Some of the more outspoken posters got tweets back from Orman’s Twitter account.  20 and Engaged has a history of the interactions here.

Am I a Suze hater?

People don’t reach prominence by trying to please everyone.  Suze Orman has been in the financial realm for a long time — certainly longer than any personal finance blogger I’ve met — has nine consecutive bestselling books under her belt, as well as successful radio and TV gigs.  She has a wide following mainly because she gets in people’s faces about the soft spots in their financial lives.  This doesn’t resonate with everyone, and that’s to be expected.

But for the record, no, I’m not a Suze hater.  She’s helped many, many people get on the right track with their finances through direct advice and education.  It’s clear that she engages with people, listens to them, and genuinely wants to help them.  This can’t be taken from her: She’s done well for herself on this earth by helping a lot of people.

Now, back to the prepaid debit card.  Piece of junk?

Suze Orman’s message is clear, but what’s also clear is that she is a sharp businesswoman and a tireless self-promoter.  (She’s the latter because she’s the former.)  She’s in a position to use the leverage of her large audience to spread her message, help even more people … and sell more products.  The Approved Card is the newest product.  Is it better than cash?  Maybe.  Is it a good long-term solution for managing personal finance?  Possibly.  For people who need a shorter leash for a season, a prepaid debit card with a healthy dose of Suze could be part of the solution.  Is it without risk?  No, but nothing is.

Regardless, I certainly don’t fault her for offering this product.  She should be free to do so, just as people should be free to sign up or not.  Time will tell whether it was a good product or not, and the market will decide whether the $3+/month is worth the value that Suze Orman adds.

Postscript: Are my blogging colleagues idiots?

Absolutely not.  I’ve met many of them personally, thanks largely to Phil’s work.  (Phil was the closest recipient of this barb from @SuzeOrmanShow.)  But since we all just live in Clay Shirky’s internet. and since now consumers of the media have not only the ability to talk back easily but also to talk with each other easily, repercussions from bad PR can be swift and long-lasting.  Ticking off bloggers in one’s niche is rarely a good idea.

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If you’re still hurting for a costume for your wee one(s) then you can score savings at BuyCostumes.com a couple of ways:

• 10% off any order over $40 with coupon code VAMP10
• An extra 8% cash back rebate from MrRebates.com (plus the $5 sign-up bonus if you’re not already a member!)

And now for some haunting links from my personal finance circles:

• Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance asks if your values are money-makers or money-losers.  (I understand first-hand the pain of getting rid of my vintage computer equipment.  My Commodore 64 was really neat-o.)
• Money Crashers wonders if a college degree is valuable without job skills.
• Beating Broke is concerned that stock trading may have ruined the world.  (I think it will take a lot more to ruin the world, but unfortunately we’re all taking a really good shot at it.)
• StorageFront.com has a nice resource for garage sales.  Lots of links, tricks, and tips.
• Generation X Finance lists ten tips for how to shop for a car online.
• Car Negotiation Coach makes some distinctions about MSRP and Invoice price.
• Squawkfox shows off some frightfully fun Halloween cupcakes.

Enjoy!

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Aside from that here are a few interesting links:

• Tom over at Canadian Finance Blog launched a personal finance aggregator / portal called MoneyIndex.org and it’s loaded up with a nicely-categorized collection of feeds from the broad areas of money and finance.  The site is responsive and clean.  Give it a check-out!
• Len Penzo explains a simple test for deciding whether it’s better to buy or rent a house.
• No Credit Needed compiled a nice list of personal finance resources.
• Sweating the Big Stuff boils down prioritizing earning and saving to two simple instructions.
• Consumerism Commentary asks how much you should spend on your hobbies.
• Blonde and Balanced has a personal movie rating system that helps her to decide how much to spend.
• Budgeting in the Fun Stuff has a guest post from Financially Poor on whether recycling is good for your pocketbook.
• Bucksome Boomer lists seven ways to conserve water at home.

Bargain on!

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Anyway, here are some posts of interest from this week around the Internets:

• The Balanced Spreadsheet asks: “Is it good to get a tax refund?”
• The Millionaire Nurse suggests having a personal finance retreat.
• A Gai Shan Life investigates dental insurance for parents.
• Sweating the Big Stuff investigates some of the details of dollar-cost averaging.
• The Wisdom Journal talks about breaking free from the gravity of debt.
• Wise Bread runs down some tips on buying used furniture.
• Free Money Finance explains how Comcast saved face.

Have a great weekend!

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• Squawkfox explains how to make a budget in an “unboring” way.
• Wise Bread reveals the one question that might get you free money if you’re shown the door by your employer.
• Free Money Finance asks, “When should your net worth reach $1 million?” (How about: “ASAP?”)
• Generation X Finance lists a big twenty-eight ways to save money on car expenses.
• Consumerism Commentary gives some ideas on what to do when friends get involved in MLM.
• Digerati Life says to beware of refund anticipation loans.
• Quest for Four Pillars has a guest post on the risks of buying a foreclosed home.  (Our new home was a foreclosure.  I’ll agree that it’s definitely different than buying from the owner-occupier.)
• Money Ning says that investing in physical gold can cost you.  (Ahh, but will you be able to take delivery when you want it?)
• Frugal For Life is into fiscal fitness.
• Frugal Dad recommends doing something you love before you have to do something for money.
• Budgets Are Sexy wonders what would happen if the unemployed worked for their unemployment checks.  (Kind of like retiring from retirement?  Or maybe not.)
• The Frugal Lawyer discusses where vanity and brokeness compromise.

Have a great weekend!

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So it’s Saturday morning Fiscals, but here are great links nonetheless

• A Gai Shan Life has an elaborate post on pets and preparedness.
• The Millionaire Nurse discusses life insurance needs.
• Sweating the Big Stuff talks about the best deal ever.
• The Frugal Lawyer tried out Credit Karma.
• Everybody Loves Your Money outlines someone’s big ol’ lost dream.
• Frugal Dad has 33 essentials for your bug-out bag.
• Frugal For Life is beating back the frugal fatigue.
• Money Crashers has 5 easy ways to make some extra cash.
• Mrs. Micah shows how to create a personal balance sheet.
• My Dollar Plan asks if you should use savings to pay off debt.

Special thanks to Wise Bread and The Simple Dollar for sending a whole boatload of traffic this week from the mentions in their roundups.  Also a shout-out to Get Rich Slowly for including my bank post in this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance.  Lastly, both this site and the Carnival of Debt Reduction site cracked a nice new compilation of financial resource links.

Enjoy the weekend!

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Here are some links of interest from the past week:

• The Frugal Lawyer scored a TV interview on spending addiction.  (I’ll be doing a post on this as well.)
• The Balanced Spreadsheet is another blogger that updates their net worth.
• The Millionaire Nurse, for something completely different, relates money and diseases.
• Wise Bread has a guest post by Joel Ohman explaining why he didn’t pay off his mortgage in fill.
• Couple Money has good things to say about TurboTax’s Live Community.
• Consumerism Commentary asks whether you should pay your credit cards or your mortgage first.  (Not “pay down,” but “pay.”)
• Generation X Finance alerts us to some red flags to avoid that could trigger a tax audit.
• All Financial Matters runs through proposed 401(k) changes.  (The annuities part scares me.)
• Blogging Away Debt is saving money with some elbow grease.
• Cash Money Life compares debt consolidation, debt management, and debt settlement.

Take care all!

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Here are some links of interest for you:

• Wise Bread writer Philip Brewer discusses ruthless frugality.
• Consumerism Commentary lists the five worst kinds of debt.
• Five Cent Nickel recommends cashing in your gift cards.
• Bargaineering explains how he tracks his net worth.
• Finance for a Freelance Life illustrates the time value of money.
• Bible Money Matters runs down IRA contribution limits and phaseouts.
• Grad Money Matters has a guest post on four simple ways to save money in college.

And a couple of new faces to Cash Commons this week, including Debt Maven and MBABriefs!

Have a great weekend!

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Here are some links of interest from this past week:

• Sweating the Big Stuff debates how to use the second half of his signing bonus windfall.
• The Balanced Spreadsheet discusses how to update your own budget.
• Five Cent Nickel is now debt-free.  (Congratulations!)
• Free Money Finance earned over $800 in credit card rewards last year.
• Squawkfox lists ten ways to save on your fitness membership costs.
• Bargaineering says not to pay to file Form 1040-EZ.
• Generation X Finance reports on the new law that makes it harder for teens to get credit
• Wise Bread writer Philip Brewer talks about frugality, simplicity, and sustainability.

A couple of other things:

• Eliminate the Muda stopped by Cash Commons this week and gave some great answers!
• Speaking of Cash Commons, I’ve thrown some money into the $8,200+ kitty for the Money Crashers 2010 New Year’s Giveaway Bash!  Just follow Cash Commons on Twitter (@CashCommons) and follow the rules over at Money Crashers and you’ll get some extra entries for the whopping $34.56 cash I’ll be handing out, as well as other great prizes.

Have a great weekend!  And if you have kids, enjoy how young they are now.

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Here are some articles that caught my eye this week:

• No Credit Needed demonstrates that it’s never too early in the year to do some financial spring cleaning.
• Free Money Finance launches PF March Madness 2010.
• Five Cent Nickel staff writer Matt Jabs discusses saving, buying, and paying later, not necessarily in that order.
• Digerati Life has a guest post on investing basics.

Oh … and Budgets Are Sexy has a newsletter that you can sign up for … plus he’s giving away some Visa Gift Cards to bri … uhhh, encourage you all to sign up!

Happy weekend all!

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