Financial Peace University
 

Have any of you done the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University course? Our church is offering it beginning this Sunday night. I'm interested because I really don't understand things like stocks, bonds, investing, etc. I'd love to hear your input on the course if you've taken it.

Re: Financial Peace University
 

It is an excellent program. You won't probably learn anything you don't already know but it brings it all togethehr.

It is critical though that both spouses attend the classes. We took the course in 1999 and did not charge anything for four years. Since then we fell off the wagon and have regretted it ever since.

BTW - Dave Ramsey came to God at Christ Church Nashville about 20 years ago!

Re: Financial Peace University
 

no kidding! That's interesting, CC1. Thanks for sharing that with me.

I understand about the credit card thing. I think that must be an area of struggle for most people. I know we have more credit card debt than I want to have - but then ANY credit card debt is more than I want to have.

I've looked over the program when a friend took it. It really does look interesting.

Re: Financial Peace University
 

Margie,

Dave Ramsey is not an expert on investments, and he'll tell you so himself.

Tune in to his program, activate his plan in your life, by all means, as a way to get things under control.

Dave will motivate you to get out of debt and stay out of debt. He will offer some clever and insightful solutions. He'll show you that you've got to have focus and determination to both get there and stay there.

He'll show you that traditional "financial planners" generally don't have a clue about how to dig out of debt, or how desperately it ought to be done.

But he's not going to show you the ropes of the stock market, bond market, foreign exchanges, currency markets, or mutual funds.

The main thing he can offer you is the wisdom to realize that debt is NOT A TOOL. Well, not a tool for YOU, anyway . . . it's a great tool for the lender!

Re: Financial Peace University
 

OP, I wondered about that. I looked over the stuff when my friend took the course. The information on investments, etc. doesn't come until almost the very end. Which really makes sense if you think about it. You can't invest money if you don't have money. The best investment of your money, it seems to me, is to spend it paying off your debts.

But ANY information will be a start for me. So he may not teach me much, but if he can teach me just a little, I guess it'll be something.

Re: Financial Peace University
 

Margie it is geared exactly for people such as yourself.

I promise it will be time well spent. I have taken it, and ended up "teaching" it twice.

Re: Financial Peace University
 

Margie,

Opie Carl is correct. You will not learn investment strategies and about the stock market at FPU.

However it is much more important than those things in my mind. All most of us need to know about the stock market is how to research and find well managed mutual funds and basic strategies for investing in different economic situations. I am sure there are good programs for all that but I would recommend FPU first.

Re: Financial Peace University
 

Thanks for the advice - all of you :) We are going to take it. It just sounds interesting to me. And who knows - maybe I'll figure out how to have enough money left at the end of each month to go ahead and send some to Sis Alvear :friend THAT's the kind of investment I'd like to be able to make.

Re: Financial Peace University
 

I love Dave Ramsey and FPU!! We have offered it several times at church and people have been set free by his teaching. He made a believer out of us years ago, and we have no debts other than mortgage. The only thing I don't agree with is that he tells you to have NO credit cards at all. We do have them, but I pay them off faithfully every month. We use the points from the credit cards to do a lot of free travel - hotels and flights. So in that case, I think they are beneficial if you have the will power to pay them off each month.

Re: Financial Peace University
 

Well, we needed to finance the equivalent of small house to pay for college..... And even more for that "small" house. :)

Oh yes, and a car(s).... However it will be nice to have that "20% down payment" for the first time in both our lives!