Personal Finance With Dave Ramsey

I first heard of Dave Ramsey about a decade ago when I reviewed his book, The Money Answer Book, for a bloggers' review program called Booksneeze. During that time, I was so into the teachings of Robert Kiyosaki of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad fame and I admit that I wasn't 100% amenable to Dave's ideas then.

Five years later, I heard the Dave Ramsey Show over the radio, and I was hooked to his no-nonsense and practical approach to finances and life in general when giving out advice to his radio show callers.  I became an avid listener of the show and until now, even when I'm already living in the Philippines, I still listen to his podcasts over Spotify and YouTube. The show isn't only brimming with ideas and information, you'll also hear real-life inspirational stories of people who conquered their debts, improved their financial condition and/or on their way to achieving financial peace.

Dave Ramsey's books, like The Total Money Makeover, and The Complete Guide to Money, have some things in common: his dislike for debt, the importance of budgeting, and our responsibility as Christians to become good stewards of wealth. His financial principles are not only based on common sense; he also threw in there experience, wit, education (he has degrees in Finance and Real Estate) and biblical concepts.

Nowadays, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are into financial turmoil and uncertainty. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that those who followed Dave's Ramsey's principles are quite thankful that they fixed their finances early on. Actually, anyone who completed at least the third step of The 7 Baby Steps are experiencing less stress in dealing with the economic problems brought about by this COVID-19 pandemic.

Below is a list of Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps.

The 7 Baby Steps. | Source: Dave Ramsey's Facebook Page

Step 1: Save $1,000 in a beginner emergency fund.

Step 2: Pay off all debt except for the house.

Step 3: Save three to six months of expenses for emergencies.

Step 4: Invest 15% of your income for retirement.

Step 5: Save for college for your children.

Step 6: Pay off house.

Step 7: Build wealth and give.

Ramsey said that "winning at money is 80 percent behavior and 20 percent head knowledge." While Dave Ramsey's target audience is US-based, there's a lot that we can learn from his teachings, regardless of where we are residing.