The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke

A fast-moving introduction to credit scores opens this information-packed money lesson for young adults. Wasting no time on padding her own reputation (she doesn't need to), the irrepressible author offers advice so clear that it makes sense right away even when it conflicts with conventional wisdom. She doesn't spend much energy schmoozing listeners--rather, she tells them what to do and moves on. Excellent material is included on student loans, establishment of a credit history, home buying, taxes, insurance, small business financing, paying down debt, and many other issues. Toned down from her TV persona, Orman sounds like a "regular" person and offers convenient summaries of her major points after each segment. T.W. 2006 Audie Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

February 14, 2005
With more than 6.5 million books in print (nearly three million of The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom
alone), an eponymous CNBC show, contributing editorships at O: The Oprah Magazine
and Costco Magazine
and a biweekly Yahoo! column, Orman commands a great deal of economic bandwidth. This seventh book will be released with a PBS special (her fourth) pitched specifically to 20- and 30-somethings early in their working lives, who are, to put it nicely, having trouble negotiating a challenging economy: "Our starting point is that you are broke, by your or any definition." In the bright, clipped, supportive-but-not-mushy affirmative diction that dominates motivational business titles, Orman lays out a plan for maximizing the little that one has, focusing on ways to raise one's FICO score as a means of making more choices available. ("FICO" stands for the mysterious Fair Isaac Corporation—with whom Orman has an arrangement for her own FICOkit.) She runs through a plethora of money problems and what to do about them: credit card debt, student loans, mortgages (and advice on real estate), car payments, taxes, IRAs—almost anything one can think of that has to do with financial planning that can seem bewildering when presented by a salesperson, a direct mail solicitation or HR orientation. With its combination of specific solutions and deep knowledge of its target demographic's specific problems, this book positions itself perfectly and will see correspondingly strong sales among its coveted 18–34s. Agent, Amanda Urban at ICM
.