Dave Ramsey is not only a bestselling writer for listings of New York Times, Publishers’ Weekly and Wall Street Journal – he is also showrunner, podcast host, and a full-time guru dedicated to sharing everything that has worked for him to more people. Also hailed as the most trusted voice in the self – help and Finance industry, Dave has had his time in the trenches before reaching to where he is now. He had a good start in 1992, and from there, he has proceeded to add more notches to his belt by writing more books.
That being said, let’s jump right into the top five books written by the eloquent Dave Ramsey:
Dave Ramsey Books Top 5 to Read Now
THE LIST:
RECOMMENDED BOOKS BY DAVE RAMSEY:
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1 – Financial Peace University
Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University membership Kit
Achieve a sense of stability and peace of mind with a secured financial future – this was the primary goal of Ramsey when he had this book self – published in1992. An early age in terms of teaching people how to handle their money, but this book is well beyond its years, and it contains knowledge that has served as a guide for his fellow Christians when it comes to budgeting, saving, and investing.
This is one of those books that you never really thought you needed until you dive into its pages, and you realize it holds the answers to a good number of your money problems. This book helps the readers, but it has also initiated forums and classes to make money less of a taboo topic amongst familiars and strangers. The book also tackles the sensitive issue of debt and offers substantial tips on slowly emerging from it with discipline and determination.
Life-changing and motivating, Financial Peace University has been republished during the most recent years and remains to be a comprehensive and useful read to people all over the world.
Quotes from the book;
“Measure your wealth not by the things you have, but by the things for which you would not take money.”
“We are being taught by everything around us to have dessert before dinner.” Now we are paying for our lack of knowledge and discipline.”
“We want it all, and we can borrow to get it all, before we can afford it all.”
“That stupid saying “What you don’t know can’t hurt you” is ridiculous. What you don’t know can kill you. If you don’t know that tractor trailer trucks hurt when hitting you, then you can play in the middle of the interstate with no fear – but that doesn’t mean you won’t get killed.”
2 – The Legacy Journey: A Radical View of Biblical Wealth and Generosity
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The Legacy Journey: A Radical View of Biblical Wealth and Generosity
Given the title, Dave Ramsey wrote to re-establish what it truly means to leave a legacy for the people you love and the future generations. This book offers a change of perspective towards wealth since the modern perception and portrayal of too much money, and people who have them has led to a toxic mindset. It seeks to renew such a viewpoint, that wealth in and of itself is not sinful, mainly when it is acquired and used for God’s kingdom work.
It can serve as a guide for Christians all over the world who seek financial stability and encounter the all–to–human desire for extravagance. It as well tackles the boundaries of generosity, our roles as stewards of nature and each other, and what it truly means to be content, especially in such a worldly age. Efficiently based on Scripture, Ramsey reminds us of how such a material thing was portrayed in the bible and offers us the solutions on how to be better Christians by being wise with our finances. Basically, this can easily be included as required reading materials during ministry or church forums.
Quotes from the book;
“I can always tell which ones are serious and which aren’t. There’s something in their voices that communicates passion and conviction when they’re really excited about getting out of debt. But if they’re just playing around with the idea, if they’re simply curious about it, then their voices are flat. If I don’t hear any passion behind what they’re saying, I know they aren’t ready to cut up the credit cards and dump their debt for good. That’s because getting out of debt isn’t about solving a math problem; it’s about changing your life—and that requires a change of heart.”
3 – The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
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The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
It is not only your body and your mind that has to maintain balance, strength, and soundness but also your lifestyle and your mindset towards money. In this book, Ramsey takes on the full mantle as a finance coach, and shares game-changing advice on how to create an effective budget plan you can stick with, and how to commit to saving for stability and fulfillment fully.
Here, the author debunks the get – rich – quick schemes and urges people to put in the work required to live a balanced life and make good financial decisions. Straightforward and functional, the approach utilized in this book does not offer a shortcut, unlike all the other self–help budgeting books. This one is based on anecdotal evidence and study results to back up what truly works, and it strongly steers you to prioritize your financial freedom – which means you need to be out of debt to be able to plan your life properly.
After all, we won’t be young and healthy before you know it, and preparing for your retirement and looking out for possible emergencies might sound like the best idea to any modern Christian.
Quotes from the book;
“We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.”
“It is human nature to want it and want it now; it is also a sign of immaturity. Being willing to delay pleasure for a greater result is a sign of maturity.”
“Aristotle once said, “To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, and be nothing.”
“The enemy of “the best” is not “the worst.” The enemy of “the best” is “just fine.”
“Winning at money is 80 percent behavior and 20 percent head knowledge. What to do isn’t the problem; doing it is. Most of us know what to do, but we just don’t do it. If I can control the guy in the mirror, I can be skinny and rich.”
“You must walk to the beat of a different drummer. The same beat that the wealthy hear. If the beat sounds normal, evacuate the dance floor immediately! The goal is to not be normal, because as my radio listeners know, normal is broke.”
“Years ago, in a motivational seminar by the master, Zig Ziglar, I heard a story about how mediocrity will sneak up on you. The story goes that if you drop a frog into boiling water, he will sense the pain and immediately jump out. However, if you put a frog in room-temperature water, he will swim around happily, and as you gradually turn the water up to boiling, the frog will not sense the change. The frog is lured to his death by gradual change. We can lose our health, our fitness, and our wealth gradually, one day at a time. It might be a cliché, but that’s because it is true: The enemy of “the best” is not “the worst.” The enemy of “the best” is “just fine.”
“Change is painful. Few people have the courage to seek out change. Most people won’t change until the pain of where they are exceeds the pain of change.”
“For your own good, for the good of your family and your future, grow a backbone. When something is wrong, stand up and say it is wrong, and don’t back down.”
4 – Smart Money, Smart Kids: Raising the Next Generation to Win with Money
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Smart Money Smart Kids: Raising the Next Generation to Win with Money
Dave Ramsey creates a tandem with co-writer Rachel Cruze to nip the issue of financial misinformation at the bud, and this means engaging the younger generation to such discussions. Anything you need to know about money should start first in the home, and it must be talked about properly, so this is where the book comes in to give you the knowledge you may already know, but may not be able to communicate appropriately. It was written to strengthen the foundations of a better idea towards money, and this allows parents the opportunity to bond with their children and discuss the matters of real – life.
Focused on incorporating the virtues of contentment and mindfulness, Ramsey and Cruze share ideas on how to help kids understand that material possessions do not lead to gratefulness, nor does it secure your sense of self. The family unit’s value is also emphasized in the text, and that hard work and determination should be the core of every child’s perspective towards money. That might be the guide they need to prepare them for the responsibilities that come with adulthood.
Quotes from the book;
“Children are sponges—they are going to absorb whatever is around them, so we need to be intentional about what surrounds them.”
“A natural saver is great until he never spends and is tight-fisted with giving. A natural spender is great until she finds herself deeply in debt and unable to give. A natural giver is great until there are no savings when a problem arises and there is no personal enjoyment of money.”
“Money is finite. There is not an infinite supply. That’s something a lot of people have trouble remembering these days. In a time when crazy mortgages, car loans, student loans, and credit cards make you believe anyone can purchase anything at any time with no consequences, it’s easy to forget that money has limits.”
“So content people may not have the best of everything, but they make the best of everything. That is who you want your children to be.”
5 – EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches
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EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches
Last but not least in this list is another guide that is particularly suited for leaders and forerunners, whether for a team or a company. By shedding more light on the importance of responsible and accountable leadership, Ramsey educates his readers about the wisdom he has acquired over the years and how much impact a good leader can have on the outcomes.
Designed to help you through tough times with great decision – making and adequate communication, EntreLeadership is a recommended read for those at the helm. Whether they are new to the job or have been there for quite a while, there is something new to learn and discover from this champion playbook on entrepreneurship and business. Not only does it contain tips and tricks on how to keep your mindset suitable for your position, but it will as well increase your empathy as a Christian so you can better motivate your workers and team members.
Good leadership, coupled with good teamwork, is the tandem most valued by this book, and if you’re looking to improve on both of these aspects, this is the read for you.
Quotes from the book;
“Seth Godin says, “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”
“The weird thing is that the more efficient, on task, on goal you are with your time, the more energy you have. Working with no traction, or for that matter simply wasting a day, does not relax you, it drains you.//
Strange as it may seem, when you work a daily plan in pursuit of your written goals that flow from your mission statement born of your vision for living your dreams, you are energized after a tough long day.”“A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week. —George S. Patton”
“Parents who let teens run around with unearned adult freedoms are naive and stupid.”
Recommended Books by Dave Ramsey
Taken from the first sentence of a famous quote from bestselling author Jac Vanek, you are the books you read. Indeed we become a collection of synthesized perspectives that we chose to expose ourselves to and consume for ourselves. With that, it’s safe to say that great writers like Dave Ramsey have not only been influenced by several good books but are continually guided by ideas of many others in the modern era.
Here are a few of the ones he recommends for reading before the year ends:
1 – Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action – By Simon Sinek
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Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
This author came to many people’s periphery through his internet viral talks, one of which was featured in Ted and currently has millions of views. A strong initiative drives his popularity, and it is to make you question yourself about the real reason behind your goals and if that is worth the grind.
Through this bestselling world-renowned book, we get to be introduced to what made the greatest leaders in the history of the world gather as many followers the way they did.
In a world driven by greed and consumerism, Simon Sinek urges the visionaries, both young and old, to look for a more passionate reason and not be quickly drawn to profits and gains. This compelling read shares several similar viewpoints with Ramsey in terms that you always have to remember what you truly value. All that being said, this is a book that is easy to read and digest, so this can be suggested to almost anybody.
View the Best Books by Seth Godin
Quotes from the book;
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe”
“This is important because our behavior is affected by our assumptions or our perceived truths. We make decisions based on what we think we know.”
“Being the leader means you hold the highest rank, either by earning it, good fortune or navigating internal politics. Leading, however, means that others willingly follow you—not because they have to, not because they are paid to, but because they want to.”
“Charisma has nothing to do with energy; it comes from a clarity of WHY. It comes from absolute conviction in an ideal bigger than oneself. Energy, in contrast, comes from a good night’s sleep or lots of caffeine. Energy can excite. But only charisma can inspire. Charisma commands loyalty. Energy does not.”
“Henry Ford summed it up best. “If I had asked people what they wanted,” he said, “they would have said a faster horse.”
“Some in management positions operate as if they are in a tree of monkeys. They make sure that everyone at the top of the tree looking down sees only smiles. But all too often, those at the bottom looking up see only asses.”
“Leadership requires two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate it.”
“When you compete against everyone else, no one wants to help you. But when you compete against yourself, everyone wants to help you.”
“The role of a leader is not to come up with all the great ideas. The role of a leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen.”
“Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them.”
2 – Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
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Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Serving as the palate cleanser for almost all the business-related books mentioned in this list, Unbroken offers a unique tale of strength and willpower, and the innate ability of humans to survive the tests of time on body and spirit. A story centered on a protagonist who had endured the trials and tribulations as a prisoner of war is enough to remind you of the things that truly matter at the end of the day.
One thing that stands out is the tone of which the book was written and how it is incredibly hopeful and faithful, despite the bleak circumstance and the cruelties the characters have had to endure. This was also meticulously written with great regard for empathy and storytelling, that Ramsey has been drawn into such resilience. This book has its impacts, given that it’s a non – fiction tale of a man from war, and not only does this document the human will to survive, and how we can remain good even after all the hardship.
Quotes from the book;
“The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come only when their tormentors suffer.”
“Such beauty, he thought, was too perfect to have come about by mere chance. That day in the center of the Pacific was, to him, a gift crafted deliberately, compassionately, for him and Phil. Joyful and grateful in the midst of slow dying, the two men bathed in that day until sunset brought is, and their time in the doldrums, to an end.”
“The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come only when they make their tormentors suffer. In seeking the Bird’s death to free himself, Louie had chained himself, once again, to his tyrant. During the war, the Bird had been unwilling to let go of Louie; after the war, Louie was unable to let go of the Bird.”
“When he thought of his history, what resonated with him now was not all that he had suffered but the divine love that he believed had intervened to save him.”
“What God asks of men, said [Billy] Graham, is faith. His invisibility is the truest test of that faith. To know who sees him, God makes himself unseen.”
“A lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain. Louie thought: Let go.”
“Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical hardship, can hold a man’s soul in his body long past the point at which the body should have surrendered it.”
3 – The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by Patrick Lencioni
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The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business
To conclude, this list is this last recommended reading entry, and this business book was written with the purpose that drives you towards the foundations of business building. After gathering and synthesizing all of his years of experience as a businessman, he has put forth that it is not intelligence or resources that keep a company afloat and eventually stable but an environment that is whole, complete, and consistent with its constituents unified towards one goal. This concept is similar to that of Sinek and is rooted in the psychology that people will work for you if you believe in the same things.
Mainly, the Advantage lays out a guide on what can maximize the potential you and your constituents have. It is by prioritizing proper human resource management, work delegation, task organization, and progress tracking. Once a path is established, it’s much brighter for the workers to discern what decisions are to be made for the company’s betterment. With such concepts and ideas, you can see how this is as well aligned with the principles shared by Ramsey in his books, which somehow also translates to elevating the value of the workforce more than profit.
Quotes from the book;
“The only way for the leader of a team to create a safe environment for his team members to be vulnerable is by stepping up and doing something that feels unsafe and uncomfortable first. By getting naked before anyone else, by taking the risk of making himself vulnerable with no guarantee that other members of the team will respond in kind, a leader demonstrates an extraordinary level of selflessness and dedication to the team. And that gives him the right, and the confidence, to ask others to do the same.”
“If people don’t weigh in, they can’t buy in.”
“At the heart of vulnerability lies the willingness of people to abandon their pride and their fear, to sacrifice their egos for the collective good of the team. While this can be a little threatening and uncomfortable at first, ultimately it becomes liberating for people who are tired of spending time and energy overthinking their actions and managing interpersonal politics at work.”
“there cannot be alignment deeper in the organization, even when employees want to cooperate, if the leaders at the top aren’t in lockstep with one another”
“the fear of conflict is almost always a sign of problems.”
“No one on a cohesive team can say, Well, I did my job. Our failure isn’t my fault.”
“When there is trust, conflict becomes nothing but the pursuit of truth, an attempt to find the best possible answer.”
Final Thoughts
This is an excellent time to be alive, because not only do we have ample information at our fingertips, we are also granted access to the ideas of people who had spent years walking the talk. These best books by Dave Ramsey have been bestsellers for a good reason, and that’s mainly because of how much it has helped many people in the field of business, and consequence their personal lives.
Dave Ramsey is but one of the best life and business coaches who have established a following and a course over the years. Still, he brings with him the faith of being a Christian, and he has words rooted deep into Scripture, so you know he is doing this in service of a higher calling. With that, we hope that his books and these recommended reads bring you the guidance you need to make the best of your career and companies. Good luck!
Meet Maurice, a staff editor at Bigger Investing. He’s an accomplished entrepreneur who owns multiple successful websites and a thriving merch shop. When he’s not busy with work, Maurice indulges in his passion for kayaking, climbing, and his family. As a savvy investor, Maurice loves putting his money to work and seeking out new opportunities. With his expertise and passion for finance, he’s dedicated to helping readers achieve their financial goals through Bigger Investing.
