Financial secret How rich was TV debt advisor Peter Zwegat?
RTL debt advisor Peter Zwegat helped many TV viewers out of their financial misery. He died at the beginning of August at the age of 74. Did he also have a good head for finances and a lot in his bank account?
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- Peter Zwegat, known as the RTL debt advisor in the show "Raus aus den Schulden" (Get out of debt), died at the beginning of August at the age of 74.
- Zwegat was appreciated for his warmth and his ability to help people in financial crises.
- How were Zwegat's private finances? Did he have a good hand there too? Apparently not, as he revealed in his autobiography.
On the flipchart, TV debt advisor Peter Zwegat showed TV viewers their entire financial misery.
With his calm manner, he showed those who had fallen into the debt trap how they could get out of the money dilemma until the flipchart showed a black zero.
With 140 episodes of "Raus aus den Schulden", Zwegat brought RTL a TV boom. The qualified social education worker attracted up to five million viewers to the screen with his financial advice. During Angela Merkel's time as Federal Chancellor, he is even said to have been in talks for the tax office.
Peter Zwegat died at the beginning of August 2024 at the age of 74. RTL even broadcast a special program in his honor.
Entertainer and Dieter Bohlen's ex Nadja "Naddel" Abd el Farrag (59) turned out to be one of his most difficult nuts to crack. The experienced consultant despaired of her debts and said in exasperation: "Just too stupid."
But how did Peter Zwegat's own bank account look? Rosy, you would think, for a debt magician of his caliber with a lucrative TV job?
Zwegat unexpectedly closed his company at the end of 2023
For many years, Peter Zwegat and his second wife jointly ran DILAB-OPTIMA GmbH, a company that, according to information from Bild.de, generated various sources of income.
The sources of income included money for filming, the sale of merchandise such as T-shirts and personalized greetings, for which Zwegat charged around 45 euros per video message.
In the heyday, when his TV show reached millions of viewers, the company's balance sheet total was up to a quarter of a million euros, according to "Bild". In more recent times, this sum was still around 35,000 euros.
During the most successful years, Zwegat is said to have received a high four-figure sum in euros for each episode. This also included follow-up support for the participants in his TV shows.
At the end of 2023, Zwegat and his wife unexpectedly ended their joint company. The reasons for this remain unclear. His widow did not want to talk to "Bild.de" about the dissolution of the company or comment on rumors about Zwegat's state of health.
The RTL debt advisor had his finances under control
Peter Zwegat, who has helped many people overcome their financial difficulties in his career as a debt advisor, was also always debt-free in his private life.
According to "Bild", he has never run up debts in the last few decades and has even paid small debts such as fines on time. He left behind remarkable cash assets and is said to have paid off a property in full. Even after his death, it is clear that the financial expert was a master at keeping his own finances under control.
In his private life, Zwegat's wife was a master of finances
In his biography "Am Aschermittwoch fing alles an", published in 2021, Peter Zwegat gave surprisingly private insights into his life.
Although he was known throughout Germany as the "debt pope" and helped many people out of trouble with his advice, he confessed that in his private life he left the responsibility for his own finances to his wife: "In my private life, the saying 'The cobbler has the worst shoes' applies to me. Since I met my wife, she has taken care of our finances," Zwegat writes humorously.
He goes on to say that he hasn't made a single bank transfer in over ten years. His wife suggests how and where the money should be invested or saved, and she has the final say in financial decisions. Even when it comes to smaller expenses, such as his favorite treats like ice cream, nut chocolate and cookies, she sometimes sounds the alarm - but more for health reasons, as too much sugar is bad for his health.
With this affectionate anecdote, Zwegat showed that, despite his expert status, he relies on his wife's advice and organizational skills in his private life.
