Today on Oprah ...

Suze Orman with Emergency Financial Advice for America

Anyone else want to watch it and meet back later to talk about it?

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I'm totally going to watch it this afternoon. I'm on Pacfic time and I believe it comes on at 4 here. I'll check the boards on during and after it

I like Suze Orman, but her show usually covers pretty basic things and sometimes I wish she would get more in depth with topics. She also gets a little "counselor" on people. Sure a lot of spending and saving money has to do with personal behaviors and experiences, but she isn't a marriage counselor, but seems to forget! But I try to watch it ever saturday just in case I can learn something new.

I am going to watch it.

I also try to watch her on Saturday nights. People have to drive her crazy during her segment where she lets people know if they can afford a purchase. This past Sat, a mom of 2 with monthly income of $5500 wanted to know if she could afford private school for the kids that costs $2100 a month. This on top of her $300,000 mortgage, and 15,000 of credit card debt. Could the mom really not look at that and figure out the answer on her own?

I watched that one and couldn't believe someone would even ask. I wish that segment was longer so people could respond back and say why they thought they could afford that in first place. I mean after their mortgage payment and tuition they would only have approx. 1500 for gas/uniforms/insurance/food/clothes/retirement/cars/etc which could be done, but obviously they are having a hard time budgeting if they have a lot of CC debt.

So I don't know if anyone else watched, but I didn't think it was informative at all

I think this comment is soooo key, and people don't realize it!!!!

Also, Gucci's next comment on not finding it informative: I was going to post a different thread on it. I read or view soooo many of these financial shows/articles and always learn so little. It's easy to spout the info, but hard to follow it. The big thing: Stop Spending. But that is also so very hard. My kids always need clothes, food, etc. Stop excess spending, yes, that is easier. But I simply don't learn a lot from these things. Even Dave Ramsey. I love his message, but it's not anything new, and he's the first to say so. But I guess there are some out there who haven't heard it.

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Make someone's heart smile today.

I missed the first 10 minutes, but I agree I didn't find it informative. Instead of helping the couple to understand their money market account she came off as condescending to me. Not everyone is a financial wizard, and just trusts what their financial advisor tells them to do. I don't like how she talked down to that couple. JMO.

I felt that she talked down to that couple as well. She was very critical and almost condecending. We all cant be experts on the inner workings of our portfolios. However, it is our responsiblity to be informed about our investment decsions.

I did learn one thing that I wish I had known about 6 months ago. Suzie talked about "dollar cost averaging" of investments. Meaning that you do not put a lump sum of $ into a mututal fund. Rather, you take the total value of what you plan to invest and deposit it over the course of 12 months. By doing this, you reduce the risk associated with changing market conditions. We got really burned recently. In sept of 2007 we moved a substantial amount of $ from our MM Savings into a diversified portfolio of mututal funds and others indexes. Since then I have watch the losses accumulate. It makes me sick! If I had realized the benefit of investing that lump sum over time we would be able to take advantage buying into the same funds at a lower cost.

I agree, I've watched Suzie many times and she was short, critical and condecending. Oprah almost seems taken aback at bit as well.

All in all a disapointing show. Almost sad that I broke one of my rules and turned the TV on during the day.

Alas

I totally agree, Suze was extremely condescending to those she talked to. Didn't she even keep saying, "Sweetie" to one?

Now, some of you may disagree with me, but what I didn't like was how the one lady interviewed, (who used to be able to spend whatever she wanted, go traveling, not even look at the cost of things) was said to represent most of Americans. Frankly, I didn't care to hear this woman bellyache. She sat there feeling sorry for herself that she lived it up for years, didn't save any money, and now wants to know when the economy will get better.

Don't misunderstand. Anyone who makes alot of money should be able to then spend it how they see fit. But someone like her who acted so irresponsibly, and then cries, "Whoe is me" I have little sympathy for.

I wish Oprah would have interviewed people who were not only struggling now, but struggling even before the Recession hit (while this woman was off traveling around the country and having "the best of the best" as she put it). I think that would have represented most Americans. At least, all the Americans I know!