Money Talks with Dave Ramsey

Smart Spending with Dave Ramsey

He’s America’s leading authority on personal finance, and his bold, uncompromising approach has saved thousands of families from crushing debt. But Dave Ramsey says the foundation of his system was there all along — it’s common sense, biblically based wisdom.

For your typical frum family, however, the needs are higher and less negotiable. Does the Dave Ramsey approach still apply? Can his financial principles lighten the burdens of yeshivah tuition, housing, and kosher food? Kosher Money sat down with America’s personal finance guru to find out

Dave Ramsey is America’s most famous personal finance expert. He’s been featured on multiple media outlets and, most recently, on Kosher Money.

He’s known for his unique perspective. No debt. No credit cards. Minimal mortgages. Instead, spend what you have — and not a penny more.

“It’s not my stuff,” Dave says when asked to share a bit about his philosophy. “I just stole it from G-d and your grandmother. It’s common sense.” And it’s also biblically based, he explains. “The Bible has principles for handling money, which we all agree are the truth. The more you align with those, the better your life will be.” Everything Dave teaches is sourced in Tanach, based on different pesukim that talk about financial practice.

Dave offers an example. “[Ecclesiates] talks about spreading your wealth into different portions. It’s what modern financial planners would call diversification, but King Solomon was talking about it since way before they did. If you read Proverbs [Mishlei] over and over, you have a master’s degree in finances — it’s all in there.”