This is one of the books that should be taught in school. Very basic! I recommend this to all people chasing financial literacy. Always get out of BAD dept.

Dave Ramsey's 'The Total Money Makeover' is a financial game-changer. This book doesn't just provide advice; it offers a step-by-step guide to transforming your financial life. Clear Action Steps: Ramsey's approach is practical and actionable. The book lays out specific steps to tackle debt, build an emergency fund, and invest wisely, providing a roadmap to financial success. Motivational Tone: The author's motivational and straightforward style keeps you engaged. It's not just about financial advice; it's about changing your mindset and taking control of your financial destiny. Proven Strategies: The strategies outlined in the book are tried and true. Many readers, including myself, have seen tangible results by implementing Ramsey's principles into their financial lives. Accessible for All: Whether you're a financial novice or someone with some knowledge, the book caters to all levels. The language is clear, and concepts are explained in a way that makes financial management accessible for everyone. 'The Total Money Makeover' is a must-read for anyone looking to gain control of their finances. Ramsey's approach is not just about managing money; it's about transforming your financial future.

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!

Recommend for anyone in debt or not

This book is so informative and helpful

Easy to read, and clear explanations. I wish I had known most of this stuff when I was younger.

Great read especially for people starting on their budgeting journey.

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!