I recently stumbled across the following radio interview with financial guru Dave Ramsey. How to Adopt Without Debt. You can read about the interview by clicking here. You can listen to the interview by clicking here.
He is talking to Julie Gumm, author of the book: Adopt Without Debt: Creative Ways to Cover the Cost of Adoption.
I absolutely LOVE Dave Ramsey. He helped my husband I get completely debt free. We are huge fans of Financial Peace and the debt snowball idea. There are many other financial gurus, all with the same basic message: live debt free.
I found this intereview to be right up my alley. I definitely want to get Julie Gumm's book. I do believe that while adoption costs are high, there are a lot of resources and avenues that can be employed to adopt without going into significant debt -- thus one of the reasons we founded Because of Isaac.
However, I did find Dave's attitude to be a bit on the harsh side for this interview. So be forewarned. He didn't enter into this with an incredible amount of compassion for families trying to adopt a child. It appeared he aimed the interview at couples who just wanted to adopt to do something "good for the world." He didn't seem to consider the fact that many couples are adopting because of childlessness.
Dave believes that outside of a mortgage, one should not go into debt for any reason. I do mostly agree. But JB and I did go into debt for our infertility treatments. We felt that we were up against a biologic clock and that waiting would have been completely not helpful. I think that while avoiding debt is good and avoiding it when adopting is prudent, it isn't always, completely possible. And that's okay too.
4 comments:
I haven't heard this interview - thanks for sharing.
I will say that I've heard him speak to other callers about fertility related issues, namely frozen embryos, and his advice was to go ahead and do what was necessary to have those babies now rather than leave them frozen indefinitely, and he did it with great compassion.
I think his point, to your point about him talking about adoption as a ministry, is that those who are seeking to care for orphans through adoption (a ministry) need to first make sure their own house is in order. I too agree, mostly, with that concept with the addition that in the end we will be held accountable to the Almighty, not Dave Ramsey, so we need to take that into consideration in our decisions.
Mie, that is AWESOME that he did that. If you could find that interview, I'd LOVE to see that.
And I totally agree. While Dave's advice is incredibly solid, we are held to the Lord's advice. Amen.
I have to read this. Thanks for posting. :)
I ran across this blog after nashing my teeth over Mr. Ramsey's advice. It runs through my mind occasionally, so I did a search and landed here.
Loved Dave, past tense.
If you have a couple who calls in deeply in debt and are newly pregnant, he's all blessings, wonderful, congrats etc. If the caller inquires about financing infertility treatments or adoption, the answer is No, No, you have to wait.
And unfortunately that waiting does not coincide with biological or agency clocks. And sometimes those cheap adoptions are children many are not ready to parent.
I'm not sure if the word to describe him is arrogant or ignorant. Shame on him. I certainly hope those callers who get the "no no", follow their heart and not their pocketbook. It sometimes has nothing to do with money. Its a child for heaven's sake, not a speed boat.
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