Book Review: The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition

I recently finished reading The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition by Dave Ramsey. Ramsey is a well-known financial expert and also has a popular radio show. In this book, he outlines the foundations for financial fitness. Common money myths are dispelled and he includes plenty of anecdotal real life stories from people who have made drastic, positive changes through use of his methods.

I know who Dave Ramsey is and the basic tenets of his advice – no debt outside a mortgage, not using credit, utilizing a debt snowball to eliminate debt – but was not overly familiar with his methodology. I feel it’s important to point out that I am not part of Ramsey’s targeted audience for this book. My family is fortunate to not be in debt and we follow a written budget (another thing Ramsey recommends). However, we have many years until retirement – so I was curious to read this book and see how we could improve upon what we are already doing.

With the caveat that I am not the book’s targeted audience – I was a bit disappointed by what I read. I was hoping to learn more about Ramsey’s methods and how to apply them. Instead, this book largely focuses on helping people understand many common money myths and why they are myths. I would say that this book provides a foundation for financial fitness rather than the blueprint for actually doing it. (I read a few reviews after reading the book, and it sounds like Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace may provide more of the budget blueprint I was hoping to review in The Total Money Makeover.)

Just because the book was a bit disappointing to me does not mean that it is a disappointing book. In fact, for its target audience, I think it is an excellent book and I would highly recommend it for someone who is looking to make positive financial change. Ramsey does an excellent job outlining basic principles in clear, no-nonsense language. I would even go so far as to say that this book should be required reading for teens.  

I received a free copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.