The Courage to Be Rich: Creating a Life of Material and Spiritual Abundance

Rating:
Summary: A very, very useful book
Review: It's about time that we have a book/audiobook that understands the deep psychological issues of why so many of us have such a hard time managing our finances. So many financial planners and experts only tell us what we should be doing and that is fine, but nobody wants to go deeper into understanding why so few follow the advice. The first two tapes were the most helpful for me. For many who do have negative experiences about money going back to childhood, these are the only tapes out of the 8 tapes you will need. And it's also nice to have somebody explain to me what an annuity is (in full detail) and give me basic information on how to handle marriages, divorces,deaths, etc.,etc. And the fact that she openly admits to making various financial mistakes in her past is also helpful as well. Even, if at times, her tape seems wishy-washy and overly sentimental, the fact that she speaks from personal experience and the fact that she uses real-life experiences of her clients to illustrate her points takes the condenscending attitude out of her advice which seems to riddle the advice given by other financial advisors. And people wonder why she has caused should a stir? All I have to say is that I found her audiobook very useful and informative.

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Summary: The courage to be rich is practical and down-to-earth
Review: Suze Orman is a woman with abundant endownment of knowledge. This book is a real practical book, easy to understand and follow as Suze walks you through the chapters. The various practical stories are real life examples of the laxities in our everyday life. The book reveals that a person's destiny is actually in is hands and that each of us are our individual enemies blocking our individual fortunes. I would like to read the book ten more times.

Rating:
Summary: The least informative financial book I have encountered.
Review: (This was the unabridged audio cassette version). There were some very simple financial observations given in the book, but they were very basic. The client stories droned on and on. Also, the divorce proceedings last way too long. Having seen Suze briefly on PBS, I expected something more thought-provoking than a list of pros and cons of the Roth IRA. If possible, I would give the book ZERO stars. This was a big disappointment for an expensive audio-book. Wish I could get my money back.

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Summary: mixed new age messages about money among finance 101 lessons
Review: This is one of those books that makes me think that the absolutely best way to make money is to couch any topic--any topic at all--in new age platitudes. You'll get on Oprah and have a bestseller on your hands for sure. But what do we really get with "The Courage to Be Rich"? Financial basics for the rank beginner--what's IRA, what does an interest rate mean, what are points, credit card debt is bad--unless you used it for medical care to save someone's life--then it's honorable, or "good". There's some very contradictory messages thrown in--Orman encourages you to think rich thoughts, while at the same time telling you to embark on penurious habits, like buying half gallons of cheap, chemical laden ice cream instead of feeding yourself less good quality, all natural premium pints...She tells you to try the generic of every single thing you buy, but also says she felt she fit in her first "real job" only because her mother gave her a "proper" (i.e., expensive) watch an a diamond necklace to it so she'd fit in. Orman's only nod to the fact that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer in this country and that tax breaks favor overwhelmingly, the already-haves is to mention occasionally that there are fewer and fewer tax write-offs than there used to be. But otherwise, if you're not rich it's not the economy, it's your mind set, and your shameful credit card habits. The same woman who tells you that you ARE the car you drive would have you diving into couch cushions for change...are these rich thoughts or merely addled thinking? You decide.

Rating:
Summary: Good for beginers
Review: Ive seen the video and in it she presents good basic information for those at the beginer level.

Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: Great book, I really liked it. My wife thought it was too much of the same from her two previous books. She thought that "You earned it, Don't lose it" was better.

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Summary: Easy and enjoyable reading. Great financial advice!
Review: I read this book to my husband while we took a 14 hour road trip with our family. At first he was skeptical because of the title, but before long we hard a hard time stopping for gas. The book is filled with wonderful principles about money and our emotional ties to it. I loved the personal stories, they were easy to relate to. Great advice on investing for beginners. We are now giving the book as gifts for our friends and family. Thanks Suze! I'll be looking for more titles in the future.

Rating:
Summary: You have got to be kidding Me
Review: After seeing Suze on PBS I decided to go out and get this book. About 40 pages into the work I came to the conclusion that this tome is more about marketing and salemanship than investing. There are a lot of naive people though that might buy this book thinking that it will help them, but nothing could be further from the truth. The picture on the front cover is "clownish", the advice is sometimes just as funny and the only person laughing all the way to the bank is Suze.

Rating:
Summary: One great supportive note after the other
Review: Thanks Suze for all your ideas and your encouragement. Getting rid of CLUTTER is the most important step and already I am on the way to bigger and better things, both in my work and my home life. Thank you, thank you.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful insight to the world of money
Review: I have read 9-STEPS TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM and THE COURAGE TO BE RICH both by the author. I enjoyed the realistic outlook on 9-STEPS and the wonderfully insightfullness and deep-rooted spirtual side of THE COURAGE TO BE RICH book. With the first book by Ms. Orman, I was able to start clearing up my credit card debt and concentrate on my goals in life. With Ms. Orman's second book, it was drilled in further. Two years later, my husband and I no longer have any outstanding debt and have been saving each month for a downpayment for a home. We'll be purchasing one in April, 2000 when we will have $10,000 saved. Thank you Ms. Orman and please keep up the good work and writing!