Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTMichael WilliamsSat, July 4, 2026 at 9:37 PM GMT+2 5 min readQuick ReadDave Ramsey warned that borrowing from a friend converts the relationship into a master-servant dynamic, making every purchase a point of tension.Keegan sold a car and bicycles for $23,000 and wiped out $8,500 in credit card debt, cutting his balance from $70,000 to $43,000.Ramsey argues refinancing without fixing spending behavior produces the same debt within 18 months, only now with a resentful friend attached.Many financial professionals are salespeople paid on what they push, not whether you end up wealthier. A fiduciary is the opposite. The SEC legally requires them to put your interests first. Advisor.com's free matching tool pairs you with vetted fiduciaries from major national firms, all in under three minutes. See who you match with today.Dave Ramsey did not hesitate when a 22-year-old caller named Keegan asked whether he should let a wealthy friend pay off his remaining debt. His verdict: "When you borrow money from someone, you change the relationship to that of master-servant. The borrower is slave to the lender."Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock.comKeegan called in after aggressive progress on $70,000 in total debt he had accumulated since age 18, split between $40,000 in credit cards and $30,000 in student loans. He earns $3,500 a month doing marketing for a pain cream company. Two weeks before the call, he sold his car for $13,000 and his bicycles for $10,000, then wiped out two credit cards that totaled up to $8,500 in debt, bringing his balance to roughly $43,000. Then he floated the real question: "I have a friend who offered to pay off all my debt and I pay him back. I don't really know if I want to do that or not because I don't want to ruin — I know money can ruin a relationship."Are You Ready To Retire, Or Years Behind?Most Americans suspect they're behind on retirement and never find out.