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Saturday Night's Suze Orman Show

November 16th, 2008 at 05:40 am

Did any of you see Suze Orman tonight? I'm still watching it here in Texas, but the segment they just had on BLEW MY MIND. This woman named Dawn in California was on, talking to Suze, asking for help and suggestions as to what she and her husband can do about their $230,000 in credit card debt. BESIDES that debt, their big beautiful dream home is mortgaged to the hilt. Bottom line is that between the two of them they bring home $9,000 a month ... but their monthly expenses are $19,000!!! (Suze actually said this is probably the worst case she's ever had on her show.) Dawn kept smiling and making jokes while Suze was trying to drive home to her the gravity of her situation; AND, when Suze told Dawn that she and her husband need to (a) put their home AND everything in it on the market immediately and pray that they can sell it for enough to pay what they owe on it, (b) get second jobs TOMORROW, and (c) move into an apartment and stay there until their credit cards are paid and they have money SAVED ... Dawn said "That's not going to happen." She said she cannot and will not give up her home and her lifestyle!! She said her husband wants to file bankruptcy but she doesn't want to, and Suze told her they probably make too much money to file bankruptcy so it's really not an option. It was really something else to see ... talk about a woman in denial!! It was really quite sad, but SO frustrating at the same time. It just makes me wonder what sort of miracle solution Dawn thought Suze could come up with. I mean, she didn't even consider one piece of advice Suze gave her! She freely admitted that she's addicted to diamonds, and that just last night she was upset because a ring she's been wanting had been sold to someone else! I'm flabbergasted, absolutely stunned. She was something else.

29 Responses to “Saturday Night's Suze Orman Show”

  1. Personal Finance Student Says:
    1226817391

    Yes, I just finished watching it a few hours ago. Amazing really. She wasn't really ready for an answer. She was actually surprised when Suze said she'd have to change her lifestyle! Crazy and yes, sad.

  2. Analise Says:
    1226818006

    Wow, what a story. I did not see it, but I can just imagine how frustrated I would have been to see this woman reject good advice. They win the (booby) prize for "living beyond their means."

  3. Maismom Says:
    1226819909

    Yup, I watched it and my jaw dropped to the floor. I was going to write about it in my blog, too. Gee, what is she thinking???

  4. Dave MD Says:
    1226828857

    I was shaking my head in dis belief watching her. She was like a deer caught in the head lights. Sadly, she is not alone. Many people get usued to feeling wealthy, because they are surrounded by wealth, that the bank owns. However they feel as if the other people in the neighbourhood believe that is it owned by the humans living inside the property. This lady can't stop living the lie. She got " one uping the jone's syndrome". However, the bank will come and that it all away anyway. She sadley, like an addict, has to learn the hard way, and hit rock bottom before her eyes can get out of the headlight. I give it 5 months. PS It's mathematically impossible to create wealth, if you always spend the all the money you make / have.

  5. homebody Says:
    1226838754

    I missed it. Why was the guest there if she was not going to take any advice?

  6. Blue Eyes Says:
    1226842088

    I watched it...that was unbelievable!

  7. gamecock43 Says:
    1226843328

    OMG!! I KNEW this topic would come up!! BB and I both watched her and she must have been medicated. She has NO CLUE!
    I think when Suze said "sell EVERYTHING -pay off the CC and start over"...the woman thought to herself- "What??! start over AFTER paying $200k??! That's IMPOOSSIBLE! We will NEVER be able to start over again!" So she wants to just continue on the way she is and "at least have something to show for her life."

    BTW- Dawn thinks she is going to make up a $10k deficit every month by getting a job...what job pays $10k a MONTH??

  8. disneysteve Says:
    1226846471

    Unfortunately, we missed Suze last night but our daughter was home and she watched it (she's 13 - we usually watch it together). She actually took notes and was telling us about this woman this morning.

    How the heck do you get yourself in a situation where your monthly expenses are more than double your income? And how did this woman end up on Suze? Don't people have to write or call in to be selected for the show? What kind of help was she looking for exactly?

    This reminds me of the woman on the Oprah Debt Diet series who was spending something like $700/month getting her hair done. She just didn't have even a hint of a clue.

    I'm a firm believer in personal responsibility, but I will admit that at some point, the banks and credit card companies shoulder some blame, also. How was a couple that only earns $108,000/year allowed to run up over $230,000 in CC debt and a mortgage (I don't know how much that was for)? At some point, much before this stage, one of those companies should have said NO, WE AREN'T LENDING YOU ANY MORE MONEY.

  9. Dan FL Says:
    1226847093

    Like everyone else, I found that woman's attitude incredible. "I'm not ready to give it all up" she says - how stupid can you be, it's not like she has a choice once they can't borrow anymore money to pay off their escalating debt and the collection agencies come calling.

    An extreme example of too many people at the minute, all overspent and greedy, and now wanting to be "bailed out". I'm sick of this whole sorry affair at the minute - and I hope this woman gets what is coming to her, I have no sympathy - it's people like her who've put the economy where it is today.

  10. JasonH Says:
    1226852628

    I too could not believe what I saw. My wife and I were astounded. We were beside ourselves as to how Dawn could be so... STUPID. Suze kept her cool, but I would have went 'Jim Cramer' on her.

    Dawn.. YOU KNOW NOTHING!

  11. Joan.of.the.Arch Says:
    1226853755

    Wow! Didn't see it, but the mean part of me thinks people like this are really the weakest members of the herd and they will soon curl up and die or be pruned from the herd by hungry predators. I can just see her walking around homeless with her diamonds tied up in nasty little rags tucked into hidden places under her multiple layers of once gorgeous clothes.

  12. Ima saver Says:
    1226855080

    Wow, how sad. I agree, there are so many people in denial today.

  13. AmbitiousSaver Says:
    1226859983

    I saw it and was just shocked too. The woman has built herself a house of cards that in today's market will come tumbling down.

  14. cassandra Says:
    1226860206

    I watched it and could not believe that lady! Suze said mentioned that Dawn had wanted to back out of going on the show before she came on.

    I agree with DisneySteve that the banks and creditors need to take some responsibility too. Surely they knew that this family could not afford the credit they were applying for.

    I feel sorry for their daughter. She's only 7 and has probably learned from her parents that material goods are what matters. I wonder how they'll explain to her that they are losing the house and all of their stuff because they were very irresponsible.

  15. baselle Says:
    1226890828

    Somehow I'm not shocked. How different is this person's denial to an addict saying, "I can quit anytime."

    Credit to this couple is like heroin to an addict. Get any (credit or heroin) and they use it, and they will use it until they cannot physically use it anymore. To an addict it might mean death. To a credit addict ... who knows what it means?

    I think disneysteve touched on an important point - the responsibility of the credit industry itself. In a weird sort of way, we might be cheering this woman on to push the credit system as far as it will go, perhaps break it and force some restraints. Most of us show responsibility and personal restraint and can be controlled by the credit industry. This couple? They will take any credit offered and buy something. Declare bankrupcy? We've heard all the stories on how bankrupt people are offered credit soon after. If the credit industry does this - this couple will take the credit. Again.

    It'll be interesting to follow this. Who will win? The irresistible force (this couple) or the immovable object (their creditors).

  16. Mitzi Says:
    1226924473

    Wonder what Dawn will think when the Sheriff pulls up in their fabulous driveway and slaps a big ole padlock on the whole wonderful package? She wont be able to get to her diamonds and other junk she has bought, I feel sorry for the little daughter. Dawn is in deep denial, and only laughed because she is nervous, now all her friends know about her mess.

  17. Eric Says:
    1227404200

    I just watched the episode. Is anyone besides me [angry]? What an outrage! I don't feel sorry for her, the situation is not sad, it is a criminal OUTRAGE. She's basically stealing from the taxpayers to finance her lifestyle. Schlubs like me who pay our bills and live within our means are watching the values of our houses tank, our IRA disappear, and our taxes going up because of greedy, selfish, and arrogant people like Dawn. I wonder how much of a BAILOUT she'll be demanding!

  18. Mark Says:
    1227414496

    Too bad we no longer have debtors' prisons.

  19. Emilie Says:
    1227477826

    In this environment, it is survival of the fittest. Dawn and her husband are just not the fittest. They are mentally weak and morally corrupt. Those who lent them money will lose it, just as Dawn and her husband will lose their house. I am furiuos at people like her. Note how she kept saying she "owned" things and Suze kept correcting her. This woman and her husband are delusional. I think Suze should have been much harsher with her and really spelled out the consequences- fraud, being locked out of their home and seeing their "possessions" sold at auction, making their daughter's life miserable.....

  20. Dawnless Says:
    1227549661

    I just saw the episode over the weekend and was googling for more, and found this website.

    My wife and I were also just completely stupified by what we saw. How in the hell can someone think they can afford that sort of a lifestyle. They bring home $9K a month. Assuming nothing goes to retirement savings, that's close to $150K combined, approximately. We make roughly double that, and we could not afford what they think they can afford. What sort of a second job does she think she can get that pays her $175K annually? I hope she's thinking of never seeing her daughter again, cause she'll be working two 10-hour jobs to climb out of her hole.

    I started getting angrier and angrier as I watched this delusional idiot, because it started to dawn (bah!) on me that it's the rest of us, who DO pay their mortgages that end up paying for hers, too. Banks take their profits off the interest rates...her foreclosure (it's coming, make no mistake about it) is coming out of MY pocket, at least parts of it. And it's people like her and the banker who keep lending her the money who made up the current financial crisis.

    Her daughter will probably also end up a deadbeat. That's the truly sad part abuot this.

  21. analise Says:
    1227550930

    Dawnless - I agree that her daughter will likely end up a deadbeat. Sadly, children learn from their parents and this includes spending habits and values about money.

    I am at a loss to understand why Suze Orman would waste her time on someone like this. Watching this moronic money-clueless woman only makes people angry and frustrated. Suze should focus her money makeovers on people who are actually coachable, who can serve as examples to others. This family is so in denial and out of touch that they DO NOT typify the average, debt-strapped family. They are on their own planet.

  22. Lorna Says:
    1227561305

    I saw a small part of this when it first aired, then watched again on Saturday night. My nineteen year old son watched with me, and, if you saw his reaction, you can understand why Suze would spend time profiling this woman. We were both astounded that someone could be in this situation and truly believe that there is nothing wrong. Dawn and her lenders are examples of everything that is wrong with the American banking system. Even my son grasped that this woman doesn't own anything, that she hasn't earned a thing in her life. She likes the diamonds and the extended vacations. She is so proud of the house that she doesn't own that she sent a video, highlighting the plantings, outdoor televisions, and pavers on the pool deck. She was hiding her face behind a mask of make-up. This woman has no self-esteem, no pride in what she has accomplished. She needs this facade. I hope Suze does a follow up, because the whole scam is going to collapse as soon as her creditors cap her credit limits and she can't service the $19,000 a month debt. I feel sorry for the seven year old. I doubt that they will be capable of telling her the truth about the lie that is their life.

  23. Lady T Says:
    1227573334

    Wow, 6 more comments since the show aired again this past Saturday!

    Suze may have profiled this woman to show people what CAN happen if they continue to live beyond their means. Sadly, like Dawn, a lot of people don't "play the tape" far enough ahead to see what position they'll be in if they continue to charge everything. I think most people would get a clue sooner than Dawn (especially if they can do basic math!!), but maybe a lot of people who saw this will see themselves in Dawn to some degree and put a halt to their spendy ways before they are in that deep. I know it would put the fear of God into me!!

    Suze might also have thought that MAYBE she could get through to Dawn during the interview. And maybe in the time since then, Dawn has had time to really think about what Suze told her and take it to heart. I truly hope to see a follow-up with her down the line and learn that she and her family are living in that 2-bedroom apartment and working to pay off their debt. Do I think that will be the case? No, I don't ... judging from her attitude, I seriously doubt she will change a thing about her lifestyle until she is forced to. (Imagine her reaction the first time her credit card is DECLINED ...!!)

  24. zetta Says:
    1227659837

    Anyone think the caller might have been a fraud or a plant? Someone who could tell a good story, but wasn't really in the situation described?

  25. SnoopyCool Says:
    1227928437

    Part of the reason Suze is on the air is ratings, and this story seems to have hit a nerve with people (I didn't see it, but wow!).

  26. Lystra Says:
    1230949319

    I am disgusted by that woman Dawn. Because of people like her, the country is in the financial mess that it is in right now. I do not understand why the banks continue to lend her money? Why is she proud to claim that she own these materialistic things? She's fake and lying to herself and her family. I am truly disgusted by that fat biatch.

  27. Marky Marc Says:
    1230951278

    Like everyone else, I'm AMAZED at Dawn's ignorance. I give Suze credit for keeping cool. My point in this case is that Dawn doesn't care that she owes more than what she (and her husband) can afford. In her mind, posession is 100% of the law. So, she's perfectly content having the keys to her $1M house and $50,000 cars; not to mention all her diamond rings, flat panels, and $232K in CC debt. It's all OK in her mind b/c she likes her material possessions. While not that old, I'm old enough to know that today's population needs to have a complete shift in it's mentality from being (materially) possessive to being (financially) secure.

  28. oneadvice Says:
    1233753880

    Wow, that is amazing - really wish we could get this show in the UK. It is amazing how simple it is to get into debt, and being in denial is so hard, because you will just keep on spending.

    It really seems like these folk need to get their debt management under control, but easier said then done I guess, especially if you don't think you have a debt problem in the first place!

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