoy!

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💻 Take the Side Hustle Quiz here!

We all need a little wiggle room in the budget from time to time. Today, we’re reacting to the internet’s latest side hustle quests. Plus, we’ll teach you how to find out which part-time gigs are your perfect match.

Next Steps:

·   🎙️ Catch our episode We Judge People’s Ridiculous Money Decisions for 58 Minutes!

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·   🍸 Follow Smart Money Happy Hour on TikTok: @smartmoneyhappyhour

·   📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it. 

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Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🥃 Golden Vale

Recipe by: @the.sauceress

-       2 ounces Powers Irish Whiskey

-       3/4 ounce ginger liqueur

-       1/2 ounce lemon juice

-       1/2 ounce honey syrup

-       2 dashes aromatic bitters

-       Several sprigs of basil leaves

Instructions: Add lemon juice and basil leaves to a cocktail shaker. Muddle into a pulp. Add all additional ingredients. Shake with ice. Fine strain into a rocks glass over several large pieces of cracked clear ice. Garnish with a dried lemon wheel and a sprig of basil. Serve and enjoy!

Explore More From Ramsey Network:

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