Can I Afford It/Suze Orman

[Ciao Mickey]

I can't believe some of the people who call in to the show.

I'm watching the show tonight and here was a woman who called in and wanted to know if she could afford to buy her boyfriend a Tag Heuer watch that costs $1100.

She makes $20,000 per month and has over $300,000 in liquid savings. She's a doctor by the way and could easily afford to buy him a diamond studded Rolex for goodness sakes.

What was the purpose of the call? Other than to brag about how much she makes and has in her bank account?

 

[disneysteve]

Many people, even though they may earn lots, have trouble spending it. That is especially true for people who weren't raised with money. They never quite feel comfortable with luxury purchases. It just doesn't feel right to them. So that's one possibility.

Another possibility (and I didn't see the show tonite so may not apply) but just because people earn a lot doesn't mean their finances are in any better shape than someone who earns a lot less. They might earn 200K but own a million dollar home, fancy cars and have sky high monthly expenses and tons of debt.

And then there are just the folks calling in to hear themselves on tv. Actually, that's true for the other end of the spectrum, too. I have a friend who called in once. She knew there was no way she could afford what she was asking about but she just wanted to get on the show - and she did.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I can't believe some of the people who call in to the show.

I'm watching the show tonight and here was a woman who called in and wanted to know if she could afford to buy her boyfriend a Tag Heuer watch that costs $1100.

She makes $20,000 per month and has over $300,000 in liquid savings. She's a doctor by the way and could easily afford to buy him a diamond studded Rolex for goodness sakes.

What was the purpose of the call? Other than to brag about how much she makes and has in her bank account?

She features people from all walks, including children and folks on more meager salaries.

You can only be jealous if you choose to be. That isn't Suze or the callers fault.

Not everyone is broke. It doesnt mean they are not in need of her advice.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I like to listen to the ones that she actually says YES too....

 

[Traveliz]

I can't believe some of the people who call in to the show.

I'm watching the show tonight and here was a woman who called in and wanted to know if she could afford to buy her boyfriend a Tag Heuer watch that costs $1100.

She makes $20,000 per month and has over $300,000 in liquid savings. She's a doctor by the way and could easily afford to buy him a diamond studded Rolex for goodness sakes.

What was the purpose of the call? Other than to brag about how much she makes and has in her bank account?

Didn't watch it but having watched the segment before I am wondering Suze said yes -- seems she says no to just about everything.

Liz

 

[Ciao Mickey]

She features people from all walks, including children and folks on more meager salaries.

You can only be jealous if you choose to be. That isn't Suze or the callers fault.

Not everyone is broke. It doesnt mean they are not in need of her advice.

Yes, I am really really jealous of the caller because I can't afford to buy a Tag or Rolex...

Have you ever watched her show?

The woman sounded stupid for what she was asking.

She obviously had more than enough money to purchase the watch.

If you watch the show every week you will know that some people call in just to brag. Just like the guy who had $4 million in his retirement account and wanted to know if he could afford something equally stupid (can't remember what exactly).

I don't know why she bothers to put these people on especially when there are callers who really need guidance. For instance the woman who wanted to buy an $80,000 Porsche Cayenne. That poor woman only had $78K in her retirement account and had to be talked down.

 

[homedad]

I said the same thing to my wife tonite, some people just want to hear themselves talk. If you have to call into a tv show to find out what u can afford i think you have issues anyway.

 

[cluvsdisney]

I guess this is how the caller managed to save a couple hundred grand in cash...she carefully considers her purchases.

I also wonder if it's a type of hoarding.

 

[allison443]

My sister and her husband like to watch that segment, they actually saw a situation similar to theirs described by a caller and that's how they decided to buy their vacation home. It has worked out well and my sister always mentions she's glad she watched Suze that night. They could afford it but that show just gave them the push they needed, lol.

 

[Swimalie]

Yes, I am really really jealous of the caller because I can't afford to buy a Tag or Rolex...

Have you ever watched her show?

The woman sounded stupid for what she was asking.

She obviously had more than enough money to purchase the watch.

If you watch the show every week you will know that some people call in just to brag. Just like the guy who had $4 million in his retirement account and wanted to know if he could afford something equally stupid (can't remember what exactly).
.

If the person had $4 million in their retirement, doesn't mean they could afford to buy extras. If they have saved that much, it means they might have taken a lot out of their paycheck to make sure they have enough in their retirement account. I'm just guessing. I didn't see it. But having money in a retirement account is, to me, not "having" money. It's money that you don't touch until you need it.

As for the doctor, I agree with someone previously that maybe she has issues spending money. I know someone like that. They had money growing up. Nannies, gardeners, housekeepers, etc. All while growing up but lost it thanks to their mom's squandering. That person worked hard to get a lot of money on their own and is now very well off but won't spend much as a result. Every purchase is weighed heavily.

 

[marie1203]

I watch the show often and there is time were people have over $25,000 salary and she has still denied them. Just because someone makes a good salary doesn't mean they are on the right financial track. For example BIL makes over $100,000 a year and it is only him. He doesn't have to pay rent because he stay at grandparents summer house and he never has money!!! He doesn't have any savings.

 

[deedeecee]

Didn't the caller also have a lot of student loan debt (I'm sure due to medical school)? And even though she had a lot in liquid savings, she didn't have much in retirement or investments. So it's not like she had it all together, financially speaking.
I didn't view it as bragging. It is what it is.

 

[QVCshopper]

I think that caller recently started making a lot of money and didn't know what to do with it. So she saved it. She obviously didn't feel comfortable spending much money. Making $20,000 a month, it wouldn't take too long to save $300,000. She didn't know how to invest it either.

I'm the same age as the caller and we have saved more than her, and she makes much much more than DH and I combined.

Guess that makes me a "money hoarder"--whatever in the world that is. Now it's bad to save money?

 

[Marionnette]

Yes, I am really really jealous of the caller because I can't afford to buy a Tag or Rolex...

Have you ever watched her show?

The woman sounded stupid for what she was asking.

She obviously had more than enough money to purchase the watch.

If you watch the show every week you will know that some people call in just to brag. Just like the guy who had $4 million in his retirement account and wanted to know if he could afford something equally stupid (can't remember what exactly).

I don't know why she bothers to put these people on especially when there are callers who really need guidance. For instance the woman who wanted to buy an $80,000 Porsche Cayenne. That poor woman only had $78K in her retirement account and had to be talked down.

Suze usually has a lot more information in front of her than what they put up on the screen. For instance, did you happen to notice what the caller's monthly expenses were? Or what they had in retirement savings?

On the surface, it may look like she has tons of money to spend on luxuries, but after 8 years of school and then the "poverty' years of residency, she may not have as much as you think. People who enter medicine enter their careers with greater debt and fewer earning years than your typical college graduate.

I missed last night's episode, so I don't know what she told the doctor but I know that there have been a few times when I thought that the caller was in great shape only to hear Suze utter that famous phrase "YOU ARE DE-NIED!"

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

I agree with you, OP. That's just silly. It's like me asking if I can afford a $125 Seiko ... I guarantee Suze is gonna say "Yes!".

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Suze usually has a lot more information in front of her than what they put up on the screen. For instance, did you happen to notice what the caller's monthly expenses were? Or what they had in retirement savings?

On the surface, it may look like she has tons of money to spend on luxuries, but after 8 years of school and then the "poverty' years of residency, she may not have as much as you think. People who enter medicine enter their careers with greater debt and fewer earning years than your typical college graduate.

I missed last night's episode, so I don't know what she told the doctor but I know that there have been a few times when I thought that the caller was in great shape only to hear Suze utter that famous phrase "YOU ARE DE-NIED!"

From what I remember the caller had enough money to pay off her student loans and mortgage. She had money in her retirement in addition to the $300K in cash. Even Suze sounded surprised that she had so much in liquid and questioned her about that.

I think they put this woman on the wrong segment. She would have done better on How AM I Doing?

The reason why I brought up these two is you can tell who is on trying to show off a little and who is on because they want some advice. THese two in my opinion were simply showing off and were having a little fun at Suze's expense.

The $4 million man was on before and wanted to know if he could afford an airplane that was around $250K. He could because in addition to the $4M he had other a$$ets that would easily cover the cost of the plane and the man was retired and in his mid-60's.

I agree with the poster who said that some people might have trouble spending the money they have. (I know a couple of people that fit that description.) That's a shame. They will die leaving their money for someone else to enjoy. But that wasn't the case with these two callers.

 

[pearlieq]

This may be only me, but I can't see buying a boyfriend anything that cost $1,100 unless you literally have money to buff your shoes with.

A husband or a fiance? Sure, if it was in your means. But that's a lot of money for a boyfriend, to my way of thinking.

 

[jenny13]

I can't believe some of the people who call in to the show.

I'm watching the show tonight and here was a woman who called in and wanted to know if she could afford to buy her boyfriend a Tag Heuer watch that costs $1100.

She makes $20,000 per month and has over $300,000 in liquid savings. She's a doctor by the way and could easily afford to buy him a diamond studded Rolex for goodness sakes.

What was the purpose of the call? Other than to brag about how much she makes and has in her bank account?

Just because someone makes decent money doesn't mean they can afford to spend. Between mortgage, student loans, etc she may not have much extra to spend.

My aunt and uncle have owned numerous businesses and have done very well for themselves. Now they are pretty much retired and sold the businesses, except for an antique shop that is mostly a hobby to them. They are easily valued at over $25 million, but that doesn't mean they have all that money available to them. Don't get me wrong, they aren't struggling by any means, but most of their money is invested so not readily available. They have to consider any big purchases before actually making them.

My point is there are many reasons someone may not be able to afford something. You shouldn't just jump to conclusions without knowing the whole story. Jealousy doesn't look good on anyone.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Yes I do watch her show. That segment has never been limited to the struggling. I don't get the point of your complaint. You felt she was "bragging". Evidently, you misunderstand the segment and the show.

Yes, I am really really jealous of the caller because I can't afford to buy a Tag or Rolex...

Have you ever watched her show?

The woman sounded stupid for what she was asking.

She obviously had more than enough money to purchase the watch.

If you watch the show every week you will know that some people call in just to brag. Just like the guy who had $4 million in his retirement account and wanted to know if he could afford something equally stupid (can't remember what exactly).

I don't know why she bothers to put these people on especially when there are callers who really need guidance. For instance the woman who wanted to buy an $80,000 Porsche Cayenne. That poor woman only had $78K in her retirement account and had to be talked down.

 

[The Pluto People]

Yes I do watch her show. That segment has never been limited to the struggling. I don't get the point of your complaint. You felt she was "bragging". Evidently, you misunderstand the segment and the show.

I watch the show often. I also thought the doctor was bragging. She had $300,000 liquid and was calling about spending $1000? I understand the segment and the show perfectly. And Suze does allow some ridiculous calls on that segment - on both ends of income/spending spectrum.