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Dave Ramsey




Dave Ramsey (b. September 3 , 1960 ) is a Christian, nationally syndicated Talk Radio host and '' New York Times '' best selling author1. His syndicated Radio program, '''The Dave Ramsey Show''', is promoted with a tagline that it is about "Life and Money" and is heard on over 300 radio stations throughout the United States and also on XM and Sirius satellite radio, as of July 2006 .2

Ramsey's current company, The Lampo Group, operates out of his hometown of '', '' 60 Minutes '', and '' The Early Show '' on CBS . Currently he is involved in a development deal with CBS 4 and has taped a pilot and six episodes of a reality show named "The Dave Ramsey Project".5


BACKGROUND

David L. Ramsey III was born in real estate. At the age of 26, through his brokerage firm, Ramsey Investments, Inc., he had built a rental real estate portfolio worth more than $4 million. He became one of Tennessee's youngest brokers to be admitted to the Graduate Realtors Institute.6

Dave's debt-fueled success soon came to an end as the Tax Reform Act Of 1986 began to negatively impact the real estate business. One of Ramsey's largest investors was sold to a larger bank, who began to take a harder look at Ramsey's borrowing habits. The bank demanded he pay $1.2 million worth of short-term notes within 90 days, forcing him to file bankruptcy.7

After years of hardship, through determination never again to return to debt, Ramsey began to recover. People began coming to him asking how he made it through, and Ramsey eventually began counseling couples at his local church. Soon after offering private counseling services, Ramsey began attending every workshop and seminar on consumer financial problems that he could find. He developed a simple set of lessons and materials based partially on his own experience, and after many requests from his clients, in 1992 wrote his first book ''Financial Peace''.8

Dave Ramsey has been married to his wife, Sharon, for 25 years, and they have three children, Denise, Rachel, and Daniel. The family resides in Nashville.9 Ramsey's protestant Christian beliefs have formed a fundamental influence in his life and a growing presence on his radio show.


THE LAMPO GROUP, INC.

Ramsey founded his company, the Lampo Group in 199110, initially helping people one-on-one who were struggling with financial issues. In 1994 he hired Russ Carroll, Ramsey's lead financial counselor, and together they began teaching the first Financial Peace University classes on overhead projectors.11 Between 1999 and 2004, The Lampo Group grew from 18 to 105 team members.

Ramsey claims to run his business completely debt-free, an accomplishment he states was critical to the success of his company.12


THE DAVE RAMSEY SHOW

The Dave Ramsey Show is a three-hour, Self-syndicated radio program and podcast that airs Monday through Friday from 2-5 EST . It is primarily broadcast from Brentwood , Tennessee , though often during the summer it is broadcast via remote from Ramsey's lake house.13

Ramsey takes numerous live calls on the theme of finance and, occasionally, money-related Christian philosophy as it pertains to tithing, etc. During the show, Ramsey discusses various life and money-related issues with callers. One notable difference between his and other financial shows was that Ramsey attempts to go beyond the mathematical mechanics and reach his callers through an emotional and spiritual level.14

The program began in 1992 when Ramsey, while selling copies of ''Financial Peace'' out of the trunk of his car, was a guest on 99.7 WWTN .15 The station had recently filed Chapter Eleven bankruptcy and one of its hosts had quit after not getting paid, leaving the station scrambling to fill the hole in its lineup. Ramsey offered to do a one-hour show for free for one month, not entirely expecting to be successful. "The Money Game" went on the air with Ramsey co-hosting, along with a friend of his16, presumably either Hal Wilson17, or Roy Matlock18. The program was quite popular in Nashville. Reportedly, when WWTN asked Ramsey who would be syndicating his show, Ramsey simply pointed to Blake Thompson, who continues as executive producer of the show to this day. As Bill Hampton, Vice President of The Lampo Group stated, "they learned syndication from the ground up."19

"The Money Game" changed its name to "The Dave Ramsey Show" in mid 1996.20 As of 2006 , the show is heard in over 300 markets.21 In 2006, the show received two nominations for the 2006 Radio & Records News/Talk Industry Achievement Awards. It is the fifth year in a row for Dave Ramsey in the "Syndicated Personality of the Year" category, and the second year in a row for Bill Hampton in the "Executive of the Year" category.22

On the success of the show, Bill Hampton has stated that the show did $2.5 million in network sales in 2005, while MyTMMO.com did $1.2 million. He also stated the show would bring in an estimated $3.7 million from advertisers.23 The show is now also available on podcast via ITunes .

Ramsey's show is one of very few national radio shows to be Self-syndicated . The program is not connected to any national network or programming service, and is distributed directly to local stations.


PUBLICATIONS

Additionally, ''The Total Money Makeover'', ''Financial Peace Revisited'', and ''More than Enough'' are available in Spanish.

Financial advice

  • ''Financial Peace: Restoring Financial Hope to You and Your Family''

  • ::Hardcover: 270 pages

::Publisher: Viking Adult (January 1, 1997)
::ISBN 0-67-087361-6
  • ''The Financial Peace Planner: A step-by step guide to restoring your family's financial health''

  • ::Paperback: 288 pages

::Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 1, 1998)
::ISBN 0-14-026468-X
  • ''How to Have More than Enough: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Abundance''

  • ::Paperback: 336 pages

::Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (April 1, 2000)
::ISBN 0-14-028193-2
  • ''More than Enough: The Ten Keys to Changing Your Financial Destiny ''

  • ::Paperback: 352 pages

::Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); 1st edition (February 15, 2002)
::ISBN 0-14-200047-7
  • ''Financial Peace Revisited''

  • ::Hardcover: 352 pages

::Publisher: Viking Adult (December 30, 2002)
::ISBN 0-670-03208-5
  • ''The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan For Financial Fitness''

  • ::Hardcover: 224 pages

::Publisher: Nelson Books (September 11, 2003)
::ISBN 0-7852-6326-8
  • ''Total Money Makeover Workbook''

  • ::Paperback: 240 pages

::Publisher: Nelson Impact (January 21, 2004)
::ISBN 0-7852-6327-6
  • ''The Money Answer Book: Quick Answers to Everyday Financial Questions ''

  • ::Paperback: 160 pages

::Publisher: Nelson Books (January 17, 2005)
::ISBN 0-8499-9619-8
  • ''Priceless: Straight-Shooting, No-Frills Financial Wisdom''

  • ::Hardcover: 135 pages

::Publisher: Lampo Press (August 2006)
::ISBN 0-9774895-9-0


Kids' books

  • ''The Super Red Racer: Junior Discovers Work''

  • ::Hardcover: 32 pages

::Publisher: Lampo Press (January 2003)
::ISBN 0-9726323-0-1
  • ''Careless At The Carnival: Junior Discovers Spending''

  • ::Hardcover: 26 pages

::Publisher: Lampo Press (October 2003)
::ISBN 0-9726323-1-X
  • ''The Big Birthday Surprise: Junior Discovers Giving''

  • ::Hardcover: 26 pages

::Publisher: Lampo Press (October 2003)
::ISBN 0-9726323-2-8
  • ''My Fantastic Fieldtrip: Junior Discovers Saving''

  • ::Hardcover: 26 pages

::Publisher: Lampo Press (October 2003)
::ISBN 0-9726323-3-6
  • ''A Special Thank You: Junior Discovers Integrity''

  • ::Hardcover: 32 pages

::Publisher: Lampo Press (August 2005)
::ISBN 0-9769630-0-0
  • ''Battle of the Chores: Junior Discovers Debt''

  • ::Hardcover: 32 pages

::Publisher: Lampo Press (August 2005)
::ISBN 0-9769630-1-9


Contributions

  • ''48 Days To The Work You Love'' by Dan Miller, Foreword by Dave Ramsey

  • ::Hardcover: 224 pages

::Publisher: B&H Publishing Group (January 2005)
::ISBN 0-8054-3188-8


OTHER RAMSEY PROGRAMS


Live events

Dave Ramsey also hosts live events which are largely based on the Total Money Makeover series; incorporating humor with financial advice. 24 Beginning in 2007 a prerecorded video stream of a live event was also offered online at Ramsey's website.


Endorsed Local Providers (ELP)

ELPs are financial professionals who are essentially fans of "The Dave Ramsey Show", and for the endorsement of his program help local area Ramsey listeners with advice on investing, accounting, health insurance, and real estate. Part of the requirements of becoming an ELP is that the advisor "have the heart of a teacher," in that the advisor is willing to explain products and how they work as opposed to selling products that simply make the most profit.25


Share It!

"Share It!" is a foundation created by Dave and Sharon Ramsey for the purpose of working with other nonprofit organizations such as housing initiatives, welfare-to-work projects, domestic violence shelters, drug and alcohol recovery programs, crisis pregnancy centers, youth outreaches, and high schools to help others become financially literate.26 One of products sold on Dave Ramsey's website for which proceeds go entirely to this charity is the "Freedom" wristband. {Link without Title}


CRITICISM


  • Ramsey has been criticized in financial circles for offering simplistic solutions to financial issues. 27


  • Many people criticize Dave Ramsey because they find him arrogant, right-wing or generally wrong in the financial advice he teaches.


  • Ramsey receives e-mails and letters containing the scripture “'Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'” (Matthew 19:24 NIV ) which he sees as a rebuke of his wealth and a call for poverty.


  • In 2004 Dave Ramsey's column was dropped from '' The Tennessean '' and four other newspapers owned by Gannett, Co. after it was discovered that the identities of those seeking help were falsified in several of his columns. Ramsey accepted responsibility for the error and offered refunds to the newspapers affected by the error.http://www.tennessean.com/business/archives/04/06/53312885.shtml



SEE ALSO



REFERENCES



EXTERNAL LINKS



FURTHER READING

  • Dave Ramsey, ''The Total Money Makeover'' ISBN 0-7852-6326-8

  • Dave Ramsey, ''Financial Peace, Revisited'' ISBN 0-670-03208-5

  • Dave Ramsey, ''More Than Enough'' ISBN 0-14-200047-7

  • Dave Ramsey, ''The Money Answer Book'' ISBN 0-8499-9619-8