Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey says most people run into financial trouble because they fail to do basic math before making purchases and end up paying for those mistakes later.

Discussing common financial mistakes on “The Ramsey Show,” he said not doing basic math before major financial decisions leads to trouble regardless of age, income, race, or where you live.

“We get ourselves in trouble when we don’t bother and do the math before we do the transaction,” Ramsey said. “Adults devise a plan and follow it, children do what feels good.”

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Ramsey said one of the key traits of successful people is that they plan ahead and think about the outcome before acting. He believes people who are broke often judge affordability by monthly payments, while those who are financially successful focus on their income and long-term goals.

“A $44,000 SUV when you make $85,000 a year is stupid, whether you paid cash for it or not, it’s still stupid,” Ramsey said. “When you financed it, it’s double, triple stupid, but it felt good when you bought it.”

Ramsey said the best way to take control of your finances is to get in front of them instead of constantly reacting. He said people make poor choices when emotions override basic thinking, pointing to how they often justify eating out by saying they are too tired to cook.

“The thing is that we’re not sane when we’re making half the decisions because we’re operating on about a four-year-old level, meaning we impulse our butts off,” Ramsey said.

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Ramsey said many people in their twenties earning about $30,000 a year rack up thousands of dollars in credit card debt by impulsively spending on restaurants, vacations, and pet purchases they can’t afford.

“Some of you go to Walmart for entertainment, give me a break,” he said. “You might be a redneck if Walmart is your entertainment, and no wonder you run up debt no wonder you can’t breathe because you got payments coming out your dadgum ears, man.”

Ramsey said most common financial problems are preventable with discipline and self-control, as large amounts of credit card debt usually don’t come from one big purchase but from many small ones that add up over time.