someone who is good at the economy help me budget this, my family is dying

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > someone who is good at the economy help me budget this, my family is dying

Joe-Bob: May 12, 2005; GO BIG RED; College Slice

AsInHowe posted:

Dave Ramsey is creating a generation or two of people with bad financial mindsets, so when they do go to retire, there won't be money there. Or if there is money, it will all go away soon. And that's by design.

I'm curious, what's so bad about his practices for his practitioners? I don't know a whole lot about him, but I suppose that his "debt snowball" approach is not always optimal since your smallest balance may not be your most expensive balance. Is it the 10% tithing thing that's ruinous? Or is there something else going on here?

# ¿ Jul 21, 2017 00:55

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# ¿ May 22, 2024 15:06

Joe-Bob: May 12, 2005; GO BIG RED; College Slice

Hieronymous Alloy posted:

If I'm so smart, why aren't I rich?

Sin, OP. Maybe you should start tithing?

ErIog posted:

His advice is kind of harmless if you already have money and you literally just need somebody to tell you, "hey pay off your CC instead of buying that new jet ski." If you're someone who's not making a living wage(a lot of people) or are like one health crisis away from bankruptcy(probably most of the US) then it's harmful because it starts from the false premise that you actually have control over your financial life.

Most people in the US are not actually in any position to control their financial future due to factors outside their control(falling wages for decades, no universal healthcare system, healthcare costs through the roof).

So he's just convincing a bunch of people who just literally don't have enough money to cut any "luxury," and then also reduce their income by 10% by giving it away to religious institutions. Neither of these things are going to prevent any kind of bankruptcy or actually lead to savings leading to wealth.

It's just-world stoic-poor personal-austerity-plan bootstrap bullshit.

I'm really interested in the intersection between grifters like Ramsey and conservatism in general. He's got to be pretty popular with churches. They surely deal with a lot of congregants with serious financial needs that come with stagnant wages and rising health costs. However, at least in American Evangelical circles any thoughts of economic justice are socially unacceptable. Plus, tithes!

I come from this background, and I'm just astonished at how successfully right wing economic thought has captured such a huge group of religious people. One bit of nuance that really gets lost when talking about Evangelicals is that prosperity gospel is pretty fringe among conservative Christians in the US. At least officially, most theologians and pastors would completely reject explicit connections between wealth and godliness. However, it seems that the leadership is essentially bought and paid for by the Republican party since at least Brown v. Board of Education - they've gained the world and lost their soul.

This contradiction makes it possible for Ramsey to exist. A bit of moralistic nonsense gets used to answer a question that's not really allowed to get asked.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2017 05:35

Joe-Bob: May 12, 2005; GO BIG RED; College Slice

SpaceCadetBob posted:

Uh, doing a written budget is like pretty much the most basic rule for getting control of your finances. Pretty sure that part is not some horrible conspiracy to keep you poor.

The point of posting that McDonald's budget is that it's a totally unreasonable expectation for their employees. I mean, they don't even have a line item for candles! It's all grifting and guilt while ignoring how real issues in society affect individuals negatively. No conspiracy required.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2017 15:43

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