Over the past 25 years, my late husband, Lee Odems, helped hundreds of young people buy their first home (and sometimes their second, and their third). Typically, when Lee met with a potential buyer looking to achieve the American Dream, they were not actually ready to do so. Quite often, Lee had to first provide guidance on how to get their financial house in order. He found that the best way to help people understand the steps needed to be ready to purchase a home was to introduce them to Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. Dave Ramsey teaches elimination of debt using the snowball method, the importance of saving, and the power of paying cash rather than using credit. These important philosophies and techniques set young people up for success! And for home ownership!! Nearly all financial experts agree that owning a home is a key cornerstone in accumulating assets that are likely to appreciate over time. In other words, home ownership is an essential step toward a strong financial foundation for life.
When Lee passed in 2020, many of our family members, friends, colleagues, and clients shared with me how impactful Lee’s introduction to the Dave Ramsey principles had been on their life. I reached out to Ramsey Solutions to see if there was anything I could do to continue to help the next generation in Lee’s honor. I found out that a local high school (Forest Park) had contacted Ramsey Solutions to request a sponsor to provide their students with access to the Ramsey Financial Education Program. What a perfect opportunity to continue Lee’s work!
Our property management company decided to sponsor and provide the Ramsey Financial Education Program for the 2021-2022 school year. We hope that the students enrolled in the program will not only buy a home to live in but will also consider buying investment properties to build their long-term wealth. When they do, we’ll be here ready to help with management of their investment properties!
