Customer Reviews

Financial Peace: Restoring Financial Hope to You and Your Family

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you're sick and tired of living from paycheck to paycheck, Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace is an excellent guide of learning how to manage your money. Dave's teachings are Christian-based and emphasize learning to budget, getting and staying out of debt, bargain shopping, and ultimately accumulating enough wealth to retire with peace of mind.

My wife and I first became aware of Dave's teachings through his syndicated radio program. Since we have been following his teachings, we have learned to live on less than we make and have managed to pay off over $12,000 of debt in only 8 months.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is struggling to keep their finances in order. I have also given several copies of this book as graduation and wedding presents.

This is the best book I have ever seen on personal finance. It is easy to read and uses entertaining anecdotes to keep the reader interested.

So much of the world of personal finance is dominated by people and institutions selling financial products. Ramsey calls for people to be cautious about financial products in favor of simply living on less than they earn and paying down debts. When a salesperson approaches us and says "May I help you?" we prepare ourselves to talk to someone who is trying to sell us something. With financial products, especially debt, people are often too eager to be sold. I think it's rare to hear this point of view because a lot of the information we get about personal finance flows from lending institutions. Think of this book as the other side of the story.

This book gives hard-to-find advice about how to deal with financial emergencies. There's a whole other side to the unctuous, friendly-sounding credit card offers that are so common-- they lend money to people who cannot afford it. When people cannot pay, they sell the accounts to bill collectors who try to get people to put their obligations ahead of basic necessities by using lies, obscenities, threats, insults, and any other tricks they can think of. Where else do you read about this?

As other reviews have pointed out, Ramsey has an abrasive personality and right-wing political views. I totally disagree with his right-wing values, but he doesn't spend enough time on them to detract from the valuable personal finance information.

Another criticism is that Ramsey uses his "ministry" as an advertising vehicle for the very financial institutions he's criticizing. He claims that institutions that he endorses operate by his principles. I doubt, however, that he is picky about his endorsements, so follow Ramsey's advice from this book-- be skeptical about financial products, even ones he endorses on the radio.

I highly recommend this book. It can be easily understood by someone without a high school education and no experience with money. It has advice aimed at helping such a person with financial problems. At the same time, it has equally valuable advice for someone with an advanced education and high-paying job. High-income people often feel pressure to live an affluent lifestyle at the expense of other priorities. This book is a good antidote to that pressure.

Having recently lived in Tennessee, I have had the opportunity to experience his radio talk show. His common sense approach to one of the biggest problems in the US, DEBT, is both compassionate and straight-forward. I have found the book to be a direct extension of what I heard on the radio for a time.

Is this book simple---YES, financial peace is a simple process. Unfortunately, we live in a country that tries to complicate it. What Dave tries to explain is that if you learn to spend less than you make, you will have financial peace.

Is this hard---Yes, old habits die hard, especially bad ones. The principles in this book WORK!!! But they require a level of self-discipline that few want to attain. Financial peace may mean giving up your new car for an old jalopy in order to reduce a $300/month car payment or moving to a smaller house to reduce cost of living.

What I find most important about this book is that Dave Ramsey focuses on the family aspect of debt and how it can and does tear families apart. He also shares his own experiences with bankruptcy and the personal humiliation associated with it. He has been there people---and he has survived!

If you are up to your eyeballs in debt as most Americans are, this book provides a solid, stable, no-nonsense starting point to learn the simple (yet elusive) principles to help you on your way. It does not take you into complicated business practices nor does it bore you with Wall Street jargon and talk of IPO's, mergers, takeovers... It is in no way intended for those content in their current state, but it is a must-read for the average-joe in mainstream America who dreams of reaching his full potential and a comfortable retirement.

BE DEBT FREE AND SHARE THE WEALTH!!!

This is a very simple and easy to read book about getting out of debt and becoming financially free. The steps are clear-cut and presice and I plan on using the techniques to become free of debt. But to me the most powerful thing about the book is how it changes your way of thinking about debt. I like everyone hates being in debt but for some reason we've come to think that it's neccesary. The whole nation is in debt and it's only getting worse. This book opens your eyes to the fact that debt destroys lives and causes a never ending cloud of depression over you.
I really don't think people realize this in their everyday lives. They buy and buy what they can't afford and wonder why they're not happy with their spouses, jobs, careers, lives. Bottom line ,,, Debt equals NO PEACE and this book proves it.

The only negative about this older version of the book is that it doesn't suggest what a person should do if they don't have the money to take the steps. The book is so powerful in influencing your mindset it seems strange that it leaves out the important fact that a person may have to get a part-time job or they may have to cut out a lot of luxuries in order to get debt free. This version also doesn't suggest how a couple should work out differences of opinions when it comes to credit.

Other than those two things this is a great read for everyone and a book I feel every freshman in college should get for free before they start receiving all of those pre-approved credit card statements..

This book on tape captures the essence of Dave Ramsey's highly acclaimed book, "Financial Peace." Much like his highly popular radio show, "The Money Game" and his website "financialpeace.com", Dave provides a common sense approach to personal financial management. He tells you why it make sense for you to get out of debt. He outlines a plan for you to get out of debt. He shows you how to set up your emergency fund, invest for your future, and prepare to change the financial situation of your family tree. All the while, Dave intermingles biblical references as to why this is appropriate behavior. Yes, Dave believes in the personal responsibility of tything. Dave's medicine is sometimes tough to swallow. However, his sincerity is genuine and his message is clear. This book on tape is valuable for you and a great gift for a friend.

I just finished reading this book, and I can't stop thinking about it. Ramsey has taught me much about money, financing, insurance, and so on. I like the fact that it is written from a Christian viewpoint without hitting me over the head every page like a hellfire-and-brimstone preacher. Ramsey's writing style is VERY easy to read, even if (like me) you don't enjoy reading books like this. This book helped me to realize that I am far from alone in the financial errors I've made, and that chances are that there are many, many people who have dug themselves into the same hole I have, if not even a deeper one. It also gave me some good ideas about what I need to accomplish in order to get my finances in order.

But, what this book does NOT do is spend much time telling you HOW to accomlish these things. It does briefly explain the "snowball" method of paying off debts, and the last chapter is a series of steps that you should go through. But these steps are strictly big-picture: Step 1: build up $1000 in savings; Step 2: pay off debts; Step 3: build up Emergency funds; etc. For many of us, the question is, how/where do I start? And how CAN I start these steps with the problems I'm having right now? This book doesn't do a good job of giving nitty-gritty details on where to begin, or how to do this day-to-day. You should probably buy a second book, to be used along with this one, which is a workbook that teaches you the process step by step (maybe the "Financial Peace Planner" does that -- don't know).

But this is a very easy-to-read, eye-opening book that will teach you a lot and really inspire you to get to work on your finances. It's a great place to start.

I actually had this book in 1993 when it was self published the principles in it showed me how to go from being totally broke and $50,000 in debt to now having a net worth of $150,000, this is also after going through a divorce where I lost 50% of my net worth.

This is financial step one:Start the journey.I have also been listening to Dave Ramsey on the radio since he started in Nashville in 1993. His common sense information is why I have a 6 figure 401K, and have had financial peace over the past 13 years. He taught me what my parents should have about personal finance. This is a great beginners book in personal finance,it can show you the way out of debt and into prosperity. Here are some of the rules:
1). Never have a car payment
2). Do not use credit cards
3). Get a mortgage of less than 25% of your monthly net income.
4). Have 3 months of expenses saved
5). Get a career you love not a job
6). Tell yourself and yout family NO to things you can not afford
7). Contribute 15% to your 401K
8). Live on a budget
9). Live on less than you make!
10). Work two jobs until you are out of debt.

It is worth the price you pay short term for the long term peace.

I read the original "Financial Peace" and have been listening to Dave Ramsey since 1993. I can truly say everything in this book I have done. Financial Peace is the best financial book I have ever read.Want to get out of debt? Want to keep your house from forclosure? Dave's you man and Financial Peace is your book.Dave has been there and done that- he wanted and he did it. he overcame financial disaster and he is telling his story so you can benefit from his mistakes. MY FINANCIAL MENTOR, Dave helped me most by expalining that if you dont have enough money for the end of the month, you have two choices change your expenses and possibly you income or be misserable.He explains that the train of life if full of people who live paycheck to paycheck-70% to be exact and we are all only one financial challange away from loosing everything we have.You are in luck-if you buy the book and apply the information:Cut those cardsSet up an emergency fundDump that debtIf you're lucky you'll be able to make decisions like I do: I quit my job making $35,000 a year-baby on the way and I didn't bat an eyeI have the money-in cash to pay my bills while I set up my insuance agencyIf you're miserable at work and you cant quit, If your spouse wants you to make more money-maybe you should show your spouse that you can spend $100 for a new designer shirt, you can pay $50 for a new designer shirt, you can pay $20 for a new designer shirt, you can pay $7 for a new designer shirt or you can pay fifty cents for a new designer shirt!!! You decideYou don't have to be poor to appreciate these strategies------------------just in debt.a great book to follow up withThe Millionaire Next Door

Truly inspired me to take a closer look at my future and my money. I wish I had read this book in high school. This book opens your eyes to the truth about "credit cards", "loans" and "cash". It is only for those, at any stage of life, who want to take control of their money. Highly recommended!

This book is an absolute must-read for couples starting out their lives together. I only wish my wife and I were given this book when we were married--we'd have saved ourselves a lot of heartache from trying to live beyond our means. Now we're fighting to correct several years of mistakes, but we're on the right path for sure! I can't wait to call the radio show one Friday to declare my independence from debt!