Financial Peace Revisited
by Dave Ramsey
Hardcover: Viking Adult (2002); 352 pages

About This Book
Written from the perspective of a man who had both made and lost a fortune by age 30—and who gained a heap of wisdom in the process—this book is an exceedingly practical guide to understanding and overcoming financial distress.

The book is a revamped version of Ramsey's business bestseller Financial Peace, and features new chapters on money's relation to marriage, extended family and children, divorce or the death of a spouse, and single parenthood. Also new are "Thoughts from Sharon," Ramsey's wife, at the end of each chapter, and fresh facts and statistics.

Ramsey takes a holistic view of money management; his book is nearly as much about ordering one's life as it is about ordering one's financial affairs. Scripture is sprinkled throughout his advice, and supplements his already biblically sound instruction.

How It Will Help
Often, the most poignant lessons we learn are those we learn from mistakes. If we are wise, we can learn nearly as well from the mistakes of others, and this is one reason Ramsey's book will prove useful. One strength of this book is the way in which the age-old sagacity of saving, staying out of debt, and living below one's means is presented. Ramsey speaks bluntly, warmly, and from experience.

This book is also well-structured; nearly every paragraph is titled by some directive or observation. Even in the Table of Contents, the biggest points of each chapter are outlined lest you forget or desire to skim them. One of the most helpful features for the woeful debtor (or pastor short on time) is the list of disciplines to live by that closes each chapter. This list of commandments grows with each chapter, so the book closes with an extensive but easily perused catalog of financial wisdom.

Table of Contents

     1. The Beginning … a Very Good Place to Start
     2. Enough of Anything Is Too Much
     3. The Basics (a Foundation)
     4. Understand the Spiritual Aspects of Money
     5. Let the Buyer Beware—Caveat Emptor
     6. Career Choice
     7. Lifestyles of the Rich
     8. Dumping Debt
     9. Cucumbers, Collectors, and Credit Reports
     10. Pile Up Plunder
     11. "KISS" Your Money
     12. Of Mice and Mutual Funds
     13. Buy only Big, Big Bargains
     14. Single as a One-Dollar Bill
     15. Tying a Knot in Your Money: Marriage
     16. Crumb Snatchers and Money
     17. Family, Friends, and Money
     18. Carefully Consider Counsel
     19. Why Written?
     20. Do It Daily
     21. Baby Steps
     22. The End … or Just the Beginning?
Appendices
     - Financial management forms
     - National Credit Bureaus
     - Sample Letter #1: Credit Bureau Cleanup
     - Sample Letter #2: Creditor Calls at Work
     - Sample Letter #3: Cease and Desist

About the Author
Dave Ramsey is the author of three New York Times best sellers, and host of the nationally syndicated radio program The Dave Ramsey Show. He is the creator of a 13-week video training series known as Financial Peace University, and has been featured on many media outlets, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes, and The Early Show on CBS. Ramsey's current company, The Lampo Group, located outside Nashville, Tennessee, oversees three divisions geared toward financial counseling.

Dave received a BS in Finance and Real Estate at the University of Tennessee in 1982, and was one of Tennessee's youngest brokers to be admitted to the Graduate Realtors Institute.

He and his wife, Sharon, live with their three children in the Nashville area.

Other books by Ramsey:

Priceless: Straight-Shooting, No-Frills Financial Wisdom (2006)
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan For Financial Fitness (2003)
More than Enough: The Ten Keys to Changing Your Financial Destiny (2002)
How to Have More than Enough: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Abundance (2000)