Want to Know More About Susie Orman?

By Shad Charter

Suzan Lynn Orman was born to Ann and Morry Orman in Chicago, Illinois. Both her parents were Russian immigrants of Jewish origin. Her parents owned a deli at Hyde Park in the city. A student of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work from here. In 1973, Susan moved in Berkeley with a friend, where she lived in a van on Hearst Avenue for three months. After that she took up the job of a waitress at the Buttercup Bakery which is situated on College Avenue.

Who is Susan Orman?

• Although not many know Susan Lynn Orman by her birth name, she is more popular as the host of the CNBC financial planning show, The Suze Orman Show. Orman claims that she grew up as a middle class child who did not have a lot of resources back then.

• During her stint at the bakery on College Avenue, she received generous aid from one of her regular customers, Fred, who gave her $50,000 so that she could open her own restaurant. However, within a short time, she lost out on the money that she had put into Merrill Lynch due to some illegal operations run by her stockbroker.

• Susan Orman knew that it was impossible for her to retrieve the money by working as a mere waitress. Hence, she went back to Merrill Lynch and enrolled for their training classes. Here she was successful in discovering the fraud committed by her broker. She sued him for his actions, resulting in receiving the full amount of $50,000 back along with heavy interest. Orman returned the loan that Fred had given her so generously.

• Suze Orman worked with Merrill Lynch till 1983, after which she accepted the post of vice president at the Prudential Bache Securities. Once she had exhausted her potential here, Orman went on to open her own financial planning firm by the name of The Suze Orman Financial Group. In 1997, she gave up her post as director of the company to concentrate on her flourishing writing career.

• Other than her show on CNBC, Orman also hosts a show with the QVC, known as Suze Orman's Financial Freedom. She has been awarded two Daytime Emmy Awards for her contribution to the pledge drives for The Laws of Money, The Lessons of Life and The Money Show for the Young, Fabulous, & Broke. Orman has also received the Vito Russo award for her contribution to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

• At the end of every show Orman ends by saying "People first, then money, then things". Her vision is to spread awareness among Americans regarding their financial capability and decisions.

• On her segment of "Can I Afford It?" on The Suze Orman Show, she receives phone calls from various citizens who are looking to buy different consumer goods and assets. She analyses their income, savings and credit card debts to come to a conclusion about their ability to make the purchase, or not.

Orman also has six New York Times bestselling financial books to her credit.

If you too are struggling with debt and don't have the time to read the writings of Susie Orman, don't let that keep you from getting your life back. The writings at http://www.susie-orman.com are inspired by sound financial advisers and will direct you toward resources that will get you back on your feet.

Shad Charter, Susie Orman Advocate