Financial Audit Podcast: "The Most UNHINGED Financial Audit"

Host: Caleb Hammer
Guest: Justin, 30-year-old Airline Mechanic from Tulsa, OK
Date: February 12, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features Justin, whose finances and personal life are, as Caleb puts it, "a stack of insanity." As Justin lays bare his job history, relationship drama, and eye-watering debt, the conversation careens between brutal honesty, wild tangents, and sometimes shocking humor. Caleb attempts to unravel Justin's financial behavior, all while dealing with the most unfiltered, unpredictable guest in the show's history.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Justin’s Background and Situation

(00:29 - 06:59)

• Career and Income:

  • Justin is an airline mechanic making $80,000/year in Tulsa, a city with a low cost of living.
  • Was previously fired from a lower-paying job ($31/hr in OKC) due to an "unsafe condition"—pushing an aircraft without following proper safety protocol.
    • “Honestly. Shouldn’t be hired again.” — Caleb (03:08)

• Living Arrangement:

  • Despite his income, Justin moved back in with his mom in September, bringing along his soon-to-be ex-wife and nephew.
  • House situation described as “1200 square feet with bugs”—including bedbugs and cockroaches.

• Relationship Woes:

  • On the brink of divorce after a three-year marriage (together four years).
  • Justin’s wife wants independence; she works part-time and aspires to cybersecurity but lacks motivation for extra hours.
    • “She would rather sleep with bedbugs and cockroaches than work extra hours.” — Caleb (09:47)
  • Justin is deeply affected emotionally, feeling a constant need “to be noticed.”

2. Justin’s Psychological Drivers

(12:01 - 14:45)

• Desire for Attention:
  • Long-standing issues of wanting attention from parents, especially after his father’s intermittent presence and abusive history.
  • Sibling rivalry with “golden child” sister and a brother with a complicated past.
    • “What is with this be noticed thing?...That’s something we’ve not had on the show ever.” — Caleb (13:13)

3. Job Instability and Financial Spiral

(07:59 - 20:05)

• Patchy Employment:

  • Four jobs in a single year; frequent firings or voluntary departures when dissatisfied.
    • “Even if I have a new job once a quarter, my hairline would be the same.” — Caleb (08:37)

• Military and Early Debt:

  • Navy service (2013–2017) didn’t break the habit of accumulating debt—started as early as 16 with truck modifications.

4. No-Budget Lifestyle and Debt Avalanche

(23:31 - 31:16)

• Spending Patterns:

  • Justin estimates monthly expenses at ~$2,400, but the reality is $7,766+ (Caleb calls out the discrepancy).
    • “You spent $7,766. What the are you talking about?” — Caleb (23:52)
  • Money comes from loans, credit cards, and gig work—“rob Peter to pay Paul.”

• Never Budgeted:

  • Justin admits to never budgeting.
    • “No, because I’ve always had either something to fall back on.” — Justin (24:00)

• Parent Bailouts:

  • His mother has repeatedly paid off Justin’s debts, which now jeopardizes her retirement.

5. Reckless Financial Choices

(34:46 - 56:01)

• Credit Card Catastrophe:

  • Over-the-limit cards with minimum payments dragging out debt payoffs for years.
  • Purchases include fishing gear (via high-interest BNPL services), hobby equipment, tools, and overspending on fast food and vending machines.
    • “You’re over the limit on this card...You just immediately [mess] it all up.” — Caleb (29:34)

• Disastrous Car Loan:

  • $31,919 balance on a 2019 Hyundai Veloster (worth only ~$12,500) at a 16.99% interest rate; purchased for $36,000.
    • “You have yourself. I will.” — Justin (53:36, joking about self-destruction from car debt)

• Hobbies and Friends:

  • Still spends on Airsoft and fishing despite finances; judgmental about friends who also borrow money.
    • “Everything I’ve done so far has been ridiculous...I always thought my 20s was just be the around moment and then I’ll get together.” — Justin (43:32)

6. Layered, Stretching Debt

(66:00 - 77:00+)

• Debt Details:

  • Various debts:

    • Tools (high-interest weekly payment plan, $22k+ @ ~32%)
    • Credit cards (multiple, some closed/maxed)
    • Auto loan (wildly underwater)
    • Student loans ($22,873 — taken out after GI bill to cover CC debt)
    • Debts to family, former employer (due to contract breach), government (unemployment overpayment), and medical bills

  • Debt Behavior:

    • Routinely takes out new personal or payday loans to cover minimums elsewhere.
    • “I recognize I’m a Rob Peter, Save Paul kind of PayPal person. And it’s not working.” — Justin (45:30)

• Budget Building:

  • Caleb builds a budget using Justin’s claimed $5,000/month net income.
    • Justin could theoretically pay off $76,643 in bad debt (excluding medical/student loans) in ~4 years if he sticks to a strict budget.
    • But Caleb expresses strong skepticism about follow-through:
      • “I don’t think you’re getting out of debt. You’ve been down this cycle a thousand times and refuse to change your behavior.” — Caleb (76:15)

• Emergency Fund and Homeownership:

  • Justin’s plan to buy his grandma’s house is dismissed as premature until he sorts debt and builds an emergency fund.

7. Notable Quotes & Wild Moments

• Justin’s Confessions:

  • “I want to be noticed by you too.” — Justin (14:41)
  • “It’s not calling you Hammer daddy, but…” — Justin (14:47)

• Caleb’s Raw Reactions:

  • “Don’t make this weird.” — Caleb (14:45)
  • “No wonder you think you live in a food desert with a Walmart next door.” — Caleb (51:08)
  • “You’re spending in a budget score. You overspend. 0 out of 10…Debt: 0 out of 10…Emergency fund: 0 out of 10…Retirement: 1 out of 10.” — Caleb (87:24)

• Unhinged Tangents:

  • Admission of using machines in place of physical relationships, references to “tug is the drug.”
  • Frequent nose whistling derails conversation; Caleb insists Justin “breathe through your mouth.”
  • Lane-jumping between topics, including therapy, family trauma, sex work websites, and tool collections.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Situation Setup: 00:29–06:59
• Family & Psychological Drivers: 12:01–14:45
• Employment Instability: 07:59–20:05
• Budget/Spending Breakdown: 23:31–31:16, 34:46–56:01
• Debt Avalanche: 66:00–77:00
• Budget Math & Wrap-up: 83:07–87:45

Tone and Format Highlights

• Extremely candid, at times crude, humor and self-deprecation on both sides.
• Host vacillates between exasperation, compassion, and ridicule—especially in response to repeated excuses and justifications.
• Justin is endearingly vulnerable but deeply flawed and often unable to stay on topic.
• Show delivers practical advice, calls for therapy, and prescribes strict budgeting—while expressing honest doubt that it will be followed.

Memorable Moments

• “Hundreds of thousands of people are noticing you now.” — Caleb (14:07)
• “Airsoft? It’s for 16 year olds.” — Caleb (42:17)
• “You can’t afford that hobby, obviously. Just swim. Catch them [fish] with your mouth.” — Caleb (59:27)
• “You have yourself. I will.” — Justin (53:36, on car debt; said jokingly about unaliving himself)
• “Your student loans. Is there a minimum payment? No forbearance right now. Already talked to them.” — Justin (77:04)

Summary

If you like your financial podcasts raw, unvarnished, and utterly chaotic, this episode delivers. Justin’s genuine, almost compulsive honesty evokes both empathy and jaw-dropping disbelief, while Caleb’s sharp critiques and constant calls for self-accountability create a relentless reality check. The episode ultimately becomes a cautionary tale about learned helplessness, emotional spending, and the dangers of being bailed out instead of learning hard financial lessons. Despite the chaos, there are real-life takeaways: do not ignore budgets, bailouts are not solutions, therapy matters, and it’s never too late—but you have to change.

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