Dave Ramsey - what a joke

He hasn't made a dime off me because I borrowed his book. He gave me a wake-up call and I'm thankful for that. As for the "idiots" comment, get off your high horse.

not on any high horse.....just saying, borrow money, repay it. if not the lender is going to take whatever action they can to get their money they loaned to you back. why does that make them the scum of the earth?

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he is bashing away American Express' Collection Department.

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In FPU he says that American Express told his wife during their bankruptcy period she should leave him because he wouldn’t pay his debts. Ramsey apparently thought this was a little over the top as a collection technique, but AmEx didn’t.

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Exactly, he acts like they are Robin Hood, and makes not mention of the delinquents who shouldn't have borrowed and / or had no intention of paying it back.

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False. He's always maintained that people should pay their debts they have and then make a point to no longer carry debt.

As far as calling credit collectors "scum", he's not referring to them collecting the money. He's referring to the tactics they use to collect, such as calling someone's parents who's names aren't on the loan, harrassing a spouse, harrassing someone at work, etc. Some of the tactics they use are literally illegal.

You need to listen to him for a while to follow his mindset. A one hour show on TV or listening to the radio show once a week won't do it justice. He can be a little extreme at times, but he's pretty much right on in most of what he says.

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I'm tired of these self proclaimed "financial experts" that get on TV and try and tell you how to get out of debt. It's freaking common sense how to get out of debt, quit charging and borrowing, easy. THe reason he's debt free is because of all the idiots that buy his book and pay for his internet deal just to tell you to use the snowball approach or to budget etc, again common sense shite.

Anyway, the point of this post is that I caught him briefly on the TV the other night and he is bashing away American Express' Collection Department. He is calling them the scum of the earth because of their collection tactics. WTF does he not understand that this is their job? They have a job because people BORROW the money via credit card and then refuse to REPAY the money they BORROWED. Why are they the scum of the earth simply because they are trying to collect their money that the loaned out that they now want back? I mean seriously, what is so hard to understand? You borrow, you repay and if you don't they are coming after you!

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The credit card companies are not victims either. They simply need to become better lenders.

There should be fair rules on how they collect, and the credit card companies should not have the protection they do under bankruptcy.

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All true. I kind of feel bad for them though; it must be a soul-crushing job.

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they got paid on a % they collected. So they were pretty enthusiastic about the whole thing.

Dave Ramsey makes it very clear that what his books contains is pure common sense. That's what the first 2 chapters are about in Total Money Makeover. People like him serve more of a purpose than just "follow steps xyz.. now your out of debt". They are more about motivating people to actually stick with the plan and ignore the daily messages of "buy buy buy".

It's like he says it is easy to understand but hard to implement for a lot of folks. He is a motivator and cheerleader and helps people set up a cookbook approach to paying off debt and saving/investing. He demystifies the process for a lot of people. Sure it is common sense but a lot of intelligent people get in trouble because of a lack of discipline not stupidity. He helps provide the motivation to stick with the plan and keep your momentum toward your goal.

Dave Ramsey=Modern Version Old West Snake Oil Salesmen

US Consumers understand the basics of money, they just got fed BS by marketers that everyone needs crap and more crap. The problem is GREED.

Look back at the same cycle of economic issues, although on a smaller scale, from the 1980's. How many folks in Louisiana and Texas lost houses or farms or other items when they got windfalls from the oil "boom" and then the oil "bust". Then the whole S&L debacle.

And the whole concept of saying intelligent people get into trouble because of "lack of discipline not stupidity" is an utter cop out. If you're intelligent you know not to spend more than you make or buy more than you can afford. It is simply GREED.

He is absolutely no different than the Bowflex folks or the Hydroxycut folks or the folks selling colonic cleansing or the folks running those foreclosure tour companies.

In the examples above consumers are told there are quick fix solutions to everything from weight to health to buying real estate. If it seems to easy it most likely is.

Money is a common sense issue. If you make $1000 a month you only have $1000 you can use. You've got certain fixed costs. You need to save. The rest can be played with if you have a rest left.

If it looks/sounds/tastes/feels too easy then it most likely is.

The sad thing is there will be more like him through this economic situation. I remember when Susie Orman was the only 1 out there and she was only made "famous" by Oprah and fund drives on PBS.

Save your money. Build a budget. Evaluate your needs and prioritize your spending. Simple.

*Hopping down from soapbox*