The Forums › Forums › For The Non-ADD › I Married An ADDer › Finances…Yikes!! › Reply To: Finances…Yikes!!
For those who may not know, Dave Ramsey is an evangelical Christian media mogul based in Brentwood, Tennessee (Nashville), who does a national syndicated radio show on money management. His big talking point is cutting up all your credit cards—all borrowing (except a mortgage) is evil. He also makes money by selling books, a home-study course, and (through a friend) mutual funds.
Being an evangelical, he seems to think money management is a simple matter of math: once one understands the calculus of debt, one can exercise a modicum of self control and start to build personal wealth. What I suspect he would have a hard time understanding or conceding—along with a few million other people—is the irresistible “demon” of an impulsive disposition.
So, what does an ADDer do? I believe there are some videos on the site about this subject, but I haven’t seen them. They may offer some good advice. But my advice is to find somebody to look over your shoulder: a trusted accountant, friend, family member, coach—somebody who can rap your knuckles when you feel the urge to go to Vegas… or the mall. If money is sitting in your bank account, or if you’ve got available credit on your plastic, there’s a white flame burning a hole in your pocket. Knowing what you OUGHT to do is not enough. You need somebody to keep your hands off (most of) it. You get a weekly allowance and money for emergency expenses. The rest somehow should be managed on your behalf. It’s humiliating, but…
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