Yep, I’ve been reading a lot of Suze Orman lately. It’s not entirely on purpose, however. This particular book, The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom, I read because it was free. Not even “trip to the library” free, but free free. It was sitting on the bookshelf outside my bedroom door – my mother had purchased it way back in 1997, and judging from the placement of the bookmark, didn’t get very far through it.

Which is a shame, because she really should have.

While reading this book, I have to compare it to her other book, The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke. My brain won’t let me not compare them. I’d like to keep this review very short, so here goes:

This book is meant for adults (older than the YF&B crowd) who are in some sort of minor financial trouble. “Minor” meaning still living paycheck-to-paycheck, no matter what your income, or having a fair amount of debt that you don’t know what to do with, or just having general clueless-ness about finances (“major” would be complete bankruptcy and poverty, I imagine, and this book would not be helpful if you had no resources at all). Obviously, if you fall into the “young and broke” category, then her other book would suit you better. But if you know someone who’s a bit older and struggling with their money, you might want to read it and recommend that they do so as well, so that the two of you can begin to talk. It’s obviously also a good read if you yourself feel you are in such a situation.

I enjoyed reading this book, because I did learn a lot of things that weren’t covered in YF&B, and I liked the anecdotal nature of the book (almost every topic is discussed within the framework of a story from one of Suze’s clients, or Suze herself). I’m really hoping to get my mother to finally read all the way though this, so that she and I can begin talking about finances. It will be nice to have read the same book and literally be on the same page.

A quick aside: some of the information was outdated, because I was reading the original edition, but the book has since been updated. However, the last edition seems to have been printed in 2000, so you might want to double-check any specific information from the book before acting upon it – then again, you should double-check any financial information, regardless of when it was published!

Get The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom from Bookshop today!

I stayed over at my sister’s house last night after baby-sitting her two-year-old daughter (I didn’t get paid for it, but I did get some free macaroni-and-cheese, so I call it a win), and after everyone went to bed, I stayed up real late, enjoying their cable television. This was how I was able to catch the Suze Orman Show for the first time – and two episodes, no less!

Others have expressed their dislike for Suze’s show. I can see where that would come from. She’s pretty in-your-face, but you know what? I really enjoyed the show.

I think this is my official crossing into “financial nerd” territory. Um… hurray?

Anyways, I enjoyed the show. I didn’t mind the way Suze treated most of her callers, and I’ll tell you why. She’s a bit abrasive, but I get the feeling that most of the people that call in already know what the right (“right” meaning “financially smart”) answer is, they’re just calling her so that they can hear someone else say it. And she says it, outright, without mincing words.

I guess, in the end, I liked it because I had fun watching. Yep. I’m a nerd now.

The debate rages ever on. Almost everyone I know is signed up for one service or the other. Strangely, no one seems to have a really good reason for their choices. My mom has Netflix* “because.” My friends have Blockbuster because they got a four-week free trial, rather than the usual two weeks. My brother pushes Blockbuster because he works there. Am I the only one with a strong, decided opinion about which one is better?

Probably not. But let’s weight the two services anyways. First of all cost isn’t a real consideration. Each one offers the unlimited 3-at-a-time plan for about $20 a month. There’s variations you can do, but it’s the most popular plan for a reason. So let’s not even consider that.

Netflix has the advantage of time. Their website is more sophisticated and they’ve got the powerhouse that comes with simply having been around longer. They rule the roost in these respects, and Blockbuster is still playing a bit of catch-up.

However, Blockbuster recently redesigned their whole site, and they have a very special advantage of their own: stores. And they’re finally starting to make use of it with the new “All Access” program. Bring your Blockbuster Online movie into the store instead of mailing it, they’ll mail it for you, and you’ll get a free in-store rental.

Sweet.

However, if you never really end up near a Blockbuster store (like me), and you think that going into the store to trade in your movie defeats the purpose of the home delivery (like me), you’ll probably almost never take advantage of the new program. The program isn’t meant to be an enhancement for subscribers – it’s meant to entice the people who go to the stores to sign up.

So they’re back on even ground, as far as I’m concerned. Turn-around time can be a deal breaker or maker for some, but having used both services, I haven’t noticed a difference. In LA, I got a two-day turn around. Out here in the boonies of Western NY, it’s more like three or four days. Location, location, location.

So can either of them pull ahead in my eyes? Why yes, yes they can.

And Netflix did, a while ago. It wasn’t the service itself that sold me, it was the other activities the company engages in. Namely, Netflix’s Red Envelope Entertainment division. They go around, investing (not donating) funds in independent films to help them get distribution. Maybe it’s because I was a film student, but this hits me in a special place in my heart. Independent film is gaining ground these days, but it’s still pretty cut-throat out there. Especially when there’s a lack of funds. Netflix is putting their money into promising films – and not requiring an exclusive contract in return. The films will have a chance at theater and DVD distribution – you might even be able to rent them at Blockbuster.

What my money does in the end makes all the difference to me, so Netflix has my dollars.

*Affiliate Links. I joined the affiliate programs months after writing this post.

I finished Suze Orman’s book “The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke” last night (herein referred to as YF&B). I’d like to give my hopefully-better-than-lackluster review of it.

Basically, the book goes through all of the questions and assumptions a 20-30 something might have about money when they’re just starting to take an interest in taking control of their own finances. The book goes in near chronological order for what you should do: starting with improving your credit score, and gradually moving up to things like purchasing big ticket items (a house or a car).

I like the book as a good place to start. I’ve already recommended it to a few clueless friends, because it says a lot of the things I would tell them, but with a bit more grace and experience. I’m glad that I grabbed the book to read for my own education – I did learn a few things, especially about the particulars of picking out mutual funds. Since I haven’t worked my way up to that yet, I hadn’t looked into it yet.

The book makes a good reference, but it somewhat lacks as a library book, since it is such a good reference. I’m disappointed that I’ll have to return it soon, since I know there will be times in the future I’ll want to flip back to a certain section to recheck something or to reference it when talking to someone else.

All in all, I would recommend it for nearly everyone in that 20-year age bracket – at least one read-through for the intermediately financially savvy, to see if they can pick up anything new, and I would probably recommend it as a buy for someone just starting out, so that they can keep it as a reference.

Buy The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke from Bookshop today!