Is Financial Peace University right for my relatives? Share your experience!

[legacypc46]

Looking for feedback from those who've attended the program (either thru a church or in a small group).

Do the classes consist of videos and discussion? What about individual privacy...do people have to share their progress? I have relatives considering the program, but they are very embarassed by their situtation.

(DH and I are doing the TMM on our own and that works fine for us...but I suspect attending FPU may be better option for them.)

 

[jbondr]

We attend FPU at our church over 1 year ago. It is presented in DVD form with a follow along workbook. You never have to share your information with anyone. You can share if you would like. Those who did share talked in more of a general discussion not their number details. It was a great way to talk about the daily struggles with budgeting, money and bills.

Tell them not to be afraid. It is a warm and welcoming environment and the DVD's are entertaining. My husband was worried it would be to "heavy" of a topic. Dave kept it informative but not complicated.

 

[chefjeanine]

videos and discussion. You don't have to share any detailed information with the class. The "Dave Tapes" are great!

 

[esavvymom]

it's like going to Weight Watchers. NO ONE is there because they have perfect figures. Same is true for FPU.... That's why they are there. That being said, they say only what they want! Celebrate the victories, but leave out specifics! It's a fantastic program! The best budgeting I've ever come across (very specific- which is what is realistic!).

 

[DebbieJ]

My DH and I have led the class twice. You never have to disclose any information that you don't want to. The discussion is topical, based on the video you just watched.That said, I think people who are honest during the class get more out of it.

 

[legacypc46]

Thank you everyone...and thank Deb for your perspective as a group leader!

 

[NooraK]

Second everything everyone else said.

Also, in your kit, you get CDs of all the lessons, so you get to re-listen to any lesson at ay time.

 

[littlemaisyPC]

I've been wanting to try this but it's like pulling teeth to get my husband to agree to go with me.

 

[NooraK]

My husband wasn't the most receptive to the idea either, but I didn't let that stop me. If you really want to do it, there's nothing wrong with starting by yourself. Maybe if he sees how important you feel it is, he'll join you. Or, when you get your kit, you can have him listen to the CDs.

Obviously, it works best if both of you attend, but it's still beneficial even if only one of you is able to go. My DH missed the first half of almost all of the classes because of his work schedule. We're still on the plan though, and he was able to catch up with the CDs, and the person leading our class also let us borrow some of the DVDs to watch at home.

 

[legacypc46]

I've been wanting to try this but it's like pulling teeth to get my husband to agree to go with me.

It took me a year to get my husband to fully try DR's budgeting/envelope approach. We both read the TMM book in the Fall of '08 and realized we were already managing our money along a similar priority system. DH seemed to feel the program didn't really offer him anything new.

This past fall I ordered the FPU workbook and had my aha-moment. At Christmas I told DH I really wanted to use the workbook to see if it made a difference. I argued we had nothing to lose and that we owed it to ourselves to try it. It took several hours (and days) to get everything started and figure it out, but....

...we have been amazed with the results. Not only have we found our spending down significantly (and therefore our debt as well), we are experiencing a calmness about money we have never had. We are even having heart to hearts on the topic :love:.

 

[frozenchef]

I don't know much of the details on it, but my sister and her husband and a lot of our friends have done it and LOVED it!

 

[DebbieJ]

Not only have we found our spending down significantly (and therefore our debt as well), we are experiencing a calmness about money we have never had. We are even having heart to hearts on the topic :love:.

ITA!!!!

Dave Ramsey saved my marriage! We are now debt free except our house and life is good. :balloon:

 

[Patty Davis]

ITA!!!!

Dave Ramsey saved my marriage! We are now debt free except our house and life is good. :balloon:

Ditto all that! It will change their lives. It is weird, but it totally transforms how you think about and handle your money. Very counter-cultural but I am seeing a definite shift in that direction!