Suze Orman Quotations

A big part of financial freedom is having your heart and mind free from worry about the what-ifs of life.

A revocable living trust allows your heirs to avoid probate entirely and keeps you in complete control of your finances while you're alive. You can always make changes to what's in the trust and to how you'd ultimately like it managed or disbursed.

I generally encourage people to make good on debts when they have enough money to repay them. But once a delinquency has been reported to a collection agency, paying it off won't help your FICO score. The damage has already been done, and the blemish will remain on your credit report for seven years.

I want to conquer the unknown. I really, really want to live on the water and captain my own boat. I have dreamed of going around the world on a boat.

If a child, a spouse, a life partner, or a parent depends on you and your income, you need life insurance.

If you wait to see how much money you have left at the end of the month to put toward savings, the answer may be zero. So, set up an automated monthly transfer from your checking to savings account. Once you lock into that commitment, you'll be forced to scale back spending to make ends meet.

You must trust yourself more than you trust others. Pay attention to your inner voice - it will tell you if how and in what you are investing is right for you.

When you lose something in your life, stop thinking it's a loss for you... it is a gift you have been given so you can get on the right path to where you are meant to go, not to where you think you should have gone.

I do not think I am successful just because I have money. I'm successful because I love who I am and I have no regrets, and I'm successful because I have a great heart and I have compassion and I care and I would be happy with or without money.

No one's ever achieved financial fitness with a January resolution that's abandoned by February.

Money you won't need to use for at least seven years is money for investing. The goal here is to have your account grow over time to help you finance a distant goal, such as building a retirement fund. Since your goal is in the future, money for investing belongs in stocks.

Every portfolio benefits from bonds; they provide a cushion when the stock market hits a rough patch. But avoiding stocks completely could mean your investment won't grow any faster than the rate of inflation.

People have got to learn: if they don't have cookies in the cookie jar, they can't eat cookies.

It's impossible to map out a route to your destination if you don't know where you're starting from.

When you are grateful - when you can see what you have - you unlock blessings to flow in your life.

Many people are in the dark when it comes to money, and I'm going to turn on the lights.

Cash - in savings accounts, short-term CDs or money market deposits - is great for an emergency fund. But to fulfill a long-term investment goal like funding your retirement, consider buying stocks. The more distant your financial target, the longer inflation will gnaw at the purchasing power of your money.

Yes, your kids should go to school. No, you shouldn't bankroll their degree whatever the cost. You've spent your life creating a sound financial plan; don't upend it by suspending your retirement savings or taking out a home equity line of credit to pay for a pricey college.

The way to build your savings is by spending less each month.

We tend to focus on assets and forget about debts. Financial security requires facing up to the big picture: assets minus debts.

The key to making money is to stay invested.

Success is not how many zeroes your bank account has. It's about making the most of the life you have.

The only way you will ever permanently take control of your financial life is to dig deep and fix the root problem.

When you're happy you find pure joy in your life. There are no regrets in this state of happiness - and that's a goal worth striving for in all areas of your life.

True generosity is an offering; given freely and out of pure love. No strings attached. No expectations. Time and love are the most valuable possession you can share.

So many financial dreams are thwarted by the failure to act upon good intentions.

Owning a home is a keystone of wealth - both financial affluence and emotional security.

A wise woman recognizes when her life is out of balance and summons the courage to act to correct it, she knows the meaning of true generosity, happiness is the reward for a life lived in harmony, with a courage and grace.

I have never been a fan of bond funds. Unlike a direct investment in an individual bond that you can hold to maturity and be assured you will get your principal back (assuming no default), a fund has no finite maturity date and most funds are actively traded.

There is no law saying you have to die before your assets can be passed to loved ones. In fact, gifting earlier can be a lovely way to witness how your money helps your family thrive.

The new American dream is one of responsibility. What is the bottom-line number that you're going to be able to pay back toward a student loan responsibly if you're doing it yourself after you have a job? That dictates the amount of money you can borrow. That dictates the school you can go to, if you can even go to a four-year college at all.

If you're going down the street and you're going the wrong way, remember - God permits U-turns.

People often panic when the markets go down and sell off their stocks - but then they aren't in the game when the markets are doing well.

When someone chooses to value herself over the things she can buy, true transformation begins.

Every time you overhear something hurtful, I want you to do something kind for someone else.

There is nothing more beautiful than a confident woman.

Take free money. No matter how in debt you are, if your employer offers a matching contribution on a 401(k) or other retirement vehicle, you must sign up and contribute enough to get the maximum company match each year. Think of it as a bonus.

For seven years after college, I was a waitress at the Buttercup Bakery in Berkeley, and from there I got a job at Merrill Lynch as an account executive, from where I went to vice president of investments for Prudential-Bache Securities. I started my own firm in 1987.

If you are worried about job security and do not have an adequate emergency fund (ideally eight months' worth of living expenses stashed away in a federally insured bank or credit union), you need to focus more on saving money than paying down the balance on your credit cards.

In January we start saving money, getting out of credit card debt, funding our retirement accounts, and we're doing wonderful. Then, every single year like clockwork, starting in November, all of you fall into this trap that says, 'I have to buy this gift... I can't show up at this party and not have something for everybody.

When it comes to tackling your financial goals, whatever they might be, there's no time like the present.

It's easy to underestimate the real cost of home ownership.

Anything that gets people to think harder about their financial security and take some responsibility is a good thing.

Every financial worry you want to banish and financial dream you want to achieve comes from taking tiny steps today that put you on a path toward your goals.

Private student loans should be avoided at all costs.

Money is such an amazing teacher: What you choose to do with your money shows whether you are truly powerful or powerless.

I have a million dollars in the stock market, because if I lose a million dollars, I don't personally care.

In all realms of life it takes courage to stretch your limits, express your power, and fulfill your potential... it's no different in the financial realm.

I am a big believer that orderliness begets wealth. A pile of bills and statements - whether paid or not - is a sign that someone is clueless about what's coming in and going out. When you consciously open, read, and file away your bills and statements, you are connecting with your money and taking control of your life.

If you make time each month to give your money some attention, you'll start the next year in fabulous financial shape.

Understand and accept the cycles of money. The setbacks you may have today or next year will not keep you from financial freedom. If you hold on to your goals and dreams, you will get there.

The less money you owe, the less income you'll need and the less you'll have to save for tomorrow.

The most important loan to pay is your student loan. It's more important than your mortgage, car and credit card payments. You cannot discharge student loan debt in the majority of cases.

Time is key to building your financial security.

We never had it as rough as the kids have it today. Look at the price of a gallon of gas or a piece of real estate or a college education.

Thoughtful financial planning can easily take a backseat to daily life.

The American dream is dead for the majority of America.

Look everywhere you can to cut a little bit from your expenses. It will all add up to a meaningful sum.

Your goal should be to pay off your credit card bills in full at the end of each month and set aside money toward your emergency savings.

Money you know you need or want to spend in the next few years is savings. Money you keep handy for an emergency belongs in savings. Money you hope to use soon for a down payment on a house belongs in savings. And all savings belong in a low-risk bank savings account or money market account.

Estate planning is an important and everlasting gift you can give your family. And setting up a smooth inheritance isn't as hard as you might think.

Here's my gift-giving rule: Respect your current financial situation.

Put your financial life on autopilot as a form of 'forced' saving.

It may take you months or even a few years to build up an adequate emergency savings fund. That's okay.

The prenup needs to be drawn up months before the wedding, not days - it's not something you slap together and sign in the car on the way to the ceremony. A shotgun prenup might not hold up in court.

Credit unions are often a better deal than banks and tend to pay higher yields on deposits.

To enjoy a long, comfortable retirement, save more today.

If you pay off your mortgage before retirement, you take a huge financial load off your shoulders. You also become eligible to take out a reverse mortgage once you turn 62.

Pay off your mortgage before retirement, and that's one less bill you'll have to worry about when you're on a fixed income.

For all your long-term investments, such as retirement accounts that you won't touch for at least ten years, you need a mix of stocks and bonds. Stocks offer the best shot at inflation-beating gains. But stocks don't always go up. That's where bonds come into play: They have less upside potential, but they also do not pack the same risk.

They got married, they got divorced, and half their money goes out the window.

I am a big believer that orderliness begets wealth.

When you give, give from the place of the heart because it is the right thing to do, not the easy thing to do.

I simply want you to give to yourself as much as you give of yourself. By taking care of yourself financially, you will truly be able to take care of those you love.

If there is anyone dependent on your income - parents, children, relatives - you need life insurance.

If you're financially responsible, your children have a much better chance to grow up financially responsible.

Opposites may attract, but I wouldn't put my money on a relationship of financial opposites.

Even if you were to fall into extreme financial hardship and file for bankruptcy, you need to understand that your student loan debt will not be discharged in bankruptcy. It is the Velcro of all debts.

You must recognize, embrace, and be honest about what is real for you today and allow that understanding to inform the choices you make. Only then will you be able to build the future of your dreams.

Never invest emergency savings in the stock market.

Ignore the annual percentage rate when shopping for a mortgage.

A cash advance on a credit card is one of the worst types of borrowing because the interest rate is typically 21 percent or more.

Consider a 15- or 20-year fixed-rate mortgage instead of a 30-year, if you can afford the monthly payments - they may not be as high as you think.

Sometimes poverty is the greatest gift you can ever be given. Sometimes loss is the key that leads you to gain.

To make the most of your money, I recommend sticking with mutual funds that don't charge a commission when you buy or sell.

Everybody in America started to define themselves by all these things they had around them. And all of a sudden it came tumbling down. So the old American dream has died, and that is a good thing.

Your credit score affects the interest rates you're offered on credit cards and loans, can be used to vet your job application, and in some states may influence your insurance premiums.

Credit card companies are jacking up interest rates, lowering credit limits, and closing accounts - and people who have made timely payments are not exempt. So even if you pay off your balance - and that's tough when interest rates are insanely high - there's a good chance your credit limit will be slashed, and that will hurt your FICO score.

Credit card issuers and HELOC lenders are like fair-weather friends: They cozy up to you in good times, but when the economy heads south, they abandon you faster than Usain Bolt runs the 100 meters.

If you can't afford the upkeep of your home, it makes no sense to do a reverse mortgage. You will just end up having to sell eventually when you realize you can't afford the home, and whether you have any equity left after the sale depends on the size of the reverse loan that must be settled.

The foundation of a financial fresh start actually has nothing to do with money or specific financial dos and don'ts.

I want to be clear here: It does not matter what you say in your will or trust; the beneficiary document attached to your IRA accounts and your life insurance policy overrides what you say elsewhere. If you want to change the beneficiary, you must change the beneficiary document.

I'm a big advocate of a work-for-pay setup rather than an allowance that isn't attached to chores - it's a great way to impart the value of money to your children.

If you're saving for the long run, it's actually a good thing when the market is down because the more shares you have, the more you can potentially make when markets rise. And over time - decades, not months - the markets rise more than they fall.

A pile of bills and statements - whether paid or not - is a sign that someone is clueless about what's coming in and going out.

Just because you can afford it doesn't mean you should buy it.

Don't let what others think or say get in your way; their actions reflect on them, not you.

If you make any trades during the year, keep a record of each transaction for at least three years.

In order to create lasting security you must learn to stand in your truth.

It's not what you make, but how you feel about what you make and what you spend.