The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom Audio

Suze Orman's reading of the audio version of her bestselling book The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom is nothing if not intense. Coming at you with the force of a summer hurricane heading for Cape Fear, Orman recounts one horror story after another to help us avoid financial disaster. But, if her insistent, somewhat graceless voice takes some getting used to, it's well worth the adjustment. After awhile, you'll be glad she's doing the talking, blending years of experience as a certified financial planner with credible authority and, more important, a passionate belief in our individual abilities to handle our own finances. There's no question that Suze Orman cares about how we manage our money.

To show her commitment to our financial well-being, Orman packs this abridgment with an unusual combination of practical advice and psychological exercises. During our three hours with her, we receive arguably the best education available on mutual funds, estate planning, income taxes--even life insurance. But we also learn how to "face our fear" of money by exploring our past for the source of the fear. Later, she tells us that giving money to charity actually helps us release this fear. And, in perhaps her most startling step ("trust yourselves more than others"), Orman suggests we follow our inner voice while making investment decisions, a voice she believes comes from God.

Whatever you may thing of that revelation, it's impossible to be put off by Orman's candid, idiosyncratic approach to money management. This is one self-help tape that lives up to the genre. Listeners who stick with Orman till the end will be truly inspired to take money matters into their own hands--and they'll likely get started immediately. (Running time: 10 hours and 43 minutes, two cassettes) --Ann Senechal