When Suze Orman was 13 she watched her father dive into the flames of his burning take-out chicken shack in order to rescue his cash register. In that moment Orman learned that money was more important than life itself. And so it became her quest to be rich. But years later, when Orman became a wealthy broker with a huge investment firm, she was profoundly unhappy. What went wrong? She had not yet achieved financial freedom. In her nine-step program, Orman covers the ingredients to financial success--confronting our beliefs and fears, learning the nuts and bolts (and insiders secrets!) of savvy management, and finding the spiritual trust that leads to abundance.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 SenechalSuze Orman has transformed the concept of personal finance for millions by teaching us how to gain control of our money -- so that money does not control us. She goes beyond the nuts and bolts of managing money to explore the psychological, even spiritual power money has in our lives. The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom is the first personal finance book that gives you not only the knowledge of how to handle money, but also the will to break through all the barriers that hold you back.Combining real-life recommendations with the motivation to overcome financial anxieties, Suze Orman offers the keys to providing for yourself and your family, including:* seeing how your past holds the key to your financial future* facing your fears and creating new truths* trusting yourself more than you trust others* being open to receiving all that you are meant to have* understanding the lessons of the money cycleThe 9 Steps to Financial Freedom is useful advice and inspiration from the leading voice in personal finance. As Orman shows, managing money is far more than a matter of balancing your checkbook or picking the right investments. It's about redefining financial freedom -- and realizing that you are worth far more than your money.Her down-to-earth personality and accessible message has connected Orman with TV viewers on CNN, CNBC, and Fox After Breakfast. Now she makes her unique approach to controlling money available to readers with this non-traditional financial planning guide.