I'm a HUGE Dave Ramsey fan. I listen to all three hours of the radio show, occasionally volunteer at live events, and I'm the only individual in Missouri who is Certified to teach the Financial Peace University Workplace Edition along with completing his Counselor Training course. I like to show off my picture with him in his studio. Oh, and I used to run a hobby blog called DaveRamseyFan.com!
When I first heard the Dave Ramsey show
I was driving through Southern Illinois about a decade ago (before iPods, podcasts, and I can't remember having a CD player in that car). I stumbled upon a radio station about to go to a commercial break. The DJ was playing the Rippingtons, a jazz group I liked, so I decided to stick around after the break. When the commercials were over the DJ started playing a song by Heart. The Rippingtons and Heart on the same station? Now THAT'S variety! But the DJ kept talking and I suddenly realized he wasn't a DJ, he was a talk radio show host. I almost changed the station but this redneck on the radio reminded me of a guy I used to listen to in the late 1990's, Bruce Williams, so I stuck around.
Dave Ramsey is no Bruce Williams
At first I thought he was just some southern shock-jock saying crazy things to get the listeners upset and riled up, kind of like a clean Howard Stern. Cut up your credit cards? Pay off the car early? That stuff doesn't work Mr. Ramsey, or so I thought at the time. I kept listening, checked out resources on his website, and found out that he was right - ABOUT EVERYTHING. Now I'm a sold out Dave Ramsey fan.
So what's up with the title of this episode?
PLEASE don't ever start a sentence with "Dave Ramsey says...". Who cares what Dave Ramsey says? You'd be a fool to buy every get-rich-quick idea on midnight cable or to believe that what you hear on the news is a true representation of what life looks like in every city. You need to learn about these things for yourself.
Don't ever say "Steve Stewart Says" either
I hope this podcast doesn't TELL you how to live but that it shows you how money really works, kind of like taking a shop class consisting of Excel spreadsheets. You could get by without listening to my show or ever taking a  financial literacy course, but if you want to speak into someone's life with authority and a true knowledge about personal finance then you need to learn.
What you can do to learn without 4-years of college
Take a financial literacy course. April if Financial Literacy month, maybe you can find a free class being offered in your state such as Money Smart Week offered by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Read some books. I recommend the Millionaire Next Door, the Total Money Makeover (no surprise there), or a fun one called The Wealthy Barber. There are a bunch of great ones I recommend in the "SOS Library" page of my website.

Of course you could always take Dave Ramsey's Counselor Training. You can read about some of my experiences in a series of blogposts or go to DaveRamsey.com.
Top 50 Money Topic Checklist
Download the Future Financial Minister Top 50 Money Topic Checklist to see how much you already know about personal finance issues. This is not a test, there is no score. This is just for you!

 
Also, Holla From The Impala: Do you balance your checkbook?
I balance my checkbook the old-fashioned way. How do you balance your checkbook? I would love to hear what you and how it has helped you catch fraudulent charges or mistakes like the ones I have.