March 25, 2015
Saturday night’s final episode, after 13 years, of CNBC’s “The Suze Orman Show” might be viewed as one more positive indicator of an economic recovery. If Suze is moving on, could this somehow mean that Americans finally got their acts together and are back on the job, above water on their mortgages and storing adequate nuts away for the bitter financial winters that will surely come?
If you watch her financial advice show — as I have for more Saturday nights than I should admit — then you know this is certainly not the case.
In recent episodes, callers and on-camera guests have had the nerve to tell Suze (it feels almost wrong to refer to her by her last name, especially since she refers to most everyone as “girlfriend” and “boyfriend”) that they’re considering borrowing from their 401(k) balances to pay off other debts. They’re still mentioning car leases — one of Suze’s biggest no-no’s. They’ve co-signed student loans and car loans for children and grandchildren, which breaks her heart. Worst of all, they’re thinking about investing in whole-life insurance policies. That always sets her off.