The thought of “becoming a millionaire fast” appeals to nearly everyone, but it’s actually a rarity. While some speculators may get lucky and hit it big, more often than not those trying to get rich quickly fail — sometimes losing everything. But this doesn’t mean that becoming a millionaire is a Herculean task.

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In fact, many pundits, including Dave Ramsey, offer a path to becoming a millionaire that — while requiring diligence — doesn’t involve any extraordinary effort, or taking on undue risk. While each person’s definition of “fast” may vary, following Ramsey’s tips can put you on the path to becoming a millionaire well before the traditional retirement age. Here are some of the most important.

Get Out of Debt

Dave Ramsey isn’t the only financial expert who emphasizes what a killer debt is to your long-term financial goals. Rather than setting money aside for savings or investments, when you have debt, it essentially just goes down the drain. And with the high interest rates that credit cards charge, your debt can become a runaway problem in a very short period of time.

According to the Ramsey Solutions National Study of Millionaires, 9 out of 10 millionaires never took out a business loan, and 73% never carried a credit card balance in their entire life. According to Ramsey, every time you go into debt, you dig yourself into a deeper hole financially. Since your most powerful wealth-building tool is your income, according to Ramsey, you don’t want to be sending it to creditors instead of investing it for yourself.

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Build an Emergency Fund

The primary reason for having an emergency fund is that unexpected financial surprises can and do occur. If you don’t have an emergency fund to cover those expenses, you’ll have to take out a loan or go into credit card debt. Since debt is a huge step backward when it comes to becoming a millionaire, it’s a situation you want to avoid. According to Ramsey, the first thing you want to do is build an emergency fund with at least $1,000 in it. After that, you’ll want to build up an emergency fund covering three to six months of your expenses.