Rating: 
Summary: Too much feeling, not enough analysis!
Review: On the whole this how-to book will I think help many readers start taking control of their finances, but I deduct one star because in the end her guidance puts too much of a burden on the reader's feelings. On page 236 Suze writes that you will make money if you follow your "instinctual response" (she also calls it the little voice inside you and the voice of god). But how do we know that her "kiss-of-death" clients at Merrill Lynch who always lost money were not making their decisions instinctually? Is it beyond the realm of possibility that some people sometimes have an instinct for losing money? (perhaps they do not hear the voice of god properly). I think it is wrong for Ms. Orman to leave these "kiss-of-death" clients with their instincts and feelings. (I think it would be wrong for Ms. Orman to assume their decisions were based on nervousness etc. just because they lost money.) She could have helped by asking them to surpress their instincts and feelings about when to buy and sell and told them to follow the lead of her other clients who made money (I assume almost all the time, because she says it was not a matter of luck for them), because they had the right "spirit", "attitude", and "instinct" for investment. Or she should have at least told them to give up trying to time the market and put their money into indexed mutual funds. Ms. Orman could have turned losers into winners. I don't think that that would have been above and beyond the call of duty for a full service stock broker. This book would have been more valuable if she had told us more about her successful clients. How did they develop the right "attitude", "spirit", and "instinct"? Are they basing their buy and sell decisions on feelings, gut instincts, etc., or is there also a lot of analysis of data involved? Also, I think it is misleading for her to write that it is not a matter of luck to make money for those people that have the correct instinctual response. Most people would agree that Peter Lynch and Warren Buffet have good instincts for making money but both of them have lost money because at times they had bad luck or their good instincts failed them. Suze ignores the element of luck in her book at the peril of her readers. An investor with the best instincts who just bought before 9/11 would have made a big mistake, and a "kiss-of-death" investor who, by chance, for whatever reason, sold on that day would be by luck a winner. The element of chance (luck) makes the real world more uncertain in the end than the one Ms. Orman portrays. Just because you make a decision that reflects your instinctual response it will not always be the right answer for you because the element of luck has a much bigger role to play than Ms. Orman thinks. Feeling good about things won't make them necessarily so. Having good instincts is good, but you have to be lucky sometimes.
Rating: 
Summary: More Dr. Phil Than "The Wealthy Barber"
Review: I really thought the 9 steps were going to be financial steps, but they aren't--most of them are psychological steps to being more "respectful" towards your money. That's fine and good, but some of us need to know more about the different kinds of IRAs than what childhood event formed out personal attitude towards money. This book is helpful for people who have issues with money, not really so for people who just want to know how to invest it better. Should be sold as Self-Help, not Finance.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good book by Suze - Powerful and Pragmatic
Review: While there are many books on personal finance, how many actually work? Suze Orman is undoubtably the m ost read, most listened to and most passionate financial author/advisor right now. She is also the most credible and most knowledgeable, especially among the female sector. A close second would be Jean Chastby or Terry Savage. Suze really pounds the credit card dilemna. It is unfortunate that so many companies induce the naive and get them suckered into credit card deals. Many credit cards companies are using "bait and switch" type techniques and getting consumers into such debt, that to pay off their credit card debt requires years and so much money that they could have bought a home! Some companies like Bank One are using a gimmick called "repricing" and 2 cycle billing. These people really need Suzes advice. Suze also recommends a 15 year mortgage in place of a 30 year mortgage and I agree. You pay so much more in interest with a 30 year mortgage. Likewise for auto loans. Many bank officers will have you take out a 60 month loan because the lower payments are so appealing. Wrong! Take out a 24 month or 30 month loan and save thosands for your next car purchase. Also, buy a car used rather than new and invest the difference. Suze also makes a strong case against cash value type insurance products and recommends term instead. Again, I agree. Especially as I use to sell insurance and know the drill. CASH VALUE insurance products are essentially better for the insurance salesman, not the consumer. Suze recommend no-load mutual funds and a gain I have to agree. Average investors have no business playing the stock market and statistics show that most investors lose money. Despite the recent mutual fund scandal, mutuals are still the best place for most. And unlike Quinn, Suze does explain that even no-loads carry a maintenance fee. Suze is big on index funds. At the time this book was written, that was not the best advice as the markets tanked in 2000 when the Clinton/Gore bubble bursted. And with index funds, when the market goes down, well...just run a chart on index funds from 1999 to 2004. Even with the big move up since October 2003, these funds are still in negative territory. Overall a good book. A great start for anyone interested in money management. Suze's mind-to-money concept is great and the best part of this book. I would also recommend Suze's other books, The Road To Wealth, The Laws of Money and The Courage To Be Rich. In addition, readers will find great advice on investing in More Wealth Without Risk by Charles Givens and Ric Edelmans new book, The Truth About Money. If you are having credit problems and feel you have been scamned, check out To Pay or Not To Pay. Suze great boo. Keep em coming!
Rating:
Summary: So true, so true
Review: Suze knows and points out to us what it is that's holding us back. She knows we need to put God first, people second, and money third but her insights into how to do that are Christian. I saw myself in so many ways in her book, and she's right I was worrying about all the wrong things and letting money control me, not me controlling it. Try her book, you will learn to get more, protect what you have, without being a miser.
Rating: 
Summary: Australian readers better to look closer to home
Review: While this title has some good stuff to say about our attitudes/ behaviour regarding money Australian readers would be better off investigating the work of David Koch, Noel Whittaker and Paul Clitheroe. Much of Ms. Orman's advice is US-specific -which is great if that's where you're based. If not, look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Great reference for "how to start taking care of your money"
Review: Orman's guidelines for how to become financially sound - practically and
spiritually. Very well written and full of sound, readily applicable
information. Going to study this one, chapter by chapter, with my little
sister this year as we work together to balance our personal finances.
Rating:
Summary: good for older readers
Review: this book was helpful in assisting my parents in planning their estate. however, for an under 30 reader, like myself, book was not as useful. tips are good GENERAL guidelines. for professionals who don't plan to remain at the same job for an extended period of time, maxing 401K contributions may not be the best answer. book did not give much insight into other types of investments, esp. real estate, or other more aggessive measures.
Rating:
Summary: Saved over $8,000 right away. Thanks Suze!
Review: My wife, 2 sons and daughter love to travel...and we have and continue to travel all over the country as well as over seas.A couple of years ago, I made a very amateurish mistake with two credit card companies; First USA (now BANK ONE) and Providian. I have always considered myslf pretty knowledgeable about personal finance and especially credit cards, but these two companies had little things in the fine print that had overlooked.Using Suze's advice, I was able to pay off these cards and cut them up just like Suze recommends in favor of other better cards. Her advice saved me $8,000.I also agree with Suze's advice on opting for a 15 year mortgage in place of a 30 year mortgage. You save so much money. I had already used that strategy as well as making small extra payments to pay my mortgage off in less than 10 years. You can also use the biweekly mortgage plan as espoused by Bach in hs excellent book "Automatic Millionaire."Suze recommend no load mutual funds and again, I agree. Why pay a broker for basically doing nothing? However, you must also check other costs and turnover rate with funds and be sure that these funds do no have a back in load. Some companies in an attempt to lure people reading Suze's books will advertize a fund as a no load, but in the small, small print will say there is a back end load. To these guys, remember one word...NEXT!Mutual funds are safer than individual stocks and over time can deliver 20% or better annual returns. Most inividual investors have no clue on how to invest successfully. One of the best books for indivdual stock investors is "How To Invest In Stocks" by William O'Niel, publish of IBD. Still, not for the faint of heart though.For more mutual fund information, I recommend More Wealth Without Risk by Charles Givens. This book proves a strategy called "money movement" which has you in the best investments per the economy.For example, following the money movement strategy, I was out of stocks and stock funds in 2000 and into other investments that generated 20%-40% annual returns from 2000 to 2003 while others had their portfolios dropping by 50%-75% and are still trying to catch up to where they were in 2000.Not a good strategy.I have also read Suze's other books including her newest "The Laws of Money" which I also highly recommend. The Road To Wealth is more or less encylopedic and may or may not apply to you.And as alread mentioned, Automatic Millionaire and More Wealth Without Risk are also good reads and highly recommended..Good luck in achieving your financial goals!
Rating:
Summary: Ignore that JBQ shill- this is a good book
Review: (...) (...) In any event, "9 Steps to Financial Freedom" is an outstanding book surpassed only by her newest book "The Laws of Money." This book will tap into your inner self. It is not why stock to buy or what isnurance policy is best (although Orman does cover personal finance very well in this book and by the way her [Ormans] views are quite different than Quinn's (...) "9 Steps to Financial Freedom" will take you to where you want to be financially. As already mentioned, I also recommend "The Laws of Money" by Orman and The Macmillan Spectrum Investors Guide to Mutual Fund Investment Strategies and Moonlight Investing by J.W. Dicks. Other good reads are "Talking Money" by Chatzby and the Savage Truth on Money by Terry Savage. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Top 5 insights from 9 Steps to Financial Freedom
Review: 1. Understand your past history with money:
Suze writes that, "Most peoples' biggest problems in life - even those that appear on the surface not to be money related - are directly connected to their early, formative experiences with money." Think back to when you first started to understand money and its consequences: fights your parents had, presents you wanted, how much money your family had compared to your neighbors. 2. Face your fears and create new truths:
Take a piece of paper, and write down your fears related to money. When you're done, compare what you've written to your past history. Keep thinking until you see the connections. Then, write down a new, positive truth that is expressed in the present tense and that you can remember precisely. For example, "I save $200 per month." 3. Be honest with yourself:
Without much thought, you probably waste too much money on items you barely use or enjoy, but try ripping up a dollar bill. Most people can't do it. You need to recognize how much of our society is calculated to create a distance between you and your money, so that you lose this healthy desire to protect it. Get back in touch with your money. 4. Be responsible to those you love:
Face the reality of your eventual death, and put in place a system to protect your loved ones when you are gone. This includes not just sufficient life insurance, but also well-written wills, trusts, and other key documents. 5. Be respectful of yourself and your money :
Suze's 2nd law of financial freedom is, "Respect attracts money - disrespect repels money." You need to be respectful of your money. Write down the ways you are respectful and disrespectful of your money.
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