Dave Ramsey says: 3 good uses for money and why they're important (2024)

FAQs

Dave Ramsey says: 3 good uses for money and why they're important? ›

I've been doing this for a lot of years, and after all that time studying finance and teaching people about money, I can still find only three good uses for money — spending, saving and giving. You should be doing all three while you're working your way out of debt and towards wealth, and after you become wealthy.

First, we save for an emergency fund. Second, we save for purchases. Third, we save for wealth building. Purchases and wealth building are fun, but we can't do any of that until we cover the basics—the emergency fund.

Give 15% of Every Paycheck to Your Future Self

Once you're free of debt and sitting on enough savings to survive at least a quarter of a year, Ramsey says the most important thing you can do with your paycheck is to save 15% of it — each and every pay period — in a tax-advantaged account.

This model suggests allocating 50% of your income to essential expenses, 15% to retirement savings and 5% to an emergency fund. This plan allows you to meet your immediate needs and plan for the future before you spend on anything else.

If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.

As Elder laid out Ramsey's fairly straightforward advice—pay for everything in cash and live as modestly as possible until you're totally out of debt—I wondered if there wasn't something we could all learn from his devotion to this so-called expert.

Where should I put my money according to Dave Ramsey? ›

Step 3: Save 3–6 months of expenses in a fully funded emergency fund. Step 4: Invest 15% of your household income in retirement. Step 5: Save for your children's college fund.

As a general rule of thumb, many financial experts recommend setting aside 3-6 months' worth of living expenses. So if you generally spend $2,000 per month on rent, utilities, food, gas, healthcare, and other necessities, you should try to save between $6,000 and $12,000.

Before buying a house, you should have enough money to make a strong down payment (ideally 20%) and cover both your closing costs and moving expenses without using debt. You should also have 3–6 months of your typical expenses saved for emergencies in addition to being debt-free.

Most people know they should be saving a portion of their income, but they might not grasp all of the benefits of doing so. Saving is an important habit to get into for a number of reasons — it helps you cover future expenses, manage financial stress and plan for vacations, just to name a few.

Bucket 1: Funds for short-term goals, say within the next two years, like a wedding or nice vacation. Bucket 2: Money that you expect to need over the next three to 10 years, like a down payment on a home. Bucket 3: Savings you expect to tap no sooner than 10 years from now, say for retirement or tuition.

Human beings need money to pay for all the things that make your life possible, such as shelter, food, healthcare bills, and a good education. You don't necessarily need to be Bill Gates or have a lot of money to pay for these things, but you will need some money until the day you die.