Sep 21, 2026 · 9 min
Borrowing for family leaves investor with $300,000 debt
I Borrowed $300,00 For Family And They Haven't Paid Me Back
The episode examines how borrowing on someone else’s behalf can turn a family favor into personal financial and relational damage.
- 1The caller remains responsible for roughly $300,000 because he borrowed the money himself, despite his cousin’s defaults and disappearance.
- 2Dave Ramsey recommends treating repayment as the caller’s obligation, using rental cash flow, income, and selective property sales.
- 3The arrangement illustrates how co-signing or borrowing for relatives can jeopardize both financial progress and family relationships.
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Dave Ramsey tells the caller to stop treating the cousin’s repayment as part of the plan and accept the full $300,000 as his own debt.
The brief
A real-estate investor says he borrowed roughly $300,000 for his cousin, who later stopped paying, lost her properties to foreclosure, and disappeared.
The caller has already paid off five rental properties and much of approximately $600,000 in debt, but now considers selling his own real estate.
Dave Ramsey’s central argument is blunt: because the caller borrowed the money, the balance is his responsibility, regardless of whether his cousin ever repays him.
Rather than dismantling the entire portfolio immediately, Ramsey points to rental cash flow, W-2 income, and possibly selling one or two properties.
The financial burden has also damaged the family relationship, making the episode a cautionary case about co-signing or borrowing for relatives.