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A Broken Engagement Over Money Habits — But Wait, Who Financed the $50,000 Car?

MarketDash Editorial Team
10 days ago
A caller to "The Ramsey Show" ended her engagement over her fiancé's spending habits and job instability. Then hosts George Kamel and Jade Warshaw discovered she'd just financed a $50,000 Mazda while relying on him to pay bills. The conversation that followed got uncomfortable fast.

Sometimes you call into a financial advice show looking for validation, and instead you get a mirror held up to your own choices. That's what happened when Breanna from Minneapolis dialed into "The Ramsey Show" to discuss why she broke off her engagement.

The Setup Seemed Straightforward

"Was I right to break off my engagement because of long-term money issues and bad spending habits?" Breanna asked hosts George Kamel and Jade Warshaw. Her story started simply enough: she'd always been disciplined with money, while her ex-fiancé couldn't seem to stay employed and had a tendency to overspend.

Kamel's initial response was enthusiastic. "Bullet dodged," he told her. "This guy can't hold a job. He's going to continually go into debt, put us in a financial bind. Therefore, I'm out."

Warshaw backed that up, noting how many people push past warning signs because they feel too invested to turn back. "So many people ignore red flags 'cause you get so far down the line it's like, 'I can't turn back now,'" she said.

Breanna explained that her ex had worked in software sales for seven years before their relationship, but during their two-and-a-half years together, he struggled to maintain employment. "Ever since I got together with him, he can't hold a job just because the market's been so unsteady," she said.

Then Came the Plot Twist

Here's where things got interesting. Breanna mentioned she'd recently financed a 2025 Mazda CX-70 during their engagement. The price tag? $50,000. And she could only afford the monthly payment because her fiancé was helping cover living expenses at the time.

You could practically hear the record scratch.

Kamel didn't mince words. "I'm not sure you believe in your own principles, cause you wanted this guy to clean up his act financially while you were an accomplice to the crimes."

Breanna tried to explain that her ex encouraged the purchase because her old Nissan Altima needed repairs. He was driving a BMW X4M Competition himself, so luxury vehicles weren't exactly foreign to their relationship.

But Kamel wasn't buying it. "How am I supposed to take you seriously if I'm the fiancé going, 'You really need to get better with your spending habits,' and then I'm over here financing a $50,000 car?"

The Real Issue Might Run Deeper

Warshaw offered a more nuanced perspective, suggesting that Breanna's real problem might not have been the spending itself but her ex's lack of ambition. "I feel like you were more on the 'Why doesn't he have a job regularly?' side of things," she said. "There are plenty of people in the world who are fine with debt. The problem is, when you have somebody who's not working... that might be a tad bit lazy. I could see how that's a bigger red flag to you."

Still, she didn't let Breanna off the hook entirely. "You can't be the pot calling the kettle black." Kamel added his own assessment: "I think both of you had bad money habits."

The Path Forward

The hosts pivoted to practical advice, encouraging Breanna to take full control of her finances and stop making major decisions based on someone she wasn't married to.

"I can make the rent as long as he pays. I can make the payment as long as he's in my life," Kamel said. "All of that is why we tell people never combine financial lives... before you're married. It just gets too messy."

Their final recommendation was blunt: sell the car. "There's no reason you need to be driving a $50,000 car walking out of this mess," Kamel said.

The takeaway here goes beyond one broken engagement. It's easy to spot financial red flags in someone else while being blind to your own questionable choices. Sometimes the person who needs the financial wake-up call isn't just your partner. Sometimes it's you too.

Back to News

A Broken Engagement Over Money Habits — But Wait, Who Financed the $50,000 Car?

MarketDash Editorial Team
10 days ago
A caller to "The Ramsey Show" ended her engagement over her fiancé's spending habits and job instability. Then hosts George Kamel and Jade Warshaw discovered she'd just financed a $50,000 Mazda while relying on him to pay bills. The conversation that followed got uncomfortable fast.

Sometimes you call into a financial advice show looking for validation, and instead you get a mirror held up to your own choices. That's what happened when Breanna from Minneapolis dialed into "The Ramsey Show" to discuss why she broke off her engagement.

The Setup Seemed Straightforward

"Was I right to break off my engagement because of long-term money issues and bad spending habits?" Breanna asked hosts George Kamel and Jade Warshaw. Her story started simply enough: she'd always been disciplined with money, while her ex-fiancé couldn't seem to stay employed and had a tendency to overspend.

Kamel's initial response was enthusiastic. "Bullet dodged," he told her. "This guy can't hold a job. He's going to continually go into debt, put us in a financial bind. Therefore, I'm out."

Warshaw backed that up, noting how many people push past warning signs because they feel too invested to turn back. "So many people ignore red flags 'cause you get so far down the line it's like, 'I can't turn back now,'" she said.

Breanna explained that her ex had worked in software sales for seven years before their relationship, but during their two-and-a-half years together, he struggled to maintain employment. "Ever since I got together with him, he can't hold a job just because the market's been so unsteady," she said.

Then Came the Plot Twist

Here's where things got interesting. Breanna mentioned she'd recently financed a 2025 Mazda CX-70 during their engagement. The price tag? $50,000. And she could only afford the monthly payment because her fiancé was helping cover living expenses at the time.

You could practically hear the record scratch.

Kamel didn't mince words. "I'm not sure you believe in your own principles, cause you wanted this guy to clean up his act financially while you were an accomplice to the crimes."

Breanna tried to explain that her ex encouraged the purchase because her old Nissan Altima needed repairs. He was driving a BMW X4M Competition himself, so luxury vehicles weren't exactly foreign to their relationship.

But Kamel wasn't buying it. "How am I supposed to take you seriously if I'm the fiancé going, 'You really need to get better with your spending habits,' and then I'm over here financing a $50,000 car?"

The Real Issue Might Run Deeper

Warshaw offered a more nuanced perspective, suggesting that Breanna's real problem might not have been the spending itself but her ex's lack of ambition. "I feel like you were more on the 'Why doesn't he have a job regularly?' side of things," she said. "There are plenty of people in the world who are fine with debt. The problem is, when you have somebody who's not working... that might be a tad bit lazy. I could see how that's a bigger red flag to you."

Still, she didn't let Breanna off the hook entirely. "You can't be the pot calling the kettle black." Kamel added his own assessment: "I think both of you had bad money habits."

The Path Forward

The hosts pivoted to practical advice, encouraging Breanna to take full control of her finances and stop making major decisions based on someone she wasn't married to.

"I can make the rent as long as he pays. I can make the payment as long as he's in my life," Kamel said. "All of that is why we tell people never combine financial lives... before you're married. It just gets too messy."

Their final recommendation was blunt: sell the car. "There's no reason you need to be driving a $50,000 car walking out of this mess," Kamel said.

The takeaway here goes beyond one broken engagement. It's easy to spot financial red flags in someone else while being blind to your own questionable choices. Sometimes the person who needs the financial wake-up call isn't just your partner. Sometimes it's you too.