Are you a Dave Ramsey fan?

I‘ve been a Dave Ramsey fan since stumbling onto his radio program about 1999 or 2000. Disillusioned by the dot.com fallout that led to the evaporation of a significant portion of my 401k, I’d been searching for a guru who could lead me out of the financial straits that had frustrated my wife and me for the first fifteen years of our marriage.

Within a couple of years of following Dave’s advice, we repaired our financial house. By 2003, I decided that I too desired to serve others in teaching personal finance. Long story short, I quit my day job, went back to school full-time, and graduated in the spring of 2005 with a BA in Finance.

Upon graduation, I was hired by a major wire house and began my career as a Financial Advisor. Company sales goals were established, and I was provided with an array of investment options to offer potential clients. The different types of investments came with differing fee and commission structures. I decided to use a fee platform. From the onset, I found myself discounting the fee to what I felt was reasonable. Now reasonable is considered subjective, but most folks simply don’t understand how much they are paying in underlying fees and commissions. And, with the subtle intricacies of investment products, the products themselves can be quite complicated. Even I, with formal investment training, and a degree in Finance struggle to grasp the subtle nuances of some of these financial products. Like Dave, I suggest finding an Advisor who has the heart of a teacher. One who can lead you through the maze of investments and select those that are most appropriate for your situation.

But here’s a thought;  Perhaps the greatest tool to risk management is found not in amassing an enormous retirement nest egg, but in getting out of debt, and living life with a vision.