| Are you moving toward financial security or are you | | | | admitted, "I, Suze Orman, took money out of my |
| depressed about your current financial situation? | | | | 401(k) to pay for that pricey Cartier watch. And |
| Suze Orman has a television show that offers you | | | | when I ran through all my money, I started using the |
| personal finance advice. People are invited to call in | | | | bank's. I eventually had more than $60,000 in credit |
| and ask her the proverbial question, "Can I afford to | | | | card debt." So she has been in trouble financially and |
| buy this item?" | | | | knows what kind of misery it brings. |
| Some things that people want to buy seem to make | | | | Dave Ramsey, popular author, radio show host and |
| perfect sense. Some requests are just outrageous to | | | | personal finance advisor had a similar brush with |
| Suze. She's definitely on the conservative side of | | | | disaster. By the time he was 26 years old, he had a |
| spending. You need to have a gazillion dollars saved | | | | net worth of $1 million dollars. That sounds wonderful, |
| to be able to afford to purchase an item under ten | | | | doesn't it? However, he ran into some problems with |
| thousand dollars. | | | | borrowing money. Soon, one of his creditors |
| Powerful, forceful, decisive and intimidating, Suze will | | | | demanded that he pay his short-term notes totaling |
| tell you the good or bad news about whether you | | | | $1.2 million. On top of that he had only 90 days to do |
| should make a purchase or not. She always says, | | | | this. He was sued, foreclosed on and with a wife and |
| "Show me your money!" You will be asked to list | | | | baby added to the mix, the Ramsey's were finally |
| your current income, your savings, your retirement | | | | bankrupt. |
| savings and the amount of debt you have | | | | His experience led him to learn more about being |
| accumulated. | | | | financially independent. He sought out every type of |
| After watching a few hours of this show, you may | | | | financial advice out there. He read everything he |
| look at your own situation and feel like a total failure | | | | could get his hands on. He has now helped many |
| and that you'll never measure up to the standards | | | | people to become financially secure. He took to heart |
| you "should" meet. You may have been through a | | | | the admonitions of F. Scott Fitzgerald, considered to |
| job loss, a divorce or a medical catastrophe and not | | | | be one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. |
| have the assets you see other people having. | | | | "One should... be able to see things as hopeless and |
| The ironic thing about this show is that a few | | | | yet be determined to make them otherwise." |
| experiences in Suze Orman's past may actually make | | | | If you are struggling financially, become determined |
| you feel better. Recently on Oprah's website, Suze | | | | to make things different. You can learn your money |
| revealed that as a young woman, she had been lured | | | | lessons by paying careful attention to getting out of |
| into the rich lifestyle and the feeling she needed to | | | | debt, building an emergency fund, and living on a |
| own things to impress other people. She frankly | | | | reasonable budget. |