As a long time Dave Ramsey groupie, I was excited to read Dave's first major book. Financial Peace was a great culmination of all of the financial tools Dave teaches in his radio program. However, I felt the book was a bit disjointed, and definitely preferred the layout of his newest book, The Total Money Makeover.

The book began with an introduction to Dave Ramsey and his financial woes; in short, how he earned the right to teach this stuff. He does an excellent job of building his credibility, and I really enjoyed the story he employed to grab your attention from the get-go. He then moves on to denounce the growing immaturity of the American people, sharing a number of facts and figures that prove more people need a wake up call. The data he shares is somewhat frightening. He then begins to build a foundation, which he goes on to develop.

As with most of Ramseys books (that Ive read thus far), listeners to his show will recognize much of the teachings in this book. However, Financial Peace does a good job of organizing them into a cohesive manner, rather than randomly distributing it phone call by phone call. In and of itself, that is a wonderful thing. He also touches on the baby steps of financial success, the basis around which The Total Money Makeover is built. Having read the Total Money Makeover first, I prefer the overall structure of that book. It is far more linear than Financial Peace. That said, there is nothing wrong with this work; it is a different take on a similar story.

Financial Peace does include a wide variety of information not found in the Total Money Makeover. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on obtaining good deals. I think Im going to have to practice my bargaining with some yard sales first. I wonder if theyd be impressed if I flashed a quarter? Somehow, I dont think the effect will be the same as flashing hundred dollar bills! I also enjoyed the chapters on career, interest, and insurance.

Financial Peace also offered some neat extras. Of particular interest to me were the chapter endings provided by Daves wife, Sharon. I also appreciated the numerous forms at the end of the book: basically, all of the forms Dave refers to on the show. Finally, I thought the Peace Puppies?at the end of each chapter did a wonderful job of reminding the reader what had been covered thus far (although the name left me scratching my head; I didnt see anything doggish about them).

I enjoyed reading Financial Peace. It has helped keep me motivated while I follow Daves debt dumping plan. It has also given me some food for thought for life after Im debt free. Overall, it was a very motivating and helpful book, and I will most likely read it again in the next year to keep me fired up and wired up.

Nola Redd is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Love Poetry. You can read more of her book reviews in her Biblio-file