I think you need to know more of what you're talking about. You're being quite negative and making a lot of assumptions.
This is Dave Ramsey's ministry. I don't believe he really makes that much money off his classes. It's not a get rich quick scheme, in fact quite the opposite. He teaches how to manage your money like Great-Grandma would have....don't go into debt, save for a rainy day, etc. His biggest draw is teaching folks how to make a budget and how to get out of debt. Yes, he's a Christian and uses biblical principals for his classes. He's not affiliated with any particular church. Several churches offer this type of financial management classes. Where else are you going to learn to manage your money by biblical principals? Part of his program is to give 10% of your income. If you're Christian, give to your church. If you're not, then decide where you want to give to, but you need to give to someone. Not sinister or a big money maker for him.
Taking any class through a church has expenses. My honey and I are gearing up to lead a Love and Respect class through our church, and yes there will be a cost for participants. Will I be making any money? No. It's my ministry. Will my church be making any money? No. In fact, they'll actually be losing money for utilities we'll be using during the class.
Okay, rant over and off my soapbox....
This class was one of the best things my honey and I ever spent money on.
His baby steps are easy to follow. He's a natural speaker and injects a lot of humor into his program. Lots of real life things, too. He understands how important it is for a married couple to be on the same page.
The books are good, but the class brings in another level. You interact with others in the same boat, and there's a level of accountability. Yes, it costs money, but it's a proven thing that if you invest money in something, you're more likely to follow through on it.
We were a mess when we took this class. We had filed bankruptcy in the past, we were 20,000 in debt from credit cards, etc, we had car payments, life was so stressful. Then, I lost my job (sole provider) and life was horrible. We had no savings, nothing to fall back on. Life was an endless round of fending off creditors and never answering the phone.
So, after Financial Peace...debt paid off, emergency fund in the bank. No more car payments. Only monthly expenses were food, gas, utilities, mortgage, thing like that. Imagine how much money you'd have if you didn't have all that debt! We were sitting pretty, building up the bigger emergency fund...then I lost my job again. Wow, night and day! We had the money, less living expenses, so much less stress. Got another job, started re-building that emergency fund again...then I got leukemia. Ask yourself how your financial situation would be if tomorrow you were told you had to be hospitalized for 5 weeks 350 miles from home, and that was just for starters! yes, the emergency fund got wiped out, but that's what it was there for. We're now re-building yet again, but still debt free except the house.
Wow, probably tmi, but just making a point. Take the class. You'll never regret it!
