jld Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 But I admire the bit of altruism where you don't earn every possible dollar by exploiting every possible money hole for all it's worth. There's something to be said (especially as a Christian) for giving your talent when you've already succeeded enough to live in perfect comfort for the rest of your life. Why the need to make more, more, more? That is what looks greedy to me. :iagree: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieM Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 It would not bother me much if Dave's product was not reducing spending. There's a strange irony in having a product that is meant to help people who have gotten into financial trouble, and then having that product be on the high end. His advice is not even amazingly novel, which he freely states. A basic tenant of good money management is not to spend money unnecessarily when something less expensive or free will do the trick. Yet, his forum is not an example of this sound principle! But there are people here saying that the forum made the difference between following the program, or not, for them. So isn't it valid that *they* decided it was worth that amount in their budget? I understand the idea that it isn't a necessary expense for everyone, but the program is *available for free, including the ability to read at the forums* for those that want to go that way. And others, who feel they need more, can purchase it. I'm sure DR isn't out there telling people they won't be successful if they don't buy a forum membership? So where's the issue...? He is to decide how much is excessive for him to charge. It's not as though I think any one person should not be allowed to earn lots of money or that we should cap what a person can have as profit. But, in his business, wouldn't he be well aware of what $89 means for a family who needs to dig out? I don't know. Maybe there are lots of families who follow this program for whom $89 isn't a big deal. I know I learn a lot from these types of budgeting principles (though I don't actually follow DR), and that amount of money is not a big deal to my family. His particular case looks disingenuous to me.</p> I guess I still don't see it. He's giving his program to people for free. He's offering a paid service for those that want more and feel it is worth it for them to purchase. Is the alternative that if you're doing anything that is meant to help people with money-related issues you shouldn't be able to make money at it? Or you should have the amount you make capped? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Seems to me that if that $7 a month is helping people be accountable and able to dig themselves out of debt far higher than that, then it's a very good price. There are plenty of people offering the same thing, albiet in a slightly different delivery method, for a great deal more. The $7 could be the difference for some people between them sticking with the program and not. For them I bet that money repays itself many times over. To be fair, given the amount authors make on books, he probably makes little from that, and if he didn't have the paid part of the website, he may not have so much free stuff on offer either. His advice may not be ground breaking, but it's helping lots of people. Including us, although we don't pay for the site because he won't post overseas so I don't buy anything off of him direct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Is the alternative that if you're doing anything that is meant to help people with money-related issues you shouldn't be able to make money at it? Or you should have the amount you make capped? No, as I already said. I just think $89 is too much, that's all. I was agreeing with the original poster. Dave's website says the forum has "over 40,000 members." That's 3.5 million dollars per year. Kind of a lot, IMO. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieM Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 No, as I already said. I just think $89 is too much, that's all. I was agreeing with the original poster. Dave's website says the forum has "over 40,000 members." That's 3.5 million dollars per year. Kind of a lot, IMO. ;) I am sure that number includes all the people who signed up for a free trial but never became paying members. Many forums don't remove registered users even after they become inactive -- especially not when the number is good for marketing purposes. But even if it was all active, paying members... I figure I'm not the one who should be saying how much is enough/too much. I have no clue how much the man makes overall, how many people he employs, how he spreads his wealth around, etc. $3.5 million might not mean much at all... Though even if it all went to him, I'd simply celebrate his success and continue to appreciate him for all the good he seems to be doing, based on testimony from many, many families I've come across. I just can't see what's wrong with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I think it's too much, as well, but I think that he knows that so much information is available about the information in his books on the forums about *implementation* that the general ideas of his books and programs are naturally posted there. He probably can't so closely monitor the sharing of that information--maybe not copyrighted excerpts, but enough info to get the gist of this books/programs and then NOT need to buy *those*--that he felt he had to charge for the forums. I'm sure many of the people ALSO have his books, but I think that many members recommend to friends that they get the book from the library, take some notes, and then join the forums for the REAL assistance to do things the Dave Ramsey way. I've never been that impressed with his books or able to implement some of the things he suggests, so I'm not coming from a pro-Dave Ramsey point of view, btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endorphins Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 That's 3.5 million dollars per year. Kind of a lot, IMO. ;) So he makes too much money for your taste? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endorphins Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I'm kinda just blown away by all of this. I mean, he offers SO.MUCH.FOR.FREE. and here is this little forum with a handful of tools and support for less than $10 a month (and even a free trial period to use it and ditch it for urgent questions!). I mean, he could totally make the forums and tools free and raise the prices a smidgen on all of his other stuff to make up for it and I'd venture to guess y'all wouldn't make a peep about him being "greedy." Maybe I'm wrong, and if I am, that's okay. I can totally accept that. :) I'm definitely not telling anyone what to believe or that their opinion is wrong (it's an opinion, after all), but I am having a hard time seeing the "greed." What I do see is the balance between the free stuff and the little bundled forum package. For ME, the $89 certainly doesn't tip the scales from giving to greedy. But again, that's just me (and honestly, I'd rather use the freebies out there, anyway - thank God I have a choice). Thankfully, we are *all* able to express our views and are able to choose how we spend our money. I'm trying to understand. I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Seems like it's just a good thing that there's someone running a business that employs others in this economy. And that there's someone making enough money to give to charities and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endorphins Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Seems like it's just a good thing that there's someone running a business that employs others in this economy. And that there's someone making enough money to give to charities and such. Amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 No, as I already said. I just think $89 is too much, that's all. I was agreeing with the original poster. Dave's website says the forum has "over 40,000 members." That's 3.5 million dollars per year. Kind of a lot, IMO. ;) Yes, and many of the wealth building strategies I have read over the years address that very thing. Get lots of people to pay you little amounts of money over the year. Again Dave can do as he pleases, that's the freedom we have. I can be just as free to not like it or use it. Obviously many people feel like it's a good value. That's about the amount I spend on cat food a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 No, as I already said. I just think $89 is too much, that's all. I was agreeing with the original poster. Dave's website says the forum has "over 40,000 members." That's 3.5 million dollars per year. Kind of a lot, IMO. ;) But that doesn't take into account how much he spends running the site (putting an hour of a radio show on a web-site for free can't be cheap), how much he is paying his over 300 employees (his business wins Nashville's Best Place to Work award almost every year), etc. etc... There is a big difference between gross and net. And even if he is pocketing $3.5 million/year from his web-site, good for him!! It isn't like taxes; no one is forced to pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 So he makes too much money for your taste? I don't care if he makes a BAZILLION dollars. I am not against wealth! If anything I did earned millions of dollars, I would say GOOD! Yay! Anyway, I've already made my view abundantly clear, so I'm finished adding more to the discussion. Better to leave now, because I've already deleted some fightin' words. It's probably PMS. Or that my cupcakes didn't turn out. But I'm tired of explaining this; I wasn't even the OP. Good night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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