Talk about an audacious title! But Suze (pronounced "Suzie") Orman means business in this anecdote-rich compendium of tips on 401(k)s, marriage, homes, and happiness. The PBS star/financial adviser has made plenty of the mistakes she warns against, like getting a 30-year mortgage instead of a cheaper 15-year, using Visa cards as magic carpets to calamity, and losing $20,000 in borrowed bucks to bum investment advice. Then she became a Merrill Lynch broker and an author capable of selling 10,000 books in 12 minutes on QVC.

Orman's point--in this and her No. 1 bestseller The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom--is that you'd better face fiscal facts and avoid fear, denial, and the self-fulfilling low expectations the novelist William Wharton called "the Poverty Mind." America is a nation of check-bouncing, late-fee-incurring, guilty bad planners. How long will it take to pay off that $3,000 Visa bill with minimum payments? Thirty years, you poor, dear fool! What would you gain if you bought stocks instead of your daily latte for 30 years? $165,152! Her book might've been titled The Courage Not to Be a Self-Sabotaging Neurotic.

Orman is the Andrew Weil of money health--she yearns to enrich your life emotionally, too. If you can't stand discussions of the psychological origins of fiscal decisions, or self-help lingo like "money is attracted to people who are strong and powerful, respectful of it, and open to receiving it," you'll want a more nuts-and-bolts adviser. If you want pep talk, true tales of woe and makeovers, and a jolt of a true pop culture phenomenon, Suze is for you. --Tim Appelo With honesty, empathy, and a dazzling knowledge of how money works, Suze Orman invites us into a realm where our lives and finances can prosper in harmony. Practical, spiritual, and above all financially sound, The Courage to Be Rich takes us through the financial milestones of our lives and shows us how to: * Clear away financial clutter * Break debilitating patterns * Protect finances when entering marriage or romantic partnerships * Start over after divorce or death of a spouse * Differentiate between good and bad debt * Invest for the future * Give generously, live richly * Learn and teach the value of money "Orman prods the fearful, the angry and the impoverished to dig deep into the pockets of their souls for spiritual and financial riches. [A] holistic approach...Orman offers sound advice on money market funds, IRAs, estate planning and financing big-ticket items such as homes and autos, but her most compelling advice hits us in the emotional pocketbook." (USA Today) "The reigning shaman and high priestess of personal finance... The Courage to Be Rich is another blockbuster." (San Francisco Examiner)