The best-selling author of Financial Peace explains how to enhance one's financial security, eliminate debt, and create prosperity, while, at the same time, promoting marital and family harmony. Read by Dave Ramsey. Simultaneous.
Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business. He’s a #1 National bestselling author and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. Dave’s eight national bestselling books include The Total Money Makeover, Baby Steps Millionaires, and EntreLeadership. Since 1992, Dave has helped people take control of their money, build wealth, and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO of Ramsey Solutions.
This was my first Dave Ramsey book I've read and I only picked it up because it was free, ha! I thought people that read his books were people who were in financial distress and needed help, but several friends LOVE him so I thought I'd see what they were talking about and I'm glad I did.
First, the con's:
The editing was bad as I found 2 misspelled words (without even looking). That's just annoying.
I wish Ramsey would not quote from John Grey. Blech.
And the book was written in the 90's so it was a bit outdated as far as some of his examples (buying certain electronics or china cabinets-does anyone even buy china cabinets anymore?).
And lastly, I hated the sterotypical women/men role's he places on men/women and I'm NOT a feminist.
Pro's:
I agreed with just about everything he said as far as financial advice and can testify it works.
A couple quotes I liked:
pg. 56
"Only about 8% of Americans have clearly defined goals and only 3% write them down. It is no accident that only 3% of Americans retire wealthy." -agree with this. Write goals down if wanting them to happen.
Also, an entire chapter on the importance of giving regardless your income. Yes, even the poorest should be giving even if they can't afford to give a dime...give of time then. But, he shares the importance of helping each other when financially able (and giving 10% to tithing regardless of income) and then says:
"Our culture pushes us to build wealth, to gather stuff and power, then our culture turns on us and blames all the problems of the world on "rich" people. The "have not's" are always blaming every evil out there on the "have's".
How many years have gone by since this book was published and we are seeing that even more now. Quit blaming the rich for one's problems.
Good book. I plan to read more of his books and hubs plans to read this one too.
This book will resonate with a very specific type of person. Republican, Conservative, Evangelical, White Christians. There is good information in here however it propped up behind self-righteous preachy talk that infuses the mention of God constantly. Its also incredibly dated mentioning some of the technology and blatantly calls all video games as "Nintendo" A lot of the blame for not being rich is placed upon TV, and not having morals. This is very different from how society views income inequality today.
The format is interesting listing the keys to success at the end of each chapter. Also there is a blerb from Dave's wife Sharon elaborating each chapters lesson. There are some helpful charts at the end of the book as well.
For me, the most helpful information was the examples of personal stories of hardships and success from Dave's personal life. If you can get past all the religious stuff then you can view the objective information that helps organize and prioritize the relationships between people involving money, specially with family . Sharing budgets, being open about purchases, and teaching kids economics early are good lessons here.
Had this on my shelf for a long time. Lots of overlap with his other books (which I think are great), so I skimmed chunks. This one is very dated and preachy.
Good material, but skip it and read Total Money Makeover or his best book, Financial Peace University. This one feels a bit redundant, although it may have actually been published first.
As you read this book, the Author Dave Ramsey walks you through evaluating your life choices. This book can be for absolutely anyone. Not only does it help us build stronger relationships, but also a better version of yourself and your financial state. As you continue reading you’ll find yourself taking accountability, mending what needs fixing in your personality. By the end of this book, your life will feel more valuable, you’ll find content in every second of the day, you’ll be grateful for the support system you have, you’ll utilize your youth to grow a foundation of core values, reflecting to children and others, along with sacrificing to settle for retirement. Overall, great read! Highly recommend for those who are urging for change.
This was like being a fly on the wall as the materials for Financial Peace University was getting finalized. Many familiar examples and stories. Most of the same concepts. Just from a slightly different perspective and stage of life (for example, the Ramsey children were still young when this book was published).
Unfortunately, it was also like reading a rough draft in some regards. Content structure could have been better and it definitely could have used a couple more passes with an editor's eyes.
Overall, it's a good read and works well as an introduction to the concepts - and a reinforcement of the FPU materials.
The principles in this book are rock solid, but the writing is distracting. I had listened to the radio show for years and was a fan, but this book appears to be "Dave Rants" printed verbatim and mixed together. The folksy "Davisms" are entertaining radio but less fun on the printed page. The fragmented sentences and misspellings that made it past the spell checker (fell instead of feel, breathe instead of breath, etc.) made it hard to enjoy. Towards the end I could see that there was a meaningful structure behind the book, but I just didn't find the reading enjoyable. This is too bad, because the world would be a better place if these principles were applied by more people. I enjoyed his other books much more.
I'll be keeping this on my shelf to look back on! This wasn't quite as helpful to me as Ramsey's other book, 'Total Money Makeover', but it was still packed full of valuable finance tips, strategies, and principles to keep in mind.
Though a few of his examples seemed a tad outdated (house prices, for example), they were things that didn't affect the principles themselves. Overall, the reminder was very appreciated for the strategies I already use and have seen work, and I got some great ideas for things to implement. And a bonus was that he discussed how marriage and finances should interact well - a topic I didn't expect, but is applicable to me right now.
Dave Ramsey has some common sense ideas about having a vision and “just doing it” when it comes to investments that are useful, but he should stick to money, in my opinion. His advice about relationships is based on overgeneralizations of gender roles, with a heavy-handed scriptural approach that I found inaccessible for my situation.
The book itself is not well-written, and it seemed to have not even had a cursory glance from an editor.
Made it through the first five chapters. Did not finish.
Not a fan of the religious aspects, and tone is grating at certain points. But, if faith is the means by which you need justification to improve your finances, fine. At least Dave Ramsey makes it clear that lying to your partner about money destroys relationships, and can even be a form of abuse. The chapters about single parents spending money on kids to make them happy are surprisingly thoughtful, also. A good place to start if you need help changing your financial mindset to fix a relationship.
Practical, home-spun advice dedicated to the field of personal finance. Many argue that Ramsey only offers common sense, but ask yourself this: if common sense were so common, would our personal debt be where it is?
Ramsey has a way of connecting with readers (albeit, with a Christian background) and presenting practicalities in a no-nonsense way that may help some readers initiate the changes they require to get their life back on track.
Basic principles that seem too simple to work, but do. I read Financial Peace years ago and started the process, however, I wasn't ready to be disciplined & diligent to make the changes needed. Fast forward 8 yrs when I've realized I have to work harder & save more for dragging my feet. Don't be like me, start the journey now to having More Than Enough & be the generous giver your Heavenly Father intended you to be.
Fav. Quote "Most people dig in the past for wisdom but are taught to point the finger and fault others for their shortcomings. That's bull! Whining is a sign of a lack of charater. If you don't like the way something is, take responsibility and do something about it.." This is a powerful book expresses how deep rooted financial habits and how to overcome the elements; person growth leads to capital gain based on Christian values & principals. Highly recommend.
Ah another book I should have read 50 years ago..... never the less, some take aways for now include 1. The value of having those around you to continue to hold you accountable when things are great 2. Work, doing, diligence and the greatest of these over time is diligence 3. In the end it is about contentment, giving and wisdom.
Great book on taking control of finances and having a healthy relationship with money. It has a firm tone and may actually be seen as offensive to people who’ve had challenges with finances or don’t have a good relationship with money. This books gives you the principles to follow in order to better your relationship with the tool that is money.
I don't feel like this book aged well over the last 20 years. Or maybe I just feel this way because I don't really fit Dave's stereotypes for a woman re: finances. He complains about overused concepts & phrases and then has them on every other page for the rest of the book. Still, I enjoyed the stories of various couples and their various paths to success.
All of Dave Ramsey's books are solid and this one is no exception. It teaches common sense financial tools in a very organized way and expands past some of the more basic concepts that Dave Ramsey talks about on his show a lot.
My only regret is that I did not get to read this 25 years ago before I got married. Not only a good money book but an excellent relationship book. Worth your time reading!
Truly a motivational book. Not just full of practical financial advice but wise life advice as well. Really helpful for my husband and I as we are saving to buy a house; helped to remind us what is truly important in life and what do we need, not want.
This book has great mindset along with the practical application aspects of managing your finances. I also appreciated how he related the benefits of stewarding our finances well with benefiting the other relationships in our lives. I would definitely recommend giving this a read!
It was okay. Felt like some of the examples were filler. Not a fan of the traditional, dichotomy language. Could probably read the list of keys and ponder them and save yourself some time.