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.
— Suze Orman
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.
Sometimes poverty is the greatest gift you can ever be given. Sometimes loss is the key that leads you to gain.
Courage is not always about action. It takes courage to do nothing rather than do something that you do not believe in or understand.
My greatest pleasure is still flying private. I spend between $300,000 to $500,000, depending on my year, on flying private.
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 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.
Time is key to building your financial security.
The less you have to think about how to spend every dollar, the more likely you are to spend wisely.
It's not what you make, but how you feel about what you make and what you spend.
Prenups are so unromantic - a sign of distrust, not love. Time for a reality check, my friends. First, drawing up a prenuptial agreement together is a sign of incredible trust and financial openness - you're fooling yourself if you think you can achieve complete intimacy without it.
I get mad when people give me presents. I don't want them, I don't need them.
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.
It may take you months or even a few years to build up an adequate emergency savings fund. That's okay.
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.
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.
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.
I want to work with the Philippine people and make life better there; there are systems I can work with.
I always knew that I would have to make it on my own somehow.
Happiness is not a luxury. It is a necessity. When we are happy, we are in the best possible place to be good to ourselves and those we love.
Success is not how many zeroes your bank account has. It's about making the most of the life you have.
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.
It's fine to seek professional help, but I urge everyone - no matter how big their portfolio - to truly understand every suggestion they're given before acting.
A reverse mortgage is available to anyone who is at least 62 years old and owns a home outright, or has a small mortgage balance remaining.
When it comes to tackling your financial goals, whatever they might be, there's no time like the present.
Anything that gets people to think harder about their financial security and take some responsibility is a good thing.
Sometimes your mind lets you do things with your money that make no sense.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Remember: If the IRS suspects you haven't reported income, it can challenge returns from the past six years. So if you are self-employed or have multiple income sources, hold on to six years of files to be absolutely safe.
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.'
Learn to recognize true wealth. Money itself will not make you financially free. That comes as a result of only that powerful state of mind which tells us that we are worth far more than our money.
Not everything is about money.
It wasn't until I stood in my truth and told everybody that I had $250,000 in credit card debt. At that point, everything turned around for me. I had to reveal the truth about what I didn't have, more than pretend about what I did. That was interesting.
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.
I have a million dollars in the stock market, because if I lose a million dollars, I don't personally care.
One journalist estimated my liquid net worth at $25 million. That's pretty close. My houses are worth another $7 million.
Remember what I always say: people first, then money, then things.
While a reverse mortgage can indeed be a viable way to generate income, it is very important to understand that after you take out a reverse mortgage, you will still be responsible for paying the property tax, the insurance premium, and all the maintenance costs for your home.
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.
You have got to be the masters of your own financial future.
The middle class has disappeared. We have a highway to poverty and no roads coming out.
Money is kind of just like air - if you don't have air, you can't breathe. If you don't have money, I don't think you'll want to breathe - you won't want to live.
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.
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.
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.
If you make any trades during the year, keep a record of each transaction for at least three years.
Financial advice needs to change according to what is happening in the economy.
