Suze Orman

Money talks, and no one talked about it more - including advice on how everyone should spend theirs - than Suze Orman. The finance whiz took the fear and mystery out of smart investing by giving straightforward money advice with a tinge of New Age spirituality. Orman gained notoriety for writing New York Times best-selling books like The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom (1997), The Courage to be Rich (1998), and Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe & Sound (2009), among others. Boosted by her book sales and effervescent personality, Orman became an overnight celebrity. She was a one-woman empire who doled out passionate financial advice and messages of self-empowerment through books, DVDs, magazine columns, and media appearances. On her Emmy award-winning program, "The Suze Orman Show" (CNBC, 2002), she chastised everyone from ordinary citizens to former president George W. Bush about their poor financial choices, punctuated by signature gestures like wagging her index finger and shaking her head in dismay. But in spite of her stinging comments, Orman's popularity grew exponentially, proving along the way that when it came to handling America's money, her advice truly added up.