Dave Ramsey Identity Theft Protection: What Is He Selling and Is It Good?

In passing, you’ve probably heard the name Dave Ramsey before, even if you don’t know what he does or advocates for. 

The personal finance celebrity has long been working to give people more control and information over their finances. He’s become a household name in talk radio as a result.

As part of this, he advocates for some products and practices. Protecting oneself from identity theft is one of those positions (and one we agree with).

However, to do so, he recommends Zander, a leading identity theft protection service that has partnered strongly with Dave Ramsey.

Note that the above is Zander’s identity theft protection page, not Dave Ramsey’s.

Outside the glitz and glimmer of the celebrity backing, we need to see if Zander is any good and how it compares to other top identity theft protection services.

Let’s look at Dave Ramsey and Zander, see how they match up, and see what you should know about them.

Who Is Dave Ramsey?

Dave Ramsey is a radio personality and writer who offers personal finance advice. 

He hosts The Ramsey Show and has written the bestseller, The Total Money Makeover.

Among his central financial positions is discouraging people from using credit cards in any way. Also, not taking on student debt and using the debt snowball method to pay it off. He also advocates for emergency funds, paying off debt as fast as possible, and only taking on additional debt for a mortgage (in limited circumstances).

Proponents will say he is excellent at giving easy-to-understand, no-nonsense advice that gets people out of debt. 

Detractors will say he might be good for financial advice but can overstep his bounds and may not understand the modern finance and credit system.

He has also been at the center of some controversies, some revolving around his workplace and others around his political views. 

Other controversies involve products he has put his name behind, which is especially relevant here. Recently, some program listeners sued Ramsey for $150 million, alleging a service advertised on his show defrauded listeners. 

While this says little about Zander, it does put Ramsey’s seal of approval into question if the lawsuit shows to have any merit.

Is He Worth Listening To?

The answer is possibly yes when it comes to personal finance, getting out of debt, and creating a stable financial life for yourself. His advice might only be for some, and many will and do disagree with his financial, spiritual, and political positions. Still, his advice has helped millions, and he has a strong following.

However, like many major media personalities, he has opinions on topics that might only be tangentially related to his area of expertise. Regarding other topics, you might want to consult other experts. Even when listening to his financial advice, his advice might be best used in the context of your own situation and after reading other opinions on personal finance.

What’s He an Expert In?

After looking at a few things regarding his media empire, writings, and more, I would say he’s an expert in a few things:

What Is His Experience with Identity Theft Protection?

So is he an expert on identity theft? No, not defending against it, and I don’t think he commits identity theft in his spare time.

He is informed of the dangers of identity theft personally and for his listeners and readers. Avoiding identity theft is a piece of financial advice practically everyone except scammers would give, and there are clear numbers to prove the ruinous consequences of identity theft.

However, there’s more to identity theft than saying, “Don’t get your identity stolen; use this service.” There are scams to keep track of, common security measures to stay on top of, and more.

On his shows, he gives perfectly reasonable advice involving identity theft or will point people toward the right sources (if not the perfect sources), but that doesn’t make him the poster child for identity theft defense. He likely knows or can contact experts, but that is not the same as being one.

Additionally, whether he is working with Zander because of the fact that Zander is an advertiser on his program or because he believes it’s absolutely the best service remains to be seen.

Would Dave Ramsey recommend Zander privately if there were no business dealings involved? We don’t know.

What Is Zander and Why Is Dave Ramsey Working with Them?

Zander is an ID theft protection service that is part of Zander Insurance. This insurance company has been in operation for over 100 years and has experience dealing with and resolving such issues professionally and promptly.

They are only one of several companies in the space, naturally, and you’ll want to review your options before committing to any of them. Thankfully we’ll help with that in a moment. 

Why is Dave Ramsey working with Zander? There’s likely a lucrative contract involved, like other brand deals. This is normal in the industry and not necessarily unethical. 

But there’s certainly more to it than “he just likes it.” There’s a reason the advertising is ongoing. 

Our Review of Zander

Zander is a quality service provider that might not have all the bells and whistles of other service providers but makes up for it by being more affordable.

Zander keeps its plan relatively simple, with only a few variations. Key features include:

Advantages

Disadvantages

Dave Ramsey’s Endorsement of Zander

Outside of Ramsey advocating for Zander, Zander advertises on The Ramsey Show. Remember that Ramsey generally endorses the company, which offers insurance, not just identity theft protection. This should play a key role in how you interpret the situation.

On Zander’s site, there is a statement regarding Dave Ramsey’s statements on Zander.

Here is a selection from it:

Dave has authorized Zander Insurance Group to use the statements appearing on this website. Dave Ramsey and his company receive no compensation from Zander Insurance Group for the use of Dave’s comments on this website. However, we do want you to know that Zander Insurance Group is an advertiser on The Dave Ramsey Show. You may obtain more information about Dave Ramsey and his show at www.ramseysolutions.com/shows. Dave Ramsey and the Lampo Group, Inc. do not offer or sell any insurance products or receive any compensation from Zander Insurance Group derived from or dependent upon the sale of any insurance product or other services.

How Does Zander Compare to Other Services?

When choosing identity theft protection, a comparison is the best tool for determining what’s right for you. Therefore, let’s look at how Zander stacks up against the competition.

Aura

Aura is our top choice for most people and for a good reason. 

Aura’s pricing is higher than Zander’s month-to-month but affordable with the right plan and a bulk deal – especially if you use our discount code. 

Aura offers superior services in most measurable categories. 

LifeLock

One of the biggest names in ID theft protection, LifeLock by Norton can be an amazing choice when paired with other services and if you have children. Overall, it features fairly good service and everything you would expect, if not the best of what you expect. Still, it’s generally a tier above Zander in most regards, except for the price.

Identity Guard

Identity Guard, also from Aura, is in many ways a simpler version of Aura, using the same engine but offering fewer features.

In general, from our testing of the two services, we found that Identity Guard outclassed Zander in most ways except for the price. 

IDShield

IDShield is not only a more expensive option than Zander but a more expensive option than practically every other major option at $19.95 per month at this writing for the best plan. A value plan for individuals starts at roughly the same price but isn’t as competitive with features. 

However, comparing it with Zander, it’s pretty clear that Zander is affordable while IDShield is more robust.

• IDShield has credit monitoring services. Zander does not.
• IDShield has better monitoring overall and will provide more information about potential threats than Zander.
• IDShield has a sleeker and easier-to-use UI than Zander.
• The two services offer comparable identity theft insurance coverage.
• Zander is clearly cheaper than IDShield.

Our ID Shield Review.

So Should You Listen to Dave Damsey on Identity Theft?

Not particularly, especially when there are entire websites dedicated to the topic and other influencers and experts you can find who work specifically in the security space, not personal finance.

You may want to listen to what he says about getting out of debt, personal finance, and building wealth over time. There are other people and channels like here at Home Security Heroes for more actionable identity theft advice. 

Conclusion – Look at the Facts, Not the Name

Zander can be a great identity theft protection service for the right person looking for certain features (and not others), but Dave Ramsey’s advocacy for it should mean nothing to you. 

He specializes in personal finance, not identity theft protection, and it doesn’t seem like his previous brand deals were made with the customer or listener in mind. You might have heard of Zander through him, but that indicates superior marketing, not a superior product.

All this being said, you absolutely should use an identity theft protection service. We recommend Aura for most users, though you might want to use Zander or another of the popular options.