8 TV Dads With Bad Credit

Peter Griffin, Family Guy

Peter Griffin, the star of this popular animated show, is a dreamer. He’s a middle class blue-collar worker who aspires, like many of us, to a greater life for himself — and by extension, his wife, three kids and talking dog. Unfortunately, his schemes toward greatness often get him into big trouble.

In a recent episode, hoping to hit the big lottery jackpot, Peter takes out a second mortgage to buy thousands of lotto tickets. The ploy actually works (ed. note: Credit.com does not endorse this tactic, unless you’re an animated character), but the family lives it up and goes broke. Twice.

The lessons here: Don’t gamble your house on a long shot, even if it worked for Peter Griffin; and even the rich can lose it all if they make bad financial decisions.

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Al Bundy, Married With Children

Al Bundy is a defeated shoe salesman who toils away at minimum wage to make ends meet for his wife, two kids and himself. He drives an ancient Dodge Dart. His idea of heaven is sitting down in front of the TV after a long day at work with a beer. No, this is not a guy who spends frivolously, yet he’s accumulated a mountain of debt. Because he’s the beneficiary of the Bundy ancestral debt, passed down from several generations, his credit is already in the dumps. On top of that, his stay-at-home wife, Peggy, is a shop-a-holic — and she has access to the household credit.

In one episode, he tries to charge a pizza on his credit card, only to find that it’s maxed out — because Peggy, on a ladies-only trip to Vegas, has just charged $5,000 to it. Oops! Al and Peggy’s argumentative communication style doesn’t lend itself to good, honest discussions about money, so let this be a shining example of why it’s important to be on the same page with your spouse about money and spending.

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