Dave Ramsey

A life well lived can be summed up in one sentence. Abraham Lincoln isn’t known for all of his failures (often grossly exaggerated but present nonetheless)–his failed businesses, battling depression and unsuccessful attempts at a few other political offices. He’s known for abolishing slavery and reuniting the United States of America. One sentence about a man who changed the world. His decisions were unpopular with a hefty chunk of his constituents, but we look back on him as one of the greatest presidents (and men) our country has ever been graced with. Bill Gates decided to change his sentence from one about putting a computer on the desk of everyone in America to one about charity and being a voice for generosity. He used his skills and his platform to pursue what he deemed was a more important goal. He decided to rewrite his sentence. There’s a long list of people living with unrelenting, singularly-focused visions for their lives and their hopes for others. ...

The idea of creating a budget turns people into TSA Agents because they are not letting that get through the gates into their life, even with a thorough pat down. Budgeting carries negative connotations because it is restricting and difficult (like eating healthy food and exercising regularly, another awful thing smart people suggest). We don’t like doing hard things. So of course budgeting is something we are absolutely not interested in. I know a lot of very smart people who seemingly handle their finances well that don’t use a written budget. They say things like, “If I had a budget, I’d spend more money than I do now.” “We’re very frugal and we definitely don’t need a budget to manage our money.” “A budget is constricting, like an anaconda wrapped around an armadillo.” I can see where they are coming from. But I disagree for a number of reasons, listed below. As promised, the budgeting myths are body slammed with enough force to put the Kardashian’s on a cash-flow plan. I feel especially adept at answering these objections because I’ve reasoned with the false logic behind them myself in the past. 8 Budgeting Objections and the Real Truth to Answer Them...

The only people who get hurt on a roller coaster are the ones who jump off. This quote by Dave Ramsey was exactly what I needed to hear (mostly in the context of blogging, a roller coaster I’m constantly trying to decide if it’s time to jump off or one to ride out. Riding out is winning so far). Dave (yep, we’re on a first-name basis) was discussing the stock market crash in 2009. It took four years for the market to recover. He was shouting on news stations, his radio show and to anyone who would listen: ride this out. Don’t sell your stocks. Don’t believe the sky is falling. Hold on. You’re in the middle of the ride. Don’t jump now. It’s comforting to have sound financial advice like this in the midst of an economic crisis, but the quote carries applications beyond dollars and cents. Wherever we are in life, we must realize we’re on a roller coaster. ...

I haven’t been bored since 2007. That was my freshman year of college when I thought taking 12 credit hours was exhausting and I took three naps each afternoon. I’ve fallen in love with learning over the last few years. I always have something new on my radar to learn. Coding. A new language. A skill to refine. Learning prevents me from accruing multi-nap days and it helps make my life matter. Below, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite ways to destroy boredom. **...

Reading is one of my favorite ways to spend my free time. One of my least favorite things is making it partially through a book not worth finishing. Here are two handfuls of books worth finishing in 2013. 10. [More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey ][1] I’m a self-diagnosed Dave-oholic. The principles Dave teaches in his courses, books and radio program are spot on. This is one of his shorter books, but it’s still chock full of lots of solid principles on money management. His philosophy, managing money God’s way, will flip your financial world right-side up. ...

I love budgeting. Three words you don’t normally hear from a 23-year-old guy. If you make it all the way through this monster post, I’m fairly certainly budgeting will start growing on you too. My wife Niki and I took the 13-week Financial Peace University course by Dave Ramsey and decided to put a budget into action when we got married. We’ve been following it faithfully for the last 7 months, and it’s been unbelievably freeing. ...