Here’s something you probably didn’t know – April is
financial literacy month.
You probably won’t see too many Facebook, Instagram or
blog posts about this because money can be very painful to talk about. However everyone
needs to know how much money they have and how to use it effectively.
I refused to think about my own finances for several years
out of fear, but I also knew that things would only get worse if I kept ignoring
it.
One day a sorority sister gave me some very helpful advice to
get started on the road to repair: read one financial book a year.
Reading books about money helped create my first budget as an adult and put aside money for my first car and my first apartment.
Right now I’m reading Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover”
to help focus myself on eliminating my debt.
If you’ve ever listened to his radio show, then you know
Ramsey doesn’t mince words. I can tell you,
three chapters in, he really forces readers to take a good look at themselves.
“Your situation isn’t your spouse’s fault, it isn’t your
parents’ fault, it isn’t your children’s fault and it isn’t your friend‘s fault,”
he writes, “it is your fault.”
That last part is written in all caps. (Dang Daniel.)
Don't be intimated though. Ramsey plays both bad cop and good cop in the book. He tears
away the security blanket-like myths we all grew up hearing such as credit card debt can be a tool
to reach prosperity and co-signing for a friends or relative is OK.
Ramsey also
shares his own story of bankruptcy, spiraling debt and the long journey back to solvency. He also shares the stories and letters of those who used his
plan and paid down their debts just to show that you're not alone.
So far, I am enjoying reading this book. It is forcing me to
face the cruel facts about my money mistakes, but I really feel that the steps in his plan will help me fix my finances.
What financial books have read? Would you read Ramsey's book? Let me know in the comments section below.
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