Financial Peace University - Dave Ramsey

I am going to be a table leader at the upcoming Financial Peace University at Westside Family Church in Lenexa, KS. The class I will be at is on Tuesday nights starting in June. (See information below) I am sure that you might have heard our Dave Ramsey story before, so I'll tell you a new one.

This week, my Jeep's starter went out. In the past, my life would have been devistated with the repair costs. I would have put off the repair until I had the money. I would have had trouble sleeping because I knew that I was going to bounce checks. I would have put the repair on my credit card.

Today though, I live a different life. Even though I still have not completed all the steps from Financial Peace University, I plan on doing so soon. Thanks to these steps, my wife and I have $1000 in an emergency fund plus another $500 in a car emergency fund. It was no big worry when the car didnt start. This time I procrastinated getting it repaird because I wasn't concerned, not because I didn't have the money. It's an wierd feeling to no longer worry about car issues... I like being weird!

Financial Peace University
91 Days To Beat Debt & Build Wealth!
FPU is a video driven 13-week life-changing program that empowers and teaches you how to make the right money decisions. To achieve your financial goals and expirence a total money makeover. It will be offered on site at Westside Family Church. Material cost is $96.25 (couples share) and should be ordered through the church since the materials are more expensive direct from Dave Ramsey. See a Video

Lenexa Campus - 8500 Woodsonia Drive
1. Sundays beginning June 3 from 6:30 to 8:30PM (Orientation on May 20 at 6:30 PM)
2. Tuesdays beginning June 5 from 7:00 to 9:00PM (Orientation on May 22 at 7:00PM)

Overland Park Campus - WFC Offices at 9154 W 135th St
Sundays beginning June 3 from 7:00 to 9:00PM (Orientation on May 20 at 7:00PM)

For More information visit Dave Ramsey's Website or Westside Family's registration page if you are ready to register. Also, you may contact Niki Ezzell at nezzell@westsidefamilychurch.com or 913-890-4243.

Dave Ramsey Book Signing

Tonight there was a book-singing by Dave Ramsey. He is in town because he is having a live event on Saturday. We had him sign our Financial Peace University book for us.

Lotto Winner goes from $5.5 Million to Broke

Lotteries, two big problems. I've had the debate a million times with a friend of mine, you know who you are.

Lotteries target people who are poor at managing money, it's not the amount of money you have... it's your ability to live within your means.
Lotteries target people who are bad at math. Odds are you aren't going to win!

So, let's look at the first, "Lotteries target people who are poor at managing money." We know this because if you investigate the numbers, the average person who plays the lottery spends $35 a month. Anyone who is good at money management would never spend this amount for no return. (Just the chance of a return.)

An article appeared on April 30 JS Online about a guy who won $5.5 million dollars in the lottery has now had to sell his house and lives on a pension because he's broke.

His fiscal downfall followed what has emerged as something of a pattern among lottery winners nationally: Someone with little training in dealing with vast sums of money gets a sudden windfall, only to see it tumble maddeningly into the wind.

The second, $35 into a growth stock mutual fund monthly over a 40 year time span will give you a Million Dollars EVERY TIME! Why would you spend that money on the "hope".

Dave Ramsey says... "If people were good at math, they wouldn’t be in debt in the first place." This is also a case where Dave's "selling crock pots, not microwaves."

JS Online - Lottery winner blames bad advice for his losses

Dave Ramsey is Bad at Math or is He?

If you have ever done any Internet searches for Dave Ramsey, you know that an article appears called "Dave Ramsey is Bad at Math" from fivecentnickle.com. When I first read this article I did what most Dave Ramsey fans would do... I quoted Dave in my head...

It’s not about the math! If people were good at math, they wouldn’t be in debt in the first place.

To date, this article appears in searches for Dave Ramsey. The author has even done a follow up article where he explains how Dave Ramsey uses psychology. Both articles are good reads.

The author is correct, mathematically the debt snowball isn't the best way to pay off debt. But, in reality, most people won't stick with the plan unless they are motivated to do so.

Not familiar with Dave? Read my past posts. Try this online debt snowball calculator.

Drive Free. Retire Rich.

It's amazing the look you get when you tell people that you intend on living debt free. I actually had a person tell me that "in today's society, it is impossible to get ahead without debt." This would only be true if we were talking about my bank. Debt is a product (financial asset) for my bank, not me!

Check out this video from Dave Ramsey on how to get a free car... Drive Free. Retire Rich.

Are You Debt Free?

You'll find out quickly that I am a fan of Dave Ramsey. While he may not use the best mathematics to determine what your best option, he knows people, he helps you pick the best option for YOUR life. If you haven't had a chance to listen to him on the radio, pick up one of his books, attend one of his classes, or see him live you really should do so.

My wife and I took the class as a recommendation from our Financial Advisor. I was talking to him one day and explaining my money problems and housing arrangement. I told him that my wife and I were wanting to purchase a house but our money was dictating what we could afford. (A very real statement.)

He said, "have you ever heard of Dave Ramsey?" He explained that he is actually one of Ramsey's "Endorsed Local Providers" and that people come to him for financial advise by referral from Ramsey, a radio money guru. He suggested I pick up his book or CDs and give him a try.

Shortly after that my wife and I took a trip to Iowa and listened to the first 4 CDs during the trip. We were amazed at how real Ramsey is and how much we were doing wrong. We decided then that starting September 1 our life was going to be on purpose. Today, we are not out of debt, but we have a fire in us to do so. Since that date we attend the Financial Peace University class at a local church and we have really come to love sharing the program.

Try listening to him free online, listen to him on the radio, read a book (you haven't done that in a while), attend a class, or go see him LIVE... it's a life changing experience.

If you have taken the class you might enjoy this link, a summary of his investing class.

PS. While it seems like I'm trying to sell you something here, you should know that I do not have advertisers and I am only posting this with your best interest in mind. In the interest of full disclosure, I do receive a gift card when you purchase books from Amazon.com through this site. I plan to use those gift cards to buy more books to evaluate for future posts. Thanks for your support.