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 ,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.

Download File Size:2.98 MB

---