The Ramsey Show

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The Decisions You Make Now Shape Your Success

Explore episode Jul 20, 2026

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Question of the Day: Getting Your Daughter to Repay Co-Signed Student Loans

At 34:14 · chapter starts 33:10

Diana from Maine co-signed her daughter's student loans when the daughter was 17, with a promise that the daughter would make the payments. Now the daughter refuses to pay anything, leaving a $75,000 balance after the parents have already absorbed $60,000. Jade reads the situation clearly: the parents made a serious financial agreement with a teenager, which she labels a parenting issue as much as a financial one. George adds that when a 17-year-old makes a promise about $135,000, the promise deserves minimal weight — teenagers don't comprehend compound interest on Parent PLUS loans, which carry higher rates than standard federal loans. The two paths: pursue repayment legally and lose the daughter's relationship forever, or absorb the $75,000 as a painful but relationship-preserving lesson. George and Jade both land on the same answer — pay the stupid tax, retire a year later than planned, and keep your family intact.

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