Product Description

Respected financial expert Dave Ramsey offers a comprehensive plan for getting out of debt and achieving financial health. Against a playful backdrop of fitness terminology, Dave gives solid, hard-hitting advice needed to make your goals a reality. Filled with both the "hope" and the "how-to," The Total Money Makeover includes:

• Useful worksheets and forms
• Readable and informative charts and graphs
• The four factors that keep people from getting in shape financially
• Photos and amazing stories from people who have succeeded following The Total Money Makeover plan

The Total Money Makeover is a necessity for everyone in need of a financial makeover. Readers will learn to live by the The Total Money Makeover motto: "If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #136439 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Radio talk-show host and bestselling author Ramsey (Financial Peace) is less a financial analyst and more of a preacher, which explains both his popularity and the appeal of this book, which just might gain a wide audience. The bedrock of his system is simple: work hard, pay what you owe and stay out of debt. His main commandment is "Pay cash." He first exhorts the reader to take "baby steps," which are designed to build on each other: first, save $1,000 as an emergency fund; then, pay off all debts from smallest to largest; save a larger three-to-six-month emergency fund; finally, start to save for college and pay off your home mortgage. Ramsey understands the difficulty in putting these steps into action, and therefore packs his book with personal testimonials from everyday people who have used his system and have become debt free, with obvious struggles. The key is what Ramsey calls "Gazelle intensity," which is to live a financial life the way a gazelle saves itself from an attacking cheetah-"outmaneuver the enemy and run for your life." While Ramsey provides some helpful charts and graphs so readers can keep track of their efforts to follow his steps, the strength of this book is that it is a straightforward motivational tool. He provides the brutally direct truth about the hard work it takes to become free of debt, and his directness is a great part of the book's charm.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
"Winning at money is 80 percent behavior and 20 percent head knowledge." So states Ramsey, author and radio show host, offering a comprehensive plan to get out of debt and achieve financial fitness. Our current financial position represents the sum total of the decisions we've made to this point, he tells us, and we must take personal responsibility for our financial problems. His seven-step plan includes paying off all debts except the home mortgage at an accelerated speed, creating a financial safety net that covers three to six months' expenses, investing 15 percent of income in a retirement fund, and saving for children's college expenses. He effectively shows how regular people can rid themselves of debt and grow their wealth using current income. While many of Ramsey's concepts are not new, his simple approach and client testimonials will resonate with a broad range of library patrons. This is important information in a society buried in debt, with unprecedented numbers of people facing bankruptcy. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Great read! Awesome book!
I'd never heard of Dave Ramsey until about 6 months ago when my mentor suggested I read his book. I found out later that he also had a radio show. I know, I know...I live under a rock. :) (We don't have a local affiliate where I live that carries his show.)

Anyway, this book gets you to think, which is the most important thing that it does. Does it give all of the most intricate details? Not always, but it doesn't need to. If you can't make your mortgage payment this month and don't have food on the table, do you really care about the intricacies of the ROI of a particular mutual fund? Hell, no!

The most important thing this book does is give you belief. He MAKES the reader analyze their situation and does a darn good job of it. The stories of success written by Dave's faithful listeners are what solidifies this book, not just Dave's messages. I know I would not be as read to commit to fixing my own problems if it wasn't for these stories. They are key...injections of belief.

God Bless Dave Ramsey and his audience for this great read. I'm re-working our budget right now! :)

It Works!! We Tested It!!
There are so many books on being financially set that you wonder if there can be another book that has the right principles. Almost like all those diet books out there.

I needed some help and knew of 10 other families in need of help also. So we gathered together and did a course of study using this book as our main textbook. The results???

EVERY family is doing much better financially 4 months after completion of our studies. I am referring to 10 different families with 10 different backgrounds!!!

My statement is that if it can work for this group there is no reason why it cannot work for you. The principles are simple to understand and therefore to follow. The key is learning how to really do a monthly budget with enough room to flow without choking through the month.

IT WORKS!!!!

Get Back On The Right Track Financially
This book can definitely change lives. Dave Ramsey provides a step by step "real life" approach to tackling your financial woes. I can't say enough good things about this book.

Are you sick of living paycheck to paycheck?

Are you tired of worrying about your retirement funds?

Are you in a financial mess?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need Dave Ramsey's "The Total Money Makeover". It is a great read. It has helped my family immensely; though we need to concentrate a little more in certain areas.

This book can teach you how to become debt-free in three to four years of sincere effort.

Well, what are you waiting for? Click the "BUY" button. It may be the best move you've ever made.

See ya next review.
www.therunninggirl.com