Friday, June 26, 2020

141. The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

 

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Ramsey, Dave. TheTotal Money Makeover. New York, NY: Nelson Books, 2007, Kindle eBook.

229 pages

Reviewed by Jess d'Artagnan Love

I picked up The Total Money makeover because it has been pushed on me and pushed hard. Any mention of finances in any of my social circles and I was suddenly being in-boxed adamant suggestions that I read this book and adhere to Ramsey’s advice. I finally caved and bought a copy for my Kindle. I now regret spending my hard-earned dollar on this book rather than checking out from the library.

Ramsey uses the metaphor of “fatness” to describe when a person is lacking financial freedom. He calls lacking financial freedom being “financially flabby.” He describes fat bodies in ways that make them seem undesirable, disgusting, and unworthy of existing. This fat-phobic theme arches through the entire book and set me on the path to greatly disliking not only the book, but Ramsey himself.

Ramsey in the very first chapter tells you that what he wrote in this book are a collection of unoriginal ideas. He admits that he not adding anything new to the field of finance but repeating financial “truths” and debunking some financial myths. You can so easily find this information literally anywhere else. It is not Ramsey specific and he doesn’t provide a unique or original strategies to the field. I’m not making that up. He flat out states that in the first chapter. So why write a book and then market it to a bunch of people struggling financially, desperate for answers? Money, duh. Ramsey’s ultimate goal is to be super rich and I guess exploiting readers is one way he meets that goal.

The chapters are made up of a recipe of thirds. One third of the chapter is actual, practical advice (that you can find anywhere else online), the second third is Ramsey shaming people for being financially “flabby,” and the final third of the chapter is “testimony” (AHEM: marketing) from “real life couples (usually white couples) who have used Ramsey’s strategies (that are not really his original strategies) for financial freedom so you should buy ALL OF RAMSEY’S PRODUCTS. :: insert cheerleader split jump here ::

My ultimate takeaway is that there are good principles in this book, but they aren’t Ramsey’s. He is a wordsmith who knows how to grind into people’s emotional vulnerabilities around money, so I’m not surprised that there is what I am calling a “cult of personality” around this guy and his work. Because his work isn’t really that good, but his personality is what he’s selling.

1 star out of 5

Would I read it again? 

No, and I won’t be reading or investing in any of his other products either.

Recommended for

Nobody. Don’t. waste. Your. Money. On. This. Rubbish. You can find this information online. FOR FREE.

Not Recommended for

People who are trying to save money or who are looking for financial advice that isn’t deeply rooted in shame.

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