Finance guru tears into broke couple with $250,000 in debt after they refused to make urgent changes - and it's a problem across America

Financial guru, Dave Ramsey, tore into a Missouri couple after the husband reveals they have $240,500 of debt, but won't give up the family car - but they're not the only Americans unwilling to make urgent changes. 

John, of St. Louis, called into Ramsey's show last month to ask for help getting his and his wife's 'monster debt' under control, but the guru had no time for his antics after he told him he refused to get rid of the family car that was bogging them down with $28,000. 

'John, I don't really care if it's the family car,' he said. 'You people are broke, you're starving to death making $150,000 a year. You don't get to say it's the family car, you get to say everything's on the table, we're selling so much stuff the kids think they're next.

'You guys have been spending like you're in Congress for what, 10 [years]?' 

The St. Louis couple, who make $151,600 a year, have only been married for four years, shocking Ramsey and his guest host, Jade. 

Financial guru, Dave Ramsey, tears into a Missouri couple after the husband reveals they have $250,000 of debt, but won't give up the family car. 'You guys have been spending like you're in Congress,' he  said. 'You never met a debt you didn't like' 

'You never met a debt you didn't like,' Ramsey said.  

Ramsey laid down the law and called out John's excuses and the false language they used to describe their debts. 

'That has got to completely change, because your behaviors, your habits and the language you use around this stuff,' Ramsey blasted. 'As soon as I start talking about the car, you start talking: "It's a family car," as if it's a non-starter. 

'It's not a non-starter it's a stupid car and your family's almost bankrupt, it's the enemy it's not the family car, OK? So you change your vernacular around this,' he said angrily. 

'It's not the family car,' he mocked, before telling John he and his wife need to 'go to freaking war' to get out of debt.     

The majority of the couple's debt comes from John's $88.000 in student loans and their HELOC, which allows borrowers to use their home as colleterial on a loan, at $46,000. 

The St. Louis couple, who make $151,600 a year, have $240,500 in debt, which a lot in loans and credit card bills and a 'family car,' they refuse to get rid of 

John told Ramsey they used the HELOC to 'unfortunately' pay off a 'bunch of credit cards' off, to which Ramsey and Jade yelled: 'No, you didn't.' 

'You move them [the debt],' Ramsey deadpanned. 'And you didn't stop spending, you're still spending more than you make... No use of plastic is going to be okay in your house, you guys have to go cold turkey.' 

John admitted the debt 'scared' him and Ramsey offered to give him free access to one of his company's coaches and offered him a free premium account to Financial Peace University. 

The Missouri couple isn't the only American struggling under the weight of massive debt, as the average household has around $104,000 of it, according to MoneyWise.

Nearly 50 percent of Americans making over $100,000 said they were living paycheck-to-paycheck, according to a PYMNTS report. The number only jumped down to a third for those making over $200,000.