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Dave Ramsey is America's trusted voice on money and business, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 12 million listeners each week on 575 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com. |
You always want to do what's best for you. Keeping that in mind, some investments are just bad ideas and not worth it. It takes time and discipline to creat a savings and it's not a smart idea to throw it away on things that are not in... Do What's Best For You Dear Dave, I'll be graduating from college with no debt in a couple of weeks, and I have a good job waiting for me in January. During the last few years, I've managed to save almost $25,000 from my part-time jobs while in school. My car is pretty beaten up and old, so I've been shopping at a couple of car dealerships recently. Every time I talk to a salesperson, they tell me I should finance something new instead of paying cash for a used car. What should I do? Ethan Dear Ethan, I hope you’ll keep one very important thing in mind. This is your purchase, not theirs. The only reason they want you to finance something is so they’ll make a lot more money off the deal. Forget what they want. You need to do what’s best for you. You’ve been a hard-working, smart guy over the last few years. The fact that you’ve been able to save nearly $25,000 is proof of that. I don’t think you want to throw a big chunk of your savings—or your new income—into something that’s going to go down in value like a rock. New cars lose about 60 percent of their value during the first four years of ownership. That means a $28,000 car would be worth around $11,000 after that period. That’s not a smart investment. If I were you, I’d shop around and pay cash for a nice, slightly used $10,000 car. You can get a great automobile for that kind of money, plus you’ll still have the majority of your savings. Congratulations, young man. You’ve done a great job! - Dave |
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