My husband is self employed and the only income for our family. I have been home for almost 11 years with the kids and because of that and the economy I am having trouble finding a job. We've heard great things about FPU but are unsure if it would work for us. We're unsure because we NEVER have the same income twice. He is a personal trainer so it all depends on how many clients keep their appointments and how many he can schedule for any given day. For example, July and August are notoriously slow for him (vacations) and he makes 1/2 of what he would make any other month...soooo not much consistency.
Have any of you tried the program without a set income and have it work?
I own an insurance agency and my hubby sells insurance so we are both 100% commission only and literally have NO IDEA each month how much we will make!!! And some months we make WAY less than we need to, which of course puts us behind and we PRAY for next month to be a good check so we can just get CAUGHT UP!!! FPU has a specific section detailed for people like us! So do it! Good luck to you!
FPU absolutely can be applied to those self-employed. We got out of $11,000 debt in 3 months using FPU principals...it changed our life! HIGHLY recommend!!!
My husband and I took this course and it was a bit difficult for us due to the fact that we too never had the same income. He was working as a part-time substitute at the time so he was always working different hours. It was a wonderful course though and I would still recommend taking it. There are ways to work it even on a flexing income and it's full of wonderful information!
DO IT DO IT DO IT!!! I can PROMISE you won't be disappointed in taking the class and living the life. Dave addresses this very issue in his teachings and will walk you through everything you need to know. This course if life-changing! Please...commit to the 13 week study. You'll be SOOOO thankful you did.
Oh...and, I've lived the Dave Way for 3 years, have attended the class and have also facilitated the course at my church. Please, if you have any other specific questions I might be able to help but PLEASE...you'll love it!!!
My husband and I took the course. In three months, the only debt we will have is our mortgage. Now I will admit, we didn't have a huge mountain of debt to get rid of. But since September of last year to November of this year, to get rid of our debt is pretty good!
I'm not religious, but I wasn't bothered by the message he was sending. some of it is just common sense, and other stuff is, wow, I didn't think of that. He breaks down a lot of the investment jargon, so you can understand. He has an action plan for paying down debt, establishing a $1000 emergency fund, then onto a full funded emergency fund of 3 to 6 months income, investing 15% of your income. And it's not expected that you do it over night. I really enjoyed the class.
Good luck!
We were sort of self-employed . . . I worked 3 jobs (2 as self-employed) and my husband worked 2 jobs (1 as self-employed) to get out of debt. Took us 5yrs, but we paid off everything, even the house, following Dave Ramsey's book and radio show. We recently took out a line of credit on our home to do an addition and it was painful, but we know we can follow the principals to stay on track. Good luck!!!!!!
I'll second the first comment...go for it! I am self-employed and my husband was unemployed when we took the class and the FPU class was incredible. I strongly encourage anyone to do this class and recommend Dave Ramsey to just about everybody. From personal experience, that up and down income is so hard and he teaches you to deal with it in a very real way. Enjoy the class!
Do it!!! Both me and my dh never have the same amount of pay and it worked for us....although I have to be honest I have let it slide and I so need to get into another class. I think once you take a class you can take it again for free (since you have the materials). I was really really good during the class. But the knowledge you get is so valuable!!
Dave Ramsey is for anyone who wants to change their financial future! You can make the principles work for ANY scenario. We completed the course in early 2007 and still ask each other, "What would Dave say about that..." before making a purchase.
I highly recommend to just about anyone but like to warn that there is quite a bit of religious undertone so if that is challenging for you you might consider another financial advisor. I think it works even for folks that do not "buy into" the must give to the church spiels.
