More than $200,000 in cryptocurrency once supported this couple. Today, they are left with about $4,000 in assets and mounting debt.
“We’re improvising everything,” David told personal finance expert Ramit Sethi on the “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” podcast.
David said the couple treated their crypto gains like income, a mindset that gradually unraveled their finances. Both in their early 30s, they now live with David’s mother while raising their 5-year-old daughter after unstable work choices and spending decisions left them without steady footing.
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In the written application they submitted to appear on the podcast, Angela wrote that they “lived a rich life as if we were actually rich,” quitting low-paying jobs as their savings declined.
Sethi pushed back on that approach, saying action without clear numbers and timelines did not amount to a plan. He said the decisions they outlined lacked timelines, accountability and clear income assumptions.
David acknowledged that the issue was not effort, but structure. “We’ve never created a plan,” he said, describing how decisions around work, housing and money often happened without clear expectations or follow-through.
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The strain is most visible in how the arrangement functions day-to-day.
“There’s no space for anybody,” Angela said, referring to disrupted sleep, limited privacy, and constant tension from sharing a small home.
Despite not paying rent, their finances remain fragile. Figures shared on the show showed $4,000 in total assets, alongside $34,632 in debt, leaving them with a negative net worth of $25,629. That total included $4,242 in savings and $761 in investments, based on the couple’s breakdown during the episode.
Sethi said their fixed costs only appear manageable because housing expenses are temporarily removed, warning that the numbers would quickly collapse once rent was added back in.
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“For the entirety of last year, my mother was paying all of our expenses,” David said, adding that the support contributed to roughly $90,000 in credit card debt and a second mortgage on her home.
