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Jan 12, 2009

Kim rated it:

Let's face it: If common-sense Suze Orman was in charge, the country would likely be in a lot better shape. She serves up plenty of tough love in her latest book, which launches with an overview of how we got into our current economic mess, which she says is the fall-out of "a wild, drunken party of dishonesty and greed on a national scale." Yep.

This book comprises scores of helpful Q&As, with advice that is specific to this moment in time. Can paying just the minimum due on More...

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Nov 05, 2009

BarkLessWagMore rated it:

Published in late 2008 this book was written just when the fallout from the economic crises was beginning to hit the average American schlub. As of November 2009 things only seem to be getting worse as each day passes. Unemployment is much higher than the #'s quoted in her book and every day more businesses are closing up shop.

This book was written as a guide to help people deal with the devastation of the changed economy. It's written in a question and answer format.

Most of More...

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Mar 17, 2009

Kathrynn rated it:

Great book, full of insightful, straight-forward investment tips for this crazy economy. Easy to read. Neat question and answers in each chapter. Took me a little over 2 hours to read it!

Curious as to what to do in this economy with investments? Keep investing. Now is the time to buy stocks.

Should a person stop investing in their IRA? Nope. Buy low, sell high. Ride it out. Now is the time to buy shares. Market will return, but maybe not until 2014 or 2015, sh More...

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Apr 13, 2009

Susanna rated it:

I love this book! Orman continues to provide clear concepts and direct answers to the common financial questions in 2009.

This big font book is fast to read and easy to digest. Orman touches upon topics such as how to rescue your FICO scores, how to defer college loan payments (for those poor fellas who just graduated and can't find a job), and how to allocate your retirement portfolio.

We all know a standard financial advising boilerplate does not cover the continuum of e More...

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Mar 31, 2009

Sharon rated it:

This book is mostly for people with a truckload of debt who are anticipating a major life event (such as a child entering college or retirement) in 2009 or shortly after. You can read '2009 Action Plan' straight through or skip to topics of interest because it is written in question and answer form.

4 things you should know:

1. Suze Orman makes 2009 sound like the Apocalypse.

2. This book is not for broke people. Suze assumes you already have a 401k, stocks and More...

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Jan 13, 2009

Rosey rated it:

I'm surprised at how quickly she wrote this book. It's a great kick-in-the-butt for people who obviously don't know or chose to ignore basic financial training. I don't know much about her, but it seems like she's been giving this advice constantly (an unlimited text plan is a want not a need, if you don't have a retirement fund you can't afford a second home, etc) so I'm not sure why people will start to listen to her now.
But my mother sent me the link to download it free (thanks Oprah) a More...

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Jan 07, 2009

Marsha rated it:

This is a great book as it addresses the present economy. The poor state of the economy has affected me personally. I was laid off from my job in February 2008 and have only been able to find temp work or no work at all since then; I lost $10,000 in my IRA so far and I've been using my savings to supplement my unemployment benefits. What to do about it? I felt like Suze's book addressed me personally. For one thing, I won't be retiring for about 15-20 years, so someone in my shoes, Suze's su More...

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Jan 14, 2009

Lisa rated it:

Suze Orman is just fantastic--she's level-headed, incredibly honest and blunt about the way that we are currently living our lives (on credit, in debt, and not living within our means) and has great practical advice for everyday Americans. The best advice I got out of this book:

1. First things first: pay off all credit card debt quickly. Having a balance on one or more credit cards per month is not living within our means.
2. Save at least 8 months worth of living expenses. Espe More...

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Jan 08, 2009

Matt rated it:

I'll take 5 minutes to write a quick review.

This was a timely book, considering the economics of the last six months. I found it to have some useful info and hope to use some of the advice in the coming year.

I really want to comment on how easy this book must have been to write. Although the author spends a few short chapters giving an overview, the majority of the book consists of questions and answers posed by her clients or readers/listeners. Since she does a TV show More...

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Jul 19, 2011

Lesley rated it:

Wow! This lady really knows her stuff. This book was written at the end of 2008 to help us prepare and have an action plan for the Global Credit crisis in 2009. She talks about why you should pay off credit card debt, understanding your retirement plan, what to do in the real estate market if your home has depreciated in value due to the Economy. This book has lots of good things. Even though this is 2011 now I still think it's a good idea to understand why you need a FICO score of at least More...

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Feb 14, 2009

Amanda J rated it:

This book was really about 2.5 stars but I am giving Suze an extra .5 for putting this book up for free on the web for a week. I was able to download it in under a minute and read it through Adobe Reader.

All in all it was a fast read with some interesting and useful information, explained clearly and concisely. This book is designed for people who are not experts in finance or economics. It doesn't have a lot of specifics, but if you're looking for an overview of how we got in this financial me

More...

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Jan 03, 2011

Madeline rated it:

I think it had some great info for setting up the reader with knowledge to begin navigating the world of personal finances in 2009. The link to a free download of the book through January 15, 2009 has expired but you can still read the first chapter here: http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/2...

Here's the link to her 2010 guide:
http://www.oprah.com/money/Suze-Ormans-F...

Plus the link to her 2011 blue print:
http://www.oprah.com/money/Suze-Ormans-M... More...

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May 04, 2009

Claire rated it:

These sorts of books are kind of a bad habit of mine. Yes, they tend to be obvious to an extent, and all. But the random tidbit! There *could* be a random useful tidbit! It's hopeless.

I also get a kick out of how she says in the early part such things as "Follow the advice here and you will know exactly whta you need to do to adapt to the new post-meltdown reality," and "I promise I will never steer you wrong or put your dreams of a secure future in peril. You can coun More...

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May 14, 2009

Jodi rated it:

Someone told me about this book being available for free from Oprah's website for a limited time, so, since I enjoy good financial planning books, I thought I'd take a look at this one. I read the entire e-book in about 1/2 hour. This book is mostly meant for people who have major difficulties with anything financial (lots of credit card debt, risk of foreclosure on a home, etc.). If you feel like you manage your money pretty well this book is not for you.

I found most things in More...

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Feb 18, 2009

Hannah rated it:

Not too many surprises here. We just finished teaching FPU at our church and the same principles applied here that Suze gave. I thought the chapter on college savings was way out of step with the rest of the book. She seemed to say that you should be very frugal, save and not add on more debt except when it came to your child's education. Did not add up to me.
I mostly read it so I could find out more about investing in mutual funds. Many of my friends are getting out of the market co More...

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Apr 28, 2009

Caddie rated it:

This book is great for the times. I love watching her on Oprah and her straightforward get out of debt and save attitude. It is nice to have a financial leader in these times tell people 'no'. I always cringed when it came to using credit, so it is nice to have her tell you how to save it during this time. Everyone will learn something from this book. I learned why our economy went down the cracks and how it relates to me personally.

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Feb 22, 2009

Darla rated it:

I am shocked by all the negative reviews of this book. Mind you, it's not written for hard core savers who watch Suze's (or Dave Ramsey's or any other financial guru's) show but for people who have just woken up and realized that they are in a financial bind. For me, most of the information was redundant or just didn't apply but I would highly recommend this book to other people who are financial newbies.

Of course the best first step you can make toward getting your finances in order More...

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Aug 11, 2009

Suzanne rated it:

I really enjoyed her tough-love message on finances. We all know we need to curb our spending and figure out what our "wants" vs. "needs" are. It's wise to have an emergency fund. Personally, I didn't agree with her advice on temporarily halting charitable donations until you are more financially secure. Overall it was a good book to read to get you thinking about your finances and great question and answer sections.

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Nov 11, 2009

Michelleawagner rated it:

My friend Saja told me this was a good book on financial stuff, and I figured I need all the help I can get. I finished this book on Nov. 1. It is something everyone should read--I already knew a lot of the financial info. shared in it, but some that I did not. Regardless, it really puts you in your place and made me realize every day I make decisions that could have lasting effects on mine and my family's financial future. It is a really fast and easy read. Now I am reading Debt Cures and we More...

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Jan 25, 2009

Holly rated it:

It was ok. I think there are better books out there for this type of thing. I'm going to try Dave Ramsey. She makes suggestions for one to have financial freedom. Two of those that annoyed me were as follows: 1. A woman must consider going back to work (if she REALLY cares about her family) 2. Stop making charitable contributions.

And you wonder why people think she's a B.

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Feb 18, 2009

Faye rated it:

It had a lot of information in it and helped me to realize that we are doing better than I thought that we were. We have not saved up the 8 months of living expenses at all. It was in an easy to read format so you would not have to read the whole thing if you did not want to. And you can annoy your spouse with too with "Suze Orman says ...."

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Jul 25, 2009

Jessica rated it:

I like the way she puts financil mysteries in a way I can understand. When she talks on Oprah it makes sense. My goal is to have 8 months of cushion.

I'm also now reading another of hers about wills and trusts. I ask myself: Why do people never talk about this stuff? I feel very ignorant. I want to be a better financial manager.

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Apr 05, 2009

Julie rated it:

If you've read any of Suze's other books, there's not a lot that is new here. It's geared towards actions to take in our current economic crisis, although, the advice is pretty similar to what it would be any other time. Only here, the emphasis on having an emergency fund (8 months minimum) and paying off debts is much more crucial.

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Feb 16, 2009

Sheila rated it:

I'm a little suspicious of her any time she "guarantees" that a certain plan will work; I don't think anything in this economy is a sure thing. But her advice on paying down credit cards, paying for college, and building a savings account is sound. I can't speak for the real estate chapter since I don't deal in that area often.

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May 15, 2009

Annie rated it:

she's totally in-your-face and not very nice, but some times tough love is what a person needs! and she was absolutely right - saying to get your credit cards paid off b/c banks were going to skyrocket the interest rates... we paid ours off and within months, companies were making news headlines with 20+ percent rates!

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Apr 11, 2009

Lemy rated it:

This book is useful as it emphasizes some of the ideas that you already know, but maybe ignore due to thinking that it will not make a big difference in your life. However, it's mostly directed to people who are living in the US as it talks about how to manage taxes and portfolios according to the American law.

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Mar 29, 2009

Noelle rated it:

Oprah let us download it for free a month or so ago so I did. I just browsed it... wouldn't say I read every word... But I like Suze's no-nonsense style and I trust her. Plus, I was interested in hearing what she had to say about buying a home in 2009. I think she'd approve us. I hope!

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Sep 22, 2009

Becca rated it:

I'm listening to this book but sometimes the "action plans" are too complicated to listen to because they involve concepts I'm not familiar with. I'm just at the "get out of debt" stage, so the investment suggestions are not relevant. She's down-to-earth though and no-nonsense.

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Jul 04, 2009

Amy rated it:

I though this was pretty good advice on a lot of things I had questions on. She does a good job of explaining how the U.S. got in the mess we are in. I never really understood this. It answered a lot of my questions on credit cards, home equity line of credit, and refinancing my house.

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Jan 30, 2009

Carterk77 added it

This book is kind of a rehash of all her financial advice. I used to really like Suze, but then realized she just says the same thing over and over. There is never any new advice...thank goodness she offerred this book for free download- not worth the money to buy it!

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