An Allentown, Pennsylvania, man found himself drowning in payday loan debt after losing his job, and called “The Ramsey Show” in hopes of finding a way out. The result: a harsh wake-up call from personal finance experts David Ramsey and Jade Warshaw.
The caller, Alex, explained that he owed about $3,500 in payday loans, all with interest rates around 500%. He said he took them out after he was laid off in August because he didn’t have good enough credit to get a traditional loan.
“All my money goes solely toward payday loans and basic living expenses,” Alex said. He’s been making about $800 a week driving for Lyft and doing side jobs, but it hasn’t been enough to break the cycle.
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Ramsey responded with tough love: “Never walk around those places and borrow money again for the rest of your damn life.”
Alex said he will start a new job in three weeks that will pay him about $70,000 a year, but he needs to survive until then. The hosts urged him to look for additional weekend work right away, even suggesting jobs like hanging Christmas lights, doing yard work, or working shifts at FedEx or UPS.
“If you drive a car 10 hours a day, you’re not making money,” Ramsey said. “Work Saturday and Sunday.”
Ramsey also advised Alex to prioritize his spending. “The first thing you do is buy food. The second thing you buy is electricity,” he said. “The third thing you buy is the rent. The fourth thing you do is pay the car payment. Only after you cover all your living expenses can you pay anything back on a payday loan.”
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Alex brought up the idea of revoking the payday lenders’ access to his bank account until he could pay, and Ramsey agreed: “That’s fine. Just stop it or change your bank account or close your bank account.”
But Ramsey reminded him that even if he temporarily cuts off access, he still has to pay the debt: “You’re going to have to pay them the $3,500 and you’re going to have to pay them a bunch of stupid interest at some point.”
The emotional tone rose when Ramsey lashed out at the payday loan industry: “Teach your kids, teach your grandkids, teach everyone’s kids to stay away from those motherfuckers. They’re screwing people over.”