262. Why I Hate Dave Ramsey

Financial Feminist

Her First $100K

Self-improvement, Education, How To, Business

4.7 • 6.2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Dave Ramsey has millions of followers who swear by his money advice, but does his one size fits all approach actually help or hurt? In today’s episode I’m breaking down the full picture––what he gets right, where his advice becomes harmful, and why so many people feel shame, fear, or financial stagnation after following his rigid frameworks. From emergency funds and credit cards to retirement timing, debt payoff, and the systemic barriers Ramsey ignores, I’m diving into the nuance he refuses to acknowledge—so you can take the helpful parts and leave the rest behind. If you’ve ever struggled to explain why Dave Ramsey isn’t your financial cup of tea, save this episode. Visit ⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠ to stay up to date and find any resources mentioned on our show! 00:00 Intro 01:59 Dave Ramsey’s “Baby Steps” framework 02:56 Dave Ramsey’s appeal 03:17 Lack of nuance and ignoring systemic issues 04:04 What Dave Ramsey gets right 07:10 Major problems with Ramsey’s advice 07:37 $1,000 emergency fund is too low 09:36 “All debt is bad” is harmful and misleading 10:45 The 7% rule: When to pay off debt vs. invest 11:20 Unrealistic mortgage and home-buying advice 12:20 Why rigid rules are easier to sell, but less helpful 13:28 The role of shame and discipline 15:32 Use of Christianity and morality in marketing 16:47 Advice on combining finances in marriage 18:21 Lawsuits and toxic workplace allegations 21:48 Out-of-touch advice on childcare 22:45 How to use Ramsey’s advice mindfully 24:36 Systemic oppression in personal finance 25:44 Credit scores and credit cards Special thanks to our sponsor: Squarespace Go to www.squarespace.com/FFPOD to save 10% off your first website or domain purchase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Dave Ramsey has millions of followers in the number one radio show about money in the country.
0:04.3	But is his advice actually good? Today on the show, we are covering all things Dave Ramsey,
0:08.7	his strengths, which there are few, his blind spots, which there are many, and how listeners
0:14.8	can actually calibrate his framework for their lives.
0:21.4	But first, a word from our sponsors.
0:24.7	Why are businesses like HelloVet choosing Apple products and services?
0:28.9	So we started the business two years ago.
0:31.3	We had a few people who were used to PCs and this was their first foray into Macs.
0:36.4	But it's been super smooth getting everyone
0:38.7	onto those devices and everyone seems really, really happy. Find out how Mac can help you run
0:44.2	and grow your business at Apple.co forward slash hello vet. This newly independent podcast is
0:52.2	brought to you by Squarespace. You know we love Squarespace. They're a reason
0:55.5	they've been one of our most trusted ad partners. And it's because I started our business on Squarespace.
1:01.3	Literally the first investment we ever made was signing up for Squarespace website. They're super
1:05.5	easy to use. My favorite part is the drag and drop features. So you don't need to know how to code.
1:10.7	You just need to
1:11.6	use their offerings to make your website look pretty. They also have SEO tools so you can get
1:16.2	discovered fast so you don't have to be an SEO expert either. And you can not only start a Squarespace
1:22.0	website from a design perspective, but also buy your domain on Squarespace, which is what I did with
1:26.5	her first 100K. Head on over to Squarespace.com slash FFPod for a free trial.
1:30.7	And once you're ready to launch your brand new website, use offer code FF Ramsey followers, that something about his advice made them hit a wall
2:02.8	or caused them more financial trauma than it actually helped. And we're diving into all of that
	...

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