Real Estate

Book Summary – The Total Money Makeover – A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness – By Dave Ramsey

Bottom line: buy this book. Financial stress is the biggest threat to our nation right now. People run scared every day as unemployment rises, the value of a dollar declines, and high-paying jobs disappear. Dave describes everything you need to do to move from bankruptcy to financial situation. If you haven’t read or heard of Dave, you’ll like him because he brings southern common sense to your work. My grandmother was from Georgia with a fifth grade education and had more southern common sense than anyone I have ever met. Dave is the same.

Why is this important to me? Take a look at this and you will see why it is essential to control your money and finances. Divorce rates in this country are above 50% and the number one cause is financial stress. Dave talks about women having a security gland and the need for secure finances. When the future is uncertain in terms of life, education and family, women tend to be more affected than men. This difference inherent in stress cases and therefore divorces. Dave discusses how to handle this a bit in this book and in much more detail at Financial Peace University. What happened to the WORD of the people? There were 1,593,081 bankruptcy cases in 2010.

I think my grandparents are happy to be in the other world because SOME people in this country have lost respect for themselves and have huge rights issues. I do not like to make radical judgments and I understand that some bankruptcies are unavoidable due to medical problems or trauma. I have no problem with that, but there are a lot of lazy people who think they can clean the board and start over. Worse than that, they have done it more than once. This is like a part-time Catholic who cheats on his wife but asks for forgiveness at Sunday Mass every week. He imagines that he can start over. This is wrong.

This book is packed with excellent information that, if followed, is designed to help you get out of debt and stay in good financial shape. For the sake of time, I will highlight certain sections and the myths that Dave describes.

1. Financial fitness is 20% how and 80% behavior. The concepts are really simple but it is the behavior that is difficult. I can outline a diet and fitness plan for anyone in 5 minutes that will produce results. The question is will it produce results for you, that is, will YOU do the work ??????? Shocking statistics: 90% of Americans buy things they CAN’T afford.

2. Emergency Fund – How many people have funds available for 3 to 6 months in case of an emergency? I was very lucky to grow up with a financially astute father. I thought I was 5 years old again reading Dave’s book because all the things that are taught in the book were taught to me at a young age. I realize that not everyone is so lucky. The terrible statistic is that most Americans are within two weeks of financial collapse.

3. Dave describes a myth that is very real. The myth is that if you lend money to a friend or family member, you are helping them. In reality, if you lend them money, the relationship will be strained or destroyed. The only relationship that would be improved is the one that results from one party being the master and the other being the servant.

4. Golden rule: the borrower is always the slave of the lender.

Dave has a mindset that says: You must be intense Gazelle when it comes to your financial fitness. You must recognize that it is your behavior and your approach that will determine whether you become financially fit. If you are in financial trouble, then the “how-to” steps outlined in the book – they work.

1. Create an emergency fund.

2. Face your debt.

3. Save 15% of your money

4. Delete all payments

5. Give

6. Imagining a life without payment and with all the income ……. Victory !!!

These 6 easy steps are easy to understand but difficult to follow. As you know, most people will not follow these steps. That is why people play and play the lottery. One of Dave’s spiel that I agree with is: “The lottery is a tax on the poor and people who can’t do math.”

Remember: “Where the focus goes, the energy flows” If you find yourself in financial trouble, I recommend that you start with this book and change your mind to fix the problem.

Live like nobody and then live like nobody is a brilliant saying. This basically means that you need to be disciplined and sacrifice now in order to have financial freedom and security later in life. Remember that if you are nervous about your finances now, it will only get worse as you get older. Most people don’t think about their health and energy until they start to lose it. If you HAVE to work until 70 because you don’t have money, then that’s a horrible thing. If you work in your 70s because you love it and you DO NOT have to, then it is a blessing. Which one do you want?

I hope this short video summary has been helpful to you. The key to any new idea is to incorporate it into your daily routine until it becomes a habit. Habits are formed in just 21 days. One thing you can take away from this book is looking in the mirror. Denial affects you like poison. If you have financial problems, admit it and commit to doing something about it NOW. Schedule 15 minutes every day for your financial education to fix the problem NOW.