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A recent emotional call on “The Ramsey Show” featured a woman named Sue from Chicago, who revealed a heartbreaking breakdown in her marriage and finances.
At 54, Sue is married with a daughter in high school. She called in to speak with hosts John Delony and Jade Warshaw, sharing that her husband had gambled away their savings and their child’s college fund. On top of that, Sue said she discovered more infidelity. “I just found out that my husband no longer has savings, no longer has the college account for our child because he’s gambling,” she said.
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Sue recently started a new job, sensing that something wasn’t right. When she asked her husband to go over their bills, she said he started mentioning loans she didn’t know about. “He goes, ‘Well, I have a lifestyle to keep up with,’” Sue recalled.
Delony immediately pointed out the danger of both sexual and financial betrayal. “You’re right to be worried about the betrayal, worried about your health,” he said. “This person is very unsafe and very reckless.”
Sue and her husband currently rent, and she’s worried about what would happen if she leaves the lease. She said she’s already opened a personal checking account and is covering basic expenses like groceries and school fees on her own. “Pennies, putting it aside could possibly, you know, eventually get a down payment,” she said.
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Delony told Sue to slow down and focus on what matters most in the short term. “You’re solving for seven steps down the road,” he said. “I need you to solve for step one, which is: I need to get me and my daughter into a safe place.”
Talk To The Daughter With Honesty And Calm
When Sue said her daughter already knows what’s going on, Delony advised her to be honest and calm. He encouraged Sue to take her daughter out and tell her the truth without trashing her father. “I’m not going to talk bad about your dad,” he suggested saying. “I’m going to tell you I’m scared. I’m going to tell you I’m heartbroken. And I, your mom, am working to keep you and me safe.”
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He also told her not to hide her pain: “It’s important for her to see, oh, mom’s a person, too. If she’s sad, I get permission to be sad.”
The hosts told Sue to call an attorney immediately if she plans to divorce, and a licensed therapist if she wants to try reconciling. Either way, they said, she’s not alone and should not try to manage everything by herself.
Sue ended the call by saying she had already frozen her credit and thanked the hosts for their support. Delony praised her for taking action and reminded her to focus only on today: “Anxiety is taking future stuff and dragging it into the present,” he said. “Don’t do that.”
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This article A Dave Ramsey Caller Reveals Her Husband Blew Through Their Child’s College Savings On Gambling. ‘It’s Blown Up In Her Face’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com