The Mysterious Case of The Missing $2M.

How a financial entertainer used fear, instead of education, to drive impressions and sales.

Suze Orman, a well-known financial personality who has appeared on platforms like PBS and CNBC, is a prime example of a financial entertainer. This is a surprisingly challenging profession, as topics like earning more, spending less, and investing lack inherent excitement for the average person. Unfortunately, some financial entertainers resort to fear-mongering to stay relevant and boost engagement and sales. For example, Suze was recently quoted saying:

"Two million is nothing. It’s nothing. It’s pennies in today’s world, to tell you the truth."

This statement is completely absurd. It's a classic example of using a financial concept, in this case inflation, to spread fear instead of using her platform to educate people.

Inflation is simply the rising costs of goods and services, which historically averages about ~3% a year in the United States. This means that your $2M would be worth $1,940,000 in one year, assuming it's sitting under your very lumpy mattress. That's a far cry from the "pennies" mentioned by Suze.

As a financial planner, having difficult conversations with people who are in troubling financial situations is part of the job, but using fear as a method of motivation is ineffective. Utilizing it as a sales tactic, as in this example, is even more egregious.

If you are looking for a financial planner who is occasionally entertaining, always honest, and is more focused on education than fear, then take your first step below. For less than $5/day, Walk You To Wealth is the most affordable way to access professional help.

Disclaimer: The information in this post is provided for your convenience only and is not intended to be treated as financial, investment, tax, or other advice. The information is intended to be educational and is not tailored to the investment needs of any specific individual.  It is also not intended to be relied upon as a forecast and is not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy.  The opinions expressed are those of the author.  Reliance upon the guidance and information in this presentation is at the sole discretion of the individual.