Suze Orman

“You will never be truly powerful in life until you have financial independence.”

In 1980, Suze Orman was making $400/month at the Buttercup Bakery in Berkeley.

She dreamed of opening her own café, but when she asked her parents for a $20,000 loan, they couldn’t help.

But her regular customers could.

They gave her $50,000 in personal checks.

She didn’t know what a money market account was.

But she took the advice, walked into Merrill Lynch, and trusted the broker assigned to her.

Big mistake.

He lost all of her money, investing it in high-risk options she didn’t understand.

She had signed blank papers.

She thought he was helping her.

He was padding his numbers.

So Suze did something… surprising.

She walked back into that same Merrill Lynch office and applied for a job.

She showed up in cowboy boots and Sassoon striped pants.

Five men interviewed her.

One told her women belonged “barefoot and pregnant.”

She asked him how much he’d pay her to get pregnant.

He offered her $1,500/month, and the job.

They expected her to quit in six months.

Instead, she read everything, passed her Series 7, became one of the top brokers in the office.

Then she sued them.

While still working there.

The lawsuit made it to court.

Merrill Lynch settled.

She got every dollar back and paid off every person who had believed in her.

That’s where her real career began.

She hosted The Suze Orman Show for 13 years on CNBC.

Won 2 Emmy Awards and 8 Gracie Awards.

Wrote 10 consecutive New York Times bestsellers.

Appeared on Oprah 29 times.

Served as the U.S. Army’s official personal finance educator.

Co-founded SecureSave, offering employer-matched emergency savings accounts.

And hosted one of the top money podcasts for women: Suze Orman's Women & Money.

Her money advice?

Choose Roth over traditional retirement accounts.

Never invest in anything you don’t understand.

And don’t take financial advice from friends.

In her opinion: “You are never powerful in life until you’re powerful over your own money.”