Dave Ramsey (born September 3, 1960) is a prominent American radio host and financial advisor who leads the nationally syndicated The Ramsey Show and serves as CEO of Ramsey Solutions. After building a $4 million real estate portfolio in the 1980s, he filed for bankruptcy in 1988, an experience that inspired him to found the Lampo Group in 1991 and write bestsellers like The Total Money Makeover. His signature strategy, the "debt snowball" method, encourages paying off smaller debts first, and he strictly advocates against using credit cards. However, economists and critics have challenged his advice for diverging from mainstream theory, notably his claims of consistent 12% annual investment returns. Ramsey has also stirred controversy by opposing COVID-19 mask mandates in 2020 and criticizing government stimulus checks in 2021, asserting they wouldn't change most people's financial lives.