A caller on The Ramsey Show on Wednesday revealed how financial secrecy and a failed restaurant venture pushed her marriage and finances to the brink, prompting host Dave Ramsey to deliver a blunt assessment of both spouses' mistakes.
Amanda, married for 16 years with two children, told Ramsey she and her husband quit their jobs last October to open a restaurant despite having no experience.
When the business quickly faltered, she admitted she stopped paying credit cards to cover rent but reassured her husband, "everything was fine." The truth came out only after the couple lost their apartment.
"I was wondering how do I fix financial infidelity when it was the only thing my husband asked me not to do," Amanda said. "I didn’t want him to believe me because I didn’t know what I was doing."
Ramsey criticized both partners, noting her dishonesty but also her husband's detachment from the finances. This "ain't no angel sitting over on the side," Ramsey said.
"This is a guy showing up at a restaurant every day and is so freaking irresponsible he's not even involved in how the restaurant is being run."
Calling the venture "doomed from the start," Ramsey said quitting jobs without a financial plan set them up for failure.
He urged the couple to seek marriage counseling and rebuild trust through shared money management: "You put in place systems and processes where you're both involved in everything with the money … that's how you start again."
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Earlier, a caller named Sarah sought advice from Ramsey about a plan involving her husband's family and $1 million in unpaid debt.
She said her husband's grandmother wanted to buy a house in their names to shield it from the IRS, as her mother-in-law owed significant debt.
Ramsey called the arrangement "deception" and urged her not to participate, adding that her 55-year-old mother-in-law needed to take responsibility and regain independence.
Separately, another caller named Allie revealed she discovered her longtime boyfriend had concealed $120,000 in debt and had asked her to co-sign a $100,000 HELOC.
After explaining her financial struggles following a near-fatal accident, Allie admitted she felt obligated to support him. Hosts George Kamel and Jade Warshaw urged her to end the relationship, refuse the loan, and focus on rebuilding her financial independence.
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