Questions about FPU

[Shondra]

DH and I have been on Dave's plan for almost a year now. We are wanting to bring FPU to our church and are planning on facilitating it -- we decided that it would be best to actually ATTEND FPU first. So we've been going at another church; we're about 1/2 through.

The class we're in has absolutely no discussion... Or, rather 'discussion' will go something like this:

Facilitator: "The question here says 'do you ever feel bad about getting a bargain?' BOY, I sure don't! Next question..... Hmm... well, this doesn't really apply to us.... I guess we'll see you all next week?"

We've got no homework, no reading assignments; the facilitators have said all we have to do is show up, watch the video, and do a budget from time to time. Our facilitator has been doing Dave's plan for 7 years and STILL is paying off a car and other debts. :saywhat: (We, on the otherhand, got gazelle, paid off all our debt in 9 months, have read all of Dave's books, always do a budget, etc... the facilitators admitted to hating to do budgets and stated that they rarely do!)

Anyway, I was wondering what kind of environment we should strive to foster when we lead FPU? Accountability is a big part of it, isn't it? Those of you that went through FPU, how was it done? Was there a lot of discussion? Relationship building? I just want to make sure that the people going through it when WE are leading it get more from it than we're currently getting. If we hadn't already been Dave-fanatics, I doubt we'd be getting much of anything from FPU.... Thanks for any input!!

[Cathe]

Are all of the FPU classes done on video?

[Dorothy]

Cathe, the classes are supposed to start with brief intro, then watch a video (they are REALLY GOOD), then some discussion.

Shondra, I really like having REAL discussion. It's hard to find the balance with topics like money, but I think the more open you can get people to be, the better.

[pcmedic]

I would contact Dave's office. Facilitators are representatives of Dave, and they will "fire" coordinators like this. Sounds like they have no business leading FPU.

David S.

[bjreardon]

I'm currently in FPU. Just had my 3rd class. I really like the leader. He is a nice guy. My one complaint is that he seems very intent on everyone keeping their "business" (i.e. financial situation, budget figures, etc.) private.

I would like a bit more sharing. I listen to Dave's radio show everyday and I think he asks every caller "what is your annual income?" "what is your total debt?", etc.

I would like to get into the nitty gritty of sharing the details of my financial mistakes, my financial situation, and the progress I have made - suggestions of what more I could/should do.

I was hoping the class would be an open environment where finances, a taboo topic in most social circles, could be openly discussed.

[fulltimemama]

That's not how discussion is supposed to be led. Our coordinator does a nice job of leading discussion by starting with his own experience and then opening the floor. We have a couple who have been doing this a long time, two couples who have been doing this a short time, and two couples plus one single who are just now hearing of Dave's program. So it's an interesting mix. We aren't finding a lot of accountability in the group but we are enjoying the teaching. Each week we pick up a few new things from Dave.

I agree that you might contact Dave's office with your concerns. It's very important that things be done the way he intends or else it won't flow properly. Good luck!

FTM