Dave Ramsay - Have you heard of him other than online?

[Sun]

I've never once heard anyone I know in real life talk about Dave Ramsay. I've only heard about him through here and another forum online. How unusual is that? I'm in the US.

[heartlikealion]

I've never once heard anyone I know in real life talk about Dave Ramsay. I've only heard about him through here and another forum online. How unusual is that? I'm in the US.

 

lol ditto

 

My dad gave me some book about retiring earlier and I had to go double check the author to see if it was Dave Ramsey because I always hear his name thrown around. The author of the book I have is named Wes Moss.

 

[TammyS]

I heard of DR about 10 years ago when a local church hosted his Financial Peace Uni course.  It's the reason that we were able to buy our house a few years ago.

[TranquilMind]

Sure.  I saw his book a long time ago in Half Price books.  So I read it. 

Very common knowledge among church members, as many of his Financial Peace seminars are offered in churches. 

[Guest]

FPU used to be huge with the Protestant churchs in this area. I don't hear much about him anymore.

[vonfirmath]

We've got two couples in our Sunday School class that run the Financial Peace University classes on occasion. So it comes up regularly.  As well, my sister and her husband recently took the class and are gung-ho at reducing debt again.  (They had done this earlier in their marriage. Then bought a house and got busy with homeschooling, life, etc. slipped back into old habits.  This has reenergized them)

 

[RKWAcademy]

In real life, I've not heard people talk about him.  I have heard his radio show a lot over many years.  I read one of his books 15 years or so ago.  I like his radio show.  I don't necessarily follow his advice but I enjoy money and real estate, so it's entertaining.  Plus, I never watch tv but do listen to talk radio daily.  So, he's around. I think people in christian churches are more likely to talk about him since that's his main niche.  I just ignore that aspect but still enjoy money talk and he's on in the evenings when we drive home from gymnastics. 

[Guest]

So odd! Yes, I hear of him IRL very often. I know bunches of people who have used his materials IRL, or who use some modified ideas from his books. Several churches also host the Financial Peace University, and I have heard him on the radio.

[Slache]

I heard of DR about 10 years ago when a local church hosted his Financial Peace Uni course. It's the reason that we were able to buy our house a few years ago.

Thank you for this. We have been debt snowballing for 5 years. Between me being a stay at home mom and refusing to make our children live on beans and rice it's taken more than the promised 2 years! We're in the home stretch now, but it's been hard!

[FaithManor]

He was very popular around here post 2008 mortgage bust because so many, many people found themselves in bad financial straits and were looking to find someone with advice to set them on a better path. So he was big.

 

In churches, so was Crown financial.

 

Locally, he is spoken of quite a bit yet. I would imagine that if the economy ever recovers decently here - doubtful but miracles happen - he will fade a bit as people feel more financially comfortable.

[Lady Florida.]

Before we let go of god, I heard of him at our church. They had a seminar about his methods, using a video he made.

[Tsuga]

Yes, in church a long, long time ago.

 

Also I have a relative who is into Dave Ramsay.

[Lecka]

It has been a little while ago now, probably fifteen years, but my sister and BIL went to Financial Peace University.  They liked it a lot.  I read one of his books around that time.  I used to listen to him on the radio around that time.

 

In the past 7-8 years I don't think I have heard anything about him.

 

But (cough, cough) I heard about him more when my sister was paying off her credit card bills, and not using her credit cards anymore. 

 

But now I don't think she has had credit card debt in 10+ years and I don't hear anything about it anymore. 

 

Edited:  I thought about how this was before my oldest niece was born, and adjust my times.  It has been about 15 years since my sister did FPU at church. 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2016 by Lecka

[Vida Winter]

Yes - he used to be on the local radio station.

 

Also, our homeschool group held a  Ramsey financial literacy class last year for teens, and many of the moms still talk about it. I wish we had been able to attend.

[chiguirre]

He was on a billboard on my drive into Houston for several months so I know he's on the radio here. I've never heard anyone mention him though.

[HS Mom in NC]

Yes. Regularly.

People in my denomination and several denominations similar to it are very anti-debt. DR and Crown Financial are often practiced by them.  There are also people not in my denomination but in my social circles who talk about and live according to DR and CF financial principles.

The conservative commentary website Townhall.com used to feature his column if I remember correctly.

[DawnM]

Yes, although we use Crown as DR makes my skin crawl.

[historically accurate]

My church hosted FPU a couple of times several years ago. I went through it with a friend (her husband wasn't interested and mine worked long hours) about 5 years ago. I'm kind of a personal finance junkie (I was a CPA before kids), so I had already read a couple of Dave Ramsey's books, so FPU wasn't any great revelation for me.  I haven't heard much about him since - I do occasionally get DR comments when I whip out cash envelopes at Walmart, but rarely.  

[TammyS]

Thank you for this. We have been debt snowballing for 5 years. Between me being a stay at home mom and refusing to make our children live on beans and rice it's taken more than the promised 2 years! We're in the home stretch now, but it's been hard!

 

It might help if you made a net worth chart of some kind, so that each month you can see your net worth going up.  It's counter intuitive, because when you are getting rid of debt it just feels like all of your money is leaving.  But your net worth is actually going up.

 

Also, just think when that debt is gone you can start paying that snowball money to yourself.  Your bank balances will shoot up!

 

:grouphug:  You'll get there!

[SKL]

I have heard about him in the church environment.  Not frequently though.

 

I might have some acquaintances who have done his stuff to some degree or other.  But it's not the sort of thing I really discuss with people.

[Slache]

It might help if you made a net worth chart of some kind, so that each month you can see your net worth going up. It's counter intuitive, because when you are getting rid of debt it just feels like all of your money is leaving. But your net worth is actually going up.

 

Also, just think when that debt is gone you can start paying that snowball money to yourself. Your bank balances will shoot up!

 

:grouphug: You'll get there!

I make a new budget every year and it's prettier and prettier every year. It definitely helps!

[Pawz4me]

I've never heard anyone IRL mention him.

 

I first learned of him by hearing his radio show, though (not through TWTM or any other message board).  I listened for a good long while because I found it entertaining in a "don't know whether to be amused or appalled" kind of way.  And then it just got repetitious and boring.

[EmseB]

I actually heard him on the radio years and years ago before I ever heard him suggested in online forums.

[luuknam]

About 9-10 years ago my wife got pretty into DR (listening to him on the radio). It sort of annoyed me, since I'd been trying to get her on a budget etc forever (since before we got married), and then suddenly some guy on the radio says it and she listens to him but not me. Not that she actually ended up getting on a budget, sigh. But she talked about him a LOT for a while, and listened to him on the radio a lot.

 

I voted 'rarely', because aside from that, I rarely hear people talking about him.

[Dmmetler]

My state requires personal finance to graduate, so homeschool groups often host classes using his materials to tick that box

[Liz CA]

Yes, although we use Crown as DR makes my skin crawl.

 

Was Crown Larry Burkett's brainchild? I have read Burkett decades ago and it made sense to me.

What does Crown offer now? Budgeting tools, etc?

[ScoutTN]

Sure. He lives here, in my city. His office building is on the way to my mom's house. My kids have friends with a parent who works for him. He's on the radio and I listen occasionally.

[arnold]

I actually heard him on the radio years and years ago before I ever heard him suggested in online forums.

This

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I actually heard him on the radio years and years ago before I ever heard him suggested in online forums.

 

Same.  DH has some cousins who were very into DR.  When we met for a family gathering many years ago, two of them actually got very upset when DH picked up the tab for dinner and paid for it with his credit card.  His mother got a call from one of his aunts later concerned that we were in dire financial straits due to our credit card use.

[Annie G]

I've never followed DR but our oldest dd does and they are doing great- debt free with four kids.  She has a master's in chemistry but really wants to be a SAHM and homeschool the kids. Her dh is a worship pastor at a church- he doesn't make a lot of money.   The DR methods are keeping them focused and on track- which is no small feat with things like orthodontist bills and the expenses they incurred when they adopted their son. 

 

Dd and her dh work a certain Christian conference every year and a couple of years ago they met DR and were pretty excited when he asked how they were doing and they could say debt free.  So even though he's not my cup of tea, I've seen a HUGE change in my son in law's spending habits since he started using DR methods.  

[SparklyUnicorn]

Never.  Only from here. 

[Mimm]

Yes, every so often. I live in the Bible Belt, tons of churches, very conservative. We'd probably be better off following his advice, but I came across a few things that just turned me off the whole thing. It seemed just too strict and rigid.

[MercyA]

Yes, people in my conservative Christian circles mention Dave Ramsey quite often. Here are some alternative perspectives on Dave Ramsey, along with a few comments from my husband:

 

http://time.com/money/2794698/save-like-dave-ramsey-just-dont-invest-like-him/

http://whitecoatinvestor.com/how-dave-ramsey-may-be-leading-you-astray/
http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/dave-ramseys-12-solution/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=2
https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=143975#p2140541
http://www.erictyson.com/articles/20090313#.VyFA6mPw7AM

"I have two main complaints with Dave Ramsey.  First, he shills terrible high-load investments through a network of paid advisors that give him kickbacks for referrals.  That’s about as biased as you can get when you are giving financial advice.  Second, he knowingly lies to his audience about the returns they can get on their investments.  When inflation and actual historical data (not his made-up data) are used, a long-term investor can realistically expect to only get about 25% of what he tells them they can expect.

The youtube video linked in the bogleheads post is fascinating.  He admits that he doesn’t use compound returns (what any respectable advisor uses) because he wants to convince people to invest.  He repeatedly insults advisors who criticize him for using bogus math because those advisors are being “downers†and discouraging people from investing."

 

ETA: My husband also said that ironically, Ramsey still probably helps more people than he hurts. He likens Ramsey to a parent who tells their child that every time they smoke a cigarette, a kitten will die. It's healthy for the child not to smoke, but they're going to be angry later when they find out their parent lied to them.

Edited April 28, 2016 by MercyA

[TechWife]

He's well known in this neck of the woods. People always look at me as if I have two heads when I mention that I prefer Crown's materials. Of course, I used to go to church with Larry Burkett, so I'm partial! I only met him, though. I didn't know him personally. Really, though, if someone is looking for a Christian perspective on stewardship, Crown can't be beat. 

[kitten18]

I first heard of him about 14 years ago from my BIL. My BIL likes to listen to his show. BIL is very financially savvy and he and my sister don't follow DR (they buy new cars, they keep a mortgage, etc. but they've never had any other debt and they will retire very well off). I think he just likes listening to people's stories.

I bought one of his books 12 years ago and realized that we (Dh and I) are not really his target audience.

Edited April 28, 2016 by kitten18

[Eliz]

A couple of years ago, our church offered one of his programs.  It was very well attended.  As others have mentioned, I much prefer Crown Ministries to DR.

[helena]

My daughter did his high school curriculum and really enjoyed it. I used to hear him on the radio sometimes, but never realized that he has a strong Christian following until I read about him here. (We're not Christian)

 

I always mix him up with Gordon Ramsay. :)

[Alessandra]

Never in real life. But I live in an area that is far, far, far removed from conservative Christian stuff.

[Annie G]

 

 

 

I always mix him up with Gordon Ramsay. :)

 

 

Haha! Of course once Gordon opens his potty mouth it's easy to tell them apart. g

[Tita Gidge]

I live in the Bible Belt. 

 

It's been a few years, but for awhile there this man's name and class thing were inescapable in my real life: radio, church billboards, newspapers, and the hot topic of discussion at every kids' activity we attended LOL.

 

If I had earned a penny for every time I heard his name, I could've paid of my debt and probably made a dent in the nation's.

[TechWife]

Never in real life. But I live in an area that is far, far, far removed from conservative Christian stuff.

I find his popularity among conservative Christians puzzling. The materials I've seen aren't faith based in any sense of the word. I listened to his radio show for a little while but found his personality to be grating and I thought he spoke to his callers rather rudely.

[Liz CA]

I find his popularity among conservative Christians puzzling. The materials I've seen aren't faith based in any sense of the word. I listened to his radio show for a little while but found his personality to be grating and I thought he spoke to his callers rather rudely.

 

He does come across as belittling his callers sometimes. I have only listened a few times some years ago. I also found him somewhat grating but I tend to not like the "ra -ra -ra" approach on anything. I can see that his tactics may be helping young people to really think before taking out loans and throwing credit cards around - or if they are already in trouble, his snowball way to tackle debt could really help them. Other than that I know nothing about his investment advice but was surprised that upthread were links that he peddles investments and gets kickbacks which seems highly unethical to me.

 

Thank you (Tech Wife)for suggesting Crown. I read Larry Burkett's book 25 years ago and remembered that he was associated with Crown. I will check them out and look for some better budgeting tools. Dh and I are still looking for some easy budgeting ways - but perhaps "easy" (we don't want to spend hours every month filling in blanks) and "budgeting" is an oxymoron.

[linders]

DS15 is taking Personal Finance at school this year, and the instructor uses the Dave Ramsey for Teens program. I don't agree with everything DR says, but the emphasis on avoiding debt and the exercises in budgeting and planning have been truly eye-opening for my son.

[Ottakee]

I don't agree with everything he says but following much of his advice has left dh and I debt free and able to westher any financial storms....and allowed us to do specialized/high needs foster care where one parent needs to be home about full time.

 

I wish, wish, wish we had done more investing very early in our marriage for retirement.

[lynn]

Yes we've heard of him irl for years on radio and churches. We listened to and followed Larry Burkett from crown ministries long before hearing of DAve ramsey

[Bluegoat]

He isn't really a thing here, his radio show isn't played on any local stations, for example.  I'm not in the US so no surprise really.

 

I've seen his books once or twice at book sales.

[plansrme]

DS15 is taking Personal Finance at school this year, and the instructor uses the Dave Ramsey for Teens program. I don't agree with everything DR says, but the emphasis on avoiding debt and the exercises in budgeting and planning have been truly eye-opening for my son.

 

My sophomore daughter is also taking PF at her public high school and using this program.  We already knew who he was because he used to be on the radio here, but she has learned a lot in this class.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

A few years ago DR was everywhere in our area. There were billboards, radio commercials, and mail advertisements. Multiple churches ran Financial Peace University; you could literally pick any night of the week and find an FPU class.  The radio show was on three stations.  

 

Now, not so much.  I rarely hear anyone discussing DR.  I don't know if it's because he is less popular or if it's because I left the church and am not around thee same group of people.

[Alessandra]

I find his popularity among conservative Christians puzzling. The materials I've seen aren't faith based in any sense of the word. I listened to his radio show for a little while but found his personality to be grating and I thought he spoke to his callers rather rudely.

I did not realize he had a radio show. That explains a lot about why he is so popular.

[maize]

I occasionally listen to his radio show when I am driving.

 

My impression is that DR has two primary objectives. The first is to promote himself and increase his wealth. The second is to help others increase their wealth. On the whole I do think he does more good than harm. His promotes a generic and inflexible formula for financial success that works for many people because of its simplicity.

 

He's opinionated and narrow minded, but so is every other person I have ever heard who has their own radio show. I guess that's what sells radio shows. People probably pick whichever brand of narrow mindedness they click with and keep listening because it confirms and justifies their own thoughts.