Who is Dave Ramsey wife? Sharon Ramsey—married to financial guru Dave Ramsey since June 26, 1982—is the quiet strength behind one of America’s most influential financial empires.

While Dave built a public brand teaching millions about debt-free living and the Total Money Makeover, Sharon chose a different path: raising three remarkable children, standing firm through bankruptcy, and embodying the faith-based partnership that transformed their crisis into Financial Peace University.

This deep dive reveals how Sharon’s unwavering commitment, Christian values, and strategic wisdom shaped the Ramsey Solutions story—and why their 44-year marriage matters more than ever in 2026.

Who is Sharon Ramsey? The Woman Behind the Financial Empire

Sharon Ramsey, born in 1960, represents the paradox of modern influence: profoundly impactful yet deliberately private. While her husband Dave Ramsey commands stages and airwaves teaching financial freedom, Sharon has spent over four decades building something equally powerful—a family rooted in Christian values and financial wisdom that survived complete collapse.

Her conservative upbringing shaped the foundation for what would become an extraordinary partnership. With a background in teaching, Sharon brought educational principles into their home that later influenced how millions would learn about money through Financial Peace University. Unlike the celebrity spouses who crave spotlight, Sharon made a conscious choice: her impact would come through the home, through strategic counsel, and through the quiet consistency that allowed Dave’s public mission to flourish.

This private nature isn’t weakness—it’s strategic strength. In an era where every family detail becomes content, Sharon Ramsey has protected sacred space while still contributing meaningfully to the Ramsey Solutions vision. She matters to the Ramsey story because she represents the essential truth Dave teaches: financial success means nothing without family unity, and public achievement crumbles without private stability.

Sharon Ramsey Quick Facts 2026

• Age: 65-66 years old (born 1960)
• Hometown: Conservative Southern upbringing
• Education: Teaching background, University of Tennessee connection
• Current Role: Author, strategic advisor, community leader, grandmother
• Married: June 26, 1982 (44 years)
• Children: Three (Rachel Cruze, Daniel Ramsey, Denise Ramsey)
• Known For: Supporting Dave through bankruptcy, raising financially literate children, embodying Proverbs 31 woman principles, co-authoring Financial Peace
• Residence: Franklin, Tennessee

The Love Story: How Dave and Sharon Ramsey Met and Married

The University of Tennessee wasn’t just where Dave Ramsey studied—it’s where he met Sharon, the woman who would anchor his life through unimaginable storms. Their dating years in the late 1970s and early 1980s reflected a simpler time, when ambition and faith seemed like natural partners and the American Dream felt within reach for two young people building a future.

June 26, 1982 marked their wedding day—a celebration filled with typical newlywed dreams. Dave was already showing entrepreneurial fire, and Sharon supported his vision with the kind of partnership that goes deeper than encouragement. They were building something together: a family, a business, a life that would honor their Christian values while pursuing financial success.

What made their foundation strong wasn’t just attraction or compatibility—it was shared faith. Both came from backgrounds where marriage meant commitment, where divorce wasn’t the first option when trouble came, and where biblical principles guided major decisions. They believed in stewardship, hard work, and the biblical mandate to be “equally yoked” in purpose and values.

Those early marriage years saw rapid success. Dave’s real estate portfolio grew aggressively, reaching four million dollars by his mid-twenties. Sharon became a stay-at-home mom as their family grew, trusting that Dave’s business acumen would provide the security they needed. The foundation seemed unshakeable—until it wasn’t.

Timeline of Their Relationship

• Late 1970s: Dave and Sharon meet at University of Tennessee
• June 26, 1982: Wedding ceremony—beginning of lifelong partnership
• 1982-1986: Early marriage; Dave builds real estate portfolio to $4 million
• 1988: Rachel Cruze born during financial crisis
• 1987-1988: Bankruptcy crisis threatens everything
• 1988-1996: Eight-year recovery period; debt-free living principles formed
• 1992: Financial Peace University launched
• 1990s: Daniel and Denise Ramsey born; family business takes shape
• 2000s: Ramsey Solutions grows; children enter family business
• 2022: 40th wedding anniversary celebration
• 2026: 44 years of marriage; grandchildren expanding legacy

The Bankruptcy Crisis: When Sharon’s Strength Defined Their Future

The 1987-1988 financial collapse wasn’t just a business failure—it was an existential threat to everything Dave and Sharon Ramsey had built. Dave’s aggressive real estate portfolio, financed through extensive bank debt, crumbled when creditors called loans due. The couple who had enjoyed country club memberships and luxury cars suddenly faced lawsuits, repossession, and the humiliation of bankruptcy.

Sharon’s emotional journey during this period reveals the human cost of financial disaster. She later admitted wanting to leave but didn’t have a car—a stark detail that captures the complete reversal of their circumstances. With a newborn (Rachel Cruze, born in 1988) and a marriage under crushing pressure, Sharon faced a choice: abandon the partnership or dig deeper into faith and commitment.

She chose unity over separation, though not without struggle. The guilt of being a stay-at-home mom while their finances disintegrated weighed heavily. Sharon questioned her value, wondering if financial contribution through employment would have prevented disaster—a common trap for women whose unpaid labor in the home feels invisible during crisis.

The eight-year recovery period tested every aspect of their marriage. Living on beans and rice, selling everything of value, facing the judgment of former friends—these weren’t just financial challenges but daily humiliations. One particularly painful moment involved an American Express incident where their card was rejected, forcing Dave to leave groceries at the register while Sharon waited in the car, mortified.

But something remarkable happened during those years: the debt dangers they experienced became the curriculum for helping others. The marriage communication they were forced to develop became teachable principles. Their faith dependency transformed from religious theory into survival necessity. Building from zero wasn’t just their story—it became their mission.

What the Crisis Taught Them

• Debt Dangers: Leveraged success is fragile success. The real estate portfolio that looked impressive at four million dollars evaporated because it was built on borrowed money, not real wealth.
• Marriage Communication: Financial stress exposes every weakness in a relationship. Sharon and Dave learned to talk about money with complete transparency, creating the “budget together” philosophy they now teach.
• Faith Dependency: When every human solution fails, faith becomes either empty words or genuine anchor. For the Ramseys, Christian values moved from Sunday belief to daily survival tool.
• Building from Zero: True financial freedom means owing nothing to anyone. The Total Money Makeover methodology came directly from their bankruptcy recovery—every principle tested in their own crisis.

Faith as the Foundation: Christian Values in the Ramsey Marriage

The Ramsey marriage isn’t just influenced by faith—it’s structured by it. Both Dave and Sharon come from evangelical Christian backgrounds where biblical principles provide the framework for life decisions, including financial freedom. This isn’t cultural Christianity or Sunday-only faith; it’s the operating system for how they’ve built everything.

Sharon particularly embodies the Proverbs 31 woman reference that Dave frequently mentions. This biblical model describes a wife who manages household affairs with wisdom, supports her husband’s public work, invests strategically, and creates value beyond financial metrics. It’s a high standard, and Sharon has lived it through bankruptcy and blessing alike.

The role of church in their recovery cannot be overstated. When creditors circled and depression threatened, their faith community provided emotional support, practical help, and accountability. This experience shaped how they teach money through biblical principles—not as religious overlay on secular finance, but as integrated wisdom where stewardship, contentment, and generosity form the foundation.

Prayer and partnership define their approach to major decisions. Dave regularly mentions consulting Sharon on business strategies, not as token gesture but as genuine dependence on her wisdom and spiritual discernment. Their Christian values teach that husband and wife are co-heirs, co-laborers, and equally valuable in God’s economy—even when only one draws a public paycheck.

Sharon’s Spiritual Influence

Home Leadership: While Dave leads publicly, Sharon has led the home—creating rhythms of faith, character development, and biblical literacy that shaped three children who now carry these values forward.

Children’s Faith Formation: Rachel Cruze’s public faith, Daniel Ramsey’s business ethics, and Denise Ramsey’s charitable focus all reflect the spiritual foundation Sharon built during their formative years.

Community Involvement: Though private, Sharon engages in church and community service that reflects biblical mandates about caring for others and using resources generously.

The Ramsey Children: Rachel, Daniel, and Denise

The true test of any family’s values is the next generation, and by this measure, Dave and Sharon Ramsey have succeeded remarkably. All three children—Rachel Cruze, Daniel Ramsey, and Denise Ramsey—work within the family business or carry forward its mission, each bringing unique gifts while sharing core principles.

Rachel Cruze, born in 1988 during the bankruptcy crisis, has become a financial speaker and author in her own right. She co-authored “Smart Money Smart Kids” with Dave and leads her own brand teaching young families about debt-free living. As a mom herself, Rachel often credits Sharon’s example for how she balances public platform with family priorities. Her transparency about money and motherhood resonates with millions who see authentic application of Ramsey principles.

Daniel Ramsey serves as Senior VP at Ramsey Solutions, bringing operational excellence and strategic vision to the family business. Less publicly visible than Rachel, Daniel represents the behind-the-scenes leadership that actually runs a multi-million dollar enterprise. His University of Tennessee education continued the family tradition, and his business ethics reflect the hard lessons his parents learned.

Denise Ramsey focuses more on charitable work, using the family’s resources and influence for community impact. While details of her work remain more private, this philanthropic focus demonstrates that financial freedom isn’t just about accumulation—it’s about generosity and kingdom impact.

How Sharon raised them during hard times shapes their current success. While Dave worked multiple jobs and built the business, Sharon created stability at home. She taught them that character matters more than comfort, that integrity survives financial storms, and that family unity is worth protecting even when embarrassment and hardship threaten to tear it apart.

The family values they learned weren’t theoretical—they were survival tools. Budgeting, delayed gratification, hard work, and faith in crisis became lived realities, not just concepts. This is why Rachel can teach with authority, Daniel can lead with wisdom, and Denise can give with generosity—they learned from parents who actually walked through fire.

Grandchildren and Legacy (2026 Update)

Sharon Ramsey has embraced the grandmother role with the same intentionality she brought to motherhood. Rachel Cruze’s children are learning the same financial wisdom and faith principles that guided their mother, creating a third generation of financially literate, faith-grounded Ramseys.

The 2026 family gatherings at the Franklin, Tennessee home blend tradition with teaching. Sharon continues family traditions—including her famous cooking, which Dave calls her “spiritual gift”—while instilling timeless values in grandchildren who will inherit not just wealth but wisdom about how to steward it.

Sharon’s Role in Ramsey Solutions: The Silent Partner

Understanding Sharon Ramsey’s role in Ramsey Solutions requires distinguishing between operational involvement and strategic influence. She isn’t the CEO, doesn’t host podcasts, and doesn’t lead team meetings—but she is consulted, respected, and influential in ways that matter deeply to the business’s direction.

Dave frequently references consulting Sharon on major business decisions, invoking the Proverbs 31 wisdom of a wife who “speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” This isn’t patronizing flattery—it’s practical acknowledgment that Sharon brings perspective Dave needs, especially regarding decisions that impact family, values, or long-term legacy versus short-term profit.

The difference between owner, family member, and team member is significant. Sharon is family and co-owner through marriage, giving her legitimate voice in strategic direction without requiring operational responsibility. She represents the “why” while others handle the “how”—ensuring that growth never compromises the faith and family values at the company’s core.

Her co-authorship on Financial Peace demonstrates her intellectual contribution to the movement. While Dave’s voice dominates Ramsey content, Sharon’s insights about home economics, raising financially responsible children, and maintaining marriage through money stress inform the comprehensive approach that makes Financial Peace University effective.

Public Appearances

Sharon’s public appearances are selective but impactful. Her segments on 60 Minutes provided rare glimpses into the private partnership behind the public brand. When she appears on Rachel’s video blog or at company events, there’s authenticity that can’t be manufactured—this is genuinely who she is, not a persona created for cameras.

These limited public moments serve a purpose: they humanize the Ramsey brand without exploiting Sharon’s privacy. Followers see a real marriage, real family, and real faith—not a carefully curated image. This authenticity strengthens the Ramsey Solutions mission because people trust teachers who practice what they preach.

Life in Franklin, Tennessee: The Ramsey Family Today

The 47-acre campus in Franklin, Tennessee that houses Ramsey Solutions represents more than corporate headquarters—it’s a physical manifestation of values Dave and Sharon fought to preserve. This isn’t Silicon Valley excess or Manhattan power—it’s a Southern headquarters that prioritizes community, accessibility, and the integration of work with life purpose.

Home life balance for the Ramseys in 2026 reflects lessons learned through decades of growth and pressure. Despite Dave’s demanding schedule and public profile, they’ve maintained routines that protect marriage and family. Sharon’s choice to remain primarily private allows their home to be a sanctuary, not an extension of the public brand.

Community involvement in Franklin reflects their commitment to the place they’ve chosen to build legacy. Rather than pursuing coastal elite status, they’ve invested in local relationships, church community, and the kind of rooted life that values stability over novelty.

Privacy choices are increasingly valuable in our over-exposed culture. Sharon and Dave share enough to be relatable and authentic, but protect enough to maintain dignity and genuine private life. This balance—especially Sharon’s firm boundaries—models healthy relationship with public attention.

Daily routines and values in the Ramsey household still reflect the lessons of bankruptcy: live below your means, be generous, work hard, honor commitments, and keep faith central. These aren’t Instagram-perfect moments but consistent choices across decades.

Sharon’s Personal Interests

• Cooking: Dave famously calls Sharon’s cooking her “spiritual gift,” and this isn’t just husband hyperbole. Food is Sharon’s love language, creating family memories and traditions around the table that anchor busy lives.
• Family Traditions: From holiday gatherings to the yearbook quote tradition (each family member shares a quote that defined their year), Sharon creates rhythms that give life meaning beyond achievement.
• Shih Tzu Named Rufus: Even small details like their beloved dog Rufus reveal the normal, relatable aspects of life that money and success don’t eliminate—they just create space to enjoy them without financial stress.

Sharon and Dave’s Marriage Secrets: 40+ Years Together

Forty-four years of marriage (as of 2026) through bankruptcy, business pressure, public scrutiny, and the ordinary challenges every couple faces—what’s the secret? For Sharon and Dave Ramsey, it’s not one thing but a constellation of choices and commitments that compound over time.

• Communication principles start with money. Their non-negotiable rule: budget together, monthly, every single month. This isn’t about one spouse controlling the other—it’s about unified vision and mutual respect. Money fights destroy marriages, but money agreements build them. Sharon and Dave learned this through crisis, and they’ve maintained the discipline through decades of abundance.
• Money management as partners means neither spouse makes major financial decisions unilaterally. Dave teaches this principle publicly because they live it privately. The partnership isn’t about equal earnings—Sharon’s contribution as stay-at-home mom during critical years had immeasurable value. Partnership is about equal voice, mutual respect, and shared responsibility for outcomes.
• Shared decision-making extends beyond finances into every major life choice: where to live, how to raise children, which business opportunities to pursue, when to say no despite pressure. Sharon’s strategic wisdom has protected the family from pursuing growth that would compromise values or stability.
• Faith and commitment provide the non-negotiable foundation. Divorce simply isn’t on the table, which changes how conflicts are approached. When leaving isn’t an option, you find ways to stay and thrive together. Their Christian values teach that marriage reflects Christ’s commitment to the church—permanent, sacrificial, and transformative.
• Weathering public scrutiny requires unified front. As Dave’s platform grew, criticism and attention increased. Sharon’s choice to remain private while supporting Dave publicly demonstrates mature partnership—she doesn’t need spotlight to have influence, and she protects their private life from becoming public consumption.

• Supporting each other’s roles means Dave honors Sharon’s choice to focus on home and family, while Sharon champions Dave’s public mission. Neither diminishes the other’s contribution; both recognize that different roles serve their shared vision.

Their 40th anniversary celebration in 2022 marked four decades of choosing each other, choosing faith, and choosing the hard work that makes marriage after bankruptcy not just survivable but thriving.

Marriage Advice They Share

• Budget Together: Never, ever manage money separately. Unity on finances creates unity everywhere else. Monthly budget meetings aren’t romantic, but they’re relationship-saving.
• United Front on Money: Children, extended family, and the public world should see complete agreement on financial values and decisions. Work out disagreements privately; present unity publicly.
• Regular Date Nights: Protect couple time fiercely. The marriage that survives 40+ years is the one that’s cultivated, not just maintained.
• Faith First: When God’s priorities order your life, everything else falls into proper place—including how you handle money, raise children, and weather storms.

Sharon Ramsey’s Net Worth and Financial Philosophy

Estimating Sharon Ramsey’s personal wealth separate from Dave Ramsey’s is somewhat artificial since they’ve built everything together, but understanding the context matters. Dave’s net worth is estimated around $200 million as of 2026, making the couple exceptionally wealthy by any standard—ironic given their teaching about the dangers of leveraged debt and the importance of living below your means.

Sharon’s views on being a stay-at-home mom during their wealth-building years reflect both conviction and vulnerability. She’s publicly discussed the guilt she felt during bankruptcy, wondering if her choice not to work outside the home had contributed to their crisis. This honest grappling with a decision many women face—career versus home, financial contribution versus family investment—makes her relatable despite current wealth.

The value of non-income contributions is central to Ramsey teaching, largely because of Sharon’s experience. Her work raising Rachel, Daniel, and Denise, managing the household during the eight-year recovery, and providing emotional stability while Dave rebuilt wasn’t captured on tax returns—but it was invaluable to their ultimate success. This is why Dave so forcefully teaches that stay-at-home parents contribute enormously to family wealth, even without paychecks.

Their debt-free living philosophy, forged in the fire of bankruptcy, now governs how they handle extraordinary wealth. No car payments, no mortgage, no credit cards—the same rules they teach millions apply in their own lives. This consistency between teaching and practice is rare among financial gurus and contributes to the Ramsey brand’s credibility.

Lessons from Sharon Ramsey: What We Can Learn

Sharon Ramsey’s life offers profound lessons for modern couples navigating financial stress, entrepreneurial ambition, and the challenge of building something that lasts.

• Standing by partners during crisis doesn’t mean enabling bad behavior or accepting abuse, but it does mean commitment that goes deeper than circumstances. Sharon could have left when bankruptcy hit—many would have. Her choice to stay, fight, and rebuild together created the foundation for everything that followed.
• The power of private partnership challenges our culture’s assumption that influence requires platform. Sharon wields enormous influence through strategic wisdom, home leadership, and character modeling—none of which requires social media following or public speaking. Her example frees people from the pressure to perform publicly to matter.
• Faith in hard times becomes either hollow cliché or genuine anchor depending on how it’s tested. Sharon’s faith wasn’t prosperity gospel—it was tested through humiliation, scarcity, and grinding recovery. The depth of faith forged there now sustains through abundance and public pressure.
• Raising financially literate kids requires more than teaching—it requires modeling. Sharon couldn’t just tell Rachel, Daniel, and Denise about budgeting and delayed gratification; she lived it daily during their formative years. This is why all three now handle money wisely and teach others to do the same.
• Character over comfort summarizes Sharon’s core value. She could have prioritized ease over integrity, comfort over commitment, or image over authenticity. Instead, she consistently chose character, creating a legacy that transcends financial success.
• Long-term thinking in a short-term culture is countercultural wisdom. Sharon and Dave made decisions in their twenties and thirties that set up their sixties and seventies. The delayed gratification, the debt-free commitment, the faith investment—all required believing that future rewards justify present sacrifice.

Practical Takeaways for Modern Couples

• Financial Unity: Create complete transparency about money. Joint accounts, joint decisions, joint responsibility. Marriage after bankruptcy or any crisis requires this foundation.
• Supporting Entrepreneurial Spouses: If your partner is building something, your support—emotional, practical, spiritual—contributes enormously even without direct business involvement. Sharon’s example shows that behind-the-scenes partnership enables public success.
• Faith-Based Money Management: Whether Christian values specifically or other deeply held principles, let convictions govern finances. The Ramseys’ bankruptcy recovery succeeded partly because biblical principles about debt, stewardship, and contentment provided roadmap and motivation.
• Protecting Privacy in Public Life: Not everything needs to be shared, even in our over-exposed culture. Sharon’s boundaries model healthy relationship with attention and platform.

Common Questions About Dave Ramsey’s Wife

How old is Sharon Ramsey?

Sharon Ramsey is 65-66 years old as of 2026, having been born in 1960.

How did Sharon and Dave Ramsey meet?

They met at the University of Tennessee in the late 1970s during their college years.

What does Sharon Ramsey do for a living?

Sharon is an author, community leader, strategic advisor to Ramsey Solutions, and focuses primarily on family and grandchildren.

How many children do Dave and Sharon Ramsey have?

They have three children: Rachel Cruze (financial speaker/author), Daniel Ramsey (Ramsey Solutions Senior VP), and Denise Ramsey (charitable work).

Did Sharon Ramsey want to divorce Dave?

During the 1987-1988 bankruptcy crisis, Sharon admitted wanting to leave but choosing to stay and rebuild together.

What is Sharon Ramsey’s role in Ramsey Solutions?

She provides strategic input and wisdom on major business decisions while remaining operationally behind the scenes; she co-authored Financial Peace.

Conclusion

Sharon Ramsey represents the foundation upon which Dave Ramsey’s public success is built—a partnership forged through bankruptcy, sustained by faith, and characterized by the quiet strength that chooses commitment over convenience.

The faith, family, and financial peace triangle she helped create matters profoundly in 2026 because millions still struggle with the same challenges the Ramseys faced: debt dangers, marriage stress, and the search for purpose beyond paychecks.

Their story proves that crisis can become curriculum, that private partnership enables public impact, and that resilience rooted in Christian values creates legacy that transcends generations.

Apply these principles: budget together, lead with faith, value partnership over platform, and build character that outlasts circumstance.