Dave Ramsey has ruthless advice for married couple over 'fun money'
Personal finance guru Dave Ramsey had stern words for a married couple about how they manage their 'fun money.'
A woman, who called herself Val, wrote to the money mentor about a financial issue she had encountered in her marriage.
'Dear Dave, my husband and I both work outside the home, and he has come up with an idea for our fun money,' the woman wrote in an email shared with The Street.
'He wants us to set up an account where we both put 5 percent of our earnings for discretionary spending,' the woman explained.
'The issue in my mind is that he would have a lot more to spend, because he makes much more money than I do.'
Personal finance guru Dave Ramsey had stern words for a married couple about how they manage their 'fun money.'
'He says he feels he should be able to spend more since he makes more. I'm not a greedy person, and I don't spend money on a lot of frivolous things, but I do think things would be even.'
She added: 'I feel we should each put in the same dollar amount — one that's fair to both of us — if we're going to do this. What do you think?'
The Ramsey Show host offered his no-nonsense advice to the couple, swiftly rebutting the husband's calculations.
'This isn't a good plan,' Ramsey wrote tersely.
'I'm sure your husband means well, and that he's really a good guy overall, but it sounds to me like he probably hasn't thought this whole thing through' he wrote.
'As they stand now, the details of his idea play out as pretty immature and selfish. And something tells me you wouldn't marry a man like that.
'Think about it this way, there are plenty of families out there where only one person works outside the home and generates an actual income' the finance guru explained.
'Would it be fair to say that whoever brings home the paycheck is the only one who can have fun spending once in a while? Of course not!'
'In most cases, spouses who don't work outside the home take on tons of responsibility and accomplish several things every single day — especially if the couple has kids,' Ramsey added.
'If you put a monetary amount on all that, it'd wind up being a pretty nice income dollars-wise.'
Ramsey then explained his underlying theory about money within a marriage.
'Remember back when you two got married?' he asked the woman who wrote in.
'If it were anything close to a traditional ceremony, I'll bet the preacher pronounced you two 'as one.' As in every thing and every way.'
'Marriage is not a me proposition. It should always be a we thing' Ramsey told the questioner
'That means you have one income, a combined income, and it's our income,' he added.
'If you own a home, it's our home. It's not more his home just because he makes more money than you. Our kids, our marriage our everything. Get the picture?'
'Marriage is not a me proposition. It should always be a we thing' he continued.
Concluding: 'Your husband needs to be reminded of that.'
