Know Yourself Know Your Money: Discover WHY you handle money the way you do, and WHAT to do about it!

by Rachel Cruze, Dave Ramsey (Foreword)

Discover WHY you handle money the way you do, and WHAT to do about it!

Dave Ramsey has always said that personal finance is 20% head knowledge and 80% behavior. And for 30 years, Ramsey Solutions has walked millions of families through the proven plan for HOW to manage their money and change their behaviors. Now, #1 New York Times bestselling author and Ramsey Personality Rachel Cruze, has written the book that will help you unlock the ‘why’ behind your money habits so you can reach your goals faster.

Know Yourself, Know Your Money will help you:

Understand how your unique childhood experience shaped your money habits early
Discover the money fears that have helped (or held you back) when making decisions
Learn about your tendencies when it comes to spending and saving money
Receive actionable steps to build lasting money habits and faster progress
This book breaks down the four “money classrooms” (aka – childhood households) you grew up in into quadrants, and then walks you through where you land on a scale of six money tendencies, so you can have clarity on what got you to where you are today.

It hasn’t been an easy year to talk about money. Replace your fears with facts when you read this book. Understanding your money habits better will help you communicate better as a spouse, as a friend, and as a parent. Discover why you and the people you love handle money the way you do, and it will help you reach your financial goals faster.

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance, Self Help, Money, Personal Finance, Audiobook, Personal Development

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

As a #1 New York Times best-selling author and seasoned communicator, Rachel Cruze helps Americans learn the proper ways to handle money and stay out of debt. She’s authored three best-selling books, including Love Your Life, Not Theirs and Smart Money Smart Kids. The daughter of Dave Ramsey, she joined Ramsey Solutions in 2010 and uses the knowledge and experiences from growing up in the Ramsey household to educate others. You can follow Cruze on Twitter and Instagram at @RachelCruze and online at rachelcruze.com, youtube.com/rachelcruze or facebook.com/rachelramseycruze.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, easy read, especially if you have read any of Dave Ramsey's books. I felt like it repeated a lot of his books, and there were a LOT of plugs for Dave Ramsey and Ramsey Solutions (which I kind of expected, since she is his daughter and also works for the company), which got a little annoying. This book was pretty broad, and I think I expected more in depth discussions of how to identify and work through past money behaviors. Overall, while it was a good book and I will have my teenage kids read it, I wasn't as impressed as I hoped I would be.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy audiobook to listen to and I did learn somewhat about the reasons and habits about spending and how much your childhood effect your spending.ngood listen to and a good place to start but I do feel like I need to listen/read more books about the subject

[Lynn Cahoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great walk through on how to use money to get to your dreams.

[Jeff Manbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read any of Dave Ramseys books, then you're not really learning much with this one. It's an easy read but it was mostly info from other books. Not really much of a dive into the psychological side of people...at least not as much as I was expecting. If you've never read any Dave Ramseys books then you'll learn some useful info though.

[Lindsey Saathoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay. This audiobook was given to me for free so I didn't go in expecting much, but as a Ramsey podcast listener, I find Rachel to be funny and delightful. Her book was full of funny antidotes and alluded to a personality trait test that is trendy like the ever popular Enneagram, but most of her research was incredibly incomplete and shallow. There were so many missed opportunities in this book. She could have built a solid psychology of money book, but instead she filled all the missing gaps in her research with an advertisement of the Total Money Makeover. It was lazy. But, as Robert Kiyosaki says in "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" (I'm paraphrasing)- I said I was a best-SELLING author, I never said I was a good author.

[Rhonda Barrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I kind of want Rachel Cruze to be one of my best friends.

[Brother Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good book to start with if you know nothing about money and how to manage it.

[Lorena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll preface by saying that I have not read any other money/finance books prior to this one. So if you have already done that, this book will likely not mention anything different from other books you’ve read. With that being said. I really enjoyed each chapter because it dove into my money classroom type, my saving/spending motivations, commitment versus involvement tendencies, etc. While I don’t have a significant amount of debt, it was good to understand my underlying reasons with money and how I could improve in certain areas. I definitely felt Rachel speaking to me about certain areas of money I felt fear in and was convicted afterwards. A good kind of conviction that will bring change to those areas. Above all else, I liked that she mentioned various Bible verses throughout the book that related to money because it all ties back to honoring god with our finances. Great overall read!

[Alexandra Kenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t really give me the advice I was hoping for but I got it from the library so I ~saved money by not buying it.

[Rebekah Jewett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, practical wisdom. This book is unique in the budgeting/ money/ self help world, it seems. It fills a much- needed niche. Rachel asks you to look at your parents’ money patterns, how money was talked about and treated growing up, how that effects your spending and habits today. It was much needed food for thought. I listened on audible, but would like the physical copy to work through some of the questions.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I expected a little more. It touted the Dave Ramsey programs a lot. I do think his ideas are smart, but I hoped there would be more ideas about how to change past-learned thinking. I also didn't expect so many references to the Bible. It shared some good ideas and practices, but I admit to feeling a little underwhelmed.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and easy read that is definitely in Rachel’s voice. I hoped for a bit more depth into the physiology of the topic. I felt that it was a bit too conversational and too many “you guys’s”. If you a new to your money journey then the topics and questions at the end of each chapter will probably spur you to think about yourself.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this great for analyzing my own behaviors with money. The questions at the end of each chapter were excellent for self-reflection. I think most people could find value in this book.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ that I’ll round up to 3. I did not enjoy this book, but I do think it could be beneficial to some.

Unfortunately this book was a disappointment and I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. If you are brand new to money and personal finances - then I would maybe say read this book and you’ll probably learn some things about yourself. But honestly, I’d just read Total Money Makeover and call it a day.

I already knew some things about myself when it comes to money. I was hoping this book would go deeper on the psychology of WHY I land where I do on certain scales. I’ve read several good personality books and wanted Know Yourself Know Your Money to fall into that realm. It did not.

I’m sure Rachel is a very nice and smart lady who genuinely wants to help people. But her book wasn’t written well. She used a lot of anecdotes that I had a hard time relating with the point she was trying to make. Everything she says was very surface level and she never really dug deep on any topic. Overall, I didn’t learn that much about myself that I didn’t already know, and I feel like I’m not walking away with any new tools.

I did find the chapters (at the beginning) on your money classroom to be very interesting. I could have used a whole book on that topic alone. I also liked when she talked about needing to dream when you think about saving versus just saving out of fear of needing money and not having it.

[Natalia Navrotska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, you need to read it if you want to excel at your money habits.

Highly recommend to read this book, know yourself and excel by making the right choices and prioritizing your life decisions.

[lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really interesting! Took copious notes. It is not a book about HOW to manage your money but a book to help you to understand WHY you handle money the way that you do.

The first part covers your money mindset: how/what you learned about money growing up, what your unique money tendencies are, and explores common money fears.
The second part covers what you do with your money and WHY; your motivations to both spend and save.

I adore Rachel: her heart, her brand/products, and her practical, no-nonsense approaches. Highly recommend.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly feel like this is a must-read for anyone who wants to gain control of their finances! Or, even if you don't, I think you should still read it! It's, by far, the best compilation of all the teachings from Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze laid out in a way that made sense. Understanding why I do the things I do and think the things that I think helped me so much with getting myself remotivated.

[Kenneth Griswold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent beginning into thinking about who you are in relation to money. It talks about money mindsets, money tendencies, and motivations for spending, saving, and giving. If you are a prospective financial coach, this is probably the single best tool for helping you begin to think about your clients and where they might be mentally when it comes to money.

[Camilla Leurs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really specific and useful instruction. Would have been 5 star except for the bible vs littered throughout. Thankfully the information is super worthwhile and I could endure the Christian vibes. Truly feel like I am on the right track after working on this stuff and following the baby steps.

[Nicole Corwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is technically very good! It’s just a lot more of the same if you’ve already read books from the Ramsey Personalities or have been following the Baby Steps & Financial Peace University.

[Alissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great practical advice on personal finance and really made me think about my financial life

[Shayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

No big aha moments, but helpful reminders.

[Morgan Nace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rachel Cruze is queen! A must read if you want to get control of your spending, learn why you spend the way you spend, and create better financial habits. Biggest Ramsey Solutions fan over here. 👏

[Bethany’s Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 if you grew up on fpu, not a whole lot new here. Haven’t really read their other books but I can imagine it’s similar.

Good reminders on how you look at money from how you were raised.

[Nathan Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!

I love how growth in self-awareness is tied to financial responsibility.

[Michele rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful book with good stories. Lots of Christian references.

[Liesl Back · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a quick and pretty helpful read with thought-provoking ideas for money management.

Rachel Cruz takes the approach of first guiding you to analyze your personality type by questioning different aspects of your spending / saving mentality. Then she gives actionable tasks or mindset exercises based on where you are at personality-wise.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who struggles with money management.

[Tierney Staley · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I look at money is not a problem, lacking self control and not keeping track of my money is a problem. We all view money differently, though there are better ways than others to manage it. Would recommend.

[Brandy Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars for me. As much as I am plugged into money & my behaviors with it, I still learned some things about myself. I also learned some things about my spouse's tendencies (we are mostly opposite) and where I need more grace with money.

[Linda Risden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read. Excellent.