Truly Unruly with Marcus & Jessica Trufant
Marcus Trufant, a former NFL star, and his wife Jessica Trufant present an unfiltered, funny, and thoughtful take on marriage, parenting, and relationships. With a solid 16+ years of marriage, the young parents of 5 kids deliver a fresh perspective on the challenges, pitfalls, and joys of marriage and parenthood. Through love and laughter, this husband and wife duo share hilarious and entertaining stories while giving the best advice to married couples, newlyweds, new parents, new moms, girl dads, busy moms, working parents, and everyone in between.
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Truly Unruly with Marcus & Jessica Trufant
When Your Spouse's Spending Addiction Is Destroying Your Marriage | Truly Unruly Podcast
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Marcus and Jessica respond to a listener whose high-earning wife was laid off — and blew through her entire severance without changing her spending habits. Is this a shopping addiction? A power struggle? Or the end of the marriage? The crew breaks down financial transparency, accountability in relationships, and why money is one of the top reasons couples divorce.
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You're listening to Truly Unruly with Marcus and Jessica Truefant. Alright, y'all. We're back with another episode of Truly Unruly with Marcus and Jessica TrueFont. My name is Kel. That's Marcus. And that's Jessica. All right. We're going to talk about some stuff. Got an email. Marcus is one of your favorite topics. Finances. Oh boy. I don't know if your favorite topic, Marcus, is finances or finances in a relationship.
SPEAKER_04A little bit of both. Both.
SPEAKER_02All right. Here we go. Here's this email. So hi. I'm writing this because I don't know what else to do. I'm hoping you guys can give me some advice. My wife and I have been been married for many, many years and have built a good life together. We have children, a home, and until recently, a stable financial situation. For most of our marriage, my wife has been the primary breadwinner, earning almost three times what I make. We split our financial responsibilities in a way that makes sense. I cover the mortgage, utilities, car payments, and most of our monthly bills. She pays for our children's school tuition, travel sports, medical insurance, and other major expenses. The problem is that my wife has always struggled with spending money. For years I've tried to talk to her about saving for emergencies, retirement, or unexpected life events. Every time I bring it up, the conversation turns into an argument. She says I'm being negative or worrying too much, and the discussion goes nowhere. This excuse me, things become more things have become much more serious when she recently got laid off from her job. She received a severance package that should help that should have helped carry us through the transition. Instead, most of that money is already gone. What scares me about it most is that despite earning a very good income for years, she has never built any meaningful savings. And now we're living on one income, mine, and our financial situation has changed dramatically. We need to cut back and make adjustments, but she refuses to change her spending habits. I feel like I'm the only one who sees the seriousness in this situation. I love my wife, and this isn't about blaming her, but I'm worried about our future, our children, and the growing resentment I feel every time another unnecessary purchase shows up at the door. How do I get through to someone who refuses to acknowledge that there's a problem? And how do we save our marriage before our finances cause a permanent excuse me, before our finances cause a permanent damage?
SPEAKER_00I can't read today, sorry. Uh the damage is done. I don't know. If she can't see it by now, you think she's gonna see it? And what do you mean she's continuing to spend? I thought there is no money. So it's gonna stop either way. And obviously the victim, home dude, cannot sustain that. So um I don't know. He's in a tough situation, you know, like I said, like I was saying before, or like I always say, if there is no awareness about behavior, you cannot change it. And if she's saying, I don't want to change it, then I don't know. What is what is her family worth? What are you worth? If there is no awareness on her end, he is not going to be able to create that awareness. Sometimes the only awareness happens after the fact in hindsight, if at all.
SPEAKER_04My major thing is the accountability for the person that um is the cause of this issue. I don't know, I don't know if we'll get the entire story, but um spending can be curbed, right? Or you can change that unless you got a problem, which I guess is another conversation. But um Yeah, it's the accountability. Your partner is coming to you um in fear, scared, um, trying to make a change, and you're like, nah, uh um, I'm gonna continue to do what I'm doing, and you you're um crazy. I'm not gonna listen to anything you're saying, you're out of pocket, you're out of line. Um, I got this, I'm gonna posture and all that kind of shit. You gotta have some accountability and you gotta humble yourself and you gotta um yeah, it's just unfortunate with about the identity, I think it is. It's an identity thing. She's used to doing these things and moving in a certain way, so she can't even have the conversation of like I'm not having any money, right? So that's the scary part when it's um uh a reality that's not there, right? And the dude sees it, so he has some choices to make. If she can't even talk through the conversation and they're getting nowhere, that's a scary spot to be in.
SPEAKER_00Right. When she's shutting it down, that I don't know, that's like that can be, I don't know, a level of denial. I I don't just trying to save a little bit of face, even though you're not really saving face. But um, yeah, that is that's unfortunate.
SPEAKER_04Continuing to buy too at the uh right house at the same rate can you be?
SPEAKER_00And so I'm saying that's like at the ex like when it becomes at the expense of your family, then it's like where where was your head at? Where where was your forethought? Where was your awareness? Uh I'm telling you, motherfuckers just don't have it, um, of the future.
SPEAKER_04And it's like so yeah, oh right, and things happen um, not damn, and he probably will, right? If like if the communication is not there and it's um uh uh uh not being able to step into that space and come to some sort of agreement that we need to work on this together and we need to get this fixed, or you need to stop doing what you're doing, as far as from the woman's perspective and come to terms with this, and let's see if we can get this worked out, then it will be right.
SPEAKER_00Because when it when it comes to like family and stability and all that kind of stuff, um sometimes it's sometimes love, sometimes that doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_04That's what he said that he loves her, so that's why he hasn't uh left yet.
SPEAKER_00But sometimes that's not enough.
SPEAKER_04That's fair.
SPEAKER_00Sorry, it might be enough for some. But if it's not enough, that is okay too. Some people would rather stay and be in other people's shit and deal with something that is not theirs to deal with. I guess that's the noble thing to do, but I don't think that's love to put that on the person in the first place.
SPEAKER_04So I mean what do you mean put that on the person in the first place?
SPEAKER_00I mean like knowing that you have a half a half of a responsibility, right? And you're continuing to do fair what you're doing, knowing that, you know, and so it's kind of like love, what is what to make decisions like this and not care, or like you said, have the foresight of see of uh seeing how it affects your family.
SPEAKER_02That is some of the most selfish. I wouldn't even want to be with a person like that. Like that's that's someone that's just so inconsiderate where it's like, wow, like clearly she's she has a spending addiction, like she clearly has an addiction, like there's something there, like she needs to probably go see a fucking therapist.
SPEAKER_04The fact that like you got a couple things, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but the fact that you put your you're in the hole like this, you continue to spend and not think about how it affects your children. Fuck your husband, your kids though, how it affects your kids, like that's crazy to me. You know what I'm saying? That is so I found this here. It says the common reasons for divorce, lack of commitment, financial stress, infidelity, poor communication. Uh, they call it the four A's. I didn't know this. Abandon adultery, abandonment, abuse, addiction. And this goes into the the column of addiction.
SPEAKER_04I've never heard that before.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, they call it the four A's.
SPEAKER_04So I mean Addiction to a lifestyle style, addiction to uh to spending. It just burnt the money, yeah.
SPEAKER_02The money just burns a hole in her pocket. If I was her husband, what I would do, and maybe this is you know, maybe I'm just a little bit more of an asshole, but like I'm going through that closet, whatever it is that she's spending all this money on, and we're having a goddamn fire sale. We're about to recoup some of this shit. You know what might be hurt?
SPEAKER_00And that should be okay though. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And that's what a community is. That's what's my thought. And that's what a community is.
SPEAKER_00When are we gonna start uh uh putting these items on uh offer up?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, we we about to sell some of this. Like, there's a saying that I live by that my cousin Jason told me years ago. And he told me this when he sold one of his old schools that I loved so much. I'm like, why are you selling that car? He looked at me and said, Cuz, cuz nigga, everything always for sale. And I'm like, I know, and I looked at him, I said, I know that's right. I'm like, and I've always lived by everything for sale. Everything. Everything for sale. So I mean cars, yeah, people, what did that about?
SPEAKER_00Everything is for tracking. Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_04That's people. That's human trafficking. That's true, though. No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no. That's true, though.
SPEAKER_00Um sports, that's true, people is for sale.
SPEAKER_04I get what you need of it. Even in relationships, though.
SPEAKER_00Even in relationships all over the place.
SPEAKER_02No, I feel you. I I was thinking, I'm I'm sorry, I live in Vegas, and so like that mindset of like people for sale. Whoa, human trafficking, don't do that. Um that too.
SPEAKER_04Heard about it. Heard about it.
SPEAKER_02They had the little the little 20-year-old little little pimpers, whatever the hell the situation was.
SPEAKER_04Yep. The only fans house, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's crazy. Um, but yeah, like I would, I would sell, we're start, we're gonna start selling through that goddamn closet. Like, I I don't know why I hope he started already before he sent it this email. Because if he hasn't already and he's listening to this episode, sir, you need to go through that closet and you need to go recoup some of that, sir.
SPEAKER_04You know, my question would be, Kale, um, has he came to her? He said he's having conversations, but but what does that look like? Is there something around, okay, if this it doesn't stop, or you can't come together with me and get this figured out, that um I'm out of here type a conversation. I I think I wonder if that's taking place.
SPEAKER_02I th I think that's the reason why we we got this email is because it's like, hey, I need some I need some outside perspective because I've essentially have now reached my breaking point where I have to really figure some shit out if this is gonna continue on or we're gonna be able to get through this. So I I thought you know what I'm saying? Because I feel like when it gets to us, it's the end of the line. Yeah. When you're asking complete strangers, hey, when you're asking us, you're asking complete strangers.
SPEAKER_00When you're asking for hood advice, you are you're desperate.
SPEAKER_04People that are um in these situations, this I don't know, this lady um could be, I guess, in a position where she just really doesn't see it, and she needs the man to or her husband to like shake her, not physically, right? Uh, but to be like, okay, this is what it is, and I'm at the end of my role.
SPEAKER_00Some people only learn once they're fucking torched.
SPEAKER_04Well, that's what I'm saying, then, right? And like I said, she's already been having this convo.
SPEAKER_00They learn. Right. If.
SPEAKER_04I mean, sometimes you never learn.
SPEAKER_00Sounds like she has not learned, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Do we do we partially blame the husband, though, for a you married her, you stayed with her, you know what you got into yourself into. And at any point, did you try to take the reins and teach her how to budget? Of saying, okay, hey, look, you can have your little pot of money to spend for your little extra things. That's cool. But let's let's let's let's be mindful here of the whole family and let's let's budget. Or is this just a situation of she just thought the money was never gonna run out?
SPEAKER_00It's probably a little bit of she's making the money, so how could she feel like the money? How how how does one feel like there's gonna be an infinite supply of money when they're not a place where there is an infinite supply of money?
SPEAKER_02She didn't think she was gonna get laid off from her job. Right. That's the part. I don't think she looked just foresight enough of like, hey, maybe at one point I might get laid off. Times are hard in America. Every unemployed person I know right now be like, yo, bro, it's cold outside. So, like, you know, so I I just think maybe because it sounds like if she was making three times what he was making, it says here, three times, yeah, almost triple. Yeah, she was making a substantial amount of money, clearly.
SPEAKER_04So it's like you just thought it was all substantial amount of bills in most situations in fucking debt, right?
SPEAKER_00And so should he have taken the lead and be like, hey, how it sounds like if they keep things separate, or it sounds like she was just doing whatever the fuck she wanted. And I'm not sure if him saying, Hey, I'm about to put this control or whatever, or control your own money that you're earning because it's for family. I I don't I don't know how that would uh go over with somebody. And um there was no there's no savings, there's no 401k, there's no nothing. There, there's nothing.
SPEAKER_04I don't think we blame the dude. Um, from what I'm hearing, it sounds like he um has been at this for a while, right? And if she is controlling the money and has um and she is the breadwinder winner and she's in charge of the cash, right? She can do whatever she wants with it before I guess it gets to all the joint stuff, to where she has to pay her portion and he pays her um pays his portion. So it's just um, yeah, I don't put the blame on him. If he's continuously talking about it and he's always conscious of it, and he's trying to tell her to stop and do this, and she's just kind of like, uh no. I got it, I got it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02No, you're right.
SPEAKER_04It's not on him. No, you're right.
SPEAKER_02Because it sounds like he kind of knew what he got himself into, just for the simple fact that she Well, he came in the money first, though. So let's, let's but it's like you knew what you got yourself into because it sounds it does low-key sound like they keep their money separate.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_02That's what it sounds like.
SPEAKER_04I don't know. Yeah, again, that lets me know that that's not really on him, especially if they had defined roles.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_04Um, I mean, of who was doing what. Right. So she really fucked up. I mean, and he's doing his part, then Yeah, she really fucked up. That's not on him.
SPEAKER_02Like, I understand having like, you know, every, you know, married people, we all know this. Like, we have multiple accounts, right? People have multiple accounts, but like when I hear about people that are married that don't have a joint account, like that shit is weird to me. Where it's like you just don't have a because you don't have a joint account where all of the collective bills come out of, right? Like the house bills are our bills, it's everyone's bill. It's not yours or mine, right? It's our bill, right? So you have a joint account. But yeah, because it's like, don't you just have a joint account that you just you that there's the pot that it goes into, and then the bills come out of that account, and then maybe you know, she has her account for this, or he might have an account for that. Then you guys have your savings, and then after that it gets into your investment stuff and your 401ks and your high yield account, all that shit, right? But it just seems like this was just like, all right, you had you make your money, I make, I make my money, you make your money, I pay for this, and you pay for that, right? It almost seems like he kind of knew that she has spending issues. So he they purposely kind of kept the money separate. And now, since there ain't no more and he don't live that lifestyle no more, it's a problem.
SPEAKER_04That's what I was gonna say. It didn't matter to neither of them, right? Um, of course, when the money's good as good, it's gravy, it's nothing to even have a conversation about, right? But there is, though, that's where the planning and everything is supposed to take um place. But again, um, if you're in a position to where you're just um thinking everything is always gonna be gravy, then you're gonna get slapped in your fault. That's when the layoffs come and the domino effect and things start to happen, and it's just tough. Yeah, and it happens a lot.
SPEAKER_01So we should divorce her? Is that what we're thinking, guys? You should just cut his losses.
SPEAKER_00Um He can. That's the beauty. He has choices.
SPEAKER_04He doesn't have to, he can, and just like Jess said, he has choices, but it's up to him. If she's not playing um team ball here, right, and is still continuing to do her own thing at the um expense of this man and the kids, then that I guess is kind of saying it right there.
SPEAKER_00Right. You're saying uh I want to be by myself, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Or I want to make moves by myself. I don't care what you think, right? And that's what it is.
SPEAKER_02I I would be low-key to noid, though, if like you get to say you get divorced, right? And then all of a sudden you gotta be paying her spousal support and child support and shit. She didn't blew through all the and she blew through all that. She don't got no money. That's the part, true. She don't got no job. So she's blown through all this money, so now he gotta support her. And it's like, wait a minute, you're the one that fumbled the bag.
SPEAKER_04That's the business part of it.
SPEAKER_00That's the thing. That is the business, that is the transition.
SPEAKER_04That's when some part of yeah, as far as love not being enough, okay. I'm really not feeling it like that, but for business purposes, I might need to ride this out a little bit until I can get things figured out, right? On his side.
SPEAKER_02Until I get this bitch a fucking job. Shit.
SPEAKER_04That too.
SPEAKER_00I ain't nobody getting no bitches. She she better go find a fucking, she better go quickly.
SPEAKER_04And she should be able, well, she better go quickly. You never know. If you had a good job once, yes, time is ticking, and I'd hope that she'd be able to get back into the game, right? And you got a network, like if you was making almost a half a million dollars a year, that's that's a pretty solid job.
SPEAKER_00And I don't know, work your way up. I don't know. You know, there's there's there's possi there's choices, options, but you know, it's just so crazy.
SPEAKER_02It's just so crazy how common people get divorced over finances, and it's one of those things where I feel like all it takes is a converse, a couple conversations and some planning. Like, you know what I'm saying? I feel like some people it's very that it's I feel some people are very weird when it comes to talking to their spouse about money. People get uncomfortable with it. I don't know why. I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's because it's like it's very exposing, right? Because I think it is. And so like I think I think it is, yeah.
SPEAKER_04I think it's all of the above.
SPEAKER_00Especially when your finances aren't like, I don't know, maybe if yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Or um I guess even if you're the breadwinner, right? And being like, okay, I'm not that anymore, right? And this is um, I mean, this is what we gotta do now. Um and everything's different, right? That's that's like a tough conversation.
SPEAKER_01And I mean, and I think now that's transparent.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. On the other side of it, to not communicate and things like that, usually, or just to brush it off and being like, oh, it's all good. Uh just like you said in these um, I guess in this, that the lady didn't even want to talk about it, right? She didn't even want to have the conversation and just blew it off and just moved on to the next.
SPEAKER_00That's why she's in the position she's like, that's the red flag.
SPEAKER_04Right. Communication is key on all levels.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. No, you're right. I and I think there's this part too, like you said, Marcus, where like she's, you know, she's used to being the breadwinner. So like I think that's why she, you know, they would have those arguments because it'd be like, Well, motherfucker, I make more money than you. You're not gonna tell me how to spend my money.
SPEAKER_04But what is he gonna say? True. What is he gonna do?
SPEAKER_02What is he gonna say? Right?
SPEAKER_00True, but this is a partnership.
SPEAKER_02You think sometimes it's not, though.
SPEAKER_04And we are concerned, sometimes it's not, especially with that energy like that. That's that's a bad look.
SPEAKER_02Right. And so then it's you know, you're not making that money like you were. He is now making all the money. Obviously, he's not nearly nearly making nearly as much as she's making, but it turns into a transfer of power now. Where I would, if I was him, I'd be like, all right, dude, well, look. And this may sound fucking evil as shit, but it's like, she ain't working. You control the funds now. Congratulations, sir. You're the king of your castle once again. So now you can fucking sit here and get shit in line and get everybody on the fucking program.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, what is well, king of the castle?
SPEAKER_02Why do you need to be king of the castle? I knew you were gonna hate that. See, I knew when I said king of the castle. I was waiting for you.
SPEAKER_00Like, I don't get it. We're we're going back into the generals here. What are we talking about?
SPEAKER_04I mean, as far as the woman being the breadwinner and how she was dealing with dude and saying, um, I make all the money and all this kind of stuff, and not really having an um equal type of yokeness of the relationship. I don't know what I'm trying to say, but to talk down to your spouse because you make more money, I think is a terrible that is a terrible thing.
SPEAKER_00But there is uh, well, like, did she hold all the power? Because you're right, there is a redistribution of power.
SPEAKER_02There is, yeah, there is. There is. I mean, for for finances to be one of the top reasons why people get divorced, it's clearly a power thing. There is power, there is power in that. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_04It's an everything thing, right? As far as your finances in your relationship.
SPEAKER_00Well, it's finances, but it's every financial issue is not this. True. So it's kind of like we don't know if it's based on power or not. Um yeah, I know some people was fighting over finances, but it was due to something somebody had to buy weed every week. You know, it's like you just you just don't uh you just don't know.
SPEAKER_04So does it all go back to communication and finances kind of go together, right? If somebody doesn't like the way the spending Well, it goes, it goes back to um well, did he know?
SPEAKER_00Like, did he know about all her shit? It goes back to transparency, it goes back to and it sounds like he didn't.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he did. I think he did for sure, right?
SPEAKER_04But he couldn't stop her for some reason.
SPEAKER_00Check your bitch, right? Just like everything, you cannot make people do shit. You can't do it, but like you said, they have to see it.
SPEAKER_04You got decisions after that, though. If someone does not want to be in this thing together and work through this together, those are your answers there, right?
SPEAKER_00So if she changes or starts to change and um understands, starts to try to understand her habit and take responsibility for the things that she didn't do and that she um and the potential harm that she has caused. Um I don't know what my point was, but I think my what was my point? You can move forward. You can move forward. I or you there, there are it not necessarily move forward, but it's just it's the right thing to do. And I again I lost my train of thought. That's okay though. I'm oh it's the dogs.
SPEAKER_02I'm pretty convinced that she probably has some kind of spending shopping addiction or something like that. I think it's something that's much deeper. It can go back to, you know, she might have, you know, been one of those people that grew up super poor, right? Finally came up on some money, and now, you know, doesn't understand the value and this and as not necessarily the value, doesn't understand the security that money creates. Because that's all money is. It don't buy happiness, it don't buy any shit. It gives you security, it gives you security and separation.
SPEAKER_00Security, access, yep, security, access, and separation. A lot of things, better quality, potential, better quality of life because you have access to better quality shit.
SPEAKER_02Yep. I always use the example of when I tell folks, I'm like, yeah, I'm like, all money does is because my buddy Javon told me this, and we're always like, I was like, great point. And we're both like, yeah, money creates that access, it gives you separation. And the and the and the example that we use is just look at first class on an airplane.
unknownRight?
SPEAKER_02Like, that's all you have to look at.
SPEAKER_00Look at how first class creates a hierarchy and other, I have, I have not. It's the thing, it's that's that's what it is. So it it shows you what you are not, what you can have, what you will, you know, right, or it shows you what to work for, what you can have, what you can be. So either way.
SPEAKER_02All right, so to finish this off, does he give her the we know we we talk about how we hate ultimatums on this show, but this sounds like a necessary situation where an ultimatum ultimate ultimatum, excuse me, possibly may need to be put on the table of like, hey, we need to, you know, do X, Y, and Z, sell some shit, whatever, whatever, to try to get ourselves back on track so we don't end up in a fucking courthouse, or this can't go on any longer, I can't be with you. I feel like that's fair. Do you how much do you love your family? Do you love your family more than fucking buying shit every week? Shopping, right? Right? Like, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04She's not gonna be able to shop in a minute, though. So that's what I'm saying. But this is like a new awakening.
SPEAKER_00So really the ball is in his court. Everything is in his court. The choice is his. He can choose to talk to her and work it out, or he can say fuck you and divorce her. It does, you know, it is what it is. I think it's like I said, put your put your love and your feelings aside because that is not creating what you talked about stability, access, all those things that you need, you want, and your children need.
SPEAKER_04I think it's the opposite. I think the ball is uh in this woman's court to uh act accordingly and she needs to make the hard decisions, right? Or she needs to make decisions in general to change. Oh my god. Um come back to reality and to make it happen, right? Continuing to move like everything is okay and um talk to your spouse crazy and all this kind of stuff, and act like uh things don't matter is um exactly what got them in this position. So I think the ball's in her court to change and get on board with the spouse. So if she cannot do that, then this young man has a decision to make for himself and his family.
SPEAKER_02All right, well, very, very well said. Good stuff, y'all. I like it. Um yeah, man. Bitches be tripping. All right, uh why would you do that?
SPEAKER_04Make a shirt.
SPEAKER_02Needs to be on a shirt. Uh truly unruly, y'all. Marcus Truefond, Jessica True Fa, my name is Kel. Oh, follow us on all things social at truly unruly underscore. Yes, it applies to men and women. Follow us on all things social at truly unruly underscore podcasts. Send your emails to us because we will give you the best advice. We will tell you if you need to stay with your spouse or divorce that mofo, you email us at truly unrulypodcast at gmail.com. Like and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform and catch the visual over and subscribe on YouTube. Perfect. Till next time, y'all. Peace. Much love.