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5 comments about Suze Orman - The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom.

1. The book has some very valuable information for everyone. From beginning to save with a 401K or any savings plan, to Wills and other necessary documents one should and must have drawn up, its very informative. Suze refers to situations in her experience which can show us why we do or do not prepare for retirement as we should and how emotions from the past cause us to deal with money. I recommend this book for everyone to read.



2. As I have read many of Suze's books, I have tried to look for the common sense approach. While I have found this in many of her books, I have also seen a very broad blanket statement being told through out her books. That statement is to not trust Financial Advisors. While it is true that there are some financial advisors that are not honest. This is true of any profession. But this does not mean that every advisor is out to just make a commission.
   I have been an advisor for quite some years now. I have my Series 7, 65, 63 and Series 6. I am licensed in Life, Health. I also have the designation of CFP. I specialize in estate planning and wealth accumulation strategies. One of the biggest issues that I have with my profession is when some one "whips out the Suze Orman Fan Club Card". She makes blanket statements that many people do not understand. It makes my job 10 times as hard to help my clients. When they do repeat a statement that Suze has said, I many times have to go back and re-educate them as to the meaning of what she said.
   Now is Suze just spouting non-sense? Of course not. Some of her advise is very good for the very common, starting from the bottom person. But it does not provide good sense for everyone.
   If you are going to work with an advisor, do your home work. Ask them what they are licensed in. Ask them to explain to you why this is the best option and how it's going to benefit you. Ask about what their commissions are. They legally have to tell you. Do the research on each one and if they don't pass the "sniff test", kick them to the curb.
   But please, do not believe everything that Suze writes. Not all of it is true and much of it is taken out of context. Your best bet is to educate yourself with someone who has been licensed (Suze is not licensed in securities) and has written books.



3. This book is simple to understand- well put! This is a must read for everyone--makes you look at your money in a whole new light.



4. Having just gone thru a divorce, Suze Orman gives you the financial down-to-earth motivation you need to move on. Her heart-felt honest advice gives you that feeling that you CAN and WILL be able to handle your money no matter how it is affecting your life.



5. I wanted to like this, and there is some good 101 style advice in there about lump sum versus slower investing and trusts versus wills but this is basic info - the rest is baby boomer rubbish about "attracting money" with your beliefs, treating money as a "cherished friend" etc. She says it makes you "powerless" to help people out financially, that you should not help your kids pay bills, and that the only "powerful" way to give away money is to give it to your parents because you owe them for having you, and to give your money to a charity or church. So baby boomers if your gen x kids are swimming in debt from student loans hand more money to charities and places of worship and don't "lose power" by helping your kids. There is nothing in here for people under 40 and/or those struggling to start out in life under a mountain of student loan debt. Pass this one by.
   
   I strongly recommend "Pat The Money" as the antidote to this book.

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5 comments about The Sin of Harold Diddlebock.

1. I am a huge Preston Sturges fan who stumbled upon this movie. Preston Sturges and Harold Lloyd put together a real gem here. It has the Sturges touch of complete insanity encircling the "seemingly" hapless main character, Diddlebock (Lloyd). Diddlebock has lived a life of sacrafice, sobriety and told all to result in a hasty termination from his job after 20+ years. In the space of a day, Diddlebock falls into a life of debauchery and ultimately finds the fulfillment in his life he had given up on.



2. I tend to like really obscure, really old movies. Most are enjoyable while they last but utterly forgettable when they are over. Occasionally, I find a real gem I will want to see over and over again. This one falls into the first category.
   
   Harold Diddlebock was an unlikely football hero in 1923. Because he helped to win the big game, he got a job working for a big sports fan. He was excited by the prospect but it was a stagnant, dead end. Now, 20 years later, he has been terminated and has no prospects. All he has is a few thousand dollars from his retirement fund in his pocket and a serious crush on a young lady who works for the firm. He has sequentially fallen in love with each of her older sisters as they have worked for the same firm over the years.
   
   Harold is a teetotaler but when he is wondering the streets unsure of what to do, he allows a friendly bum to coax him into a bar where he has his first drink, a special concoction brewed especially for him. Depending on your perspective, he handles his liquor not at all or extremely well. When he wakes up, he finds that his money is gone and he cannot remember what has taken place. As he tries to recover his memories and his money, he learns more and more of the antics of his blackout and becomes ever more disheartened at what he learns. He was a real wild man and it is unfortunate he cannot remember what a good time he had.
   
   As he tries to repair the damage, he stumbles from one silly situation to the next in a typical mid-20th century comedic fashion.
   
   Alls well that ends well and the girl is really sweet too.
   
   There is nothing memorable about this one but it was fun while it lasted.



3. This movie is two of my favorites: The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947) 89 minutes and Mad Wednesday (1950)76 minutes.
   The movie was re-released under a new title after Rudy Vallee's scenes were cut.
   It's the story of Harold Diddlebock, Lloyd's character from 1923's The Freshman, twenty years after he was given a job by a grateful sports fan upon graduating from college.
   The job was a dead-end clerical job, brightened only by a succession of sisters, each of whom he falls in unrequited love with, each of whom left the company to marry someone else.
   Shortly after the youngest sister comes to work at the company, Harold gets cashiered on a Tuesday, handed his pension, and sent home.
   At least that's the last thing he remembers when he wakes up Thursday. The rest of the movie is a hilarious romp as he recalls what happened on Wednesday and deals with the consequences.
   Trust me, you are going to wish you could go to a Halloween Party dressed as Harold Diddlebock.



4. With the advent and proliferation of "Infomercials" and "Paid Programming" which have come to fill the late night air waves of nearly every television station in the country, one is no longer able to catch some of the little known classic films which brought so much pleasurable entertainment to earlier generations of Americans. One such case of a film fading away into obscurity is The Sin of Harold Diddlebock. Filled with witty humor and Harold Lloyd's flare for outrageous stunts, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock is a must-see film which brings the action-packed humor of the silent era into the modern age and lays the foundation for so much of what passes for comedy today. The Sin of Harold Diddlebock is a 'coming of age' story which takes a comic look at a tragic character - the American worker who, after being used up by his employer of over twenty years, is forced into retirement with nowhere to turn and no options for his future. When he finally learns to let go and get in touch with his younger self, to once again 'think,' the real action begins and he comically turns despair into the great American success story as he breaks with a number of closely held social conventions of his time. This is a hopeful, light-hearted, uplifting film. A must see for anyone who thinks that life might have passed them by.



5. First I've been obsessed with this film since the first time I saw it convulsing, and I mean convulsing with laughter. It's not funny all the way through but when it is funny it's FUNNY!
   
   Second, from a historical perspective it's very interesting. The first 15 minutes is a recycled silent film, which transitions to Mr. Lloyds first talkie. So it bridges the era's.
   
   Third how can you not see a film involving BOTH Sturges AND Lloyd? Not to mention the cream of the crop of supporting character actors. Conlin was never better, he's a great guy but you don't want to trust him one inch! The plot line is so inventive and outrageous you'll never ever guess what is coming next!
   
   Fourth, like all Lloyd and most of Sturges this is a film with it's morals completely out for the average guy. The guy with the good heart. The guy who means well and will take his honest goodness to the limit and by persevering he wins. In this case his true love Francis Ramsden. I fell in love with Francis. While not the most gorgeous of actresses in that era you just have to love her. She loves Harold despite himself because of what is inside of him. However it's never corny or saccharin. It's almost bittersweet until the end. Harold IS a loser in many ways but in the way that matters most he's a winner.
   
   Fifth - the last line of the movie. I won't spoil it for you but you have to pay attention. In fact this is not a movie for those who don't pay attention.
   
   People who don't pay attention are not going to "get this movie." The censors were not paying attention.

1 comments about Growing Up Well - Piggy Banks to Money Markets: A Kid's Video Guide to Dollars and Sense.

1. Great way to introduce children to financial concepts such as spending, saving, investing, and starting a business. It is fun, easy to watch, and the kids view it repeatedly.

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1 comments about Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy: The Agony of Reform.

1. This is one of the best designs and clearest documentary on how economic reform came about. It is a must see for those that are too young or were too busy to see it happening. It is worth owning this set so one can use repeated reviewing and pick up on the nuances.
   
   This documentary far surpasses any written works on theories (there is a companion book available). You get to see all the economists in person or film. For my part the design is not a bunch of detached sound bites but a coherent and supported (informed) display of before and after.
   
   Not to distract from this 3 volume set there is a lesser know concept that you may find imbedded in these economic reforms. Read "The Capitalist Manifesto" by Louis O. Kelso, Mortimer Jerome Adler

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