I Keep Catching My Husband Lying About Debt

April 30, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

"I Keep Catching My Husband Lying About Debt"

Marie, a 60-year-old woman who has been married for 41 years, called into the Ramsey Show because she caught her husband hiding debt for the fourth time. She had told him after the third time that if it happened again, she would divorce him. Two weeks ago, she found out he had done it again — not because he came clean, but because a friend who works in finance ran a credit check for her.

The couple has no savings, no retirement, and $80,000 in credit card debt that they are paying off through a debt settlement company. Their only asset is a house worth roughly $500,000 that is fully paid off. Marie homeschooled their five children and now has eleven grandchildren. She runs a small cleaning business and has managed to save $7,000 in a separate account that she considers "fun money" for vacations and house projects. Her husband makes about $60,000 a year after taking a pay cut when his printing company closed after 35 years.

The Pattern of Financial Infidelity

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What you'll learn

1 (00:06) **Caller Introduces Financial Infidelity** - The caller explains her husband has repeatedly run up debt behind her back, lying about it each time.
2 (01:44) **Caller Asks About Protecting Savings Account** - The caller asks whether she should remove her husband’s name from a shared savings account containing her cleaning business earnings.
3 (02:48) **Caller Reveals Financial Vulnerability** - The caller admits she is dyslexic with numbers and her husband has always handled their finances, leaving her unaware of the debt.
4 (03:24) **Couple's Asset Situation Assessed** - The host inquires about the couple's overall assets, revealing they own a paid-off house valued at $500,000-$600,000 but have no other savings.
5 (03:55) **Marriage Counseling Attempts Discussed** - The host asks if they have tried marriage counseling, and the caller confirms they did after the third incident.
6 (04:51) **Debt Consolidation and Spending Pattern Revealed** - The caller explains they are paying off $80,000 in debt through a debt settlement company, with $600 deducted monthly from their checking account.
7 (05:56) **Husband's Income and Employment History** - The caller reveals her husband made nearly $60,000 last year after a pay cut from a previous long-term job at a printing company.