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A 23-year-old college student is staring down a reality he\u2019s never had to face before: working for a living. After growing up with a trust fund<\/a> that covered his expenses, the money is set to run out next year when he graduates. Now, he\u2019s worried he may not be ready for the real world.<\/p>\n \u201cI have been raised with a silver spoon in my life, my whole life. I never had to work a day,\u201d the caller, Jay, said on \u201cThe Ramsey Show<\/a>.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m getting really nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n Jay is studying accounting<\/a> and expects to graduate in May. But instead of feeling confident about his future, he\u2019s questioning whether he even has the work ethic needed to hold down a job.<\/p>\n Don’t Miss:<\/p>\n \u201cMy main worry is my work ethic,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m really worried about my work ethic and especially since I\u2019ve never worked before.\u201d<\/p>\n The situation is made more complicated by his visa status, which limits the types of jobs he can take while still in school. Still, he\u2019s been applying for campus roles and trying to build some confidence before graduation.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, the money ran out and now you\u2019re going to be like an adult and get a job, huh?\u201d personal finance personality Dave Ramsey recapped the situation. He also didn\u2019t buy into the idea that Jay lacks discipline.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got a work ethic, or you wouldn\u2019t be getting out of school,\u201d Ramsey said. \u201cYou don\u2019t graduate and have no work ethic. You have a work ethic that caused you to study and go to class.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead of focusing on what Jay hasn\u2019t done, Ramsey pointed to what he has already proven\u2013consistency, effort and the ability to finish something.<\/p>\n Trending: See What AI Could Build for Your Portfolio \u2014 Try a Custom Index Now<\/a><\/p>\n For Ramsey, the answer isn\u2019t complicated: start working immediately, even if the job seems small or unrelated to a future career.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m worried I don\u2019t have a work ethic. So, go prove you have one,\u201d Ramsey said.<\/p>\n \u201cGo buy a leaf blower. Rich people are afraid of leaves,\u201d he told Jay. \u201cGo get a lawn mower. Go buy a lawn mower and start cutting grass.\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t really about the job itself. The whole point was to just get started and build confidence by actually doing something. Whether that\u2019s working at a campus bookstore, cutting grass or taking any job you can get, Ramsey\u2019s message was that doing something now matters more than sitting around waiting for the perfect job.<\/p>\n Co-host Rachel Cruze agreed, adding that Jay\u2019s situation isn\u2019t as unusual as it feels.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll be fine, Jay. I think honestly, there\u2019s a lot of 23-year-olds that graduate college and they\u2019ve never really worked before,\u201d Cruze said. \u201cI think it\u2019s become dramatized in your head.\u201d<\/p>\n See Also: Why Traders Are Flocking to Leveraged ETFs \u2014 And What It Means for You<\/a><\/p>\n She encouraged him to start working now, not later, and to use that experience to build confidence before stepping into a full-time career.<\/p>\n Moving from a fully funded lifestyle to earning and managing your own income can be a major adjustment, especially when budgeting, saving, and long-term planning are completely new responsibilities. Having structured financial guidance can help smooth that transition and build strong money habits early.<\/p>\n Finance Advisors<\/a> connects individuals with professional financial advisors who can help with foundational financial planning\u2014such as budgeting, debt management, saving strategies, and long-term financial goal setting\u2014particularly during key life transitions like starting a first job or taking full control of personal finances.<\/p>\n Read Next: Earn While You Scroll: The Deloitte-Ranked #1 Software Company Growing 32,481% Is Opening Its $0.50\/Share Round to Investors<\/a><\/p>\n Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, professional financial guidance, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.<\/p>\n Rad AI<\/p>\n RAD Intel is an AI-driven marketing platform helping brands improve campaign performance by turning complex data into actionable insights for content, influencer strategy, and ROI optimization.<\/a> Positioned within the multi-hundred-billion-dollar digital marketing industry, the company works with global brands across sectors to improve targeting precision and creative performance using its analytics and AI tools. With strong revenue growth, expanding enterprise contracts, and a Nasdaq ticker reserved under $RADI, RAD Intel is opening access to its Regulation A+ offering, giving investors exposure to the growing intersection of AI, marketing, and creator economy infrastructure.<\/p>\n Connect Invest<\/p>\n Connect Invest is a real estate investment platform that allows investors to access short-term, fixed-income opportunities backed by a diversified portfolio of residential and commercial real estate loans.<\/a> Through its Short Notes structure, investors can choose defined terms (6, 12, or 24 months) and earn monthly interest payments while gaining exposure to real estate as an asset class. For investors focused on diversification, Connect Invest may serve as one component within a broader portfolio that also includes traditional equities, fixed income, and other alternative assets\u2014helping balance exposure across different risk and return profiles.<\/p>\n Mode Mobile<\/p>\n Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day<\/a>. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte’s fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream. For investors, Mode Mobile offers exposure to the expanding mobile advertising and attention economy through a pre-IPO opportunity tied to a new approach to user monetization.<\/p>\n rHealth<\/p>\n rHealth is building a space-tested diagnostics platform designed to bring lab-quality blood testing closer to patients in minutes rather than weeks<\/a>. Originally validated in collaboration with NASA for use aboard the International Space Station, the technology is now being adapted for at-home and point-of-care settings to address widespread delays in diagnostic access.<\/p>\n Backed by institutions including NASA and the NIH, rHealth is targeting the large global diagnostics market with a multi-test platform and a model built around devices, consumables, and software. With FDA registration in progress, the company is positioning itself as a potential shift toward faster, more decentralized healthcare testing.<\/p>\n Direxion<\/p>\n Direxion specializes in leveraged and inverse ETFs designed to help active traders express short-term market views during periods of volatility and major market events.<\/a> Rather than long-term investing, these products are built for tactical use\u2014allowing investors to take magnified bullish or bearish positions across indices, sectors, and single stocks. For experienced traders, Direxion offers a way to respond quickly to changing market conditions and act on high-conviction views with greater flexibility.<\/p>\n Immersed<\/p>\n Immersed is a spatial computing company building immersive productivity software that enables users to work across multiple virtual screens inside VR and mixed-reality environments.<\/a> Its platform is used by remote workers and enterprises to create virtual workspaces that reduce reliance on traditional physical hardware while improving focus and collaboration. The company is also developing its own lightweight VR headset and AI productivity tools, positioning itself in the future-of-work and spatial computing space. Through its pre-IPO offering, Immersed is opening access to early-stage investors looking to diversify beyond traditional assets and gain exposure to emerging technologies shaping how people work.<\/p>\n Arrived<\/p>\n Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100<\/a>. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.<\/p>\n Masterworks<\/p>\n Masterworks enables investors to diversify into blue-chip art, an alternative asset class with historically low correlation to stocks and bonds.<\/a> Through fractional ownership of museum-quality works by artists like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso, investors gain access without the high costs or complexities of owning art outright. With hundreds of offerings and strong historical exits on select works, Masterworks adds a scarce, globally traded asset to portfolios seeking long-term diversification.<\/p>\n Finance Advisors<\/p>\n Finance Advisors helps Americans approach retirement with greater clarity by connecting them to vetted, fiduciary financial advisors who specialize in tax-aware retirement planning.<\/a> Rather than focusing on products or investment performance alone, the platform emphasizes strategies that account for after-tax income, withdrawal sequencing, and long-term tax efficiency\u2014factors that can materially impact retirement outcomes. Free to use, Finance Advisors gives individuals with meaningful savings access to a level of planning sophistication historically reserved for high-net-worth households, helping reduce hidden tax risk and improve long-term financial confidence.<\/p>\n Bam Capital<\/p>\n BAM Capital offers accredited investors a way to diversify beyond public markets through institutional-grade multifamily real estate.<\/a> With over $1.85 billion in completed transactions and guidance from Senior Economic Advisor Tony Landa, the firm targets income and long-term growth as supply tightens and renter demand remains strong\u2014especially in Midwest markets. Its income-focused and growth-oriented funds provide exposure to real assets designed to be less tied to stock market volatility.<\/p>\n Public<\/p>\n Public is a multi-asset investing platform built for long-term investors who want more control, transparency, and innovation in how they grow wealth.<\/a> Founded in 2019 as the first broker-dealer to offer commission-free, real-time fractional investing, Public now lets users invest in stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and more\u2014all in one place. Its latest feature, Generated Assets, uses AI to turn a single idea into a fully customized, investable index that can be explained and backtested before committing capital. Combined with AI-powered research tools, clear explanations of market moves, and an uncapped 1% match for transferring an existing portfolio, Public positions itself as a modern platform designed to help serious investors make more informed decisions with context.<\/p>\n AdviserMatch<\/p>\n