A recent call to “The Ramsey Show” revealed the emotional and financial chaos one Louisiana woman is trying to navigate after her husband was arrested and could be facing years behind bars.
Megan, a mother of two from Baton Rouge told hosts Jade Warshaw and Ken Coleman that her husband had been arrested just the week before their call. The timeline of his potential sentence isn’t yet clear, but it could be anywhere from two to 10 years.
That uncertainty has upended their finances. Megan said her husband ran a successful lawn care and landscaping business and also handled maintenance for their three rental properties. He brought in between $10,000 and $15,000 a month.
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Now, it’s just her. She works full-time and brings home about $4,000 a month after taxes and insurance. They have two children, ages 11 and 17, both attending private school.
“I’m just trying to get ahead so I don’t get behind,” she told the hosts.
Coleman pressed for details on the business. “Does he have people that work for him, or is he doing all the work?” Megan said he does the majority of it himself and only has one employee during the slower winter season.
That led to the hosts suggesting she consider keeping the business running in some form, possibly by bringing someone in to take over the physical labor and offering them a profit share. “Instead of losing out on $15,000 a month, maybe you’re only missing out on five or six,” Warshaw said.
But Megan admitted she had kept her distance from the business side of things. “I’ve never really wanted to be involved. I wanted to keep our jobs separate,” she said.
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Still, Coleman encouraged her to have a direct and practical conversation with her husband. “How many hours a week are you actually doing something in these lawns?” he suggested she ask. “Who does the accounting?”
He also urged her to explore her support network before turning to job ads. “Do you have a good support system and community, whether it be church or neighbors or family?”
Megan said a few close friends and family are still standing by her, and she plans to reach out to the employee who currently works for her husband.
If the business can’t be salvaged, Warshaw shifted the conversation toward managing what Megan can control.
