A Dave Ramsey Caller Tried To Gamble Her Way Out Of Car Payments. Now She's $19,000 In Debt And Walking

Cassie from San Diego called in to “The Ramsey Show” with a question: “How do I settle a repo?” The reason behind it? Gambling. She told hosts George Kamel and Jade Warshaw that she had a car repossessed after trying to beat the system by doubling her payments at the casino. It didn't work. Gambling Replaced Her Car Payments “Instead of making my payments, I was thinking I can go to the casino and double it to make payments and things like that,” Cassie admitted. She now owes a $19,000 deficiency balance after the car was sold off for just $3,500. Don't Miss: Americans With a Financial Plan Can 4X Their Wealth — Get Your Personalized Plan from a CFP Pro $100k+ in investable assets? Match with a fiduciary advisor for free to learn how you can maximize your retirement and save on taxes – no cost, no obligation. Cassie said she’s in Baby Step one of the Ramsey plan and has saved $1,000, but the repo is the only thing sitting on her credit. Kamel quickly asked if she'd tackled the gambling problem first. Cassie said she’s cut off all casino ads and blocked promotions in her email, but she hasn’t gone to Gamblers Anonymous. “I just want to make sure that we’ve resolved the root problem here before we just fix the repo,” Kamel said. Trending: An EA Co-Founder Shapes This VC Backed Marketplace—Now You Can Invest in Gaming's Next Big Platform No Car, Just The Bus And Bills Cassie doesn’t have another vehicle and relies on the bus to get to her full-time job. Luckily, her commute is manageable. She’s earning around $4,000 a month after taxes and says her total monthly expenses, including rent and food, are around $1,500. “I’m fortunate that I’m able to get transportation that leaves me close to work,” she said. Her rent is $1,300 and includes utilities. Transportation costs her about $75 a month. Cassie confirmed she has no other debts and no kids to support, as her children are now adults. The Plan To Settle The Repo Warshaw and Kamel advised Cassie to try for a lump-sum settlement. “Let's say you come up with, I don't know, $7,000. They might be willing to take that as a lump-sum settlement as paid in full,” Kamel said. See Also: Bezos' Favorite Real Estate Platform Launches A Way To Ride The Ongoing Private Credit Boom They emphasized that she must get all terms in writing before sending any money and should avoid giving access to her bank account. A cashier's check or money order is the way to go. “They’re going to take you for a ride,” Warshaw warned. “You're going to have to beat them over the head over and over. And at the end of the day, it’s like, listen, guy, I don't have any money. My car got repoed. What you're getting are my last dollars, and this is it.” Cassie said she’s ready. “I can probably do that in two months,” she said. With her current income and low living costs, she estimated she could stash away around $2,500 a month. That would give her $8,000 to offer as a settlement. Once that's paid, she'd be completely debt-free. “That’s amazing,” Kamel said. Read Next: Missed Tesla? EnergyX Is Tackling the Next $200 Billion Opportunity — Lithium Image: Shutterstock