Many years ago a person, who shall remain nameless, strongly encouraged me to read her books stating that "Women understand things differently then men do. She knows how to speak to women and it would be really helpful to you." I took offence, as most post-teenagers do, and avoided her like the plague.

This year I realized 3 things-- 1, I had not yet met my financial fitness education goal. 2, Not reading a (potentially) helpful book is like being sick and not trying a (potentially) helpful cure. 3, This person, who shall remain nameless, didn't understand women anyway. So what did he know about what would be helpful?

This book was years ahead of its time (as evidenced by its constant reference to the WWW instead of the internet). It puts internet advertising to shame before there was such a thing. Unfortunately, me being raised with the internet, it did repeat a lot of things that I already knew. However, I found the chapters on wills, trusts, etc., EXTREMELY informative and worthwhile. I remember once my aunt and uncle writing out a short will before taking a trip and leaving their kids with my parents and thinking--- This is so risky. What if the grandparents contest the will? Is that really legal? That chapter answers those questions. And yes. It was risky. Don't do that.

So-- the book is good and covers a good deal of ground that others, such as Dave Ramsey, don't. Worth a quick read. ( )

Orman is well known – a certified financial planner, author of several books on managing wealth, and an Emmy-winning television host. The subtitle of this book is: Practical & Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying.

There isn’t much that’s new here. I’ve followed most of her advice my whole adult life (taught by my parents). Still it was worth it to read through and remind myself of certain aspects, and it opened a discussion with my husband as we plan for retirement.

She includes practical information and clear, understandable definitions of various terms. She also cites some anecdotal stories to illustrate various points, which helps to make the information more accessible to a wider audience.

Readers should be careful which edition of the book they get, however. The first one I picked up from my library was a 1997 edition and some of the tax information in that volume is no longer accurate.
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The 9 steps to financial freedom by Suze Orman
Love the author's advice, have seen her on TV her own show and PBS. She's straight forward knowledge and caring.
Although a bit outdated as laws and rules have changed the basic advice is the same. Good to review yearly.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device). ( )

very informative on the topic of money Management and financial freedom.

The 9 steps to financial freedom are: 1. discovering your strange hang-ups about money, 2. getting over your strange hang-ups about money, 3. knowing how much you spend and how much you need to spend, 4. wills/trusts/life and LTC insurance, 5. debt reduction and saving for retirement, 6. investing, 7. charity, 8. accepting a cycle of setbacks and gains, 9. life is not really about your net worth.

Suze Orman is a genius at constructing a narrative about personal finance that makes even estate planning fun to read. ( )