It seems like most people have a love-hate relationship with Suze Orman. Either they love her or they hate her. Although she is a renowned expert on all things financial, she often gives advice in a manner that is off-putting to many people. I have never really had much an opinion about her one way or the other, and have been known to listen to her show on occasion. I had not, however, read any of her books until being loaned The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, & Broke. After having read it and taken much of her advice to heart, I have to admit to being fully on the pro-Suze Orman side.


This book is geared toward those twenty-somethings who have graduated from college and are facing their future with student loan and other types of debt. Ms. Orman talks about finances in a way that is simple and easy to understand for people with even the most minimal financial knowledge. This is a particular advantage for people who have never given a second thought to their finances.

 

The Money Book

The Money Book

One of the most helpful things I received from reading this book is the knowledge that it is not a crime to be young and broke. Yes, we have all made mistakes from a financial standpoint; we have squandered our money with no thought toward the future. We have gotten ourselves into debt with student loans and credit card debt and any other type of debt imaginable. But the message I kept hearing from this book was that it is not too late to take charge of my financial future, to rectify past mistakes and move forward toward a life of financial security.

 
From the beginning of the book, Suze Orman shows that she knows exactly what it means to have no money. Through the pages, she guides you in how to make the most of every dollar earned, and showed me exactly where to start in paying off my massive debt. In the meantime, she has also shown me the importance of my FICO credit score, how I can effectively begin to save for my retirement, and ways in which owning a home is a realistic goal, not just a dream.

 
Just like hundreds of thousands of people, I worry constantly about not just getting out of debt but figuring out a way to thrive. We all know the economy is horrible, the job market is dismal, and it can seem like there is no way out. However, reading this book gave me hope. It gave me the opportunity to look at my finances in an entirely different way, and how to use money as a tool instead of something to be spent as soon as I get it.

 
Although The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, & Broke is written with the younger generation in mind, I think that Suze Orman has authored a book that people of all ages and in all sorts if financial situations can relate to. It is now a book I recommend to anyone I know who struggles with how to handle their finances.