A woman from San Francisco named Ana called into “The Ramsey Show” and shared a heartbreaking story of how her family’s hard-earned financial progress was wiped out by a secretive crypto gamble made by her husband.
Ana and her husband had paid off $80,000 in debt by May 2024 using Dave Ramsey‘s plan. “It was wonderful,” she said. But then, everything unraveled.
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“He Got Scammed”
Ana explained that her husband began dabbling in cryptocurrency after hearing about it from friends. What started small turned into a major disaster. Without telling her, he took out around $200,000 in credit cards and personal loans and invested all of it in various cryptocurrencies like XRP and Trump coins. “He just loaned like 23 here, 23 there, 147 there,” she said. He also invested an additional $50,000 from his mother. It all disappeared.
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“He made a big move behind my back,” Ana said. “He lost everything.”
When Ana mentioned the crypto platform and the losses, Ramsey jumped in and asked directly, “So you got scammed? Is that what you’re getting at?” Ana confirmed, “He got scammed. Yeah.”
The couple now owes nearly $200,000 in high-interest debt, with some of it carrying rates as high as 23 percent, and payments totaling about $5,000 per month. Ana, who is not currently working but plans to return to work once her kids are back in school, told Ramsey that bankruptcy or a second mortgage seemed like the only way out.
Ramsey was frank: “You’re not bankrupt. You make enough money to clean this up.”
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“Don't Blame God When You're Stupid”
Ana revealed that when she confronted her husband, he told her through tears, “God took this money away.” Ramsey hit back hard: “No, God did not do this. Don't blame God when you're stupid.”
He added, “The only stupid thing you did was marry him.”
Jade Warshaw, Ramsey’s co-host, emphasized the emotional toll of the situation. “With every payment, the resentment has the ability to grow more and more. You guys have to get into some sort of therapy. Things still aren’t right.”
Ramsey agreed. “We don’t need a punishment. We need a grown-up husband.”
The hosts encouraged Ana to avoid bankruptcy or further loans and instead go back to the same intensity that helped her and her husband pay off $80,000 before. Because the husband brings home $10,000 per month, Ramsey recommended throwing $6,000 a month at the debt if possible.
Ana admitted the situation was hard but said she is committed to fixing it.
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