The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom

The third edition was released in 2006, so the information is fresh and current. I can't say enough good about this book. Suze gives EXCELLENT guidance, coupled with sensitive insight into how we all differ in our approach to handling money. She explores everything from the basics of getting out of debt, to learning how to invest your money and grow it - in a very intelligent, yet readable fashion. I recommend grabbing a little note pad while reading, so you've got a place to jot notes and reminders to yourself for follow-up in your own life. I made a page for each topic that applied to me, then put bullet-point notes under each heading. For example, some of my page headings would be: Wills/Trusts, Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, Term Life Insurance, Long-term Care Insurance, Long-term Disability Insurance, Credit & Debt Management, Investments-Mutual Funds & ETF's, Investments-T Bills, Money Market Accounts. Though this doesn't detract from the value of the content, I would like to see one improvement in this book: a better (more extensive) index that cross-references the 'small' sub-headings. For example, under insurance needs, it would be nice to be able to look up 'auto insurance' in the index and go to the area that gives you 'rule of thumb' for what a good policy should cover. Overall, I like this book so much, it will be the "Birthday Gift" book I give to all my family members this year! We ALL need guidance in different ways - this book helps provide that in a very easy-to-grasp way. EXCELLENT read! EXCELLENT information! Keep up the GREAT work, Suze!

I saw Suze Orman on CNBC on January 1st. Then on Larry King and then on CNBC again and the Today Show. She sold me on her knowledge and passion for helping people. So I went out and bought both 9 Steps to Financial Freedom and THE courage to Be Rich.My first course of action was to dump the loaded mutual funds that my "friendly" advisor had sold me. He forgot to tell me how much of a commission he was making on the deal. The funds I selected have outperformed the loaded funds that "professionals" had selected for me on a 1 year, 3 year and five year period. There is no evidence that loaded funds do any better than the no loads. In fact most no load funds that I have checked outperformed the loaded funds. So much for professional advice! I also redesigned my 401 (k) plan at work using SUZES techniques and followed Suze Ormans advice on CNBC to buy the CUBES-QQQ-Nasdaq Index Trust from proceeds of selling the loaded mutual funds. Had a nice run up from $54 to $68 in three weeks. Once again, thank you Suze. Great advice! I am now looking to add other ETF's to my portfolio and have set up an account with a company that only charges $2 per transaction. I like buying EFT's. You get the thrill of the stock market and buying at intraday levels plus have the safety of mutuals. You can also bypass financial advisors and other commissioned sales people and do it on your own.I noticed that Jane Bryant Quinn was mentioned in several posts reviewing Courage to Be Rich. JBQ seems to be losing popularity and notoriety. In our area and other market areas, her weekly column has been cancelled. And her book, one and only copy has been sitting on the shelf of our local bookstore for over 6 months. Nobody is buying it. I asked the sales person at the bookstore and she told me that not many people buy JBQ's books anymore. She was poplular for a short time a few years ago. Nobody asks for her material anymore. The most popular and best financial author, she said is Suze Orman. Cheers to Suze Orman! Kudos to Jane Bryant Quinn.Thank you Suze, great advice!

A very successul friend once told me that you can live off your income but you can't get wealthy off you income, you only get wealthy by investing and properly managing yourmoney.This book will kickstart you and help make you money smart.I also suggest Financial Self Defense and More Wealth without Risk to add more financial strategies to your arsenal.All three books are must reading.

Just finished reading this...and then immediately went into work and changed my 401(k) contribution to the maximum. Also am looking for a money market account and will begin managing my own IRA stuff...now that I feel more comfortable doing it. Plan to lend the book to friends, and called my parents to tell them to get a copy and start getting things in order...such as getting a trust instead of a will, getting LTC insurance, etc. I liked her straightforward writing style; she has a knack for explaining the "mysterious" world of investing and finance in a way you can quickly and easily understand. She makes you feel more confident...that you can indeed manage your money. In today's often confusing world, it was very helpful to hear that you can trust your intuition and you don't have to "fall prey" to financial advisors. Also, from personal experience, I know that her advice about "good brings good" and "respect of money will bring you more money" is true. My husband got in a serious accident a year ago and at the time we were in a bad bad financial position--no emergency funds, high credit card debt, prospects of little or no income. This "kick in the pants" helped me to take control of my money and now a year later our credit cards are paid off, we have 4 months of bills in the bank, and I am maxing out my 401(k). Suze Orman's book came to me just when I was ready for the next step, and I am putting it to good use. I highly recommend!!!