A 28-year-old father from Mississippi told a financial auditor that he drained his 4-year-old son’s savings account to fund multiple vacations, including trips to Disney World, New York City, and the Bahamas. And he didn’t seem to regret it.
“You raided your kid’s savings so you could go on vacation and you don’t regret it,” financial coach Caleb Hammer said in a recent episode of the “Financial Audit” YouTube series. “That is disgusting.”
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He Took The Entire Sum
Christian, a U.S. mail carrier from Biloxi, admitted to taking roughly $10,000 from an account that had been set up for his son with birthday money and family gifts. He justified the move by saying, “We had a good time. I think it was worth it.”
When asked if he planned to repay the money, Christian said yes, but admitted he hadn’t yet. Hammer pressed further: “You stole from your kid. From a 4-year-old, that’s disgusting.”
Christian insisted he had good intentions, saying he wanted to give his child experiences. “I took him to New York four times in the last year, Disney World, the Bahamas, Houston, Atlanta.”
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He added that his son began asking to go back to New York repeatedly, and they would give in. “Four times this year? We’re not even in Q4 yet,” Hammer responded. “And now he feels some kind of entitlement. Like when kids ask to go to McDonald’s, he has to go to New York?”
Out-Of-Control Spending
The spending didn’t stop at vacations. Christian admitted to spending over $1,200 a month on fast food, naming McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A as his regular stops.
He also financed a Tesla and a Ford Maverick, together worth more than $60,000. To stay afloat, he took out a loan from his retirement account and used it to pay off credit cards, then promptly ran those cards back up.
Christian called himself a stress spender and admitted to buying things like lightsabers and Pokémon cards.
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Strain On The Marriage
While Christian spends freely, his wife recently reenlisted in the Army. He said she joined because the family needed financial stability and she wanted to finish college without taking on student debt.
Their relationship has been rocky. Christian said they argue often, and his wife recently told him that the day she quits yelling at him is the day that he should worry.
He believes she’s mostly staying in the marriage for the sake of their child.
Christian’s monthly minimum debt payments exceed $1,000, and his total non-mortgage debt is around $90,000. He acknowledged that he’s never stuck to a budget, even though a friend tried to help him set one up.
Hammer challenged him. “You and your wife should be living a good life right now,” he said. “And now she’s just going away to try to bail out the family, which makes no sense.”
Despite everything, Christian said he still plans to travel. He even mentioned using the show’s reimbursement to fund another trip.
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