Well, today was the day. I attended a Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover Live! event this afternoon.
Actually, I attended only half of it.
Thanks to a searing headache that became unbearable around the halfway-point of the show, I most certainly did NOT get my money’s worth ($20 per seat) out of the deal. But that wasn’t Dave’s fault. Stupid me forgot to have painkillers handy for just such an emergency. That’s what I get for not planning ahead, right?
I will say this: Dave Ramsey (talk-radio host, creator of “The Baby Steps”, and author of Total Money Makeover, among others) is an energetic guy, a great communicator, and a salesman of notable ability.
“The world we live in today is pretty strange,” he told the audience early on. “It is one where common sense has become a marketable commodity. I’ve simply packaged it better than anyone else in my generation.”
He may be right. The auditorium was wall-to-wall full, with extra fold-out seats crowding all aisles. Lines at his book- and media-product-sales tables outside the auditorium were heavily populated, too. Most of the people around me seemed excited to be in attendance. I got the distinct feeling that most folks were there due to ties with churches and other religious groups. No big surprise, as Dave leans heavily upon these groups for readership and networking of sales. And readers of Ramsey’s books know he does not shy away from outright religious overtones and missives in his financial advice. (“God’s and Grandma’s system of managing money,” as he describes it.)
If you’re willing to look a bit beyond all that, you get to hear a pretty good and entertaining fiscal sermon delivered by a guy who’s obviously had lots of practice. Much of his live message duplicated the content of Total Money Makeover, but there was enough fresh material thrown in to make the hours of sitting in not-so-comfortable pews a little more bearable. Would it have been worth the $20 if I’d have been able to stay for the duration? Yes, probably so.
One anecdote of Dave’s that I found rather interesting:
Ramsey offered the following what-if to the audience: Suppose your young child at home has been diagnosed with a terminally ill condition. She will die in exactly one year unless a $5,000 vaccine can be purchased and administered. Your insurance does not cover this vaccine in any portion. You must pay for it yourself, but you cannot under any circumstances use any funds which you already have. You may not borrow the money for it; you may not pay for it with credit in any way. You may use only what cash you can raise over the next year.
“How many of you,” Dave then asked the audience, “would find a way — somehow, some way — to raise that five thousand dollars?”
As you might imagine, the number of arms raised was … extremely high.
The point behind this macabre scenario? According to Ramsey, one reason for why debt has become such an out-of-control problem in this country is that people have become almost entirely ambivalent to the ramifications of it. Debt, he said, obviously causes consumers varying degrees of financial discomfort for years and years. Yet until things get so painful that drastic change is the only way out, people simply do not care about paying off their debts, because it doesn’t matter enough to them on a personal level.
“If the end result matters enough to you,” Ramsey said, “then you will do whatever it takes to get it accomplished. Failure will not be an option. You would take any action necessary to save your daughter’s life. Yet people will not do the same to save their financial lives.”
There is significant truth in that, I think. If it matters enough to you, you will do it.
Unless, of course, your headache is just too bad. 🙂
Anonymous wrote:
I went to his live event last night in New York. I had a platinum vip pass.
First I was served a disgusting dinner. So much for the promise of a sumptuous meal.
Everything I heard was straight from his rantings on his radio show.
What was really sad was the way he kept hawking his products. First Dave says that he has a “stuff” problem. He used to by too much stuff. For the rest of the night he kept selling his stuff. He couldn’t get over the prices he was selling his stuff for. It was like a bad infomercial. Then his cute 17 year old daughter came out. She couldn’t even recite her top five reasons why it’s tough being Dave Ramsey’s kid list without walking around with a piece of paper in her hand! As soon as she finished, she too began hawking her Dads products.
At this point I had enough. $152 to come to an event where I hoped to receive inciteful information. Instead I got a retread of his radio show and a constant sales pitch.
Don’t get me wrong. This guy makes alot of sense. But he seems to have decided that his act doesn’t need to evolve.
Michael wrote:
Anon,
Thanks for the input!
Looking back, I can’t say that paying the big bucks for the VIP stuff would have been AT ALL worth the money. At the base price, I think the tickets were reasonable for what Dave offers. Above that, I’m out.
I would tell folks to just buy the book(s) instead. No advertising, and you’ll learn more.
Anonymous wrote:
I have not been to a live event, but I have gone through FPU, and I read The Total Money Makeover. The lessons Dave teaches have changed my life. This stuff works if you make it work. It was well worth the price for the knowledge I gained.
Anonymous wrote:
You know, saying that his act doesn’t change is not really a bad thing! What that means is, the stuff he’s saying doesn’t need to change, because it works. I’ve taken the FPU class, and also heard his radio show.
Yes, he rehashes the same stuff and the same phrases: “rice and beans, beans and rice”, “live like no other now so you live like no other later on”. What he’s doing is repeating the same stuff over lots of different mediums ON PURPOSE! You are listening to his stuff because there’s something financially you need help on. You are doing it wrong, and he’s beating you over the head with it until you get it. If/when you start doing it right, and get in the groove of good habits, you don’t really need to listen to him anymore.
Anonymous wrote:
I went to go see Dave Ramsey in person today at the Deltaplex in Grand Rapids MI. What a rip off. They over sold tickets, people were sitting on the floor with no chairs. There was not enough parking in the parking lot of the Deltaplex so there were hundreds of cars parked in area business parking lots for blocks. When we took our first break they announced that anybody parked in an area business parking lot would be towed if they didn’t move their cars. We asked workers and even a local police officer where we can park and we were told that there wasn’t any place to park in the area that you wouldn’t be towed from. We asked for refunds and they only said that they don’t refund ticket sales. So there were hundreds of people that had to leave after hearing just 1 hour of Dave. Any good Christian person would have made sure that there was ample parking and seats at a location before holding an event there. This leaves a very bad taste in my mouth and I am sure that I am not the only one that feels they were conned out of the price of admission.
Anonymous wrote:
Dave Ramsey events- where he will blast and blare about his stuff. The original poster is right- Dave says… he “used to have a stuff problem”.
-hmmmm, keep lining the ‘ole pockets there. Don’t forget to make it look good. The Dave Ramsey Show, that’s dirty money.
Anonymous wrote:
I’m a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Coordinator and I’m really surprised at the opposition I’ve read on several blogs! I too have attended a TMMO Live Event. In terms of the marketing of his financial tools, let’s try an analogy…if you’re teaching millions of people (from a distance) how to fix a special import automobile, you’d better make sure they can get their hands on the tools to actually fix it! As some have noted, much of his stuff is regularly discounted. What’s also amazing is that people are mad that one guy (and his employees) are prosperous just because they’re providing a (VERY) valuable good/service to society. If you’re so upset, and he’s just so wrong, then go out and do it yourself… produce a better good/service, undersell him and run him out of business! This is America, and this guy is servicing an entire country that desperately needs to get its finances and materialism in order before it’s enslaved to another nation or nations. Good luck bashing this guy…the proof is in the pudding!
Anonymous wrote:
funny how people get mad. it doesn’t matter if its a fat person trying to lose weight, broke trying to save money, or anyone else that wants change. one thing dave said at the event i attended and WOULD have sat on the floor to see, was that this was just an “event”. to actually change, you have to go through the “process” yourself. do what you will with the info presented. this day and age of pill popping to get skinny, and late night real estate programs to get rich quick, all without trying or sacrificing anything is really disgusting. good luck to the skeptics.
Teresa T. wrote:
We are going to see him in Houston, Texas in January and I can’t wait. He has helped us get $68,000.00 out of credit card debt! I don’t care if I have to listen to his same comments over and over again! It will keep my butt out of debt! The debt that it took me 7 YEARS! to get out of. (How STUPID can anyone get). He motivated me in not filing bankruptcy. Now, I want him to advise me on what to do with my money for investments. I will listen to anything he has to say. I appreciate him and what he stands for.
Reed wrote:
My wife and I went to a Live Event last year. Paid for the cheapest tickets we could, and I'm glad.
Just get his book, or take the FPU class locally is my advice
Anonymous wrote:
I heard of Dave Ramsey just after my office manager embezzled from me and I stood to lose EVERYTHING. Oh, and my husband and I had about $420,000 debt as well!!My husband was a huge skeptic, hated the idea of a budget and ANYONE telling him what he could do with his money. I convinced him to go to a live event and it has changed our lives. We both own businesses and now, 3 years later, everything is paid for but the mortgage. We have over $150,000 cash in our business accounts, all of our equipment and vehicles for our businesses was purchased with cash and we have also paid cash for a whole lot of renovations and trips and a camper, etc. Did Dave Ramsey do it? No. We did. But we only were able to do it with the guidance and tips that he offers. The live event gave motivation. The radio show and the books kept us on track. We never took a FPU class. I'm sorry that this is so long but this is a rock-solid program. If you don't believe it, its because you don't have it in you to do the dirty work and make the tough choices to go against the status quo. I know cause that was me. I also know because I am totally reaping the benefits of a life without debt and a lot of money in the bank. You really owe it to yourself to try it.
Jason wrote:
When we took our first break they announced that anybody parked in an area business parking lot would be towed if they didn’t move their cars. We asked workers and even a local police officer where we can park and we were told that there wasn’t any place to park in the area that you wouldn’t be towed from. We asked for refunds and they only said that they don’t refund ticket sales
harley thomas wrote:
Quit whining Dave Ramsey naysayers!!! Dave has a message that helps motivate people, just attended the OKC LIVE EVENT. Worth every cent..thanx Dave u rock!
your mom wrote:
LOL @ the DR koolaid drinkers.