Suze Orman

In her three-hour interview, Suze Orman talks about her multi-faceted career as a television host, writer, and financial adviser. She describes her childhood and the inspiration she derived from the family motto, "An Orman never gives up." She recounts an early experience with a failed business venture that led to her career as a broker at Merrill Lynch at a time when there were very few women in that role. She details her struggles there, the lawsuit she brought against the company, and what she learned from the experience. She talks about becoming the vice-president of investments at Prudential Bache Securities, and then starting her own financial firm, the Suze Orman Financial Group. Orman speaks candidly about her setbacks there and how she came to write her first book, You've Earned It, Don't Lose It: Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make When You Retire. She chronicles the events which led her second book, The Nine Steps to Financial Freedom, to become a bestseller and the basis for her first PBS special. She then talks about her successful run on QVC and her appearances on various talk shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show. She speaks extensively about The Suze Orman Show on CNBC, discussing the show's production and popular segments (such as "Can I Afford It?"), and gives insight into how to make a financial news show entertaining. She describes her reaction to winning her first Daytime Emmy award for her 4th PBS special, The Laws of Money, the Lessons of Life, in 2003. She recalls her appearances on various shows such as Hollywood Squares, The View, Larry King Live, The Kathy Griffin Show, and The Biggest Loser, among others. She shares a story about meeting Kristen Wiig, who did an impersonation of her on Saturday Night Live, and offers advice on what she believes to be the key to a successful television series. Nancy Harrington conducted the interview on October 18, 2012 in Beverly Hills, CA.