The Total Money Makeover Updated and Expanded: A Proven Plan for Financial Peace

Great book, with great advice. I read it already, and bought this as a gift for someone else. Actually, this is the third time I have bought it as a gift for someone. This is simple, common sense information to get out of debt, and to stay out of debt, so you can enjoy your money. If you are struggling, or if you are just trying to save some money, this is a good book to read. It's also a good book for a young couple just starting out, or for someone just graduating high school. This book is good for anyone. Wholesome with a plan to help you! Who wants to be in debt?!! No one! I highly recommend the book!

I've always been interested in my finances and my husband and I jointly manage our family's finances so we both know what's going on. A friend at church was talking about Dave Ramsey and I had never heard of him before so I decided to look him up and see what kinds of books he wrote. I found this book to be a popular choice of his and I didn't know how much of it would interest me so I ended up borrowing it from the library initially. I enjoyed his writing and found the information to be helpful so I decided to purchase my own copy to reference at home. The Total Money Makeover is a personal finance book written by Dave Ramsey. Ramsey is a financial expert as well as a Christian who has had his own money troubles in the past. He's overcome them and learned from his mistakes so he's passed along his wisdom in these pages. There are also many stories of people who have been in a tough spot financially who used this book to get themselves out of debt. This book is 237 pages long, contains 13 chapters, worksheets and a full index. I found this book to be helpful and I really enjoyed reading it! Dave Ramsey writes in a no-nonsense fashion and if he says something is stupid or a bad idea, he will say exactly that. He doesn't beat around the bush. He provides step-by-step information on getting yourself out of debt and what to do if you have a crisis while you are working on getting yourself out of debt (he also refers to Murphy's Law quite a bit so something will always happen). I like how he tells us what types of companies, funds, etc to avoid and what ones are good ones. Even though he knows a lot about investments, he doesn't provide extensive investment information in this book but he does give some information on what types of funds he thinks are best based on trends. I enjoyed this book so much that I told my sister about it and she said she wanted to read it too so I bought one for her and one for myself. I've told others about the book and I think it is helpful, no matter what your financial situation is. Some parts of the book didn't apply to us but I found the second half of it to be especially informative which is why I decided to buy a copy. Unless you already have millions of dollars in the bank and have all of your finances under control (retirement, investments, kids' college education, etc.), I think you'll find the information in this book to be useful. If you have a lot of credit card debt and loans and want to get your finances under control, I highly recommend this book. Even if you don't have a lot of debt but you want to find a smarter way prepare for your kids' college education, this is a great book to read. It's very informative and you can also borrow a copy from a friend or the library first before you buy your own. I'm glad I bought it because the small investment in this book has caused us to take a closer look at our finances and see what we can do better. Overall, I feel it's worth the money and time to buy and read this book so you have a financially-fit future!

Life changing book. So basic, yet so powerful. If you don’t feel like you have control of your money, buy the book and read it as soon as you receive it. Dave’s principles work regardless of income or situation.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! I saw some comments on my Facebook from different friends saying what a difference this book had made in their lives so I decided to read it. I first went to my public library to check it out, but they did not have it in stock. They had about 15 copies of this book and ALL copies were checked out!! This reinforced my belief that this book was worth my time. So I decided to buy it on Amazon since I could not wait to start reading it. Two days later, the book arrived! I sat on my couch and read non-stop from beginning to read (ok, maybe not non-stop, I took breaks to eat and use the restroom). But I did read this entire book in one day! It was a super easy, entertaining book to read. It is written in plain language so that anyone can understand. I love the way Dave Ramsey explained different myths about money/debt and it really hit home. As soon as I finished reading the book, I called my boyfriend and told him I wanted him to read it too. My boyfriend finished reading it a few days later and we both LOVED IT. We have already created our very first monthly budget and are hoping to complete baby step #1 (save $1000 as a starter emergency fund) by the end of next month and start baby step #2 (the debt snowball) right away. I am SO excited about starting my total money makeover and cannot wait to be debt free and building wealth. This book changed my life and my views on debt and credits cards. It was a huge eye-opener. I have told everyone I know about this book. I think every person should read it. It is an amazing book. I am planning on reading all the other books written by Dave Ramsey :) UPDATE: I just purchased this book AGAIN to give to my sister as a Christmas present! Also I am on Baby Step #2 and have paid $32,000 so far in debt in the last 12 months!!! This method works!! Also I have read ALL other books written by Dave Ramsey, his daughter Rachel Cruz, and Chris Hogan (one of Dave Ramsey's personalities). ALL books are amazing and I totally recommend them!

My husband and I live paycheck to paycheck and often times reading books on finances is simply depressing because there is no way to start when there is not a lot of extra money to use. This book is different from many in that it gives you the details you need in order to stop living paycheck to paycheck and begin saving. It doesn't sugar-coat the fact that you are not going to "get rich quick". Dave Ramsey is clear when he tells you that making over your finances takes hard work, diligence, and loads of sacrifice. However, the payoff is worth it. I liked this book a great deal because it motivated me to pay more attention to our financial situation. As a couple in their 30s with no retirement savings, my husband and I are in that worrisome stage where we wonder if we will have to work until we die. This book calmed us down a bit. Dave gives a clear outline of the things that need to happen in order to begin the process. The first step is to admit to yourself that you are not in great shape. Just because we have good credit doesn't mean that we are in good shape financially. So we manage to make minimum payments on time. That doesn't really matter because we are still giving all of our money away! I like the idea of first saving $1,000 for emergencies, then moving on to the bills. Although sometimes I thought to myself, $1,000 isn't enough of an emergency stash in this day and age. The rest of the book tells of how to snowball, invest for college and retirement, and finally enjoy the money you saved. As much as I enjoyed this book, it is not without its flaws. First, Dave is a big advocate for mutual funds but never really explains what they are, how they work, or why its safer than other investments. He does dabble a bit on the fact that it is the greatest return on investment, but to the person who has no prior experience in investing, a little explanation would have been great. Second, beginning the envelope system proved to be a bigger challenge than I had expected. When nearly everything comes directly out of my account, paying bills with cash is a big hassle. I did arrange all of my envelopes but there was never money left after paying our bills to put in the envelopes so mostly they just served as a reminder that we need to put money aside for each thing. In all, I really think the book is helpful, especially to people who have not ever tried to change their money habits or those who use credit cards as income. Give it a read, you might find something helpful like I did!

Great read

Bought for wedding gift.

O programa do Dave Ramsey é excelente e o livro pode ser lido de uma vez ou aos poucos conforme você avança nas suas finanças.

I was looking for a book that gives practical guidance on personal finance and investment. This book spends a lot of the chapters talking about changing your mindset of debt, why debt is not good, how to get rid of debt, a big part of the book is about getting rid of debt.. It has sensible strategies for dealing with debts if you're drowned by it. But if the only debt you have is your mortgage for example, this book is completely useless. It's also very US-centric, filled with anecdotes and stories to fill out the content of the book. The practical advice/ method themselves are minimal

Great book!

De eso va el libro. De darse cuenta de que solamente es uno el culpable de su vida. Y que por muy mala que esté la vida, la persona puede siempre rehacerse cambiando los vicios personales y los hábitos de consumo. Pero eso duele y es difícil, claro. El premio está en vivir libre de deudas y preocupaciones. ¿A quién no le interesa conseguir esto? Saludos

This is a life changing book for those who have trying to get their personal finances in order for many years and not understanding what was wrong. Having lived most of my life in the USA and now living in Sweden I can see how much of this is catered to those whom are culturally and economically taught to manage their money in America. Though a very great book for personal finance anyway and you can definitly apply these principles elsewhere and get along fine. Recommended and easy to read and understand.