Book Review: "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey

Yes, this is the book by the increasingly-well-known get-out-of-debt guru. I like this book.

There are two main premises to Dave Ramsey's philosophy:

1. Debt is bad. Avoid it.
2. You must plan to be a financial success. Failure to plan (e.g., budgeting) leads to poor long-term financial positions.

The bulk of the book details the seven steps Ramsey suggests to long-term financial freedom, so that you can live in a way that others cannot.

Both premises are firmly rooted in fact, philosophy, and reality. This book is more of an attempt to convince you of the wisdom of the plan, and to encourage you to follow the plan, than it is a nuts-and-bolts analysis of financial decision making. His earlier book, Financial Peace, apparently (because I have never read it) has more of that kind of content.

Nevertheless, this is a must-read book for anyone who has debt (of any kind), for anyone who lacks long-term financial planning, and for the young—they are the ones who can, in the long run, benefit the most from it.

Dave Ramsey on the Economic "Crisis"

I stumbled upon this one-page summary by Dave Ramsey about how the economic "crisis" should have been dealt with. It is readable and understandable...and it makes a ton more sense than the legislation passed today.

I am thoroughly disgusted by the actions of Congress the past three days. I am displeased with both the president and my own republican congressman for their firm support of a bad idea that will cost me, my family, my loved ones, and pretty much all taxpayers a lot of money to solve a "crisis" that, quite frankly, was avoidable...or at least could have been dealt with more sensibly.

Hopefully these suggestions will someday be incorporated into our financial system.