Suze Orman.

She was the featured guest on Oprah today. I absolutely love this lady to bits. Her book, “The Courage to be Rich,” was my first ever financial book that I’d bought back in college — and I still have it. It’s somewhere in the garage in one of my storage boxes but I’m determined to get it out again as I can’t tell you what a helpful book it is (better yet, it’s one of my favorite books ever). Suze is so upfront and honest — that’s why I love her. She talks at a kindergarten level that I can understand and you don’t get the feeling she’s trying to bullcrap you. She’s been there, done that so she knows what I’m struggling with. This might sound silly, but she had such a profound impact on me that she was the reason why I stopped buying white chocolate mochas everyday in college. Why? Simple: I started thinking like Suze. Buying a white chocolate mocha everyday at my favorite coffee shop was costing me close to $3.00 everyday (sometimes twice!). Fine, that’s still a small amount, right? But take that $3.00 and multiply it by 5 days (Monday through Friday school schedule) = $15. Okay fine, still a small amount, you say. But take that $15 and multiply that by 4 weeks = $60 a month spent on mochas alone (remember, sometimes more). For the mocha fanatic, that’s not really a big amount to fuss over, right? Then take that $60 and multiply it by 12 months. In a year, I was willing to spend $720 on white chocolate mochas. NO WAY! But you’re probably thinking that amount is still no big deal. But it is! Especially to Suze because it’s those little steps that count. Why not take that $720 a year and put it in something where you can get a return in the long run?

I’m not perfect with money now, I’ll admit that but I’m a lot wiser, that’s for sure. Bottomline: love, love, love Suze. And as always, I learned so much about mortgages on Oprah this afternoon. Honestly, if Suze had a cult, I’d be her first member. I watch her on TV (whether on Oprah or her own TV show) and I swear I could listen to her all day. She is filled with so much information! I bought David Bach’s book, “Smart Couples Finish Rich” last year. I’ll choose Suze as my financial adviser anyday. She cuts to the chase and I love her roughness. I can’t recommend her enough.