book report: The Total Money Meltdown by Thor Ramsey

Last year I facilitated a Financial Peace class at my church and I learned people's travails with cash and credit, but no one told their story with the wit of Thor Ramsey, no relation to Dave Ramsey. Thor is not related to Dave, but he is a stand-up comedian who is not afraid to share the embarrassing choices and decisions he made as his family approached bankruptcy but emerged a year later out of debt and without declaring bankruptcy, trying to follow Dave's plan.

Thor got into flipping houses before the housing market crash, and was stuck in a gorgeous house with a new 50k kitchen and a decline in job offers for stand-up shows. He had many credit card debts and little savings. His wife did not work and he had children. Thor had an opportunity to seek sympathy, but he doesn't. He blames himself and his foolishness. As they work on their debt-snowball, and he becomes despondent over the bills, he draws closer to God, who keeps providing work and money, just in time. As his dependence on God increases, his self-awareness of his selfishness and materialism bring him to more repentance. As the Bible says, God's kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

I know this sounds dry, but as his story became more and more ridiculous, the laughs came more and more frequently. My wife was reading over my shoulder and laughing out loud. If you find yourself over your head, financially, and need a reason to do something about it, read Thor Ramsey's book first, then read Dave's.

I enjoyed this review copy for free from Netgalley.com