A Roth IRA (Individual Retirement Arrangement) is a special type of retirement plan under US law that is generally not taxed, provided certain conditions are met. The tax law of the United States allows a tax reduction on a limited amount of saving for retirement. The Roth IRA's principal difference from most other tax advantaged retirement plans is that, rather than granting a tax break for money placed into the plan, the tax break is granted on the money withdrawn from the plan during retirement.

A Roth IRA can be an individual retirement account containing investments in securities, usually common stocks and bonds, often through mutual funds (although other investments, including derivatives, notes, certificates of deposit, and real estate are possible). A Roth IRA can also be an individual retirement annuity, which is an annuity contract or an endowment contract purchased from a life insurance company. As with all IRAs, the Internal Revenue Service mandates specific eligibility and filing status requirements. A Roth IRA's main advantages are its tax structure and the additional flexibility that this tax structure provides. Also, there are fewer restrictions on the investments that can be made in the plan than many other tax advantaged plans, and this adds somewhat to the popularity, though the investment options available depends on the trustee (or the place where the plan is established).

The total contributions allowed per year to all IRAs is the lesser of one's taxable compensation (which is not the same as adjusted gross income) and the limit amounts as seen below (this total may be split up between any number of traditional and Roth IRAs. In the case of a married couple, each spouse may contribute the amount listed):

For example, if one is single, aged 49 or under, and earns $10,000, one can contribute a maximum of $5,000 in 2008. However, if one is single and earns $2,000, one can contribute only a maximum of $2,000 in 2008 ($2,000 is the lesser of $2,000 and $5,000).

* Starting in 2009, contribution limits will be assessed for a potential increase based on inflation, though the 2009 contribution limits have remained unchanged. Nor will the funds divide.

History[link]

The Roth IRA was established by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-34) and named for its chief legislative sponsor, Senator William Roth of Delaware.

Differences from a traditional IRA[link]

In contrast to a traditional IRA, contributions to a Roth IRA are not tax-deductible. Withdrawals are generally tax-free, but not always and not without certain stipulations (i.e., tax free for principal withdrawals and the owner's age must be at least 59½ for tax free withdrawals on the growth portion above principal). An advantage of the Roth IRA over a traditional IRA is that there are fewer withdrawal restrictions and requirements. Transactions inside an account (including capital gains, dividends, and interest) do not incur a current tax liability.

Advantages[link]

• Direct contributions to a Roth IRA may be withdrawn tax free at any time.^[1] Rollover, converted (before age 59½) contributions held in a Roth IRA may be withdrawn tax and penalty free after the "seasoning" period (currently 5 years). Earnings may be withdrawn tax and penalty free after the seasoning period if the condition of age 59½ (or other qualifying condition) is also met. This differs from a traditional IRA where all withdrawals are taxed as Ordinary Income, and a penalty applies for withdrawals before age 59½. In contrast, capital gains on stocks or other securities held in a regular taxable account for at least a year would be taxed at the lower long-term capital gain rate, which is currently 15%. This potentially higher tax rate for withdrawals of capital gains from a traditional IRA is a quid pro quo for the deduction taken against ordinary income when putting money into the IRA.
• If there is money in the Roth IRA due to conversion from a traditional IRA, the Roth IRA owner may withdraw up to the total of the converted amount without penalty, as long as the "seasoning" period (currently five years) has passed on the converted funds.
• Up to a lifetime maximum $10,000 in earnings withdrawals are considered qualified (tax-free) if the money is used to acquire a principal residence for a first time buyer. This house must be acquired by the Roth IRA owner, their spouse, or their lineal ancestors and descendants. The owner or qualified relative who receives such a distribution must not have owned a home in the previous 24 months.
• Contributions may be made to a Roth IRA even if the owner participates in a qualified retirement plan such as a 401(k). (Contributions may be made to a traditional IRA in this circumstance, but they may not be tax deductible.)
• If a Roth IRA owner dies, and his/her spouse becomes the sole beneficiary of that Roth IRA while also owning a separate Roth IRA, the spouse is permitted to combine the two Roth IRAs into a single plan without penalty.^[2]
• If the Roth IRA owner expects that the tax rate applicable to withdrawals from a traditional IRA in retirement will be higher than the tax rate applicable to the funds earned to make the Roth IRA contributions before retirement, then there may be a tax advantage to making contributions to a Roth IRA over a traditional IRA or similar vehicle while working. There is no current tax deduction, but money going into the Roth IRA is taxed at the taxpayer's current marginal tax rate, and will not be taxed at the expected higher future effective tax rate when it comes out of the Roth IRA.
• Assets in the Roth IRA can be passed on to heirs.
• The Roth IRA does not require distributions based on age. All other tax-deferred retirement plans, including the related Roth 401(k),^[3] require withdrawals to begin by April 1 of the calendar year after the owner reaches age 70½. If one does not need the money and wants to leave it to their heirs, this is a great way to accumulate income tax free. Beneficiaries who inherited Roth IRAs are subject to the minimum distribution rules.
• Roth IRAs have a higher "effective" contribution limit than traditional IRAs, since the nominal contribution limit is the same for both traditional and Roth IRAs, but the post-tax contribution in a Roth IRA is equivalent to a larger pre-tax contribution in a traditional IRA that will be taxed upon withdrawal. For example, a contribution of the 2008 limit of $5,000 to a Roth IRA may be equivalent to a traditional IRA contribution of $6667 (assuming a 25% tax rate at both contribution and withdrawal). In 2008, one cannot contribute $6667 to a traditional IRA due to the contribution limit, so the post-tax Roth contribution may be larger.
• On estates large enough to be subject to estate taxes, a Roth IRA can reduce estate taxes since tax dollars have already been subtracted. A traditional IRA is valued at the pre-tax level for estate tax purposes.

Disadvantages[link]

• Funds that reside in a Roth IRA cannot be used as collateral for a loan per current IRS rules and therefore cannot be used for financial leveraging or cash management tool for investment purposes.
• Contributions to a Roth IRA are not tax deductible. By contrast, contributions to a traditional IRA are tax deductible (within income limits). Therefore, someone who contributes to a traditional IRA instead of a Roth IRA gets an immediate tax savings equal to the amount of the contribution multiplied by their marginal tax rate while someone who contributes to a Roth IRA does not realize this immediate tax reduction. Also, by contrast, contributions to most employer sponsored retirement plans (such as a 401(k), 403(b), SIMPLE IRA or SEP IRA) are tax deductible with no income limits because they reduce a taxpayer's adjusted gross income.
• Eligibility to contribute to a Roth IRA phases out at certain income limits. By contrast, contributions to most tax deductible employer sponsored retirement plans have no income limit.
• Contributions to a Roth IRA do not reduce a taxpayer's adjusted gross income (AGI). By contrast, contributions to a traditional IRA or most employer sponsored retirement plans reduce a taxpayer's AGI. One of the key benefits of reducing one's AGI (aside from the obvious benefit of reducing taxable income) is that a taxpayer who is close to the threshold income of qualifying for some tax credits or tax deductions may be able to reduce their AGI below the threshold at which he or she may become eligible to claim certain tax credits or tax deductions that may otherwise be phased out at the higher AGI had the taxpayer instead contributed to a Roth IRA. Likewise, the amount of those tax credits or tax deductions may be increased as the taxpayer slides down the phaseout scale. Examples include the child tax credit, or the earned income credit, or the student loan interest deduction.
• A taxpayer who chooses to make a Roth IRA contribution (instead of a traditional IRA contribution or tax deductible retirement account contribution) while in a moderate or high tax bracket will likely pay more income taxes on the earnings used to make the Roth IRA contribution as compared to the income taxes that would have been due to be paid on the funds that would have been later withdrawn from the traditional IRA, had the taxpayer made a traditional IRA contribution. This is because contributions to traditional IRAs or employer sponsored tax deductible retirement plans result in an immediate tax savings equal to the taxpayer's current marginal tax bracket multiplied by the amount of the contribution. It has been shown that many people have a lower income in retirement than during their working years, and thus end up in a lower tax bracket in retirement, and this is another reason why withdrawals from a traditional IRA or tax deferred retirement plan in retirement are likely to result in a lower tax bill. The higher the taxpayer's marginal tax rate, the greater the disadvantage.
• A taxpayer who pays state income taxes and who contributes to a Roth IRA (instead of a traditional IRA or a tax deductible employer sponsored retirement plan) will have to pay state income taxes on the amount contributed to the Roth IRA in the year the money is earned. However, if the taxpayer retires to a state with a lower income tax rate, or no income taxes, then the taxpayer will have given up the opportunity to avoid paying state income taxes altogether on the amount of the Roth IRA contribution by instead contributing to a traditional IRA or a tax deductible employer sponsored retirement plan, because when the contributions are withdrawn from the traditional IRA or tax deductible plan in retirement, the taxpayer will then be a resident of the low or no income tax state, and will have avoided paying the state income tax altogether as a result of moving to a different state before the income tax became due.
• The perceived tax benefit may never be realized, i.e., one might not live to retirement or much beyond, in which case, the tax structure of a Roth only serves to reduce an estate that may not have been subject to tax. One must live until one's Roth IRA contributions have been withdrawn and exhausted to fully realize the tax benefit. Whereas, with a traditional IRA, tax might never be collected at all, i.e., if one dies prior to retirement with an estate below the tax threshold, or goes into retirement with income below the tax threshold (To benefit from this exemption, the beneficiary must be named in the appropriate IRA beneficiary form. A beneficiary inheriting the IRA solely through a will will not be eligible for the estate tax exemption. Additionally, the beneficiary will be subject to income tax unless the inheritance is a Roth IRA). Heirs will have to pay taxes on withdrawals from traditional IRA assets they inherit, and must continue to take mandatory distributions (although it will be based on their life expectancy). It is also possible that tax laws may change by the time one reaches retirement age.
• Congress may change the rules that currently allow for tax free withdrawal of Roth IRA contributions. Therefore, someone who contributes to a traditional IRA is guaranteed to realize an immediate tax benefit, whereas someone who contributes to a Roth IRA must wait for a number of years before realizing the tax benefit, and that person assumes the risk that the rules might be changed during the interim. On the other hand, taxing earnings on an account which were promised to be untaxed may be seen as a violation of contract – individuals contributing to a Roth IRA now may in fact be saving themselves from new, possibly higher income tax obligations in the future. However, the federal government is not restricted by the Contract Clause of the U.S. Constitution that prohibits "Law[s] impairing the Obligation of Contracts"—by its terms, this prohibition applies only to state governments.

Double taxation[link]

Double taxation may still occur within these tax sheltered investment plans. For example, foreign dividends may be taxed at their point of origin, and the IRS does not recognize this tax as a creditable deduction. There is some controversy over whether this violates existing Joint Tax Treaties, such as the Convention Between Canada and the United States of America With Respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital.^[4]

For Canadians with US Roth IRAs: A new rule (2008) provides that Roth IRAs (as defined in section 408A of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code) and similar plans are considered to be pensions. Accordingly, distributions from a Roth IRA (as well as other similar plans) to a resident of Canada will generally be exempt from Canadian tax to the extent that they would have been exempt from U.S. tax if paid to a resident of the U.S. Additionally, a resident of Canada may elect to defer any taxation in Canada with respect to income accrued in a Roth IRA but not distributed by the Roth IRA, until and to the extent that a distribution is made from the Roth IRA or any plan substituted therefor. The effect of these rules is that, in most cases, no portion of the Roth IRA will be subject to taxation in Canada.

However, where an individual makes a contribution to a Roth IRA while they are a resident of Canada (other than rollover contributions from another Roth IRA), the Roth IRA will lose its status as a "pension" for purposes of the Treaty with respect to the accretions from the time such contribution is made. Income accretions from such time will be subject to tax in Canada in the year of accrual. In effect, the Roth IRA will be bifurcated into a "frozen" pension that will continue to enjoy the benefit of the exemption for pensions and a non-pension (essentially a savings account) that will not.

Eligibility[link]

Income limits[link]

Congress has limited who can contribute to a Roth IRA based upon income. A taxpayer can contribute the maximum amount listed at the top of the page only if their Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) is below a certain level (the bottom of the range shown below). Otherwise, a phase-out of allowed contributions runs proportionally throughout the MAGI ranges shown below. Once MAGI hits the top of the range, no contribution is allowed at all; however, a minimum of $200 may be contributed as long as MAGI is below the top of the range (e.g. A single 40 year old with MAGI $124,999 may still contribute $200 to a Roth IRA vs. $30). Excess Roth IRA contributions may be recharacterized into Traditional IRA contributions as long as the combined contributions do not exceed that tax year's limit. The Roth IRA MAGI phase out ranges for 2012 are:

• Single filers: Up to $110,000 (to qualify for a full contribution); $110,000–$125,000 (to be eligible for a partial contribution)^[5]
• Joint filers: Up to $173,000 (to qualify for a full contribution); $173,000–$183,000 (to be eligible for a partial contribution)^[5]
• Married filing separately (if the couple lived together for any part of the year): $0 (to qualify for a full contribution); $0–$10,000 (to be eligible for a partial contribution).

The lower number represents the point at which the taxpayer is no longer allowed to contribute the maximum yearly contribution. The upper number is the point as of which the taxpayer is no longer allowed to contribute at all. Note that people who are married and living together, but who file separately, are only allowed to contribute a relatively small amount.

However, once a Roth IRA is established, the balance in the plan remains tax-sheltered, even if the taxpayer's income rises above the threshold. (The thresholds are just for annual eligibility to contribute, not for eligibility to maintain a Roth IRA.) This would be a wise move for retired people who have a comfortable asset base to pay the taxes.

To be eligible, one must meet the earned income minimum requirement. In order to make a contribution, one must have taxable compensation (not taxable income from investments). If one makes only $2,000 in taxable compensation, one's maximum IRA contribution is $2,000.

Contribution Limits[link]

Contributions to both a Roth IRA and a traditional IRA are limited to the total amount allowed for either ($5,000 for tax year 2010 -- $6,000 if over 50 years of age).^[6] Generally, the contribution cannot exceed your earned income for the year in question. The one exception is for a "spousal IRA" where a contribution can be made for a spouse with little or no earned income provided the other spouse has sufficient earned income and the spouses file a joint tax return.^[7]

Conversion limit[link]

Through 2009, only taxpayers with MAGI less than $100,000 in the year of conversion and not married filing separately were allowed to convert from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. TIPRA 2005 eliminated the MAGI limit and filing status restriction on conversions starting in 2010. Thus, regardless of income but subject to contribution limits, contributions can be made to a traditional IRA and then converted to a Roth IRA.^[8] The amount of the conversion that is taxable at the time of conversion equals the current value of the traditional IRA account minus nondeductible contributions to that account. A two-year spread rule applies to conversions made in 2010 and permitted the taxpayer to elect to include half the income in 2011 gross income and the other half in 2012 gross income. Taxable amounts related to conversions after 2010 must be included in gross income in the tax year that the distribution takes place. As taxpayers may owe interest and penalties if funds are removed from the traditional IRA account to pay the taxes, many advisors suggest using other funds to pay taxes on conversion income.^[9]

Distributions[link]

The principal of direct contributions may be withdrawn at any time without tax or penalty.^[1] Eligible (tax and penalty free) distributions of earnings must fulfill two requirements. First, the seasoning period of five years must have elapsed, and secondly a justification must exist such as retirement or disability. The simplest justification is reaching 59.5 years of age, at which point qualified withdrawals may be made in any amount on any schedule. Becoming disabled or being a "first time" home buyer can provide justification for limited qualified withdrawals. Finally, although one can take distributions from a Roth IRA under the substantially equal periodic payments (SEPP) rule without paying a 10% penalty,^[10] any interest^[vague] earned in the IRA will be subject to tax^[11]—a substantial penalty which forfeits the primary tax benefits of the Roth IRA.

Inherited Roth IRAs[link]

Transfers of Roth IRAs between spouses when one spouse dies, just like other IRAs, are tax-free and the spousal beneficiary is free to make contributions and otherwise control the account. For estate tax purposes, if a Roth IRA is part of a descendent's estate that is valued under the taxable inheritance minimum, no estate tax needs to be paid. If the estate is larger than that, the Roth IRA will be taxable to beneficiaries (other than surviving spouses).

Non-spouse beneficiaries are not allowed to make additional contributions to the inherited Roth IRA, or combine it with their own Roth IRA.

In addition, the beneficiary may elect to choose from one of two methods of distribution. The first option is to receive the entire distribution by December 31 of the fifth year following the year of the IRA owner’s death. The second option is to receive portions of the IRA as distributions over the life of the beneficiary, terminating upon the death of the beneficiary and passing on to a secondary beneficiary.

For income tax purposes, distributions from Roth IRAs to beneficiaries are not taxable if the Roth IRA was established for at least five years before the distribution occurs.^[12]

See also[link]

• 401(k) IRA matrix – 401k & IRA comparisons (401k vs Roth 401k vs Traditional IRA vs Roth IRA)
• Coverdell Education Savings Account – Sometimes termed the "Roth IRA for Education", describes tax-sheltered savings accounts for college.
• Substantially equal periodic payments – an exception to the age 59.5 rule
• Tax Free Savings Account in Canada since 2008
• Individual Savings Account in the United Kingdom since 1999

Further reading[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• IRS Publication 590 (IRAs) (pdf)
• IRS ROTH IRA Publication 590
• Roth IRA Conversions [2] (pdf)
• Foreign Tax non-deductible on IRA accounts
• Humberto Cruz (February 13, 2010). "Traditional to Roth IRA conversions: Don’t be tripped up by tax implications". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2010/02/13/traditional_to_roth_ira_conversions_dont_be_tripped_up_by_tax_implications/. 
• Rothify Your 401(k) Forbes.com

Roth may refer to:

Places[link]

• Roth (district), in Bavaria
  • Roth, Bavaria, capital of that district
• Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany:
  • Roth an der Our, in the district Bitburg-Prüm
  • Roth bei Prüm, in the district Bitburg-Prüm
  • Roth, Altenkirchen, in the district of Altenkirchen
  • Roth, Bad Kreuznach, in the district of Bad Kreuznach
  • Roth, Rhein-Hunsrück, in the district Rhein-Hunsrück
  • Roth, Rhein-Lahn, in the district Rhein-Lahn-Kreis
• Roth, Moselle, a village in the commune of Hambach, Moselle, France

People[link]

• Roth (surname)
• Roth, formal botanical abbreviation for Albrecht Wilhelm Roth (1757–1834), German physician and botanist
• Gabrielle Roth, pioneer of 5Rhythms dance

Fictional characters[link]

• Cooper Roth, Marvel Comics superhero
• Hyman Roth, fictional character in the film The Godfather Part II

Other uses[link]

• Challenge Roth, a long distance triathlon race
• Daniel Roth (watchmakers), watch making company
• Roth IRA or Roth 401(k), tax advantaged retirement savings accounts in the U.S.
• Roth festival or रोठ in Hindi is a special Thick bread/festival of Jains in India

Acronyms[link]

• Realms of the Haunting, computer game

See also[link]

• Rothe

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Look up ira, Ira, or IRA in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

IRA most commonly refers to:

• Irish Republican Army, which has existed in various forms since 1916
  • List of organisations known as the Irish Republican Army
  • Provisional Irish Republican Army
• Individual retirement account, a private retirement account or annuity in the United States, normally resulting in tax benefits

Ira or IRA may also refer to:

Names[link]

• Ira (name), a Hebrew language personal name
• Irina or Ira, a given name

Places[link]

• Eira, Messenia or Ira, a municipality in northern Messenia, Greece
• Ira, Tehran, a village in Tehran Province, Iran
• Lielirbe or Īra, Latvia

United States[link]

• Ira, Iowa
• Ira Township, Michigan
• Ira, New York
• Ira, Texas
  • Ira Independent School District
• Hopewell, Red River County, Texas, formerly Ira
• Ira, Vermont

Mythology[link]

• Ira (mythology), a goddess in Polynesian mythology
• Sarasvati or Ira, the Hindu goddess of wisdom, also for the wind-god, also meaning 'Earth'

Music[link]

• I.R.A. (band), a Colombian punk band
• IRA (Polish band), a Polish heavy metal band
• Ira!, a Brazilian rock and roll band

Other uses[link]

• Indian Rationalist Association, a member of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations
• Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 secured certain rights to Native Americans
• Indian Rights Association, an advocacy and lobbyist group for the rights of Native Americans
• Intercollegiate Rowing Association, the national championship for USA men's collegiate rowing
• Internal Revenue Allotment, the local government's share of revenues from the national government of the Philippines
• International Reading Association, a membership organisation of literacy professionals
• International Reference Alphabet as defined by ITU-T T.50
• Inverness Royal Academy, a secondary school in Scotland
• Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
• Íslenskir Radíóamatörar, an amateur radio organization in Iceland

See also[link]

• Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology, Brigham Young University
• Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, Arizona State University
• Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996
• Ida

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Suze Orman
Orman at the Time 100 Gala, May 4, 2010.
Born	Susan Lynn Orman (1951-06-05) June 5, 1951 (age 61) Chicago, Illinois
Residence	Florida, New York City, and San Francisco[1]
Nationality	American
Education	Bachelor of Arts in social work
Alma mater	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1976)
Occupation	author, television personality, motivational speaker
Known for	The Suze Orman Show
Spouse	Kathy Travis
Website
www.SuzeOrman.com The Suze Orman Show

Susan Lynn "Suze" Orman (born June 5, 1951) is an American financial advisor, author, motivational speaker, and television host.^[2]

Orman was born in Chicago and received her B.A. in social work. She worked as a waitress in Berkeley, California before becoming a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch. In 1983 she became the vice-president of investments at Prudential Bache Securities and in 1987 founded the Suze Orman Financial Group.

Her program The Suze Orman Show has aired for eleven years and is one of the highest rated shows on CNBC. She has written nine consecutive New York Times Best Sellers and has written, co-produced and hosted seven PBS specials based on her books. Her PBS shows are the most successful fundraisers for PBS and have won two Emmy awards.^[3][4] She has also won the most Gracie Awards of any individual.^[5] In 2008 and 2009, Orman was named to the Times Magazine list of 100 most influential people, the 2010 Forbes Magazine 100 most powerful women in the world, and 18th on the Forbes list of The Most Influential Women In Media.^{[citation needed]}

Early life and education[link]

Orman was born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, in 1951. Her mother, Ann, worked for a rabbi and also as a legal secretary, and her father, Morrie Orman, plucked chicken feathers.^[6][7][8] Her family was Jewish; her father was a Russian immigrant and her mother's family were from Romania.^[8][9] Her parents managed a delicatessen in Hyde Park.^[10][11][12]

She attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received a B.A. in social work in 1976.^[13] In 2009, Orman received an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.^[13]

Career[link]

After finishing school, Orman moved to Berkeley, California and became a waitress. In 1980, she borrowed $52,000 from friends and well wishers to open a restaurant.^{[14][15][16][17]}

Later, Orman trained as an account executive for Merrill Lynch. She simultaneously and successfully sued Merrill Lynch for a prior investment loss of $50,000. After completing her training with Merrill Lynch, she remained at the firm until 1983 when she left to become vice-president of investments at Prudential Bache Securities.

In 1987, Orman resigned from Prudential and founded the Suze Orman Financial Group, in Emeryville, California. She was director of the firm until 1997.^[16]

In 2007, Orman created an interactive TV show called "Can I Afford it?".

In February 2008, Orman gave away 1 million electronic copies of her book Women and Money following an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In July, Orman began hosting a financial advice show called The Suze Orman Show. Orman has also been featured on the Food Network's Paula's Party alongside RuPaul.

In January 2011, Orman appeared on the TV show, "Oprah's Allstars".

Orman writes an advice column for O. She is the former author of Yahoo!'s "Money Matters" and has written for the Costco Connection magazine. She is also a contributor to the The Philadelphia Inquirer, Lowes MoneyWorks, and Your Business at Home Magazine.^[18][19]

In January 2012, Orman's new six-episode TV series "America's Money Class with Suze Orman" premiered on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.^[20]

Orman's prepaid debit card Approved card was released in January 2012 to with some claiming it to be a financial empowerment tool and others claiming it a "rip-off".

While she has proven herself a wealth of information about credit and very general financial issues, Orman's understanding of comprehensive financial planning has been questioned by many in the industry. Senior MarketWatch columnist Chuck Jaffe, for example, states that Orman "scores very high on the personality index, but very low on the knowledge and understanding of the complex issues that face a lot of her audience. She's giving generic, simple solutions to people's most difficult problems, and judging from her [own personal investment] portfolio she's taking them on a path she really hasn't traveled herself."^[21] And according to MSN Money's James Scurlock, "the personal-finance guru favors supersimple mantras—even when they're wrong—and psychological explanations for all your money problems."^[22]

Reception[link]

Orman has written nine New York Times Best Sellers; and has written, co-produced, and hosted seven PBS specials based on her books; and is said to be the most successful fundraiser in the history of public television.^[3] She is also considered a "top seller" on the QVChome shopping network.^[4] Orman won the Daytime Emmy Award in 2004 and 2006 in the category of Outstanding Service Show Host for her PBS pledge drive specials, The Laws of Money, The Lessons of Life and The Money Show for the Young, Fabulous, & Broke. Orman has also won six Gracie Awards.^[5]

Personal life[link]

In February 2007, Orman told The New York Times Magazine that she is a lesbian.^{[23][24][25][26]} According to her Twitter page, Orman married Kathy Travis, a co-producer on The Suze Orman Show, in South Africa in September 2010.^[27]

According to the Federal Election Commission, Orman has donated money to the Democratic National Committee and to the 2000 Senate campaign of Hillary Clinton (D-NY).^[28] In 2008, Orman donated $28,000 to the Democratic National Committee.^[29] She stated in an interview with Larry King in 2008 that she favors the economic policies of the Democratic party and President Barack Obama.^[30]

In an April 2008 online interview with The Young Turks, Orman stated that her net worth is more than ten million USD.^[31]

Publications[link]

Books[link]

• You've Earned It, Don't Lose It: Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make When You Retire (with Linda Mead) (1995)
• The Nine Steps To Financial Freedom (1997)
• The Courage to Be Rich (1999)
• The Road to Wealth (2001)
• The Laws of Money, the Lessons of Life... (2003)
• The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke (2005)
• Women and Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny (2007)
• Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan (2009)
• Suze Orman's 2010 Action Plan (March 2010)
• The Money Class: Learn to Create Your New American Dream (March 2011)

Multimedia[link]

Orman is also creator of a number of non-book products, primarily CD-ROM-based services that offer education and various financial services usually in conjunction with her books and writings.

• Suze Ormans FICO Kit – First offered in 2002 in conjunction with Fair Isaac Corporation.
• Suze Orman's Will & Trust Kit – Introduced in 2005 with her personal trust attorney.
• Suze Orman's Insurance Kit – Introduced in 2007.
• Suze Orman's Protection Portfolio – First introduced in 2002, in third version.
• Suze Orman's Identity Theft Kit – First offered in 2008, in conjunction with TrustedID, Inc.
• Suze Orman's Save Yourself Retirement Program – Introduced September 2009, in conjunction with TD Ameritrade.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Suze Orman

• Suze Orman Official Site Suze Orman Financial Group Web site
• Suze Orman Show, CNBC Suze Orman Show
• Money Matters - Yahoo! Finance Orman's regular column on Yahoo! Finance
• Suze Orman Bio on CNBC.com
• CNBC. "Anchors & Reporters: Suze Orman". Retrieved July 23, 2006
• Suze Orman Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
• Suze Orman at the Internet Movie Database