Suze Orman Fan Club Blog Community

[For a moment, I, Beth, will put on the hat of an actor. I’ll play Scrooge, to be exact, in honor of the holiday season.]

Scrooge here, Ebenezer. I’ve been asked to talk to you today about that Orman woman, you know, the one that thinks that generosity is essential to gaining wealth.

Bah, humbug, I say.  Where does she get her proof for this idea?  It sounds nicey, nicey, but is it really? This Orman lady says that you have to get rid of the money in your hands to get some back.  Now that just makes no sense at all.  Everyone should be able to take care of themselves.  And keeping your money close to you is one way to do that.

I like that guy, Kyosaki, who wrote Rich Dad, Poor Dad.  Like the way he thinks. But he’s another one that thinks like that Orman, that generosity leads to riches.

Don’t get me wrong: that woman Orman is right on when it comes to planning your estate. Very smart, she is.  She knows about getting out of debt and saving, too.  Very smart.  But this generosity issue, I just don’t know how she can be so off  of the mark.  She bears no facts, no statistics, no evidence beyond coincidental anecdotes.  And why couldn’t she just take time off of making millions on that squawkbox and get the research done! Put the money where her mouth is, that’s what I say!

Having money troubles? she says.  Give it away by the bucketfulls, she advises.  Now what kind of sense is that, I ask you?  And where’s the evidence behind it to make it so?  Is she just trying to make herself sound good?

Well, I’ll go now. I feel a breeze, and methinks I hear a fell sound of chains.  Bah, humbug to Orman and all who think like her.

[Beth here.  That was jolly fun.  Though I agree with Suze Orman that we need to be generous, I feel it for a different purpose.  Generosity bestows our better nature upon ourselves. It lifts us up to be more human, to be the kind of people we need to be.  Sometimes money really isn’t as important as all of that.  So from our home to all of yours this holiday season, here’s to you and your families.  May the Scrooge in you find redemption for the new year, and all good things in your life shine.]

Beth writes daily at her WearManyHats blog.

Money is such a difficulty these days with the economic crises getting worse. The stock market is very unstable in these days of financial difficulty. However if one person can help to ensure that you keep a firm control of your finances and learn how to make proper investments it is Suze Orman. She is becoming increasingly popular across America and many people recognize her as a household name.

Suze Orman has shared her story with many newspapers and she is well known by financial planners across the Country. If there is one person you can look to for help and support with your finances it is Suze Orman.

Suze Orman has supported many people especially when encouraging individuals to face their personal and self esteem issues surrounding finances. Suze Orman encourages people to pay off their mortgages and retain a retirement plan. Throughout her many books and interviews you will learn how to beat the credit crunch that we are facing today and stop debt from controlling your life.

For more by this author, visit sosborne.today.com a blog about The Osbourne’s and action.today.com a blog about the Performing Arts.

It is easy to see the outside influences that affect our ability to accumulate wealth.  In Suze’s book, Women and Money , she gives women tips on how to take control of our financial destinies by tapping into power from within.

Here are Suze’s 8 Qualities of a Wealthy Woman:

1. Harmony
2. Happiness
3. Balance
4. Wisdom
5. Courage
6. Cleanliness
7. Generosity
8. Beauty

In Chapter 5, Suze goes into detail about how these eight things affect our wealth in a positive or negative way.  I put this list up on my wall as a daily guide on what aspects of my inner self needs to be improved in order to live the life I desire.  I encourage you to do the same.  It is a reminder from Suze that how we are internally, has as much to do with how wealthy we are as any outside pressure.

Visit Glue 4 Families for more posts on family life by Davida.

Suze Orman’s “Women & Money” is an amazing read that women everywhere will find valuable. It is an inspiring read that sets out a plan that many will be able to follow and reach financial freedom. Suze Orman writes in a down to earth manner that doesn’t overwhelm you. Suze Orman teaches people how to save money in a practical way that many may never have thought possible. Through expert advice on savings accounts and many ways of savings she will set you on the path for financial freedom. This book is fantastic for those who have never been in control of their finances no matter what age you are.

Suze Orman’s “Women & Money” guides the way for paying off debt. This book teaches you not to be too hard on yourself, but makes you aware of how and when you spend money so that you can control the amount that you spend. By reading Suze Orman’s books you will soon be on the road to recovering from financial debt and living a better life without the worry that debts can bring.

On page 58 of Suze Orman’s “Women & Money” she says:

“What I am going to ask you to do and to learn is a pared down version of advice I have written about in great detail in my previous books. I know that many of you have read those books from cover to cover. The fact that you are reading this book, however, tells me that, for whatever reason, you weren’t able to act on what you read.”

This proves that Suze Orman’s “Women & Money” provides practical support and help that will make you more aware and interested in your finances. This is a good book that many will find useful. For those that have read previous Suze Orman books you might find this a little too basic, but it is a good book for new comer’s to Suze Orman and those who have never read her books before.

Visit Mickie at either of her Today.com blogs, The Osbourne’s or her blog about the Performing Arts.

Hi all!  It’s hard to believe that one week has already passed.  With that, you know what it means… another recap of the Suze Orman Show…

OPENING REMARKS
Suze discusses how to go about funding an IRA.  She goes on to say to invest in ETFs that pay high dividend yields (DVY).  I am a bit confused by all of it.  Basically, she is kind of saying that you should not panic so much about the markets going up and down because you will still get a dividend and this is the perfect time to pick up some cheap stocks.  She also suggests using “Dollar Cost Averaging” with ETFs so that you don’t have to buy an ETF every single month and be out a bunch of money on commissions.

GUEST
Candice used to put lots of gifts on credit cards but is getting priorities straight this year.  She will not use credit this year to purchase gifts.  She even thinks about scaling back on giving gifts.  She is concerned about being perceived as a cheapskate and insensitive.  Suze sets Candice straight by telling her that it’s probably true that no one in her family is doing well financially so she shouldn’t feel worried about this.  Suze tells the girl to “GET HONEST!” and make the family communicate with one another as far as gift giving will go this year.  Whether that be giving cheaper gifts or exchanging items that they already own.

PHONE CALLS
Lisa
I was a bit confused by her concern.  I think she was saying that there is some concern about her employees not working at 100% efficiency and she wants them to do this in order to survive during these difficult economic conditions.

Amanda
She wants to move out of her home because she is thinking of going to school somewhere else.  Suze tells her that she really should just stay in the house because the reality is that Amanda “owns the home” so she should live there and go to school somewhere nearby.  Suze just keeps saying to stay where she is and wait this one out because it’s a bad idea to sell in this current market.

Michelle
Her husband and her have a difference in opinion on what to do with an inherited IRA that is declining in its value.  Suze says to look at the investments inside the IRA and see if they are giving a dividend yield.  If they are, then you can have a piece of mind that you are being paid to save, paid to wait.  Yes, markets may go down, but as long as you are being paid to wait, it’s a better strategy with staying in the market than having no strategy at all.

Carlton
Wants to know what makes a prime rate increase or decrease with HELOCs.  Suze says: Fed Funds rate is the base and the prime is ALWAYS 3% above the Fed Funds rate.  When the economy isn’t doing well, they will keep Fed Funds rate lower in order to stimulate the economy.

CAN I AFFORD IT?

*Flight home for Christmas for $900 — APPROVED! (because of the whole “People First” thing; I still don’t get it because the woman is going to put it on a credit card and not pay it off in 100%)

*Space 1999 Spaceship for $800 — APPROVED! (kind of an odd item, if you ask me)

*Holiday gifts for her son for $3000 — DENIED! (the woman cracks me up… she wanted to “jump start the economy” but that would mean she wouldn’t have an 8 month Emergency Fund)

*Scottish Fold Kitten for $750 — APPROVED!  (I don’t really remember this one much)

*Dallas Cowboy Stadium Seats for $650 — DENIED! (because he had $3000 in credit card debt)

CAN I AFFORD IT NOW! 
A new segment— Suze has a guest who was denied call her back to see if she is able to afford it now.

*Lorraine, 52: Hermes Birkin Bag for $8900—  APPROVED!  because the woman did a lot of work in the past two years and will have her pensions cover her entire monthly expenses.

PHONE CALLS

Tim
His wife and him have a difference in opinion about “living within their means.”  Suze’s definition of living beyond your means is that if you have any credit card debt then you are living beyond your means (only exception is if it was for a medical emergency).

Dorie
She is living with her fiance and wants to know what paperwork to fill out to be protected in case something happens to him.  Suze talked about a “Life Estate” and spoke about it really fast, so this leads us to…

BEYOND THE BASICS
A life estate allows someone else to live in their home for as long as they want.  Geez, she just spoke so fast about this too.  I couldn’t keep up with her.  I think what she said was that the life estate is a legal document that lets someone live in your home if you pass away and you are not married or inherit the home.

EMAIL
Suze thanks Lou for doing the emails (I guess he’s been doing it for a year now).  The writer asks has a refund and wants to know what to do with it—pay down student loans or pay back his 401K Loan.  Suze says to pay back the 401K because if you have more money in the 401K, that money can be invested in the markets which are so low right now.  Also, we are in hard economic times so the writer might lose his job.  It’s better to not pay the student loan since it’s at a low interest rate and the ramifications for not paying back 401K are larger than not paying into the student loan.

CLOSING WORDS
Happy holidays.  People first.  Then money.  Then things.

That’s all for tonight all!  Hope you enjoyed it.  I had a hard time following it tonight for some reason, must be the paint fumes since I painted just before the show :-/  Anyway, I will NOT be doing a recap next week since I will be having a holiday party and do not have a working VCR at the moment.  Hopefully, someone else can take over for next week… otherwise, I am sure I will catch it on rerun the following weekend.  I hope that everyone has a great holiday!

Peace, -Kev

Visit Kevin’s Go Cubs Go for all the latest on the Chicago Cubs.

Suze Orman has worked in many different areas, but earlier this year she delivered a high energy crash course in personal finance to almost 1,000 service members at Fort Dix’s Timmermann Centre. Over the year Suze has worked in many different areas, one wonders where the year 2009 will take her. Will Suze continue gaining the great success and rise in popularity as we have already seen? or will people look elsewhere for advice? Certainly we need Suze’s help more with the credit crunch hitting us.

As she explained to the service men in January, “When you are happy, when you are powerful, when you are secure in who you are, then you are ready to make money,”

Suze Orman has made success with six consecutive New York Times bestsellers and hosted the weekly Suze Orman Show Saturday nights on CNBC. The two-time Emmy Award winner is one of television’s most popular personal-finance gurus.

Suze Orman certainly seemed to love her experience talking with the army. She started that discussion saying,”Hooray!” promising to “make sure everybody leaves this place ‘Army Strong.’” Orman felt honoured to be talking to the army and made her feelings known. She told the troops that what they gave to the world was more than money it was freedom.

“Our men and women in the United States military have what it takes to not only save lives, but to save money,” she added. During this talk Orman raised issues such as wiping out credit card debt, increasing credit rating, investing in real estate and other topics. She autographed 700 copies of her book “The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke,” which were given freely to those willing to complete both a Military Saves “Saver Pledge” card and a Fort Dix Army Community Service (ACS) Community Needs Assessment form.

This talk was back in January and marked the start of a very successful year for Suze Orman which begs the question what will next year be like?

Visit Mickie at either of her Today.com blogs, The Osbourne’s or her blog about the Performing Arts.

We are deep into the season of giving and there are so many individuals and organizations we would love to assist. Pretty much deciding if we are personally in the right place ourselves as being able to offer assistance is a question we ask ourselves often. We have to check ourselves sometimes to make sure that we don’t find excuses not to give though.

Giving is healthy and the right thing to do even if times are hard for us. Well, don’t take my advice on the subject; here is what Suze Orman has to say on the subject. This a YouTube clip from one of Suze Orman’s PBS show specials for her talks on ‘For The Young, Fabulous & Broke.’ Here she responds to an audience member’s question about how much to give to charities.

Visit Violette’s BigShoes, a blog for women from all walks of life.

Suze Orman is also known as Susan Lynn Orman she was born on June 5, 1951. Suze Orman has made her success as an American financial advisor, writer, and television personality. Her most successful show is screened on the CNBC and looks at financial planning it is called, The Suze Orman Show. Orman also hosts another show on QVC called Suze Orman’s Financial Freedom. More recently Orman marked the occasion of her fifth year on The Suze Orman Show and her tenth year on QVC. It is not difficult to see how successful and well known Suze Orman has become.Suze Orman was born in Southern Chicago, Illinois, in 1951. Her parents are called, Ann and Morry Orman and were both Jewish immigrants. Although Orman came from a working class family she has made her fortune through financial advice. Suze Orman holds a B.A. in social work and has previously been employed as a waitress.