Well written and a very do-able guide for finding financial freedom. I would definitely recommend this to anyone!!! I have given several to family and friends!

Changed my life, my marriage, my income (X3 - straight commission job), and allowed me to live debt free including the house at 35 years of age. I also have a net worth of over 1M.

Try it - you have lived the other way too long and if you end up not liking it you can always go back into debt. Life is too short not to live like no one else...

Thanks Dave for a new life and helping me and my family understand what is truly important. I can't imagine living like we did just three short years ago, and will never go back - FREEDOM!!!!

If every American listened to Dave Ramsey and took this stuff to heart, we would not be in the economic mess we are in. This is a great basic book on how to be smart with your money. It's more directed at people with debt problems but is also motivating for those that are already on the right track. If you are struggling financially--buy this book used and then soak up the principles. Another great companion book to this one is "Get Clark Smart" by Clark Howard.

This is a very good book, I recommend it to everyone. Dave Ramsey has helped many thousands of people with his financial ideas.

Dave Ramsey walks the reader through a financial plan for success in a clear, convincing and practical manner.

The things I like the most:
1) The writing style is conversational and free of any jargon: I felt Dave was sitting across from me
2) The advice is easy to follow and Mr Ramsey takes the approach of doing one thing at a time

The only thing I dislike is:
Too many case studies randomly inserted throughout the book

Recommended without reservation!

Dave gives solid financial advice that doesn't fly "over your head." I'm not a finance type guy. But I feel much more confident and able to manage my daily finances with Dave's advice. This book is a great starting point for anyone that feels swallowed up by credit card debt.

This book is absolutely awesome. I finished reading it within a single day, and am very excited to start this plan. I highly recommend this book.

Dave gives a simple no nonsense approach to personal finances. Requires a strong commitment to paying off your debt.

dave ramsey's book was my first financial book. I was about to get married and I need fianncial help. His book helped me in my marriage. Most couple fight because of money but since following Dave's book - i never got into debt. We are on our way to financial freedom because of Dave's great book

This book contains a lot of great information for getting out of debt. The suggestions are easy to understand. I also enjoyed the testimonials.
However, for someone like me with only a mortgage (cars are paid off, no credit card debt) many of his steps are difficult to implement. I also found that he seemed to repeat himself repeat himself many times. I suppose repetition is a good thing.

Overall, good book. I would recommend it to my friends and family.

Great book. He does a nice job laying out the basics. As he says there is nothing in there you haven't heard from your Grandmother or the bible. It's not a "Christian" book, it's a get-yourself-safe from financial risk book. I highlighted it and went back and took notes to make sure I captured the data. Personally, I am not highly in debt but there was a lot of good lessons learned. This book is for everyone- young and old, in debt or not, married or single. I avoid books like this but it was recommended to me and I'm glad I took shot. Get the workbook- it helps.
Nice job, Dave. Great book.

Ramsey makes clear from the outset that personal finance is 70% behavior and only 30% knowledge. I actually feel behavior likely constitutes a minimum of 80% of personal finance. The basic principles are not complex, yet most people still fail to manage their money effectively due to lack of impulse control and discipline. There is nothing about any get-rich-quick-top-secret-never-before-revealed-guaranteed-instant-wealth systems in here, so if that's what you a looking for you should probably look elsewhere.

This book is also refreshingly free of the anti-capitalist, anti-western, left wing propaganda that so commonly afflicts books of this ilk. No need to feel guilty for living in a nation that that has scrambled it way to the top or that you and your ancestors worked hard and intelligently to get where you are today.

With the above factors in mind, I'm not quite sure why this book is being criticized as primarily motivational. Motivation is exactly what most people need to live a financially disciplined life. This is definitely on my short list of top finance recommendations.

This is a great guide book for young people. I bought one for each of my grandsons who are in their early thirties. Muriel Oehme

I read this book from front to back surprisingly. It's so great. I would try giving this book to newly married couples so they can plan now and not get into debt. Now my husband and I can continue to stay out of debt. I love the budget...I finally understood this one.

I have read a lot of books on the subject of personal finance and I am quite impressed with Dave's concepts. I have watched his show from time to time and he is truly devoted to helping people. His concepts may seem simple yet are difficult in practice to implement. The only issues I see are some of the concepts might be difficult to put into practice for someone with little or no finance background. The old adage, if the hill looks too steep, I won't even attempt to climb it. I see this happening with a lot of people when looking at his budget pages, his payment schedule on how to implement the budget. I have a heavy background in finance and if I wasn't dedicated, it would have been a huge task for me to implement in my life. Once you do what he says, the concepts become reality and his methods do work!

This book changed my life! It provided the financial framework I'd been looking for all my life. 2 years later and debt-free, I can truly say that Dave's approach works. Financial peace!

Dave Ramsey is a FRAUD. He bought and sold real estate through other people and then bankrupted on his debt. He claims to be a "Christian" yet now that he is making millions he has made no effort to pay back those he stole from when he bankrupted meanwhile he is building a mulit-million dollar home close to Nashville. He does not deserve recognition until he makes full restitution to those he defrauded!

Dave Ramsey is a FRAUD. He bought and sold real estate through other people and then bankrupted on his debt. He claims to be a "Christian" yet now that he is making millions he has made no effort to pay back those he stole from when he bankrupted meanwhile he is building a mulit-million dollar home close to Nashville. He does not deserve recognition until he makes full restitution to those he defrauded!

Yesterday, (7-25-2008) I became debt-free except for my house--no credit card payments, no car payments, no student loan payments, nothing!! I paid off $21,000 in credit card debt in three years. I don't make a lot of money, so it was hard and took me longer than most people, but it was so worth it.

Yes, this book is pretty simple and he repeats stuff. But you know what? That's what makes it such a great read. No complex math or anything to take you away from your real goal: becoming debt-free. The pro-debt people are really just sheep being led to economic slaughter. The current economic climate that tells you "debt is good--hello FICO score" is really just a sham created by people richer than you so that they can STAY richer than you.

Not me. The book is a bit preachy and a bit redundant, but it also teaches you good habits. Easy to remember steps. Easy to remember plan. There are also real-world stories of people who are in debt and climbing out and people who became debt-free. These stories were a great inspiration for me.

I shared the info and book with my teenage son. He's also on the "no debt" wagon. He never had it, never will. All because of Dave Ramsey. Dave's radio show is available as a free podcast on iTunes if you want to save your money. His radio show is a call-in show and it pretty much covers everything in this book. I listen to that daily and it's a great help to stay on top of things. He also has a talk show on Fox.

I'm glad this book finally available as a Kindle e-book version. I was able to buy my Kindle with cash (well ok, debit card) as a reward for working so hard to be debt-free.

What's in my wallet? CASH!! I lived like no one else so that now I can live like no one else. Stop listening to your broke friends. Now I go to the mall and all I see are "debt-people." Act your wage! This stuff should have been taught to me while I was in high-school. But I'm on the right path now. I'm working on my 6 month emergency fund (baby step #3), then it's on to paying off the house (I'll have it paid for in 7 years) and investing.

Read this book, take control of your finances and change your life. Save money and get it from a library if you have to, but read it today. And you know what? Even the air smells fresher now that my money stays with me rather than going to bill collectors. :)

This book was recommended by a credit counselor as as a great gift for my young adult children. They have raved about this book and have continued reading it until finished. Al have discussed various ideas they found in the book. I recommend for all ages of folks try to manage their personal finances.

it's monotonous and redundant info. he says the same things over and over. borrow someone's book or check it out from the library.

Thank you Dave Ramsey for your thoughtful insight on money and the choices we forget we have. It's amazing how not so common, common sense is. There's no big secret in this book, simply stated, you should live within your means. The many stories you'll read are encouraging and do help you face your fears and self doubt. It's good to know that financial freedom is within everyone's reach.

Dave Ramsey has changed our lives and we are now DEBT FREE!!! If anyone would rate this book negatively or find his info useless, HAS to be someone who is sooooo far in debt that they cannot even consider doing a total money makeover!

I bought this as an audio book, and it caught my attention from the get go. Ramsey uses his own sucessses and failures from personal experience to help others to see their own tendency to financial folly. He does not pull punches. If you are looking for something with "the law of attraction and such, this is NOT the book for you, but if you want a totally frank, realistic approach on how to tackle your financial problems, this is the book you want.

He explains why the consumer lending industy is nothing more than (in his words) "legalized loan sharking" and goes into detail on the subject matter. He also describes trends in behaviors and actions that can lead various people to financial disaster. The book is very well written, and easy to understand It truly offers a realistic approach to taking care of individual financial difficulties.

In one weekend, I read The Total Money Makeover and Financial Peace Revisited (Dave's other book). These are great books! I believe the information in The Total Money Makeover as well as Financial Peace (Revisited) provide a clear and concise road map to help many people get out of debt and stay out of debt. To further learn about Dave's concepts, I will be attending the Financial Peace University at a local church here in town. I believe in these concepts so much, I have begun to integrate them into my client consultations regarding refinancing or purchasing a new home.

With all of this said, I do feel the book makes some broad generalizations. First, I do not agree with Dave's assessment that all life insurance products other than term life, are bad and that no one should ever consider any life insurance product other than term insurance. This probably is the best advice for most people, including your middle-class wage earner; however, there are definitely life insurance products that may be right for some people's long-term financial objectives. I just don't believe that one investment strategy (buy mutual funds only) is applicable to all income levels. I think most would agree that investment factors such as individual net worth, annual income, cash flow needs, age, estate planning, taxation considerations, as well as other factors will help guide an individual to choose the investment that assist them in achieving their long and short term financial goals. Yes there are insurance products other than term insurance that may be prudent for someone's situation.

Dave also briefly talks (Pages 186-192) about paying off your home mortgage is always the best course of action, and that any wealth building strategy that involves maintaining your home's equity/wealth outside of the home, is a bad idea. This is probably the best advice for the average homeowner; however, this is a broad generalization. Can equity harvesting (the opposite of paying down your mortgage early) be a viable option for wealth building? Absolutely. With that being said, equity harvesting is not for everyone; therefore focusing on becoming debt-free, including paying your mortgage off early, is often times for many, the best course of action to take. Paying down your mortgage early and equity harvesting both can be viable options. It really depends on each individual's situation.

The subject of equity harvesting deserves more than a few pages written in a book. I do agree that there are many books in the market place that purely are designed to help insurance agents sell products such as EUIL policies. These books do not fully disclose the potential risk involved when strategically repositioning equity out of a home and into a life insurance product or any other investment.

When it comes to the subject of home equity and paying off your mortgage early, I don't agree with Dave's opinion that one strategy is the right way for everyone. With all of this being said, I do understand that this book was written for the average American who is drowning in credit card debt, and has no personal finance/budgeting skills; therefore, covering complex equity management strategies would be outside of the scope of Dave's book.

Two good books that are full disclosure (let you know the risk and tax laws surrounding euqity harvesting stagegies) that will give you more information regarding equity harvesting are: The Home Equity Management Guidebook and Borrow Smart Retire Rich I would NOT reccomend these two popluar books: Missed Fortune 101 and Stop Sitting on Your Assets: How to Safely Leverage the Equity Trapped in Your Home and Transform It Into a Constant Flow of Wealth and Security The latter two books don't inform the reader with full disclosure.

David Lukas, CMPS

I believe every teen and adult need to read this book, it will change
their future. The book is a wonderful tool to manage your income.

This was a plain terms, easy reading that everyone can relate to. The tools are a great place to start your own money make over that fits your lifestyle.

JB Britt

Can we say Dave is a financial genius??
Im sooo glad I found this book at 26 years old! I never had tons of debt, but I had a credit card and believed in the credit score, NOT any longer!

This book is full of wonderful information for anyone! Its easy to read, to the point, and simple steps. Dave has this book laid out for anyone to follow and it really gets you motivated! You know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

I have given this book to several friends as gifts and its been a gift that last a lifetime!

A MUST READ for anyone, no matter what your finical situation!!!

Mr. Ramsey's book provide wonderful info on building and keeping wealth. Highly recommended for those that need direction in their money matters.

Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of something, and realize that what you're living right now is a turning point in your life. Reading the Total Money Makeover was one of THOSE awesome times for me.

I was initially skeptical about this book, but last summer some girls on a mother's board I'm a member of were really excited about Dave Ramsey. So in late August I picked up a copy, and started to read. Then I picked up a highlighter and read it again. I started listening to the radio show and I dragged my husband to Dave Ramsey's 12-week financial class.

A year ago, I figured we'd be living in our tiny starter house forever and wondered how we'd be able to afford pre-school and still come up with money for a down payment for a 2nd car.

Today, in the midst of this "economic recession", we are happy, confident, and have hope about the future, because thanks to Dave's inspiring stories and simple plan, we have now eliminated all our debts, bought a house, and realized that we really can afford to send our kids to college in 16 years AND retire comfortably. We're planning to buy that 2nd car in cash next year.

You really can summarize this book in just a few paragraphs, but you can't substitute a description of the plan for the amount of motivation you can get from the inspiration that's inside.

Whether trying to get out of debt or simply not get into debt, this book is the number one answer! Dave Ramsey's advice is borne of experience in blowing a fortune, recovering it and learning his lesson. Now he passes his plan on to others in an easy-to-follow (and understand!) method that really works. Hundreds of callers have told their stories on his radio and TV shows (now on Fox Business Network) and proudly screamed "We're debt free" after applying his principles of money management to their situations, some seemingly hopeless. You CAN climb out of overwhelming debt, and this book tells you how. Not a pie-in-the-sky kind of book, but practical steps to follow that will save your marriage and your sanity as you pay back what you owe and establish a nest egg for the future.

This book provides a very simple, straightforward plan for those looking to get out of debt. It is a very 'easy read', and provides a plan as well as motivation for financial recovery. However, I would not recommend this book to those without debt, nor to those who are able to discipline themselves on financial matters. For those folks, some of the advice is counter-productive for gaining wealth. For all who read this book, don't take any of Dave's statements as sound reasoning without thinking through each statement, as he has a way of only giving 'facts' that support his propositions, and much of his reasoning is very weak. For instance, he states that carrying cash is no more risky than carrying a credit card because muggers don't have x-ray vision to know what you're carrying in your wallet. While true, this is irrelevant. Of course folks have an equal chance of getting mugged no matter what they're carrying in their wallet, but if the victim is carrying cash, it's lost forever. If the victim is carrying a credit card, there will be no financial loss.

I did not benefit from reading this book. However, I do believe that for those who are deep in debt and looking for a way out, this book could be very beneficial.

This book is full of great basic information, but the man assumes that the reader knows NOTHING about personal finance (or too much else, for that matter.) The occasional Bible verses get annoying. But, hey, if you're in over your head and need a place to start, read it carefully - with your brain wide open.

This book is an eye opener for all of us in denial about our finances. You have to stay on a budget and not overspend -- that's not rocket science, but not many of us do it. Dave dispels the myths about money and he is right on target. Debt is dumb; cash is king!

I have been putting off getting my finances in order simply because I was afraid it would be a huge hassle. This book not only help me accomplish my goal, but it also got me so pumped about it, I got my two grown children and their husband and girlfriend to go along for the ride. It has been a wonderful family learning experience with actual fun mixed in along the journey.

Warning: Only read this book if you're tired of the "normal" everyday cycle of being in debt - being slave to your lenders. Whether it's credit cards, student loans, car loans, mortgages, etc. Dave Ramsey lays out a plan to break the cycle, change your family tree so your children don't think living paycheck to paycheck and owing huge amounts of debts is normal. As Dave puts it, if that's normal then "be weird." Get out of debt and live in TRUE Financial Peace - IT WILL CHANGE YOUR FAMILY TREE! It works, I've done it and so can you!

THIS BOOK IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES IF NOT THE BEST IN MY LIBRARY! ITS AN EASY READ AND FLOWS SO WELL. I HAVE FOLLOWED THE STEPS AND THEY WORK! HAS A LOT OF HUMOR AND INSPIRATION WHICH IS RARE IN ONE BOOK. THIS BOOK IS WORTH FAR MORE THAN ITS COST! YOU WILL WISH YOU READ IT YEARS AGO.

I read this book and dived right into the plan. I was full of enthusiasm and was accomplishing some debt reduction. (Dave Ramsey's talk show works great as a motivator once you've finished the book.) Unfortunately, my husband was not on board with me and fought me every step of the way. I would have liked to have seen a chapter that explained a way to compromise with a spouse. For example, for so many dollars paid off in debt, then we can spend so many dollars on something fun. This plan is a complete sacrifice, and some people don't have that kind of discipline.

After arguing with my husband, I went off the plan and I'm much happier. I know we still have debt and it'll take longer to pay it off, but at least our kids have harmony in the household once again. If your spouse isn't interested in this plan, I wouldn't recommend it. Money, lots of it or lack of it, isn't worth the marriage. However, if your spouse is as eager to do this as you are, you will get far in a short amount of time. It does work.

My personal opinion, keep the car and pay it off when you can. I bought a cheap used car and ended up with $2000 in repairs in the month we had it, and it still needed more work. I don't think it's wrong to make car payments but I do recommend keeping the car for several years after paying it off.

Passion Saving the Path to Plentiful Free Time and Soul-satisfying Work

The Richest Man in Babylon

Yes, You Can Get A Financial Life!: Your Lifetime Guide to Financial Planning

If he was just an author and this is all he ever did I would give it 5 stars. I like his model for success and it is impossible for it not to work for you. But if you watch or listen to his show on the radio or TV then this book is a total waste of time.

There is absolutely no benefit in wasting the time or money reading this book since its merely rehashed (far more entertainingly) on his aired programs.

I enjoyed the simplicity of becoming debt free as outlined in this book. I bought the book to start living on a planned budget since my husband and I are now working together and our monthly income has decreased. Although we are not heavily in debt, we understand the importance of becoming debt free and being proactive about it. My daughter recently married and we gave this as a wedding present with a check at the beginning of the chapter that explains to first start an emergency fund. It was a nice surprise for her and she loved the book. She is sharing it with her friends. Thanks Dave Ramsey!

Dave Ramsey's steps to financial success are very similar to what I learned in my personal finance class in college. This is not just a "get-out-of-debt" book; it is a book that can help you reach your financial goals without getting too technical. Ordinary people with regular incomes can learn to save and have millions by the time they are ready to retire (as long as they start early enough).

Dave basically encourages you to follow these steps (in order):
1) Have $1,000 for emergencies only
2) Pay off all debts except for your home mortgage
3) Complete your Emergency Fund--$10,000 minimum
4) Invest 15% of your income for retirement
5) Save for college (for your kids)
6) Pay off your home mortgage
7) Keep investing--you will build wealth like crazy once you don't have any monthly payments.

I have never been in any debt and I agree with a lot of his ideas. If you are like me, you won't need the first 5 chapters where he tries to get you into the "no debt" mindset. I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 because Dave's writing style can get kind of annoying at times.

Wish I had this book 40 years ago. It completely changed my whole outlook on how I handle my finances. A MUST READ for everyone.

I've read quiet a few books on the subject of money, but Dave Ramsey has put them all to shame. He cuts through all the hype and lies that surround wealth and delivers a clear cut path to true financial peace. The "Money Myths vs. Facts" chapter chops down so many common misconceptions about money that it alone is worth more than the whole book.
Amazingly, when I picked my copy up, I was already living a debt free lifestyle. I had recently married and we bought a house together. Outside of our mortgage, we had zero debt, no credit cards, and $4,000 in savings. We thought we were doing pretty well, but this book showed us how we can change our lifestyle to not only increase our wealth, but avoid the potholes life may throw at us. Even though I started off debt free, this book was still priceless in guiding me towards a bright and peaceful future. Thanks Dave ;)

Everyone should read this book. It has such good common sense approaches to becoming debt free for life. I started my path and can't wait to get there!

Ancient Wisdom for Making Money: Discover Financial Freedom to Live the Life You Deserve

It was the wisest king who ever lived: King Solomon, who once wrote `The Borrower is servant to the Lender'. This book reminds us of how true this proverb was and is.....and shows us practical ways through which we can achieve the freedom of owing no one and having positive cash-flow. I would encourage individuals to purchase this book and apply its wisdom.

Roger Ali Bocus
Author of: Ancient Wisdom for Making Money

I love Dave's philosophy on debt. I have a finance degree from a big ten university and I had diluted myself into thinking that OUR debt was okay because it was low interest and because my husband is a well paid pharmacist and because it was credit card debt and because we have one car completely paid off. That's just it, a dilusion. When you add up what we owe on our house, my husband's school, and our one car loan it's staggering! Even if it is low interest!

We should have had this book as a class in finance school. I've always made the numbers work, but this is more like the psychology of money. Declare war on debt! I just love it! A must read.

I tracked my money for the past 10 years using Quicken and never figured it out. I thought I was the man. I had my perfect Quicken budget based on my previous 12 months of spending...ONLY IT NEVER WORKED. I knew exactly where my money went...AFTER I ALREADY SPENT IT.

Once I read this book and figured out I had everything upside down, graduated from FPU (Financial Peace University) and spent EVERY dollar on paper, on purpose before each month began, it has changed my whole perception on money, life and reduced my stress level 10 fold.

GET RADICAL! BUY THIS BOOK! QUIT LISTENING TO BROKE PEOPLE'S ADVICE!

This book didn't open my eyes as much as I was expecting, but I'm sure I gleaned a few ideas from it. We aren't really in a state of financial meltdown, so I don't think the book applied to us as much, but for those who have serious budgeting/spending/or debt problems I am sure this book would be quite useful.

The principals in this book are as basic as they come. It is how we all should live our lives. Unfortunately, consumer debt has become a fabric of our lives.

This book will put you on the path of financial freedom if you are serious about changing your behavior.

Like lots of other reviewers said, this book is easy to read and can be done in a year or two. His approach to getting out of debt and saving for college funds and retirement is extremely easy. Here's the catch: YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOR! Like he says on his radio shows, money management is 20% skills and 80% behavior (hope I'm quoting that right) and so you have to really focus on changing your habits and thinking. Thus the reason why he overloaded the book with real-life success stories and other real examples of what not to do and what can come from following his easy steps. It's not fluff; just motivation.