HELP ME OBI WAN KENOBI...

I am not someone who likes to reinvent the wheel. Instead I like to take the more efficient route of finding an expert to show me the ways of the Jedi. What I look for in an Obi Wan is someone with whom I share the same values, who inspires, motivates, educates and provides pathways and strategies to get where I want to go. Luke Skywalker had Obi Wan Kenobi. I have Suze Orman.

Suze has all the a fore mentioned qualities and clearly has "the force." She is EVERYWHERE and in EVERYTHING. She has several books, a TV show, a website, podcasts, and makes appearances all over the world. She is also a friend of Oprah's, another Jedi Master.

Because I so admire her accomplishments and success, and because I want to do what is necessary to live rich, I am spending the month of May studying Suze. Dr. Maxell Malz, suggests that if there is a quality or behavior that you would like to acquire, you should pick someone who has that quality and learn more about them. His method is to "...study (them) for a month, to get so intimately familiar with the way he or she thinks that you can sit down and have a conversation with the person and solicit advice and coaching in your imagination." I will use her wisdom like a light saber against the evil forces of the The Empire at Bluefly.com (Cue Star Wars theme).

On a side note, Yoda has some profound ideas! Use the sunken ship as a metaphor for pulling your __________ (fill in the blank) from the swap in Dgobah.

MONEY GIRL PODCASTS...

Look what I found on iTunes. It's a podcast called Money Girl, Quick and Dirty tips for a Richer Life. Perfect. I discovered Money Girl a few months ago and look forward to each new installment. Money Girl covers all different topics from making financial goals and improving your credit score, to leveraging investments. She is very perky and gives clear and easy to understand tips. I have included a link to the site where the podcasts are available for download, or you can just read the script. For me, podcasts are a great distraction while doing my cardio, with the added benefit of learning how to get rich. Two birds, one stone.

My favorite tip so far is about SELF DIRECTED IRA'S... from the podcast entitled "Investing With A Self-Directed IRA." I learned that with such an IRA you can invest in just about any kind of Asset. The only types of assets you cannot invest in are: Collectibles (for example, art, antiques, jewelry, or coins other than U.S. gold coins), Life insurance and S corporations. We are not limited to stock, bonds, and mutual funds! Being a girl who is all about options, I decided to use my Roth IRA funds to buy ownership in a Limited Liability Company that is developing and selling office condominiums. There are many benefits to a Roth IRA, one of which is you never have to pay CAPITAL GAINS taxes on the earnings you make within your IRA. Tax Free Money! Yeah! I had to do some research to find an IRA CUSTODIAN who would hold real estate as an asset (a "Non-Standard Asset). With these Custodians there are fees involved, whereas other traditional Custodians (Banks, Brokerage Companies) will hold your investment portfolios for free (ie TD Ameritrade). I looked into several companies and decided to go with Pensco Trust. Each time I called I was able to speak with someone immediately, and their rate schedule is reasonable and competitive with the other companies I checked out.

If you want to learn more about SELF DIRECTED IRA'S, check out their website: http://www.penscotrust.com/.