She Married Into $1M Of Debt And Asked, ‘How Do I Not Murder Him?’ Dave Ramsey Fires Back Without Sympathy. ‘It’s Not His Fault’
Leona from Fairbanks, Alaska, called into “The Ramsey Show” to confess she had married a man without ever asking about his financial past. Months into their new life together, she discovered the two of them were nearly $1 million in debt.
“I’m pretty newly married. Not my first rodeo,” Leona began. She explained that she hadn’t done a financial background check on her husband before tying the knot. “We got married in May, and by October, we realized we were close to a million dollars in debt.”
Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey quickly interrupted: “Wait a minute. Slow down a minute. Stop, stop, stop. I got lost in this already.”
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Leona admitted she had never asked about his debt or spending habits. “So you just kind of walked in blindly,” Ramsey said. “He thought you didn’t care. Turns out, you cared.”
She said the truth came out when she considered quitting her job and asked to see the budget. That’s when she found out he didn’t have one. Instead, she uncovered 17 credit cards and learned he was relying heavily on her income.
Since their wedding, the couple had bought a $500,000 home. Her name isn’t on the title. On top of that, he already owned a $300,000 rental property. “Did you not know about the rental?” co-host Jade Warshaw asked. “I did,” she said, but admitted she hadn’t grasped the full financial picture.
The remaining debt includes a home equity line of credit, medical bills and nearly $200,000 in credit card debt.
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“How do I not murder him?” Leona joked. Ramsey’s response was immediate: “It’s not his fault. It’s yours.” “You didn’t ask,” Warshaw interjected.
Ramsey didn’t let her off the hook: “You walked around acting like nothing’s happening and he just assumed it was all okay.”
Leona said they are now working on untangling the situation. Ramsey asked, “Are both houses for sale?” When she said no, he didn’t hesitate: “Well, they need to be. Y’all are broke people.”
She revealed their combined income is around $200,000. Ramsey said they could dig their way out but had to make serious sacrifices, starting with selling the rental property.
