David L. Ramsey III was born September 3, 1960 in Antioch Tennessee. At the age of 26 he had founded a successful brokerage firm, Ramsey Investments, Inc and become one of Tennessee's youngest brokers to be admitted to the Graduate Realtors Institute. After the demise of his company, Ramsey began financial counseling  at his local church while aggresively pursuing every workshop and seminar on consumer financial problems that he could find. He developed a simple set of lessons and materials based partially on his own experience and on works and teachings by Larry Burkett and Ron Blue. In 1992 he wrote his first book "Financial Peace". 

Ramseys' radio show began in 1992 as The Money Game, changing to The Dave Ramsey show in 1996. In 2006 the show received two nominations for the Radio and Records News/Talk Industry Achievement Awards. In 2007 Fox launched a Monday thru Friday television show with the same title. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard on over 400 radio stations throughout the United States and Canada, and on XM and Sirius satellite radio.  The format features a conservative Christian perspective focusing on "Life and Money". One notable difference between Dave Ramsey's show and other financial shows is that Ramsey attempts to go beyond the mathematical mechanics and reach his callers on an emotional and spiritual level.

Dave is also the founder of the Lampo Group,  the creator of Financial Peace University and with his wife Sharon, the creator of the Share It Foundation.

Dave and Sharon Ramsey have been married for 25 years; they have three children, two girls and one boy.