Rachel Cruze, financial coach and co-host of The Ramsey Show, is sounding the alarm for young adults — particularly men in their 20s — who are chasing fast money through sports betting, cryptocurrency and rushed real-estate plays. In an interview with FOX Business, Cruze warned that these “quick win” strategies are derailing long-term financial stability and “taking down a generation economically.”
Cruze says she repeatedly sees young people fall for the siren song of instant gains: online gambling, flashy crypto pitches and jumping into property deals before they’re ready. “One mistake that we see young adults making constantly, honestly, and it’s driving me crazy, is online gambling or quick wins to wealth building — things like crypto or getting into real estate when they shouldn’t,” she told the network.
Her concern about sports betting is backed by recent polling: a Siena Research Institute and St. Bonaventure University survey found roughly 27% of Americans — and 52% of men ages 18–49 — report having an active account with an online sportsbook like Caesars, DraftKings, BetMGM or FanDuel. Cruze bluntly summed up the impact: “You’re throwing your money away to sports betting. … It really is taking down a generation economically.”
Social media plays a major role, she says. Platforms such as TikTok regularly amplify influencers pitching quick paths to wealth — crypto pumps, get-rich-quick real-estate flips, and other high-risk strategies framed as attainable shortcuts. “If anything seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Cruze advised.
Instead of chasing the next viral opportunity, Cruze recommends the kind of slow, steady financial habits that rarely headline social feeds: live below your means, get out of debt and invest consistently over time. “The way of building wealth and becoming financially stable is over a long period of time and doing really boring things that are not exciting and fun,” she said. “You have to go slow and steady.”
She also urged young adults to resist comparison-driven spending and career moves warped by constant exposure to others’ milestone posts. “You really have to put the blinders on and focus on your life, your career, your money situation,” Cruze said. “You can celebrate other people if they’re winning… But focusing on your life and being realistic about your numbers is very, very important.”
Cruze’s advice aligns with Ramsey Solutions’ long-standing framework for financial health — the firm’s “7 Baby Steps” plan, which emphasizes debt payoff, emergency savings and gradual wealth-building. For crypto and other volatile markets, her message is clear: avoid gambling with the future in pursuit of a quick headline; prioritize disciplined, long-term financial practices instead.
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