Worth it. Going to his classes give you additional support.

Definitely worth it. I don't listen to his political rants, but generally have found his principles to be sound. I've paid off $15k in 6 months. The TMMO forums (www.mytotalmoneymakeover.com) are a great resource full of really supportive, experienced people. I spend a lot of time there to keep me motivated.

To the PP who asked about the emergency fund, DR recommends saving $1,000 as a "baby emergency fund" and then tackling debt. The most important part is getting on a written budget so you know where your money is going. He says that it's 80% behavior and 20% knowledge. After you pay off debt, you build you fully funded emergency fund (3-6 months expenses).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too conservative for my taste.

me too. he never teaches people how to make their money work for them. i feel like he markets to middle americans who are generally uneducated in money matters. he just rubs me the wrong way. i know the same can be said for suze orman but for some reason she doesn't annoy me as much.

That woman is a scam artist. And your slap at middle class people says a lot about your ugly ass too. I hope you go broke.

PPs what do you mean by conservative?

I have clue how to begin tackling our debt so Ramsey is better than nothing I guess! Student loans will be last as they're mostly in deferment. I'm thinking of using the amount I was paying on them as extra in the snowball. I've been paying the interest while defered.

Is car loan before student only because it's assumed that the car loan has a higher interest rate? If it doesnt, do you tackle student loan first?

Car loan before student loan because a) a car is a depreciating asset b) a car is repossessable and c) car loans often have higher interest rates and d) car loan would be dischargeable in bankruptcy

Anonymous wrote:I paid off all my debt following Singletary but I really don't think they are that different. CC debt first/emergency fund/then tackle car/student loan. Start with the card with the smallest balance on it that way you have success right away. GL. You can do it!

Is car loan before student only because it's assumed that the car loan has a higher interest rate? If it doesnt, do you tackle student loan first?

For an emergency fund, do you still need a significant one before paying down cars/student loans if both people are in relatively secure jobs and highly highly unlikely that both would lose their jobs at the same time?

He seems conservative and some of the stuff he says is just dumb. Also, with some of the stuff I 100% agree on, like driving a used car into the ground, he uses really deceiving math on to make it sound like six times as good a deal as it is. Another poster linked to some stuff by Ric Edelman a week or so ago and I thought the stuff I read from him was good (but it was only a few articles; don't know if the other stuff is good).

Anonymous wrote:Too conservative for my taste.

me too. he never teaches people how to make their money work for them. i feel like he markets to middle americans who are generally uneducated in money matters. he just rubs me the wrong way. i know the same can be said for suze orman but for some reason she doesn't annoy me as much.

I think Dave Ramsey is fantastic. His book "The Total Money Makeover" is all you need to start and it's not expensive, around $25, I think. Give it a shot. Also, definitely listen to his radio show or his podcasts. There's no substitute for hearing his advice/encouragement and hearing from others who have gotten out of debt to keep you motivated.

Michelle Singletary started her "financial fast" program today. May be something you want to check out.

I paid off all my debt following Singletary but I really don't think they are that different. CC debt first/emergency fund/then tackle car/student loan. Start with the card with the smallest balance on it that way you have success right away. GL. You can do it!

Let's just say by following his advice, we paid off all debt.

Too conservative for my taste.

He is AWESOME!
Go for it

Looking to get out of debt and wondering if anyone has had success with dave ramseys program?
We have about 20,000 credit debt (credit cards and line of credit), 20,000 auto, 65,000 student loans.
Right now we have 600 left over a month, starting next month it will be about 1100.