Woman Calls Dave Ramsey After Winning $1,600,000 With Her Grandma – Now It's Causing Family Drama: 'My Mom Thinks My Cousins Deserve A Share'

Taylor from Pennsylvania had a unique problem most of us wouldn't mind facing – she recently won $800,000 on a game show! But with a big win comes big decisions and she called into Dave Ramsey's show to get some guidance.

The call was posted on The Ramsey Show Highlights YouTube channel under the title “We Won $1,600,000 On A Game Show And Now There's Family Drama!” 

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"We'll be getting about $475,000 after taxes," she said, highlighting how much Uncle Sam took. "Almost half!" Dave exclaimed, clearly irritated at how much the government swipes from game show winners. "God bless the USA," he added sarcastically.

Taylor's first concern? Family expectations. She went on the game show with her grandmother, who had been the one to apply for the show in the first place. The two split the $1,600,000 prize, each getting $800,000 before taxes. 

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But now, Taylor explained, her mom was making her feel like her cousins deserved a piece of the pie. "I think my mom feels like they should get something because my cousin was the one who signed Grandma up," Taylor explained. The cousin had done all the legwork to get Grandma on the show, but since Taylor was the one who got picked to compete, the pressure fell on her. She also pointed out that any of the grandkids could have been chosen but because she was closest, grandma picked her. 

Taylor added that her mom felt she would be "set for life" after such a large winning, but Ramsey immediately set the record straight –$475,000 was hardly enough to deem one set for life. Sure, it's a lot of money, but certainly not enough to last a lifetime. 

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Dave, as always, didn't sugarcoat his response. "Your cousin didn't win the money, you did. Your grandmother got her share and if she wants to give something to the cousin, she can. But you're not morally obligated to share your winnings with anyone."

Taylor's second concern was about buying a house. With $475,000 in the bank, she and her family were ready to upgrade from their current home, valued at around $150,000. They'd been eyeing a $320,000 house and Taylor wanted to know if that was a smart move. "Should we go for it?" she asked.

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Dave's advice? Simple: Pay cash and stay debt-free. "You're in an amazing position to pay for the house outright," he said. "You'll be 100% debt-free and that's huge. If you want to give your family a little something afterward, that's fine. Maybe five grand here or there. But don't feel guilty about not handing out big chunks of your winnings."

The call ended with Taylor feeling more confident in her next steps. As Dave pointed out, winning money doesn't come with an obligation to spread it around. Family guilt can be tough, but financial security is even tougher to beat.

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