Nicole wants to trust her husband, but his risky real estate deals are driving her insane.<\/p>\n
In Nicole from Boston\u2019s call to The Ramsey Show, she told co-hosts Dave Ramsey and Jade Warshaw that her husband keeps \u201cdigging us into more and more debt in, like, the hope that we\u2019ll get out of it one day with this risky real estate world stuff (1).\u201d<\/p>\n
She said she\u2019s struggling to \u201cmaintain respectful marital boundaries\u201d when her “opinion just kind of gets thrown aside because I\u2019m not as risky.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramsey pushed back on her definition of respect, saying it does not mean she has to \u201cturn a blind eye to idiocy.\u201d He added, \u201cYou\u2019re not called to respect your husband if every time he gets into a car, he drives it into a ditch.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked for more specifics, Nicole said the issue centers around a \u201cproblematic\u201d apartment complex that they owe $6 million on. According to Nicole, the property takes the cash flow from her small business, and now it\u2019s reached a point where they\u2019re maxing out their credit cards and taking out bigger loans.<\/p>\n
\u200bThe \u201cgood news,\u201d she said, is that a recent appraisal put the property at just over $6 million. She says they are not personally liable because it is a non-recourse loan.<\/p>\n
Ramsey questioned that assumption but told Nicole she needs to draw a hard line with her husband.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not gonna borrow money on it,\u201d he advised her to say. \u201cThat\u2019s off the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once that boundary is set, and if this truly is a non-recourse loan, Ramsey said the best move is to dump the deal and be done with it.<\/p>\n
But resolving the real estate mess is not the end of the story. At the end of the call, Warshaw warned that this goes far beyond a money issue if Nicole\u2019s husband goes ahead and does what he wants to do, even after Nicole raises her concerns.<\/p>\n
Warshaw reframed Nicole\u2019s use of the word \u201crisky\u201d as what she sees more often: get-rich-quick schemes.<\/p>\n
At its core, it promises something that rarely exists: high rewards with minimal risk. Whether it involves crypto, real estate deals or another investment, these schemes downplay the real possibility of losses while selling the idea of fast gains.<\/p>\n
Story Continues <\/p>\n
\u200bMany appear legitimate, often backed by a handful of success stories, which makes them hard to spot. While not all are outright scams, they almost always rely on deceptive, emotionally driven marketing.<\/p>\n
Read More: The average net worth of Americans is a surprising $620,654. But it almost means nothing. Here\u2019s the number that counts (and how to make it skyrocket)<\/a><\/p>\n One survey found that 90% of residential real estate investors lost money on at least one property (2). Of those surveyed, 87% said they regretted at least one decision and 45% said their losses were so severe they nearly ruined their finances.<\/p>\n \u200bThe financial stress tied to high-risk investments often spills into relationships, as Nicole\u2019s call makes clear.<\/p>\n Experian data shows money problems were the leading cause of break-ups for 27% of American couples (3). In a similar finding, one in four Americans said they have issued an ultimatum over a major financial issue at some point, even when it risked ending the relationship.<\/p>\n Given how big a role money plays in a relationship, clear communication and collaboration are essential.<\/p>\n When one partner dominates financial decisions, the quieter partner carries the emotional fallout. Nicole\u2019s call showed how she buried her concerns to avoid conflict, even when she strongly disagreed. Over time, that silence can turn into resentment or emotional withdrawal.<\/p>\n One way to avoid this situation is to set a dollar threshold for purchases or investments that require agreement from both partners. There is no ideal number, but Experian found that 33% of couples set the limit at $500. They also recommend creating a clear budget and scheduling regular financial check-ins to make sure both partners stay on the same page. Using a shared money management app<\/a> can make it easier.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also critical to make savings a priority, as 93% of couples say they believe setting money aside is important. Prioritizing a three- to six-month emergency fund can take a ton of stress out of the relationship by providing a buffer for life’s uncertainties.<\/p>\n Without transparency and shared decisions, financial harmony is hard to achieve. But when both partners feel safe speaking up, couples are more likely to make smarter choices and protect both their finances and their relationship.<\/p>\n Join 200,000+ readers and get Moneywise\u2019s best stories and exclusive interviews first \u2014 clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.<\/a><\/p>\n We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Ramsey Show (1<\/a>); PR Newswire (2<\/a>); Experian (3<\/a>).<\/p>\n This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nicole wants to trust her husband, but his risky real estate deals are driving her insane. In Nicole…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271237,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[114,1125,268,85,46,3890,266,267,4861],"class_list":{"0":"post-271236","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-dave-ramsey","10":"tag-finance","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-israel","13":"tag-jeff-bezos","14":"tag-personal-finance","15":"tag-personalfinance","16":"tag-real-estate"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}