BetterBizBookClub

December 2002 BetterBiz "Book of the Month" - The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman

Full Length Review Here! 

The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom By Suze Orman  Three Rivers Press, 2000 - 338 pages  I believe many of the things stated by Orman are right on the money. If you are trying to do some financial planning or need some straight forward, no B.S. comments about managing your money Orman gets it. Plain and simple. If anyone is interested in the average American and they way they spend take a book at Credit Card Nation by Robert Manning. It is pretty scary but, between the two books, you should understand how scary this recession could become (Manning) and how people get really emotionally tied to their money (Orman). Unfortunately, I am unemployed right now but, because I had put aside 25k in cash and had zero debt, I have been able to spend my time off being with those closest to me and I have been visiting family and friends in Canada and throughout the U.S. while not having to be stressed out about my bills. In the past, my life wasn't run this way and I spent and spent away. However, I changed my ways and life has been more pleasurable since then. After reading the book and reading her thinking on cars I have decided that my '96 olds aurora (paid for) with 76,000 miles on it, looks pretty good and has been kept in great shape. I decided that it was worth driving the thing into the ground, as such a comparable car (250 Hp V-8 luxury sedan) would cost tons more and simply burden me with debt.

About the Author: Suze Orman is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers, The Courage to Be Rich and The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom, and the national bestseller You've Earned It, Don't Lose It. Currently a contributing editor to O: The Oprah Magazine, Suze wrote, co-produced, and hosted two PBS pledge shows. A Certified Financial Planner (r) professional, Suze has been featured in Newsweek, People, The New Yorker, and USA Today, and has appeared on Dateline, Larry King Live, CNN, CNBC, Good Morning America, and numerous times on NBC News' TODAY and The Oprah Winfrey Show.  Suze came to fame with her books and now is a regular CNBC commentator, is the personal finance contributor for CNBC and hosts a radio television show which is broadcast on CNBC.