The Texas couple earn $161,000 a year but flooded $90,000 in credit card debt and spent $20,000 on their California vacation
Earn $161,000 a year and live in Texas, a relatively low-cost, low-tax state that should provide an easy way to financial freedom. But for the Fort Worth couple, reckless spending puts their credit card debt at about $90,000, and there is no clear escape.
In an episode of “Financial Audits,” released on November 6, Alyssa, 40, and Connor, 32, described how a series of bad decisions and lack of discipline have turned their finances into chaos.
Host Caleb Hammer did not back down, accusing the pair of “living a millionaire life” while bearing huge debts.
He warned that if there were no sharp action, they would stay in retirement.
As a registered nurse with 20 years of experience, he was promoted to management in 2022, and Alyssa earns $111,000 a year. Connor works in construction and earns a relatively modest amount of $25 per hour, with an estimated annual income of about $50,000. Their total income puts them ahead of many families.
“We did well enough,” Alyssa said. “We just made some wrong decisions.”
One of these bad decisions is to pay a few fees on your credit card, and only pay its minimum monthly balance. The couple has over $90,000 in credit card debt in total. Hammer noted that if the couple continues to pay only the monthly minimum without additional purchases, it will take about 25 years to pay off one card’s debt, while the other is 17 years.
He quipped, “Congratulations, you will be close to 60 when you pay it off.”
Despite so much debt accumulated, they are still struggling to rule over their spending. For example, in 2022, the couple spent about $20,000 on a month-long family vacation in California.
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“You are acting like a millionaire,” Hammer shouted. “I can’t even imagine [spending] Vacation $20,000! ”
In addition to credit card debt, the couple also has nearly $8,700 in student loan debt, and Tesla’s auto loan has $53,500 left, and they pay more than $1,000 a month.