Free Republic

<p>Anyone that has been in Cool Springs TN lately, has most likely seen Dave Ramsey’s new house. The ‘pay with cash’ financial guru, radio host, bestselling author and founder of Financial Peace University has constructed a palatial home next door to Lee Ann Rimes house on King Richard’s Court in the Cool Springs Franklin area.</p>

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Yeah, that's great. But what do you want? What are your goals? What are your demands? What result are you looking for? The beauty of being vague is that anyone who has any emotion can get caught up in the excitement and join your crusade. They'll just get mad at something and assume that you're both mad about the same thing. Put a few hundred of these people together, and boom. You've got a crowd, a headline and a lot of attention … but no message. A lot...

There are many dead giveaways! from daveramsey.com on 25 Aug 2011 Email Being on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and even make fun of yourself a little bit! Dave's Facebook fans shared some obvious signs that you might be on a budget – so many, in fact, that we didn’t have room to note all of the best ones here! Check out some of the hilarious responses, and see how many you can relate with. Kristen: Your four-year-old asks, "Mommy do we have a coupon for this?" about any item she wants to buy in the grocery...

When we think of millionaires, we envision the lifestyle of a Hollywood movie star. We think of big houses, fancy cars, and "champagne wishes and caviar dreams." But here's the secret few people know: Most millionaires don't live a Hollywood lifestyle. Most millionaires are people just like you who work hard, don't live in fancy houses, and drive used cars. In fact, you never would guess that they were millionaires. It's true. A research study conducted by Dr. Thomas Stanley and Dr. William Danko revealed this fact in their book, The Millionaire Next Door. The findings by the two researchers...

Begin your journey to weirdness today! Everyone has their own definition of what “weird” means. To us, it means having some—or actually a lot—of money, because so many people are broke! If you could keep hundreds of extra dollars a month instead of paying credit card bills, car payments and your alma mater, would you want to become weird? If you’re tired of being normal (aka broke) like everyone else, here are some ways to get started on your journey to weirdness! 1. Set a solid foundation. Without a proper start, big plans will eventually crumble. We are here to...

It Starts with you! If the "source url" does not function correctly, then you can also access this 50 minute Video at www.daveramsey.com Yes, if you are multitasking, you can listen to Dave talk about how we are in charge of our own recovery. There is no need to sit and view the video only. Check it out! The video is free to view and is well worth the 50 minutes.

Mom has her bags packed for a guilt trip! Dear Dave, My mom makes $20,000 a year, and without telling me she took out a Parent PLUS Loan for $16,000 to help me with college. She’s saying she can’t pay the loan, and it’s been in deferment. Now, she wants me to pay it. I’ll be making good money a few years after I graduate, but I don’t have the money to pay the loan now. What should I do? Jill Dear Jill, A Parent PLUS Loan would not have your name on it, so you have no legal obligation...

You've probably noticed that gasoline prices have gone up 13% in the last month. Since most of us are used to daily commutes, running the kids here and there and visiting friends and family, this price increase is affecting us both at the pump and in what we pay for other goods and services. "But there's nothing I can do," some say. Dave says, "Oh, yes there is!" It's time to revisit the budget. Most people feel like they've crunched their budgets as much as they can. But how much is your car payment? How much is your monthly cable...

Girlfriend's money problems Dear Dave, I’m fairly responsible with finances, but my girlfriend is in a terrible financial situation with a lot of credit card debt, an expensive car payment, and a big, fancy apartment. Plus, she just quit her job because she didn’t like it anymore. Now, she’s thinking about filing bankruptcy and thinks us moving in together will help solve her problems. If she can’t handle her finances on her own, what’s going to happen if we get together? Can you help? Dino Dear Dino, This is someone to keep dating, not marry right now or move in...

Why retirement before college? Dear Dave, I noticed that your Baby Steps list puts saving for retirement before saving for your kid’s college fund. Sending your kids to college would come first on the timeline, so why do you suggest this? Jen Dear Jen, I advise this approach because everyone is going to retire someday, unless, of course, they happen to die before reaching retirement age. Retiring and eating are necessities. College is a luxury. Lots of people succeed in life without going to college, and thousands have worked their way through college. I worked 40 to 60 hours a...

A lot of people love Benjamin Franklin. Oh, come on. Admit it. You're probably pretty fond of Benjamin Franklin, too. He's the guy on the front of the $100 bill, and you're not going to say you don't love $100 bills, are you? If we're honest, most of us love money. Actually, we love money we don't have. How else can you explain our addiction to credit cards? Our culture loves money so much that we have television shows dedicated to showing off people's million-dollar houses and garages full of luxury cars! Every day, we see thousands of ads that...

Dating on a dime Dear Dave, I’m a recent college graduate, and I’m determined to follow your plan and get out of debt. My biggest problem is when it comes to dating. Things aren’t cheap today, so aside from not dating, how do you handle this area of your life when you’re trying to get your finances in order? Roland Dear Roland, First of all, you definitely need to date people. I couldn’t have gone without dating, especially at your age. So, I’m not going to tell you to do something I couldn’t do. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with dating...

New car in a bad situation? Dear Dave, My wife is divorcing me, and we just had our first baby boy. I feel it’s my responsibility to take care of her until the divorce is final, and to keep her in a safe vehicle. She’s driving a 1982 Honda Civic, and it’s so small any kind of wreck could be a disaster. I’m thinking about buying her a new car. What do you think? Mike Dear Mike, I’m really sorry you guys are going through all this, especially with a brand new baby in the mix. I appreciate your nobility...

Keeping business simple Dear Dave, My husband is a landscaper who works for the state. He has his technical license and wants to start a business doing private work as well. What advice would you give to someone just starting out in this field? Amy Dear Amy, First, I’d check to see if there are any additional licenses required for doing that kind of work in your state and the cities in which you’ll be operating. You want to make sure you’re starting off on the right foot with any authorities or governing boards. The next thing I’d advise is...

Know thyself, and to thine own self be true, then thou canst not be false to any man. —Shakespeare How are you doing with your goals for the New Year? If you’ve lost focus, go back to your mission statement and read it over a few times. Do your goals still line up with your overall mission? But what if I don't have a mission statement? Mission statements are not just for corporations or high-level executives. Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, a retail store manager, a college student or a truck driver, crafting a personal mission statement will serve you...

Dishonesty is not the best policy Dear Dave, I don’t hide debt from my spouse, but I do hide money from her. I’ve been squirreling away money for emergencies without her knowledge. She’s not terrible with money, but she always finds something to spend it on. We were never able to save anything before I started doing this. After hearing you talk about “financial infidelity,” I began to worry about her reaction when she finds out I’ve been doing this. What’s your advice? Paul Dear Paul, I think you have every reason to worry. Not just about her reaction, but...

She has house fever! Dear Dave, We’ve got $1,000 in our starter emergency fund, and we’ve paid off the last of our debt. We’re renting, but now my wife really wants to buy a house. On top of this, she wants to go the route of 100 percent financing and argues that a mortgage payment wouldn’t cost any more than we’re paying in rent. She’s extremely upset because I’m against the idea. How can I explain to her that this is a bad plan? Alan Dear Alan, It sounds to me like this girl has a bad case of house...

An allowance is like welfare Dear Dave, How do you feel about giving an allowance to kids who are younger than 10 years old? Anonymous Dear Anonymous, I don’t do allowances for anyone. The word “allowance” sounds way too much like welfare to me. We put our kids on commission at an early age. If they worked, they got paid. If they didn’t work, they didn’t get paid. We put a little dry-erase board on the refrigerator and listed all the jobs they had to do during the week, with a dollar amount next to each one. When you did...

Brother needs help, but how? Dear Dave, My brother and I recently received an inheritance after our mom died. He’s never been very good with money, so I was proud of him when he used his portion to pay off his debts. But then he went out and financed a $23,000 van he can’t afford. I’m afraid he’s falling right back into the same old money problems, but I don’t know how to talk to him about it. Diana Dear Diana, Over the years I’ve learned that you can’t make people listen to you. Even with what I do for...

Curious about the debt snowball Dear Dave, Why do you recommend paying off your debts from smallest to largest when doing the debt snowball? Mike Dear Mike, This is a really good question! A lot of people wonder the very same thing when I bring up the subject of the debt snowball. Many folks think paying off the debt with highest interest rate first is the best approach. This seems to make sense mathematically, but I realized a long time ago if those people could do math they wouldn’t be drowning in debt in the first place! Debt is not...