1575 replies to this topic

[TonyBoy123]

Does anyone watch this show? It features financial guru Suze Orman answering phone calls from people with financial issues. I think she gives pretty good advice, but I mainly watch because she is a little wacky. Her personality is kinda weird and she flirts with all the men on the show. Anyway this is the only show I watch that I didn't see a topic for so here it goes.

[pleet]

I don't watch it every week but I do like it. I think it's informative and keeps me motivated on paying off credit card debt. I always thought she flirted with everyone that called in. Seems to be part of her personality.

[clichekitty]

I don't like her. I have no valid reason for my dislike of her, but something about her just gives me the creeps.

Maybe I don't like her because every time PBS does its beg-a-thon, they interrupt regular programming to show her show fifteen kagillion times in four hour blocks.

[Miss Quail]

What turns me off Suze is that white picket fence she calls her teeth. Her advice is generally sound, I think, but her know-it-all attitude grates. She acts like she's performing a magic trick every time she doles out the common sensical financial advice.

[TonyBoy123]

Her advice is generally sound, I think, but her know-it-all attitude grates.

She can definitely be a bit of a know-it-all, but since I started watching I've learned a lot. Most of the calls I hear her get are problems that are not common knowledge. In fact, I know a lot of people who are dealing with the same issues. Some of the people calling in are in serious financial trouble, and Suze lets them know what to do without seriously freaking them out.

[jegrant]

I'll admit her style is a bit odd or brash, as some might say, at times. But I think she at least tries to make the topic both understandable and interesting. She explains not only how it works, but why you should care. She also seems very "in tune" with the concept that not everyone's priorities are going to be the same. IMO, some financial wizards have their way of doing it and none other. I don't think she's like that. There are a few points she insists on, but primarily they derive from common sense.

[KathyV]

Prior to discovering the Suze Orman show I was the kind of person who steered clear of anything to do with business and finance. I would never watch business shows because I felt that all they would discuss would be stocks and all kinds of things that would be over my head. And though I love to read and visit bookstores, the business section of bookstores was the one area of the bookstore I never went to. Once again I thought the books would be over my head and boring and to be honest I was afraid of these topics because I wasn't saving my money and was living in denial about what would happen if I lost my job.

But then I discovered the Suze Orman show and got hooked because she talks in very practical terms and also gets to the psychological roots of why we spend. The people who call in are very interesting. Its almost like tuning in each week to a therapist who takes calls, a financial therapist.

Suze Orman has taught me two very important things about money. The first is that you must have at least an 8 month emergency fund in your savings account and also the importance of not getting yourself into credit card debt and if you are in credit card debt your job is to get out of it by paying off as much as you can each month to bring down the balance. These are important lessons and I owe it to Suze.

[Sidewinder]

Plus, she's funny.

Do not get B-shares. That means you will take it in the B-hind.

[whip1]

I like the financial advice, but what is with her deal with picking on the guy who reads the letters? I'm terrible--can't remember his name. Maybe it's because I was rolling my eyes and stopping up my ears when they were chatting. She seems to be condescending to him & he gets nervous which in turn makes me nervous.

Plus she calls people "girl" as in, "how ya doing girl" and that's so not cool.

[TonyBoy123]

I like the financial advice, but what is with her deal with picking on the guy who reads the letters? I'm terrible--can't remember his name. Maybe it's because I was rolling my eyes and stopping up my ears when they were chatting. She seems to be condescending to him & he gets nervous which in turn makes me nervous.

She always picks on him (his name is Jeff, by the way). Most of the time she playfully flirts with him, but on the last show she was quite rude to him when he wasn't paying attention. He didn't know what one of the terms she was explaining and asked her about it. She totally chewed him out for not paying attention. I understand why she would be a little miffed at him for not listening, but she should have shown a little tact.

[DivineShorty02]

I like her. I finally caught a couple of her shows tonight and I could really understand the things she discussed. I'm a financial novice (don't even have a credit card, still live at home, no student loans) and I am trying to learn more about personal finance before I get out of school.

[TonyBoy123]

Did anyone see her show last night? Suze checked back in with the KFC lady. The lady, who is in $36,000 in debt, charged much of her debt at KFC. Last time she was on her show, they talked about how much they both liked KFC and what their favorites were. Suze liked the hot wings the best, BTW.

Anyway, the last time she was on, Suze told her to make note of how much she was actually spending month to month, start paying off more than her credit card minimums, and get rid of her storage unit. When she spoke to her yesterday, the lady had done none of those things. She mentioned that she had just moved in with her boyfriend and was out of a job.

Suze felt that moving in with her boyfriend, made her lose sight of her goals. and then gave her some really odd advice. She said she should put on some lingerie and give her boyfriend the night of his life and then talk about her finances. Is anyone here a financial expert? Is this valid financial advice? Just curious.

[shopnbcacn]

Does anyone know where judy crowell and jane rudolph tracy from qvc are?
They are no longer part of the QVC Host lineup?

[TonyBoy123]

I was impressed that Suze Orman won a daytime emmy. I forget who she beat out, but I was really surprised when she won. She even said in her acceptance speech that she had told her 90 year old mother to go to bed early because she wasn't going to win!

You know I think she actually beat out the Queen Bee herself, Martha Stewart. I think the category she won for was best How To show host.

[TonyBoy123]

I love to see people actually wearing, "experimental" clothes by Dutch or Japanese designers, but whatever she was wearing the last two times I saw her would have won her first place in a "Pick the most unflattering outfit you can" contest.

I've noticed that she often wears some rather questionable outfits. I watch with my sisters sometimes and they always say "what the hell is she wearing". She gives great financial advice, but sometimes it is hard to get over some of her bizarre outfits. One outfit stuck out as being particularly hideous. Did you see this shirt that was actually a pair of pants as a top. It looked like all kinds of ass. Just ridiculously bad. If that is the type of clothes one buys when filthy stinking rich, then let me never get to that point.(BTW, never gonna happen anyway)

[mom2tee]

Speaking of her fashion sense (and I use that term OH so loosely).

Please tell me that someone has seen her in the ... well how should I describe it. Pants as a top? The waistband to a pair of what looks like military cargo pants is off the shoulder as a top. BIZARRE!!!!!!!!

[greybear]

The follow-up show with Helen, aka KFC girl, was rerun tonight. She is approaching the EIQ [Emeril irritability quotient] with me; if she has another follow-up, I'll need strong drink in order to watch her. Excuse after rationalization after excuse. Is there anyone who doesn't think she jumped at the chance to move in with Rafael so that she can continue to spend as she wants while he takes care of all the bills?

I think it would have been a different show if HE had called in, or if they both were on the line. The new show this week had an engaged couple who didn't admit their CC debt to each other, but she made him feel bad about his $5K debt while she never told him about her own $20K debt! Suze told them to forget about getting married and get to know and be honest with themselves. I think that Suze would have told Rafi to kick KFC's sorry, lazy butt back to The Bronx while he still had some savings!

Suze bugs when she leaves the financial arena and becomes a general counselor. Usually it's common sense, but still she ought to leave the therapy to those who are trained.

She's wacky but I think her financial advice is solid. I get a lesbian vibe from her, but I can't explain why. It might have something to do with the fact that she's in her 50s, has never been married, and avoids using pronouns [she says "this person" and "that person"] when she talks about her relationships. That's probably narrow and stereotypical.

I was glad that she offered her will and trust kit for free in September. I jumped online and got a couple so that I could share them with friends. It was very timely since I was just fixin' to start working on my will around that time.

Edited by greybear, Nov 21, 2004 @ 5:21 AM.

[Spaz Cadet]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks that green, square, button-y thing she wears is a travesty.

Lately I've noticed her in a commercial encouraging people to buy new cars from (big auto company) because they offer super-low financing. While what she says makes its own sort of tautological sense, I'm even more repulsed by this than her clothes.

[greybear]

Is her mum dying? She usually talks about how her mum is doing so well, "trying things she's never tried before" is how she puts it, although she never says what those things are.

[TonyBoy123]

Is her mum dying? She usually talks about how her mum is doing so well, "trying things she's never tried before" is how she puts it, although she never says what those things are.

I never heard her say that her mom was dying, but she is quite old, I think she is 89 years old.

Lately I've noticed her in a commercial encouraging people to buy new cars from (big auto company) because they offer super-low financing. While what she says makes its own sort of tautological sense, I'm even more repulsed by this than her clothes.

I totally agree with you on this. I mean doesn't she have enough money as it is. Is is really worth it to do this commercial when your credibility is at stake. I like Suze and I think she gives good advice, but this was not a good decision. I also was angry when I heard that she was selling her own insurance or something. Considering how she feels about insurance agents selling worthless policies, this is just too much of a conflict of interest.

The follow-up show with Helen, aka KFC girl, was rerun tonight. She is approaching the EIQ [Emeril irritability quotient] with me; if she has another follow-up, I'll need strong drink in order to watch her.

The KFC girl totally bugs. If you are going to go through the trouble of going on Suze's show, then why on earth would you completely disregard her advice and then allow yourself to be on a follow-up to show what a fuck up you are. The lady who ended her engagement because of her fiance's debt was also ridiculous. She had 4 times the debt and chastised him because he was like 5 years older than her and thought he should be rid of the debt by now. She never even disclosed how much she owed until the show. Her former fiance looked pretty shocked over her hypocrisy.

Edited by TonyBoy123, Nov 22, 2004 @ 7:55 PM.

[greybear]

Oh, Suze, stick with the financial advice and stop trying to be a psychotherapist. She badgered Arturo [whose name she never pronounced correctly] about confronting his parents when clearly he just was not ready to do so. That's a pretty effective way to load more baggage onto someone who's carrying a lot already.

I think she has a problem with shutting up. She goes on and on, saying the same thing, sometimes in exactly the same way. She could probably take a dozen more calls per show if she'd just help people with their financial problems and not reprise how she likes to see what people look like, so she sends out the Suze Cam/Jeff's personal life or recent activities/how she's so cool because she doesn't wear three-piece pinstripe suits.

[minky]

I've read that she lives her own advice. She rarely buys new clothes and that one of her few extravagent purchases was an expensive watch. She's not alone in the dated clothing. Look out your window. Go to the mall. Maybe Stacy and Clinton will kidnap her.

[TonyBoy123]

Hey did anyone see the return of the KFC lady? She has actually been making some progress. She ditched the storage issue and has made a dent on her debt. Going from $39K to $33K. She was ,however, still annoying. Suze actually said at the end of her show that the KFC girl is just as adorable in person as she is on TV. Suze needs to get out more.

I've read that she lives her own advice.  She rarely buys new clothes and that one of her few extravagent purchases was an expensive watch.  She's not alone in the dated clothing.  Look out your window.  Go to the mall.  Maybe Stacy and Clinton will kidnap her.

I admire the fact that she lives by her own advice, but seriously does that mean you can't go and buy a mirror. The last person who called her show today complemented Suze on her clothes. She said she would be first in line to buy Suze's clothes if she ever decided to start a line of clothing. Can you imagine? There would be dozens of women walking around with pants on as tops.

[greybear]

How many more times will we have to be subjected to The Chicken Woman? I think she's hoping to parlay these appearances into some kind of TV deal—maybe a "self-improvement" show or something, or maybe she'll tour with Sooze as a "see, my advice works!" shill. Well, she certainly looked better, I have to give her that. Maybe it was just the professional makeup job.

Did anyone else notice that, when she first mentioned closing the storage unit, she said she had done it two weeks prior? [Read: "just in time" for the show!] But when Sooze asked her later, she said Sep 18 or something like that? I wouldn't be at all surprised if she never closed it but didn't want to look like a complete loser on TV, so she lied. It's certainly not difficult to get photos of an empty storage unit and a truck driver.

The last person who called her show today complemented Suze on her clothes.

I had absolutely NO DOUBT that it was somebody from this forum! I kept waiting for some kind of code word. C'mon, admit it—it was one of you guys, wasn't it?

Because it's just not possible that somebody was sincerely impressed with her, errr, fashion sense.

Edited by greybear, Dec 5, 2004 @ 3:43 PM.