Dave Says

Dave Says is a weekly column carried by more than 300 publishers, with a total, combined circulation of more than 16 million! Featuring the financial advice of nationally syndicated radio host Dave Ramsey, the Dave Says column is filled with timely, relevant questions and answers taken from actual letters and calls on Ramsey's radio program, The Dave Ramsey Show.

Draining the Emergency Fund

Is there ever a time you should dip into emergency fund savings in order to pay off your home early? Eric Dear Eric, The only time I would advise this is when your emergency fund is too big, and you have a very small amount left to pay on the ...

Dave Says: Make Decisions Together

My husband doesn’t like dealing with money. For years, I’ve handled everything from paying the bills to making the decisions, and he just does whatever I tell him. This makes things really hard on me, but he says financial issues cause him ...

Dave Says: Paying for Career Change Classes

My wife and I have our fully funded emergency fund in place, and we’re debt-free, except for the house. She wants to return to school to get a master’s degree and change careers. She’ll be reimbursed up to $7,000 a year. Can we use some of our ...

Dave Says: Why Not to Cash Out

Is it a good idea for a married couple in their early thirties, who have a lot of student loan debt, to cash out one of their 401(k)s to pay it off? Marcy Dear Marcy, No way! You never cash out a 401(k) or IRA to pay off debt, unless it’s to ...

Dave Says: Authorized Users Don’t Help Your Credit

My brother asked me to put his name on my credit card as an authorized user. He said it will help improve his credit score. Is this true, and would it help my score in any way? Anna Dear Anna, Your brother is wrong. It will not improve his ...