My wife and I recently finished up Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University
Dave teaches “baby steps” that anyone can follow and everyone could benefit from implementing. Dave’s little catch-phrase is that you should “live like no one else” (i.e. sacrifice having any sort of life-joy now,) “so later, you can live like no one else” (i.e. so if you find a way to avoid death and make it to 70, you can finally start realizing some of the fruit of your labor.) Yeah, doesn’t sound real dreamie to me either, but it sounds a lot better than completely depending on the soon-to-be-extinct Social Security (damn democrats… instead of finding more ways to spend my flipping tax money, like health care, why don’t you guarantee that I’ll get back some of the stinking Social Security benefits that I have given those who went before me!) Dave paints a much rosier picture than what I believe is truly possible for average folks out there. I think Dave may be a little unrealistic and misleading in some of his assertions and examples.
Dave Ramsey: “If you start investing $2000 per year beginning at age 12 and can make a simple 20% interest, by the time you retire at age 90, you will be a millionaire!”
Ok, this example may be a little far fetched… a little. Maybe Dave didn’t actually use any examples that were quite so retarded. It is funny, however, that whenever he gives an example of the average guy, he picks some 30 year-old schmuck making an above average income(’cause I think you have to make above average to really “live like no one else” in the long run,) and Dave proceeds to tell us all of the sacrifices this guy is going to have to make to (which usually involves, for some strange reason, a night job delivering pizza?!?); this is the first part of the “live like no one else.” Then, when we get to the second half of the “live like no one else,” Dave is throwing out examples of multimillionaires (like himself) who can drop cash for about anything because, well, they’re multimillionaires. The thing is, that 30 year-old schmuck isn’t going to get Dave Ramsey-rich just because he delivered pizzas. The only way to get Dave Ramsey-rich is to make a lot of money through your career (maybe by charging honest folks $100 to take your class where you can teach them how to find financial peace…,) which those of us living in the remote, rural areas of this country will never do. So, although Dave never actually comes out and says that the 30 year-old schmuck will get Dave Ramsey-rich, the way the “live like no one else, so later, you can live like no one else” is presented could be interpreted as a little misleading by anyone who is actually paying attention.
In most of his examples, Dave starts with a savings plan starting at or around age 30 and a retirement age of 70. He gives several examples of how you can amass a ton of wealth (MILLIONS) by investing X amount of money at age 30, making 12% on that money, and retiring when you are 70. First of all, I don’t know what the average age is of someone going through Financial Peace University… but I’m guessing it is well above 30. Crap, I’m 40, so I guess I would have to retire at 80 to hit Dave’s projections. Second, 12% earnings on a retirement fund may be slightly unrealistic in today’s market. I’m going to cut Dave a little slack on this one because the video series I watched was made like 2 years ago (I think it was made in 2008), so things are a little less financially rosy at present time than they were 2 years ago, and who know, maybe the markets will completely rebound and no other major damage will be done to the markets again (but I think the radical Muslims may have a thing or two to say about that.) Finally, even if I had started working toward financial peace 10 years ago, I have no intention of working until I’m 70! Hell, I have no intention of living until I’m 70, so why would I base future plans on retiring at that age?
Dave Ramsey is, first and foremost, a salesman. He tries to sell his ideas, and his books, and his program, and his swag (it kills me that Dave preaches that we shouldn’t spend money on unnecessary crap and there, right in the middle of his workbook which tells you not to buy crap, is an add for all kinds of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University CRAP that Dave would love for you to buy… ’cause God knows that coffee is going to taste a helluva lot better while you’re doing all this personal sacrifice stuff if you’re drinking it out of a Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University coffee mug!) Dave portrays himself as, you know, just this dude who is trying to help others. He is so willing to help others that it only costs like $100 to take his course that will help you gain control over… uh… your money. But seriously, no harm, no foul. The dude needs to make money, and the course is well worth the money it costs to take… but the “I’m just here to help you” front doesn’t fly. Dave, if you are going to be honest with us and yourself, let’s try, “I’m here to help you, but it’s gonna cost you about 100 bucks because that’s how I got Dave Ramsey-rich and I ain’t ever going back, you’re gonna have to sacrifice more than you are probably comfortable with and you are going to miss out on a lot of crap for now, and you will NEVER be as rich as me. Want to buy a Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University fanny-pack?”
Dave works a biblical approach into his plan, which I like. He actually seems sincere when it comes to his faith, so I’ll give him props for that.
One of the portions of the course I really enjoyed was Dave’s philosophy on insurance. He starts out this section of the course talking about how insurance agents HATE this part of the course. Dave then goes on to talk about why whole life insurance is for idiots and all kinds of other things that I’m sure most insurance agents would not like the average person thinking about. Well, Dave gets done, the DVD player gets turned off, and the one insurance agent we have in our class goes off about how Dave Ramsey is not “all knowing”; about how Dave Ramsey is a salesman more than anything, after all we all paid for his class… he isn’t doing it for free… and about how each individual’s insurance needs are different and we can’t all base our needs for insurance off of what Dave Ramsey is trying to sell us on. In other words, the insurance agent in our class HATED this part of the course. The thing is, the “crappy” stuff that insurance agents try to do which Dave discussed are not things this agent does. I think Dave ended up pissing every person off in our class with one point or another… and it wasn’t that I really enjoyed Dave’s teaching so much as I enjoyed watching how right Dave was about insurance agents not liking this part of the course. Our insurance agent (who is, by the way, a good, honest person… and I like the dude) made this section enjoyable just by how much he let it upset him. It’s always fun to watch someone unnecessarily defend what they do for a living! I know, I used to work for a cell phone company… and there are few jobs that require more defense than when you represent one of the cell phone monsters:
“Isn’t cell phone insurance a rip-off?”
“Well, it makes it easier to replace your phone if something happens to it.”
“But you don’t get a new phone, do you?”
“No, you don’t. You get a refurbished phone.”
“How can you push cell phone insurance when it puts a customer in a refurbished phone?”
“Because I have had the people without insurance come up to me with the 2-day old phone that they dropped in the toilet and which now does not work, and I have had to explain to them that they are under a two-year contract and they have no insurance so their only option is to spend $200 or more full-retail price for a replacement phone. These people almost always yell at me, like I make the rules or I have the power to just give them a brand new phone because they have, after all, been a customer for three years or something. I don’t like being yelled at, I have no control over the policies and procedures of the company, you’re the retard that dropped a $300 cell phone in the toilet, I don’t make any more commission just because you have been a customer for three years… in fact, I don’t make any money unless you actually purchase something… and did I mention that I hate being yelled at… so buy the stupid insurance and quit wasting my time.”
Yeah, working at the cell phone company sucked… the money was good, but people are pretty stupid when it comes to their cell phones. Anyway… long story short (too late), I understand the insurance dude trying to justify around Dave Ramsey’s observations. No one likes to have what they do called into question by a “professional” like Dave Ramsey. Thank goodness there were no credit card customer service reps in our class 🙂
Probably my favorite lesson in the Financial Peace University course was the one on careers. Dave said some stuff that I thought really made sense. He spoke of finding a job that utilizes your natural talents. He said that those who tell you that you can “learn” to overcome personality traits that work against certain aspects of your career… well, those people are full of crap (ok, he didn’t say crap, but it was implied.) If managing people, or outside sales, or whatever, is not something you are good at or comfortable with, you will not “learn” to be good at this stuff. You need to find something you are naturally good at or enjoy and go full forward with that. I love this advice… and I agree wholeheartedly! Those people who tell you that you need to “work outside of your comfort zone” to be successful have no idea how extraordinarily craptastic the area outside of the comfort zone can be for many of us!
Dave refers to using personality tests to help you figure out what careers you can be successful in. Upon completing the Gary Smalley test, I have determined that I am almost 100% pure golden retriever, which means I have no self-confidence and do almost anything to avoid conflict… wow, big surprise there. There aren’t exactly a ton of high-dollar jobs available to golden retrievers.
Librarian was one that I think I would actually love… but that would mean, probably, another stinking bachelor’s degree PLUS a MLS degree to actually be able to make ok money… so, at 40, sell the house, take out some student loans, go back to school, and hopefully by the time I’m 50 I can have a career I love… and a crapload more debt. Yeah, that ain’t gonna happen.
I can’t really remember what other jobs a golden retriever could excel at, but I know they all paid CRAP! For example, I would probably make an excellent file clerk. I don’t care how long I work as a file clerk… or how GREAT I get a being a file clerk… or how indispensable I become to my employer as a file clerk… I ain’t ever topping about 12 bucks an hour as a file clerk, and I REALLY ain’t gonna get even close to Dave Ramsey-rich at $12 an hour. Ok, so the “follow your personality trait” deal sounds golden… but in all reality, I think it’s really just a stinking pile of pyrite.
Dave Ramsey has some great ideas, and if you are having issues with your personal finances… or have no idea how you are ever going to be able to retire… you might want to check Dave out.
I have a Golden Retriever and I definitely want that job!
Yeah, while I was writing this, I thought about how Brandy likes to watch TV all day… and I knew I really was a golden retriever.
I’m glad that I’m not the only one that sees a bit of irony in Dave’s sales pitch for Financial Peace. Like you, I think he has some sound principles, but the arrogant assumptions and generalizations that he tosses out as examples really show how out-of-touch he is with most families struggling to make ends meet.
And, man, oh man, don’t get me started on when he says things like, “You don’t have a debt problem, you have an income problem.” While there might be some truth to that statement, it comes across very icky. As if some jobs NONE of us should be doing simply because they don’t pay enough. It’s hard to imagine how ol’ Dave would counsel a missionary.
And when he talks about adding in that $2000 in savings each year, don’t most of us end up having to get into it because of medical bills, car, or home repairs?!
Here’s what I know about finances – yes, you have to make sacrifices and eat some humble pie or you’ll wind up in a big ditch of debt. Sometimes life throws you curve balls that affect you financially. Sometimes you hit a home run, sometimes you strike out, other times you’re just praying to get a base hit or steal a base. In all of it, God is in control and ultimately the Provider. And nobody likes to feel degraded by an arrogant millionaire selling his Financial Peace and telling them how just have to do more, more, more.
Nancy, I love the baseball metaphor! The one you left out is, “sometimes you’re just trying to avoid being beaned in the head!” The thing that really bothered both the wife and I (although… again… this course offers very sound princiapls, and we are really trying to follow it) was the fact that the crappy “live like no one else” part is while our kids are at the age where we can really enjoy them. We want to travel with them to create experiences that will be remembered forever. I want to, before they are too old to enjoy family vacations, take them down south and show them how goofy some of their relatives talk! Y’all come back, now, ya’ here:)
the class is actually starting in Glasgow soon. Ive been hearing about it on the radio for a couple of weeks now. I thought about it, but thanks, now i know better. You confirmed all my fears. Some rich guy telling me how to live. I do think there would be some benifits to the class, but, would they be worth the cost and boredom of taking the class.
In the end, i see it as a scam. Hes making money, by taking our money, while telling us how to save or make money.
This may be far fetched, but it makes me think of the letter in the mail. The one that says: you just won ten million dollars, just send us one hundred dollars to collect your prize.
all in all, i feel that all of us know what to do, we just need to hear it from someone else to make us feel good about it. Dont spend so much on needless junk. Make more money. Invest smartly(yep, hows that working out for millions of people today, including my mother who lost most of everything she invested, which wasnt much, but alot to by my standards).
Finnal thought. This guy is a joke(dont know him personally. He may be a great person, but his career is a joke(all be it a great income joke)). He is not here to help anyone, but only to prosper himself. I think ill take my chances on SS. Or just work till i die or cant physically work anymore, at which point ill hit up my daughters to take care of me. Alls well that ends well, and this is more ten ways from sunday than anything ive ever seen.
Lee, I think you (and Amy) should take the class. I think you should put in place as many of the recommendations that Dave makes as you can. I complain about Dave Ramsey because bitching is what I do on this blog! It’s a way for me to vent and keeps me from beating my kids and killing my coworkers. I think you could benefit greatly from this class… honestly. Dave’s examples are unrealistic, but we have run some of the numbers. Although I will not be the multimillionaire Dave implies I can be, we will have a crap-load of money for retirement, be debt free (including the house) and be able to travel and live and give like we’ve always wanted to. It will involve some sacrifice, but our generation doesn’t sacrifice… we borrow to get right now what our parents waited and saved years to get… and our grandparents waited even longer to get. Buying on credit is stupid. I understand how credit is a necessary evil in times of emergency… but, if you follow Dave’s plan, you can get to the point where you won’t need credit cards… even for emergencies… within a few years. But you have to sacrifice. We aren’t exactly sacrificing everything the way Dave recommends, because some things (like family vacations) are too important to us right now… but we are sacrificing, and it will pay off. It’s not a scam… give it a shot, go in with an open mind, you and your wife HAVE to be ready to make the sacrifices, and it will work. It’s not get rich quick… it honestly is the way most millionaires in this country make their money… by sacrificing and being smart with money.
Rich,
I totally get what you’re saying about not wanting to miss out on making memories with the kids while they’re young. I think you are right on-target with that. We don’t do a big vacation every year, more lie every three or four years and even then ours aren’t MAJOR by some people’s standards, but we try to sacrifice enough throughout the year that when we can treat the kids to a fun weekend trip, we don’t feel guilty about it. My kids are getting older and trust me, it gets harder to take trips together – they have their own work schedules and extracurricular activities.
We’ve never done Disney with our boys and probably never will, but they loved when we went to Durango a couple of years ago. We bought plane tickets, stayed at a friend’s house, took a lot of snacks and sandwiches so that we didn’t have to eat out a lot, and just drove in the mountains, and did one activity a day. The boys say it was their favorite trip EVER and I’m glad that we made it happen.
Lee, you can check Dave’s book out at the library or buy a copy online. Tony and I read through them. Well, I read them and told Tony what they said. heh heh. I think the main thing about going through the course is the “group experience”. Encouraging each other to brown bag lunch instead of eating out, canceling cable, cutting back, etc … I think it just makes it easier to stick to a plan when you know other folks are doing less too.
I just listened to Dave on a CD from the library about the myths of debt–it was so exciting. Then I saw the library had Dave’s book, THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER (3RD EDITION), read it, and am so excited about it! Then Lee tells me that I need to read Rich’s most recent blog (I do not miss a one, just takes me awhile sometimes), and you let a little air out of my balloon. But, I am 6 years younger than you! I’m not sure if I’ll do the class that’s coming up next week, or just apply the principles and get out of debt with gazelle-intensity! Oh, but I guess my husband needs to be in on that with me–we’ll see!
By the way, I’m a Golden Retriever, too! I don’t know exactly what a file clerk does, but I’ve always wanted to be a secretary since I was a kid, and now I’m living my dream job! Just joking, but I do enjoy my job.
I took a financial class at the local junior college. (LACC) Los Angeles Community College. Cost me very little. I reccommend a college course
What I need now is a class to help me understand Real Estate and how to do the bookkeeping and figure out if I am actually making any money at it, and if so; what is the percentage. Would appreciate any info. thnx for info re: CD and book at library.I will take a look at it.
For my financial class 1) we had to go back for an entire year and present a paper on where we spent every dime. 2) we had to formulate a long term and short term realistic goals 3) we had to pay off our credit cards starting with the highest interest rate one first.4) We keep each receipt (in a shoe box), from everything, even a $.5 copy; and even the one from starbucks and sit down for an hour each month, and place these receipts into categories. Entertainment, groceries, gasoline etc (and BTW going out to eat/Starbucks goes into the “entertainment category”) and other ongoing and other monthly expenses. Enter this info on a page on your computer or on a ledger. You do this every month and do a “cumulative varience” column (next to the “actual spent” column (where you budget a certain amount that month and if you are under; you get to use that amount up the next month because it is available to use if you need it the following month (for every listed expense.) You will quickly see where your money goes. Then after you see how much you are spending; put a “budget” category at the far left of the page. You have to be very disciplined. BTW: SAVE money for that vacation, car repairs, a new car (best to pay cash for it) EMERGENCY money; enough to live on for three months. I have been saving $535.00 for three years now and finally have enough to sustain me for three months, paid off my car, credit cards, and now have enough to buy a new (used) car: cash. I don’t go out alot. Cook at home, but every Sunday out to lunch with my church friends and an occasional movie. (thank God for the Red Box) It is a good feeling. I have had to dip into my Emergency money but I paid myself back. Better to borrow from youself. It has been a slow process. I took the class 3-4 years ago. Like a turtle you will reach the goal line, but be consistently (slow ) , realistic, and keep at it! Good luck!
lets not the for get about the 700 plus billions bush and republicans paid for to help the businesses and also the almost trillion dollar war oh yeah and the billions we are now spending to help build their country lets lets just blame it on the health care that hasnt even started being implemented yet
Dear “from a democrat”,
One flipping sentence. I took a slight jab at democrats in one flipping sentence in a blog post that is over 2200 words and you focus your retardedness at that one sentence. My jab was lighthearted, and I honestly try to stay away from too much political stuff because people on the far-left and the far-right seem to be freaking morons. I consider myself to be a moderate who leans right. I don’t like money being taken from me to pay for people not willing to do “it” for themselves. I pay for a portion of my health care (and my employer pays for a portion of my health care… I wouldn’t work for my employer if health care wasn’t a benefit he offered) and I like my health care. I sure in the hell do not feel like paying for your health care, so get a job with benefits and quit bitching. Can’t get a job with benefits? Take some government-funded education (something I actually don’t have a problem helping pay for with my tax money) so you can get a job with benefits. Aren’t smart enough to obtain a higher education? Move to freaking Canada, eh!
Sweet blog post! I like visiting your blog for the reason that you guys often write informative articles. Thanks for sharing once again. I am excited to bookmarking this website. I believe I will subscribe to this feed also. Take Care! …
Thanks so much, Jesenia Whiby! Informative articles are what I’m… er… us guys are all about. I am certainly excited that you are excited to bookmarking my website! I am honored that you are telling me that you believe you will subscribe to this feed!!! I definitely will take care and I hope you do the same!!! And I hope that the other 500 bloggers that you left this exact same comment with today take care as well! I usually don’t approve these, but I figured, “What the hay?” A comment is a comment, right 🙂
I have been following Dave Ramsey’s plan for about 2 years and I will be 100% debt free in August of 2012. House and everything! The plan works–but only if you are focused and have self-control. I will have paid off a total of $100K in the four years. I talk about my path to debt freedom in my blog.
Dollars Not Debt
Dave Ramseyism: “When you say you can’t take it with you, you sound like a child”.
Scripture: “We brought nothing into this world, and it is sure we will take nothing out”.
If naive, modern, gullible Christians would put the effort into understanding the Bible and applying it’s principles to the extent they try to apply the slow principles of becoming rich on earth, they could come out smelling like a rose at the judgement seat of Christ.
I’m convinced that if you actually did get to the front of Dave’s class, you’d go to the back of the class in glory. It’s hard to win cash and win Christ. You can’t serve God and mammon. You’ll make mammon # 1 and God # ?. Proverbs says it’s possible to forget God when you become “filthy rich” Proverbs 30:9.
Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, >>> You’re riches come in glory, friend! If you play it right.
1 Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; v.9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition….
The problem you run into with Dave Ramsey or any one who is making money off of you like he does is that they will shade their info. to feather their hat. I’ve listened to his radio program quite a bit and find it interesting how he leaves out so much of the negative things God tells us about money in the scriptures.
Rich…in reading your comments I have to agree with you that Dave is a salesman. That’s how he brings home the bacon, but I do appreciate that he applies the Christian theme to his show. He is not a financial advisor but he does have good ideas. After saying all of that, I have my own personal Ramsey nightmare currenty going on. My wife has decided to heed Saves adivice and pay herself first, or rather in this case put herself first. Thing is, I was self employed and no longer have work, though I am managing to.find some jobs here and there, pretty much whatever I can find. So in my late 40s I decided to go back to school an I am enrolled in a 18 month certification program that will hopefully get me into a great field. Problem is, for the most part my wife is our only income, and since she started to pay herself first the bills are not getting paid unless I pay them. Yet I have no money. I do love my wife, but what I gather from Dave’s comments is that when you pay yourself that is so.you may save money for the future. But your bill collectors don’t look at it like that. They just want their money and services like electricity water and all the others have to be paid for.or else you don’t have them. We have kids and we have medical bills that also have to be paid for. So we ars not in a position to put ourselves first. Dave also claims that the FICO score is a class idol and you can.not worship it. But unfortunately we do not have the cash tobuy a house so we have to have a good score. I have tocredit cards and I am ab le to manage them very well and get my score up. I do have a little income. Thing about Dave is he really does have good ideas,but if you use a little common sense, you really do not need him. We may never be millionares but eventually we will live comfortably. As far as Dems v. Rep. They all spend money..
Not so Rich (love the name 🙂 ) I am not a financial advisor. nor do I play one on TV, and I am not an expert on Dave Ramsey. However, I did go through Financial Peace University, and I don’t remember anything about paying yourself first through savings to secure your future. Financial Peace focused on the baby steps… $1000 emergency fund first, debt snowball, etc, etc, etc. Dave, in his course and on his radio program, ALWAYS stresses focusing on paying the necessities first. Necessities are food, shelter, clothing, transportation… and those would come before any sort of savings (but you should be working to get that emergency funding place). Saving for your future in one of the LAST baby steps, once you are debt free except for your mortgage.
I agree about the FICO score… I think unless you are Dave Ramsey rich, credit scores are important, ’cause we can’t always pay for everything in cash. Someday, maybe 🙂
I make fun of Dave and his class because he has become rich by telling others how they have to live poor in order to get rich (live like no one else, so that later, you can live like no one else). Problem is, few of us are ever going to live like Dave Ramsey.
All kidding aside, Dave’s program works. The wife and I follow it (not 100% like he directs; we’ve modified it to fit out lives and goals and view of what is important). Other than our vehicle payments and our mortgage, we are debt free, and the vehicles should be gone by the end of this year. It is a good program. I do believe that Dave is trying to be a good Christian, and there are Christian principals in his methods. I would really recommend that your wife and you actually take Dave’s Financial Peace class (or at least read a book or two of his). I think you may have some misconceptions about what his strategy is. If your bills aren’t getting paid, but you’re saving for your future, your may not be needing shades in your future 🙂
That’s a “The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades” reference. Get it? Get it? Yeah, I’m done now…
Rich, as far as my wife goes. What I am saying is that she is totally not really understanding the Dave philosophy. I believe in saving and want to be able to do so. Dave does preach paying the bills. I was reading my previous comment and realized I left some out.
I do listent to Dave every night on the way home from school and appreciate the advice he gives. My personal philosophy is to keep control of your spending. That is what will save you, not a radio talk shoe host.
I love your blog and if you do not mind, if I can email you a link my own blog.
Not so Rich, don’t hesitate to include your URL on my blog if you ever comment, there should be a spot to put it around where you enter your email address. Then, if anyone ever clicks your name, they are magically transported to your blog 🙂 I don’t mind at all, or you can just shoot it to me through the Tiny Contact Form in the right sidebar of my page.
Dave Ramsey: “If you start investing $2000 per year beginning at age 12 and can make a simple 20% interest, by the time you retire at age 90, you will be a millionaire!”
Dave Ramsey has NEVER given this example. What he DOES say if you invest $100/month from age 18 to 65 with a 12% return (which is the market average) you will have about 1.2 million. If you are going to quote someone please make sure it is accurate. Also, you said 20% interest, it’s actually 12 and it’s NOT called interest. It is a rate of return.
Steve,
If you look at the paragraph following the one of mine you quoted, you would find: “Ok, this example may be a little far fetched… a little. Maybe Dave didn’t actually use any examples that were quite so retarded.”
If you’re going to chastise me for inaccurately quoting someone else, please read the entire post before commenting.
I’m sorry that you didn’t think the post was funny, which is the reason I wrote it. I’m sorry that you didn’t read the whole post and see that I actually recommend Dave’s system. Actually, I’m not really sorry. It’s your life… do what you want. It’s my blog, so I will write what I want 🙂
Ramsey’s a salesman and has found a very comfortable niche being a pitchman for his products & counseling people to taking the “crock pot”
versus “microwave” approach “over time” to reach financial freedom
That’s all…
I inquired as to what exactly he did after he himself declared bankruptcy and have never obtained a satisfactory answer.
We’re in a diffent economic era in the history of the US and the next few chapters are going to be UGLY.
The top 2% of the hedge fund types and Wall St insiders will NEVER be held accountable for the mess that was created. They will always be safe and there’s no way to change that; they’ve bought out the politicians and lawmakers who are supposed to guard the henhouse.
Gonzo… uhhh… thanks for the comment. I can’t believe I have found someone with a more negative outlook on finances than myself 🙂 I know we’re in a world of hurt, and I understand that Ramsey is little more than a salesman, but I truly believe his “crock pot” approach can work; maybe not as well as he sells it, but for the average Joe, better than most Americans can expect by wasting time trying to find the perfect “microwave” method.
Politicians and lawmakers suck… period. Every person who serves in a public office for more than 2 terms is looking to make a lucrative career on the taxpayers’ dime, and I loathe them. Many of the affluent in our society have accumulated their wealth by screwing others… or were handed their wealth on a silver platter (literally) by mommy and daddy… and mommy and daddy got it from their mommies and daddies. Such is the sad cycle of life in these United States in our time. We can either bitch about it and grow more cynical by the second as opportunities to make a difference are overshadowed by our hatred of everything that leads to success… or we can suck it up and take responsibility for our futures by either doing what it takes to be successful (which is WAY out of our comfort zones)… or we can change our perspective on values and try to find the things in this life that make life worth living that don’t involve “things” we can posses. I, for one, chose the cynical, pissed-off route 🙂
Hi! just want to complement you for your blog. Your writing is as good as anything I’ve ever read; very witty and funny but not mean or profane. You make it look easy, which we all know good writing is anything but. The reason I’m taking the time to respond is because I live in the same place you do. I was doing a Google search on the recent article about Scotts Bluff County coming in dead last in a state survey re education, health, juvenile crime, etc. How that warmed my heart. I could never understand why they all always tooting their own horn here about how great the place is; i.e., they’re the “premier” this and “premier” that. Anyway, some of your blogs referenced your geographic location. I got transplanted, too, about 10 years ago. No place is perfect, but there is just so much to hate about this place. So anyway, regarding your blogging, (paraphrasing) “Can anything good come out of western Nebraska?” Yes!
Kay, thanks for reading 🙂 I think there are many of us who are living in the panhandle and not quite sure what we’re doing here. There are a lot of us who don’t love living here. Problem is, part of the local media’s job is to paint a rosy picture of life in the panhandle, so there are few outlets to hear the negative (aside from out of the mouths of many locals). That’s part of what I’m trying to accomplish with my blog. In my non-blogging life, I’m not really always such a Debbie Downer, but blogging about the stuff that ruffles my feathers is a great way to get crap off of my chest. I highly recommend blogging to everyone 🙂 Thanks again for checking out my blog, and many thanks for your comment!