Saw this one on My Big Dummy and it got me thinking and laughing. I remember when I got my first set of wheels, baby. Not a feeling like it in the world to get your first car and that piece of plastic with your ugly mug on it. But this story takes the cake. This savvy 3-year-old kid found his mom's Ebay password and bought a $17,000 pink convertible off the Internet. How do you like them apples, jack?

Here's the sad part ... most adults I know are like a 3-year-old when it comes to cars. Just like Dave Ramsey talks about; it's the red-faced kid on the cereal aisle. Some joes and jills complain about how they "need" something, like a brand-new car. Well, news flash ... if you want the car, then budget for it; don't gripe like a spoiled twit about how you have a right to have it. A buddy of mine has a charity called New Seed of Hope that helps people in the Sudan, most of whom live on about a buck a day. Still think you "deserve" a new ride with the top down? Didn't think so.

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Never ceases to amaze me what scientists discover, baby. The latest from the boys and girls in London ... the length of a dame's ring finger can speak volumes about her athletic potential. Who knew that the little piggy that got no roast beef was the "key" to being a sports star?

I'll buy that, for what it's worth. Potential is a great thing, jack. If you have talent and ability, then be a go-getter and find the best place to use it. But it ain't all about how big you are, or how fast you are, or if you got long fingers. It's about how hard you work, how smart you are with money, and if you do things on the up-and-up. Dave Ramsey had two out of three the first time he made his millions, but it all took a nose-dive. The second time, he batted a thousand and became a moolah-naire again. Take a note, ladies and germs; work hard, be smart, behave well, get ahead.

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Isn't that a surprise, jack? It costs more and more each day to see the doc and feel better. In fact, healthcare costs rose more than inflation in 2006, to the tune of 7.7 percent. It's gettin' so bad that some companies are dropping healthcare coverage plans for their workers. Sad news.

This is a reason why it's so important to have a full emergency fund in place. If you have a big pile of cash saved up, you can choose the medical plan with the Manhattan-sized deductible. Do that and you'll have lower monthly premiums. If bad luck hits you and you go to the hospital, you'll need to pay a big deductible, but that's exactly what the rainy-day fund is there for, bub. You'll have low prices for the premium and dough for the deductible. It's a win-win setup ... just like Dave Ramsey teaches.

Make sure to save the moolah so you can be ready when life deals you a bad hand. Being able to control your cash will be your ace-in-the-hole. Make it happen, baby.

Here's a kicker ... Chase Bank is trying to ride on the back of Dave Ramsey! Check out Choke's (I mean, Chase's) TV spot advertising their new "Freedom!" card. Along with explaining all the little "perks", some yahoos keeps yelling "freedom!"; copying the hard-working joes and jills who call Dave's radio show to scream that they've deep-sixed Chase and are now debt-free.

Sound familiar? It should. The deal with the Chase ad is that, since so many people are beating down debt, the plastic pushers are trying to get you to associate a debt-free call with their plastic. Just goes to show, baby; momentum is turning from Chase to cash. Credit card companies want a piece of Dave's action but they ain't gonna get it. People who have a clue know that the way to wealth isn't credit cards, it's making a budget and remembering to save, save, save. What does that equal? You guessed it ... FREEDOM, BABY!

For those of you just tuning in, my man Dave Ramsey made an appearance on Fox News a few days ago, talking about beating debt with Neil Cavuto. Dave hits all the high notes on this one: how Americans aren't saving enough, Social Security, buying houses and the housing market, how you don't need "stuff" ... you name it, baby. Brings a smile to my face to see the man in action.

I've heard my share of the naysayers griping about Dave. "Well, if I was rich, I could talk about not living on Social In-Security or not getting a home loan." Here's another news flash, jack ... DR has paid the price to win. That's why he's got the dough. If you want to take a dip in the sea of green, then get on a budget, save and invest. This is your shot at the big-time, baby ... aim and fire.

Gas prices are catching a break in the action, baby. The newsboys say fuel prices have fallen 24 cents a gallon in the past two weeks. That'll put a smile on the faces of most joes and jills. It's good news, but here's the most important part to remember ... make the most of it. You've been budgeting nearly three bucks a gallon for several months, but now prices are starting to drop. Find something good to do with the spare change. Don't give yourself a raise just yet ... keep deep-sixing your debt and saving the dough.

It may just be a few dollars more a month that you've got now, but make it count. Put it to debt, savings, or whatever helps you. But watch out that you don't give yourself a big lifestyle raise, jack. That's what Dave Ramsey would say to do ... keep being smart with money, and you'll get ahead.

Talk about pitching in and helping out! World War II vet Wiley Talbot got his own version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition when 20 soldiers from Ft. Benning chipped in to renovate his house, doing everything from painting to landscaping to fixing the bathroom. A few volunteers, a few hours and bada-bing, bada-boom; a joe who needs a hand gets one ... and then some. Even the local businesses got in on the action and gave steep discounts for all the materials, giving the group more bang for the buck.

Doesn't matter if it's time or money ... everybody has something to give, baby. It could be something little, like opening a door for a dame, or something big, like pitching in for disaster relief. Everyone can give. Just like old Dave Ramsey says, once you're debt-free, you can give even more. Get on a budget and save the dough so you can make it happen, jack. Show some love ... it's what the world needs now.

Seems the plastic pushers are going after a market with a lot of potential ... the small business market. Take it from a former businessman; credit ain't the way to go to start a small business. More often than not, small companies don't get off the ground. Most of the ones that do only go for a little while before they crash and burn, baby. Using credit is bad enough, but even worse is when your biz goes under; then you have mountains of debt and molehills to show for it. That's double dumb.

Dave Ramsey grew his business off a card table in his living room, so don't give him or me the nonsense about how you need credit to start Little Man, Inc. The harder you work, the more money you make. If you don't use debt, you keep the money that you make, and you can use that to grow your company. The bright side of doing things small-time and debt-free to start out? If your business goes belly-up, your wallet and life won't go with it.

Bank of America's "Keep the Change" program is about to blow out its first birthday candle. The idea is simple; they round up your purchase to the nearest dollar and stash the difference from your checking to your savings account. Problem is, you can't have the bank or your momma do the saving, baby. Saving is up to you.

You need to do it right and you need to do it well, jack. Don't save dough in 17-cent blocks in some rinky-dink savings account that returns 0.5 percent and expect to have the moolah for emergencies and retirement. That ain't gonna cut it, baby, so quit using that knife. Pile up cash with gazelle-intensity for an emergency fund and get it in a money market.

Do like Dave Ramsey. If you're gonna go, go all out and leave the half-donkey effort at the curb. It's real simple, simon. You already work and earn the money; so just keep some of it with you.

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It used to be that $999 million was enough dough to get you noticed, baby, but not anymore. For the first time, the Forbes 400 list was packed only with billionaires. Most names are familiar (Gates, Buffett, Dell, Trump), some are not (Chambers, Arnall, Kovner), but one thing in certain; there's more green on that list than there is on Kermit the Frog and The Incredible Hulk put together.

These joes and jills obviously have enough moolah to do what they want. You might be thinking 'I wish I had enough dough to do whatever I want'. Well, guess what, jack? You can, if you invest. It takes time and discipline, but the payoff is one for the ages.

Money isn't the cure-all, so don't start thinking it is. But as Dave Ramsey says, you want to have enough to retire with dignity and help others around you. Save money, invest money, have money. Simple, simon.

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First Warren Buffett pledges over 40 billion clams to The Gates Foundation, now business hotshot Richard Branson has decided to get in on the action. Branson said that he's gonna fight global warming with $3 billion of his company's dough over the next 10 years; the profits from his airline and rail businesses. Now that's hot, baby!

Now I know some of you are thinking 'I wish I could give that much.' Don't get down on yourself. Giving ... ALL giving ... is good, no matter how big or small. Don't think you have to put a bunch of zeros behind what you give for it to be worth it, ladies and germs.

If you've got the moolah, do good things with it. That's the best part about joes and jills who know how to make money and do things on the up-and-up; they'll make the world a better place when they're done deep-sixing their debt and have money to give. Dave Ramsey talks about it all the time. Giving is the most fun you'll ever have with cash, jack. Make your payoffs so you can make it happen.

Ever wonder what it feels like to make a billion dollars? Now imagine what it feels like to lose that much, baby. It's uglier than a blind date with a good personality. But that's what happened to Brian Hunter, Nicholas Leeson and a handful of other advisors who bet big on the stock market and ended up on the losing side.

Everybody gets the short end of the stick sometimes, baby, but stuff like this makes you do a double-take. So if you are thinking about playing the stock market ... if you're thinking that Wall Street is the ticket to easy street, remember that these joes eat, drink and breathe the market and didn't come out on top here. It's stuff like this that makes Dave Ramsey tell you to not play the stock market and go for good mutual funds.

You can't invest until you have the dough. How do you get the dough? By deep-sixing the debt, getting on a budget and saving. So what are you waiting for, jack? Hustle to it.

Payday loan places ... scum of the scum, as Dave Ramsey calls 'em. They must not be making enough dough off of people by pushing their legal loan sharking at a building, so now they're going online to do it.

A bunch of trash lenders are doing their dirty business on the Net now, baby. They say one of the plusses is that you can "save face" by not going into their brick-and-mortar places. Bub, if you're using cash advance at all, it ain't your face that needs to be saved, it's your wallet ... it's you!

People gripe about 29 percent interest on credit cards, but the rates that these yahoos charge can get up to 650 percent! That ain't how smart money works, jack. If you need extra cash, get an extra job. But if you use these payday joints, you'll make your deep money hole even deeper. You'll be digging your own financial grave, one advance at a time.

We've all heard the sob stories of average joes and jills who hit the lottery jackpot and took home tens of millions in cold hard cash, only to lose it because they were dumber than a bag of hammers or had leeches for in-laws. Don't blow your moolah on the lottery ... even if you win (you won't), it'll spoil your life worse than month-old milk, baby.

Winning money like that makes things go south in a jiffy because people don't know how to handle the dough. They didn't work for it and earn it, so they don't know how to keep it. If you wake up one day and find 50 bucks on your pillow, you'll spend it and not flinch. If you dig ditches the next day for another 50, you'll know what it took to get it, and you won't want to go through that again, so you'll mind your Ps and Qs.

That's what Dave Ramsey always says. Working to build wealth changes you. You gradually get used to having money, giving it and spending it.

We all have things that we do well. It could be sales, helping people who are going through rough times or totin' the pigskin, but we all have gifts, baby. If you use your skills for a good cause and live with discipline like Dave Ramsey talks about, you'll get ahead in life and in money. If you throw away what you've been given or don't do things on the up-and-up, you're a punk; pure and simple.

You get out of life what you put into it, jack. Look at Maurice Clarett (my buddy My Big Dummy hit this nail on the head). MC rushes for over 1,200 yards at Ohio State University and wins a national title. Then four years later, bang, he's headed to the cooler to do 3.5 for robbery and concealed weapons charges.

That's not to say that we can't mess up from time to time. We're all flesh and bone, baby, and screw-ups come with that package. But in the game of life, it's better to get tackled and get back up than to get a uniform and throw it away. Hopefully Clarett will get his act together, but the point is this; we all have gifts ... don't waste 'em.

Seems like some people nowadays have forgotten what it means to earn your keep, baby. Lots of up-and-comers want to walk out of college and into the corner office and a big-time position in the Fortune 500 company. It doesn't work that way.

You gotta be willing to pay your dues when it comes to movin' on up with The Jeffersons. That means learning from the bigwigs, working some long hours and getting a feel for how the company does things. If it means starting at the bottom or doing some extra stuff on your own time, so be it.

Look at it as a learning experience, jack. Someone who joins the team as a waterboy and gets promoted to head coach the next week isn't gonna be ready to handle the pressure, hype and expectations. They won't know enough about the team and how to run it, and they'll turn into a big-time bust, baby. Don't let this happen to you.

Putting in the effort always ... ALWAYS ... pays off. Look at Dave Ramsey. He was broke but worked hard, found out how to be smart with money and, bang, he's back on top. You can be, too.

It ain't about how many times you fall, baby; it's about how many times you get back up. Mistakes aren't the end-all-be-all; they're chances to learn. Lots of joes and jills out there say "because I fell, I failed." Doesn't work that way, jack. The Man Upstairs is the only one who's never messed up. Show me someone who laughs at you for getting knocked off the horse, and I'll show you someone who's too scared to saddle up in the first place.

John Elway lost three Super Bowls before winning back-to-back. Milton Hershey went bankrupt six times before he hit it big with chocolate. Diana Ross was turned down for a roll in her high school musical. But people are too busy talking about Super Bowl wins, world-famous candy and records that went gold and platinum. The way to get remembered is to get back up.

Dave Ramsey was broke with a wife and two kids by age 30. I'd say he's recovered from that. Whatever you're doing, be it career, money or whatever ... suck it up and rise above it, baby.

This "My Big Dummy" character hit the nail on the head with this one, baby. Teachers in Detroit are in talks with the district about their pay and, as a result, the kids are sitting at home wasting time in front of the TV and the PlayStation®, not getting the education they need.

This is sending a mixed message, see? Kids are taught to stay in school and learn, but the school has to be open first. Instead, it's not, because neither side can agree. I think the adults have more growing up to do than the kids on this one. I'm not sayin' the teachers or the district is right, I'm saying the kids are being wronged, baby. The wee ones are getting the message that education isn't the most important thing; cash is.

Dave Ramsey would say it himself ... cash may be important, but an education is priceless.

Not much in life irks me more than people who spend all their time goofing off at work. We've all seen them; the guy who comes in late and leaves early, the gossip, the procrastinator ... people who put the "off" in office, baby. If this is you, let me clue you in ... the world doesn't owe you jack just because you breathe air. Start producing or take the train.

My mom and pops taught me how to work hard, and it helped me take off and go big-time when I got to the real world. On top of that, I had to double-time it when I went broke in order to clean up my mess, and that's just what happened. The people who get ahead are the ones who stick with it and put in the effort and the hours. Sound familiar? It should; it's how Dave Ramsey built his business.

Don't work long or hard enough and you'll be out on the street without a job and up the creek without a paddle. And with no J-O-B, you won't be able to pay off debt and save money. Get it?

The biggest kick I get out of life is helping others, jack. If debt freedom is my game, then charities are my Super Bowl, World Series and Stanley Cup put together. I don't just volunteer with places like Habitat for Humanity, the YW and the American Red Cross, I get to support them with the green stuff, baby ... cash!

It's as easy as ABC. I have dough because I don't owe. It's needy dames and kids who get my money, not Sears or Ford. Making the world a better place, spending time with people who are down on their luck, feeling better about your problems after you see theirs ... it'll right your ship any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Just like Dave Ramsey says, giving is the most fun you'll have with money. Right now, there's joes and jills out there who need help. Ditch your debt so you can give it to 'em.

Think education isn't important? Get a clue, jack. Anyone stupid enough to drop out of high school because they think it's "not for them" needs to take a look at the numbers. In the U.S., people who don't finish high school will make about 65 percent of what the people who turn the tassel will.

It's about more than just the classroom; it's about the knowledge. Knowledge is power, baby ... no two ways about it. The more you learn, the better you can do in life. Most people who cut out of school early don't have the discipline or work ethic to get the job done. And if you can't do it there, you won't do it in the real world.

Sometimes life hits you and you need to leave the classroom. Your family might need the money because someone died or walked out. It's beyond admirable to support someone; but stay in school if you can; work nights and weekends. But thinking you're a hotshot who can deep-six the diploma and start making the big bucks is fooling yourself.

Dave Ramsey says that it's the education that's priceless, not the piece of paper that says you finished. That's the smart money talking.

Today marks the saddest day the red, white and blue has ever faced, baby. Five years ago today, the world saw the worst ... and the best ... that people have to offer. For every villain that day, there were a thousand heroes. It could have been the New York cops, fire department or just some average joe running to help, but they were looking out for others. Take care of the hands that take care of you, bub. Doesn't matter if it's a cop, firefighter or soldier, but if you see 'em, thank 'em.

It's not the way we want to be reminded, but each of us needs to make sure that our ducks are in a row. Make sure to have your will and life insurance in place if The Man Upstairs gives you a call. If you're out of debt like Dave Ramsey is always talking about, think of the 9/11 charities and other causes you can support with your newfound cash. Don't just think about it; do it, baby. In the meantime, be good to each other and make the world a better place. Let's roll.

Without a doubt, Christmas is one of my favorite holidays of the year. Lots of giving, lots of loving, and celebrating a certain birth, baby. Even though I dig the season, I hate it when businesses jump the gun and start marketing Christmas sales before the time comes. Did someone forget Halloween? Thanksgiving, anyone?

Take your pick, jack: T.J. Maxx, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, JCPenney, Marshalls and Costco are already rolling out holiday specials. What's sad is, we're closer to Memorial Day than Christmas Day.

But if they're gonna do it, I might as well put in my two cents when it comes to the green stuff. Once again, Christmas is in December this year. Dave Ramsey always says to save up and be ready for it, so you should. Happy holidays, sucker. AND MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY LATEST CASE, ADDED TODAY!

It always comes back to bite you, baby. Doing dishonest things, big or small, even if you get away with them, will end up costing you. Take WorldCom bigwig Bernard Ebbers. He's runnin' the ship when the company takes an $11 billion nose-dive and he's about to serve 25 in the cooler for everything from fraud to false filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It's an Enron thing all over again, and it serves him right.

Now, let's examine what happens when you do things on the up and up. Dr. Tom Stanley's book The Millionaire Mind found that, among America's millionaires, the character traits of integrity, hard work and honesty were right at the top of the list. And these are the people with the cash and the peace of mind. Game over; honesty wins.

The point is this: even if you do something crooked and don't get caught, that kind of behavior will always ... ALWAYS ... spell trouble for you if you keep it up. The Man Upstairs tells you to go after the square deal and not cheat to get money, and so does Dave Ramsey. So do it, or else!

Hate to break this to you, Donald Trump, but the dreaded words "You're fired" were around and unpleasant long before you tried to trademark them, baby. Getting fired, laid off, alternatively employed or whatever other load of bull you wanna call it is scary. It's happened to me, so the smart money is talking here. The worst part is the feeling you get when you get the axe. Your world is turned upside-down worse than a loan on a totaled 2007 Mercedes.

It's times like that where it's important to have an emergency fund. You never know when life is gonna throw a Sugar Ray-sized roundhouse and slug you a good one. I know what you're thinking ... 'I've got job security and bills to pay.' Lemme clue you in, jack; if you're not ready when life hits, the only one who's going to pay is you.

Dave Ramsey says to get yourself a rainy-day fund. And he's seen his share of rainy days. Have your umbrella ready and waiting, jack.

Quick quiz, jack: How rich would you be today if you started saving at 16? If you don't know, you might want to ask Jessica Nixon. This dame from Dallas started saving when she got her first job at a burger joint, before she was old enough to drive, and she's got $49,000 saved up for retirement and another 20,000 bucks saved up to buy a boat, all at the ripe old age of 23.

Don't tell me saving doesn't work, and don't tell me that you have to make a lot to save a lot. Miss Jessica is proof that the answer isn't the money (she started saving while working at Whataburger), the answer is in you, baby. At a rate of 12 percent growth, JN's money will double every six years. That means her $49K will turn into a cool $3 million and change by the time she's 60. And that's if she doesn't add another penny ... ever.

Dave Ramsey says save. A little sacrifice now will mean a lot later. I didn't save when I was younger and it cost me. Don't let it do the same to you, baby.

It's a crazy world, baby. And with kids today not knowing much about the moolah, it's gonna get even crazier. Most boys and girls today think they get a great deal at the mall if the threads are "On Sale", even if they put it on a Visa credit card at 18 percent interest. That ain't gonna cut it, jack.

Parents need to be the first line of defense to keep their kids in check when it comes to spending. You don't get ahead by getting an allowance and blowing it all at The Gap. Kids need to work and earn money so they know how to be responsible with it. Give a kid 20 bucks and see what they do with it. Then have them mow a lawn or clean the house for another 20 and see if they do the same thing. Do you dig, baby?

Dave Ramsey said it best; there has to be an emotional and an intellectual connection between work and money. Teach your kids to work for the dough. Otherwise, the only place they'll know where to get it from is you.

Lots of people today are diving into the debt pool wearing a pair of cement shoes, baby. The saddest part? They don't even know it. They don't see that a little here and a bit there are costing them big-time in the long run, baby.

Don't believe me when I say the little things are adding up? Maybe you'll believe the numbers. Stopping at Starbucks for a $5 mocha latte may not look like much, but doing it 25 days out of the month adds up to 125 smackaroonies before you even get to work. That's more moolah than some people spend on gas, which doesn't exactly come cheap. If you invest that $125 from 18 to 65, it will turn into $3.2 million. That should buy its fair share of cappuccinos.

It's all part of what I've been drilling home from day one. Dave Ramsey is always talking about living on a budget and saving the dough. Imagine if cutting out the coffee helped you connect with your cash, baby. Easy to do and hard to believe. Do it anyway, and start right now, jack.

It has happened, ladies and germs. Discover Card has actually caught Dave Ramsey fever and made a commercial where all the joes and jills are doing plasectomies! Don't believe me? Check out the commercial on their own Web site! The spot talks about getting rid of all that you don't like about credit cards. For me, it's the "credit" part, jack.

The funniest part of the commercial? How Discover talks about cutting up all the plastic that you own ... except your Discover card! It's like saying 'Don't fall for all those other cheap credit card gimmicks ... just ours.'

You've heard what Dave Ramsey and DT say about all this ... the only good credit card is no card. Cut 'em up, toss 'em out and close 'em down, baby. Plastic companies talk about how their cards bring you freedom. It don't happen that way. Cards are the quickest way to get chains wrapped around you and keep you from enjoying life. Get on a budget, know that collectors won't call you, and sleep like a baby, baby.

It's a shame and a tragedy, that's what it is, baby. Crocodile hunter Steve Irwin moved on this weekend after taking a stingray barb to the heart. Here's a lesson to be learned, boys and girls ... the man went before his time, but not for being timid. He knew what his calling was and wasn't afraid to do it.

Stevie Boy did what he loved. Like the old saying goes, better to live one day as a lion than a lifetime as a lamb. Too many joes and jills nowadays are just sleep-walking through life in a career that doesn't light their fire and turn them into a monster, jack. You gotta find what you want to do in this world and do it. Will it be scary? Sure thing. Will you fall sometimes? You betcha. Is it hard work? Absolutely. But living a full life is worth too much to just take a dive like a Don King boxer.

Dave Ramsey says that none of us are getting out of here alive. And you know what? He's right on the money. Things like this make for good reminders of how you need to be prepared for what life throws at you. Live it to the fullest and be prepared for the worst. Make sure you have a good emergency fund saved up and enough life insurance to cover your family if The Big Sleep hits you early.

We're all going down sooner or later. As far as I go, I'm going down swinging, doing what The Man Upstairs put me here to do. What about you?

I remember the video game days of Intellivision, Atari and Super Mario Brothers. Things have come far since then, baby, but a new game twist is coming out today.

It's called "Left Behind: Eternal Forces". You control the forces of The Man Upstairs and you go against the boys under the control of The Biggest Loser (aka the devil). Granted, it's about time someone came out with a game that countered Grand Theft Auto, but if people want to spread a "positive influence" in gaming, then they should start with themselves.

If you're worried about what your kid's playing or watching on TV, don't start blaming the VG companies. Be a parent and lay down the law of what comes into your house, baby. You're the first line of defense.

Will your kids like you for it? Not all the time. Will it be tough? Sure. But you're the parent, so be the parent. Care about your kids enough to discipline them when they need it. Make them the best they can be. That goes for everything; character, money, work ... the whole nine yards, jack.

DT has a problem with DT. Seems old Donald Trump used his trademark line "You're fired" on one of his right-hand ladies; (no, not his third wife), but on Carolyn Kepcher, the manager of two of his golf courses and co-star of his NBC show "The Apprentice". Granted, people get the axe all the time in the business world, but the reason for this firing floored me.

The newspapers say that Kepcher was let go because of "excessive self-promotion at the expense of her performance at her day job." Say again?! Donald Trump, the man who can't fit his ego and his head into the same room together and who does whatever he can to put himself in the spotlight (remember his Pizza Hut and Visa commercials?) accuses someone else of shameless self-promotion?

If someone's not doing their job, that's one thing. But the Donald accusing someone of tooting their own horn is like your broke, unemployed brother-in-law accusing Dave Ramsey of not knowing anything about money. Trump put the "ego man" in "egomaniac."