The Barefoot Investor has given the ‘brutal truth’ to an Australian mother who disclosed she had covered her husband’s gambling debts for years.
Writing to Scott Pape, the 49-year-old said she had paid close to $100,000 over four years to service losses caused by her husband’s gambling addiction.
Despite that, she alleged her husband still had $55,000 owed on a personal loan and was demanding a further $6,000 immediately.
The woman, who wrote to Pape anonymously, said her husband refused to provide evidence of where the money had gone, making her suspect the true figure could be higher.
‘My salary goes into the offset account but he keeps his account separate,’ she said.
‘If I don’t pay his debts, he stops paying for groceries and stops contributing to the mortgage.’
She said she was afraid for both her own and her son’s emotional and financial wellbeing, adding that she does not have the support to separate from her husband.
Pape, responding in The Herald Sun, shared his sympathy for how ‘exhausted’ the woman must be, adding: ‘Here’s the brutal truth: this isn’t over. It won’t stop until he puts his hand up and gets help.’
Barefoot Investor Scott Pape (pictured) said gambling is a ‘disease’ that ‘takes every cent’
A woman revealed to Pape that her husband had racked up over $100,000 in gambling debts
Pape said it would be a long recovery from the financial stress and highlighted that she was dealing with a ‘disease designed to take every cent’.
He warned that, as long as the woman covers her husband’s bills, the stress would continue for their family.
‘It’s time to be ruthless. For your son. Do not pay another dollar towards your husband’s gambling debts. Do not give him any money. Pay the bills yourself,’ he wrote.
After the woman has made that decision, Pape advised that she work with a financial counsellor to develop a plan – and said she could also reach out to him.
He also urged her to consult a family lawyer who could explain her options for the future of her marriage.
‘Hope is not a strategy. You’ve carried this for four years. That has to stop,’ Pape said.
National Debt Helpline: 1800 007 007
