Podcast Summary: The Ramsey Show Highlights

Episode Title: How Do I Prepare For My Husband To Go To Prison?
Date: January 29, 2026
Host: Ramsey Network (Dave Ramsey, Jade Warshaw, Financial Coach)
Duration: ~8 Minutes

Episode Overview

This episode centers around a caller whose husband has recently been arrested and faces a potential prison sentence of 2–10 years. The main focus is on how she can financially prepare for this significant change, maintain family stability, and manage the family’s various sources of income, including a landscaping business and rental properties, during this turbulent time.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Caller’s Situation & Initial Concerns

• The caller’s family finances are being upended due to her husband’s pending incarceration (00:06–01:01).
• Husband currently provides the primary income (~$10,000–$15,000/month) through a landscaping business and property maintenance on their three rentals (01:19, 02:18).
• The caller works full time earning about $4,000/month; they have two children (11 and 17), both attending private school (01:29–01:45).
• She wants to proactively prepare and not "get behind" (00:49).

2. Possibility of Maintaining the Landscaping Business

• Dave and team encourage the caller to find ways to keep the business running during her husband's absence (02:18–03:23).
• Dave Ramsey: “If I’m sitting in your shoes, I’m trying to figure out with him how you can keep that business going. Does he have people that work for him, or is he doing all the work?” (02:29)
• The business is mostly operated by her husband, with minimal help—one employee during the off-season (02:51–03:01).
• Suggestion to bring in a trustworthy individual (perhaps a partner or energetic newcomer) and split the profits, retaining business income and value for the family (03:23–03:58).
  • Financial Coach: “I’d be wondering if there’s a secondary person you could bring on to take his place... Instead of losing out on $15,000 a month, maybe you’re only missing out on five or six thousand dollars a month.” (03:23)

3. Practical Steps to Transition the Business

• Detailed plan:
  • Get a full brain-dump with her husband about business operations—who does the accounting, fieldwork, client management, etc. (04:04–04:16).
  • Consider hiring a reliable local person, potentially a young person eager to learn, to keep the fieldwork ongoing (04:37–04:57).
  • Hire out for specialized tasks (e.g., bookkeeper) to keep costs down but business active (04:57–05:32).
  • Dave Ramsey: “I think it’s worth a really detailed conversation with your husband to see if we can keep this thing going. Because... if we can keep this thing turning out 10, 12, the occasional 15,000, that’s a pretty healthy little business.” (05:08)

4. Leveraging Community Support

• Dave asks about her support system and emphasizes relying on friends, family, or church before looking for unknown hires (05:45–06:17).
  • Dave Ramsey: “I think you need people who are going, hey, I am totally with you … and we’re going to rally to try to help you with this plan.” (06:02)

5. Preparing for the Worst-Case Scenario

• Guidance to reduce expenses, especially if all or most of the husband’s income disappears (06:18–06:27).
• Assess overall financial health:
  • Mortgage on the home ($4,000/month, $260k owed).
  • One rental property also mortgaged ($140k owed).
  • No mention of excessive consumer debt (06:38–06:55).
• Financial Coach: “It might be worth it to offload one of these mortgages, take the equity and pay off all of your consumer debt because you want your expenses as low as possible...” (07:00)
• Advice to write out all debts and consider selling a property to simplify and stabilize finances before any further income disruptions manifest (07:00–07:22).

6. Accessing Further Support

• Caller offered a year of the EveryDollar budgeting app and connection with a financial coach for continued support with both trauma and detailed planning (07:22–07:30).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dave Ramsey (02:29):
  “If I’m sitting in your shoes, I’m trying to figure out with him how you can keep that business going. Does he have people that work for him, or is he doing all the work?”

• Financial Coach (03:23):
  “I’d be wondering if there’s a secondary person you could bring on to take his place... Instead of losing out on $15,000 a month, maybe you’re only missing out on five or six thousand dollars a month. Do you see what I’m saying?”

• Dave Ramsey (05:08):
  “I think it’s worth a really detailed conversation with your husband to see if we can keep this thing going. Because... if we can keep this thing turning out 10, 12, the occasional 15,000, that’s a pretty healthy little business.”

• Dave Ramsey (06:02):
  “That’s why I’d start, I wouldn’t do ads right away. I think you need people who are going, hey, I am totally with you ... and we’re going to rally to try to help you with this plan.”

• Financial Coach (07:00):
  “It might be worth it to offload one of these mortgages, take the equity and pay off all of your consumer debt because you want your expenses as low as possible going in especially with the changes coming possibly to his income.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:06–01:10: Caller explains husband’s incarceration, financial strain, family overview
• 02:18–02:59: Discussion of the landscaping business’s operation and viability without the husband
• 03:23–03:58: Suggestions for bringing in help to keep income flowing
• 04:04–05:08: Step-by-step advice for managing and possibly delegating business operations
• 05:45–06:17: Importance of using community and personal networks to find help
• 06:27–07:22: Preparing for reduced income: debts, possible sale of properties, lowering expenses
• 07:22–End: Offer of budgeting tools and coaching for ongoing support

Conclusion

This episode offers practical, empathetic guidance for anyone navigating sudden, major financial changes due to a spouse’s incarceration or similar crisis. The hosts provide a roadmap to stabilize income, marshal community support, and simplify expenses—while emphasizing the importance of planning, communication, and seeking help.