Ramsey+
$129 per year
Strengths
- Comprehensive financial planning course
- Budget tracking app included
- Community forum for added support
Weaknesses
- Expensive at $129 each year
- Recurring cost--not one-time cost
Dave Ramsey has changed the financial lives of millions of people with his book, The Total Money Makeover. Over the years, he expanded his offerings to include several courses, a budgeting app, and a community of support.
Ramsey+ gives you access to all this for a recurring annual fee of $129. While that price point may be out of reach for some, it’s a good value for those who can afford it.
Table of Contents
What is Ramsey+?
Ramsey+ is a comprehensive money management plan from personal finance expert Dave Ramsey. The website states that the average Ramsey+ user pays off $5,300 of debt and saves $2,700 for emergencies within the first 90 days of using the program.
The Ramsey+ program includes three main tools for helping you take control of your finances and, as Ramsey says, “win with money”.
With your membership you will receive:
- Access to Dave Ramsey’s suite of courses
- A year’s subscription to the premium version of EveryDollar (worth $99)
- Tracking software on the app to view your debt snowball
The Basis of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Plan
Dave Ramsey’s financial plan is based on his “baby steps”. This is the foundation of all his advice so if you are familiar with Dave Ramsey then you know these steps inside and out. If you are new to the Dave Ramsey ecosystem here are the baby steps.
- Save up $1,000 in an emergency fund
- Pay off all non-mortgage debt
- Complete your emergency fund (three to six months’ worth of expenses)
- Invest 15% of your income for retirement
- Save for kids’ college
- Pay off your mortgage
- Build wealth and give
Here’s more information about his baby steps.
How Does Ramsey+ Work?
When you sign up for Ramsey+, you’ll be able to get access to information and support in several different ways.
You can watch all of the courses online at any time and full access to the premium version of EveryDollar budgeting app. You’ll also have access to a Ramsey Preferred Coach who can help answer any questions you might have and guide you on your path through Financial Peace University.
You’ll also have access to the Ramsey community/virtual groups to provide support from fellow Financial Peace University members and alumni.
Between the available learning tools and support resources, it seems like Ramsey+ has you pretty well covered as far as providing you with proper financial success tools.
What Does Ramsey+ Cost?
Ramsey+ costs $129.99 per year. There is a 7-day free trial you can use to try it out, and you can cancel your membership at any time.
I’ll admit the cost is a bit high. However, you do get a lot of value, the premium version of EveryDollar alone is worth $99, plus you get access to a financial coach and the Dave Ramsey community. So overall, it’s a lot cheaper than hiring a professional money coach. If you don’t think you need a money coach, Ramsey+ might be a great alternative.
Access to Financial Peace University and Other Courses
When you first sign up for Ramsey+, you can get access to the full Financial Peace University online course.
There are four more courses available as well. There’s a fast track course, a course to teach your kids about money, an estate planning course, and a budgeting course. All of these courses are available for free with a Ramsey+ membership.
Here’s a brief rundown of what each course will teach Ramsey+ members.
Financial Peace University
The Financial Peace University online course is the most comprehensive of the courses. This course goes through each baby step plus additional information that you’ll need to be successful. It consists of nine lessons that take just over eight hours to complete. Here’s an outline of the content contained in the nine lessons.
- Lesson One: Baby Step One & Budgeting
- Lesson Two: Baby Step Two
- Lesson Three: Baby Step Three
- Lesson Four: Baby Steps Four, Five, Six, and Seven
- Lesson Five: Buyer Beware (understanding marketing tactics)
- Lesson Six: Understanding Insurance
- Lesson Seven: Building Wealth
- Lesson Eight: Real Estate & Mortgages
- Lesson Nine: Outrageous Generosity
This is the “meatiest” of the courses that will show you exactly what Ramsey says you have to do to “win with money.”
Jump Start
The Jump Start course is a 10 lesson course that will give you quick wins and help you see progress right away. Subjects in this course include:
- Money Mindset
- Enemy of Wealth
- The Root of Money Problems
- Money Habits
And others. The videos in the Jump Start course are short – around five minutes long – and will give you a crash course in smart money management.
The Legacy Journey
The Legacy Journey course talks about how to leave a lasting legacy for your family. It includes course subjects such as:
- Safeguarding Your Legacy
- Generational Legacy
- Called to Generosity
And others. This video course will help you plan your wealth in a way that will leave a lasting legacy for your descendants.
Smart Money Smart Kids
This course will show you how to teach your kids to be smart with money at a young age. Course subjects include:
- Work and Responsibility
- Spending and Wisdom
- Saving and Patience
- Debt and Honesty
- Contentment and Gratitude
The course also includes a video on giving and generosity. There are a host of great tips in this course that will show you how to teach your kids to manage their money well and to have a healthy attitude about money.
Budgeting that Actually Works
This course is 50 minutes long and includes nine videos to help you devise a budget plan that fits your household. Some of the course subjects include:
- Budgeting for which baby step you’re on
- Creating a budget specific to your life situation (married, single, kids)
- Common traits of great budgeters
And other topics. This course is great for designing a budget no matter where you’re at in life.
All of the courses included in Ramsey+ include videos that are easy to understand and entertaining.
EveryDollar Plus Membership
A Ramsey+ membership also includes access to the EveryDollar app. The basic EveryDollar app is a free app that can help you budget. EveryDollar used to have a paid version called the EveryDollar Plus app. The Plus app used to cost $99 per year, but now it’s only available with the Ramsey+ membership.
With the EveryDollar app you can track and categorize expenses, track debt, and track giving. When you hook your bank and credit accounts up to the app it can help you keep track of those accounts as well.
Note that the bank and credit account tracking feature only comes with EveryDollar’s Plus membership, which is what Ramsey+ includes.
The free version of the EveryDollar app is still available for non-Ramsey+ members. But the free version requires more manual input than the Plus version that’s included with the Ramsey+ membership.
Here’s our full review of the EveryDollar budgeting app.
Baby Steps Tracker
The Baby Steps Tracker app is also included with the Ramsey+ membership. This app allows you to have an at-a-glance view right on your phone of where you’re at in completing the baby steps.
You can even configure different debt payoff plans with the app so you can determine exactly when you’ll be debt-free. You’ll have access to success tips and customized coaching with the app and membership as well.
Ramsey+ Pros and Cons
As I’ve researched Ramsey+, here are some of the pros and cons I found.
Ramsey+ Pros
- Comprehensive financial planning course
- Budget tracking app included
- Community forum for added support
- Cancel anytime
- Free 14-day trial
Ramsey+ Cons
- Expensive at $129 each year
- Recurring cost–not one-time cost
So, knowing the pros and cons, is it worth it for you to try out a Ramsey+ membership? The answer is “that depends”.
If you’ve got a solid plan for your financial situation, and that plan is working, you might not get much benefit out of Ramsey+.
However, if you’re having trouble with budgeting, debt payoff, motivation, or an overall understanding of investing and money management, you might find Ramsey+ quite helpful.
The program’s vast array of resources is attractive, as is the community support forum. It’s helpful when you’re trying to reach financial goals to have a community that can identify with your victories and struggles.
Conclusion
Dave Ramsey’s financial management techniques have had proven success for millions of readers. If you’re in need of a financial makeover and want access to a variety of financial tools to help you achieve your goals, you might really like Ramsey+.
It’s a lot cheaper than hiring a financial planner, and you can work through the program at your own pace, but it’s expensive compared to other personal finance tools and personal finance courses.
So, if you get off track or need some extra motivation, it’s there as long as you have your membership.
Have you tried Ramsey+? Who do you think would benefit from using the membership?
Cristina Martinez says
Hi – thank you for your review – if there is the possibility to cancel when the one year is over, do you still think that $129 for 12 months is a lot?
Is there a better (and less expensive) alternative?
Thanks.
You can cancel after the year and $129 for 12 months is OK but on the higher side. It really depends on what services you are using – you may have cheaper or free alternatives.