Podcast Summary: Suze Orman's Women & Money (And Everyone Smart Enough to Listen)

Episode: How To Make Wise Financial Decisions
Release Date: January 18, 2026
Host: Suze Orman
Duration: ~30 minutes

Episode Overview

In this Susie School episode, Suze Orman delves into the emotional and psychological obstacles to making wise financial decisions—most notably, fear. She addresses concerns for those approaching or in retirement (ages 60 and above), though her insights apply to listeners of all ages. Drawing on her own life experiences, including health scares, Suze explores how our nervous system, more than logic, can drive our financial behavior. She shares practical tools for calming financial anxiety, demystifies the role of financial advisors, and affirms the value and resilience of older adults.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Role of Fear in Financial Decision-Making

• Fear as the Main Internal Obstacle:

  • Suze opens by questioning why people often fail to follow good financial advice, highlighting fear as the "one internal obstacle to wealth."
  • She notes that fear surfaces more profoundly as people age, due to increased stakes and less time to recover from mistakes.
  • Quote (03:30):

    "The one internal obstacle to wealth that I really want to focus on today is fear. What will your fear do? And how does it show up in your finances?" — Suze Orman

• Different Experience at Different Ages:

  • Market volatility feels theoretical to the young but urgent and personal to those near or in retirement.
  • Older adults often see every financial move as final, compounding their anxiety.

2. Emotional & Biological Triggers of Financial Fear

• The Polyvagal System:

  • Suze shares her personal struggles with fear after a life-threatening surgery, introducing the polyvagal system developed by Dr. Stephen Porges as a biological explanation for stress responses.
  • Quote (17:15):

    "If my body doesn't feel safe, my brain cannot make wise decisions... this applies to every single one of you if you don't feel safe with your money." — Suze Orman

• States of the Nervous System:
  a. Calm State:

  • When you feel safe, you’re able to calmly stick to your financial plan and make intelligent decisions.
  • Quote (20:00):

    "When you feel safe, you're calm... this is where your wealth is protected." — Suze Orman
    b. Fear State (Fight or Flight):

  • Market volatility or negative news can trigger panic buying or selling, an enemy of wealth.
  • Quote (21:24):

    "Urgency—feeling like you have to act and you've never thought that way before—it is the number one enemy of wealth." — Suze Orman
    c. Shutdown State (Freeze):

  • Overload leads to inaction, avoidance, and financial neglect.
  • Quote (23:00):

    “You stop opening your statements... You ignore your required minimum distributions... You just feel numb, tired, overwhelmed by everything.”

3. Age, Loss, and Intensified Financial Anxiety

• Aging and Risk Tolerance:
  • As people age, their tolerance for uncertainty drops, making losses or volatility feel more painful and threatening.
  • Physical stress responses intensify, making it harder to “think your way out” of fear.
  • Quote (26:30):

    "As we age, our tolerance for uncertainty absolutely decreases. Loss feels more threatening."

4. Practical Tools to Manage Financial Fear

• Suze’s Three-Step Method:
  1. Calming the Nervous System:
  • Before making any financial move, practice a specific breathing exercise:
    • Breathe in through the nose, take a small second sip of air, exhale slowly through the mouth—repeat three times.
  • Quote (29:15):

    “Before you make any financial move, I want you to take a breath through your nose... then exhale slowly through your mouth... Do that three times.”
    2. Reframe Decision-Making:

  • Don’t immediately ask “What should I do now?”
  • Instead, ask: “Do I need this money in the next three to five years?”
  • If no, then take no action—volatile markets are “just noise, not danger.”
    3. Focus on the Next Right Step:
  • Don’t get overwhelmed by imagining ten steps ahead, just focus on “the next right step.”
  • Quote (30:40):

    “Just… what is your next step? Can you just try those three things?”

5. Choosing and Using Financial Advisors

• The Importance of Trust:
  • If you feel unable to be honest or ask questions of your advisor—find another one.
  • Good advisors “regulate with you,” calm your anxiety, and are not themelves in a state of fear.
  • Quote (32:05):

    "A good advisor regulates with you... They calm you down when you are freaked out. They don't rush you. They don't shame you. They don't pressure you."

6. Affirmations and Empowerment for Older Listeners

• Celebrate Experience:

  • Suze rejects the notion that age leads to fragility, asserting, “Old is gold.”
  • She encourages older listeners to remember they've survived much and brings an uplifting metaphor:
    • Quote (33:00):

      “Old is gold. The sun is golden and look how old it is and look how it shines.”

• Panic Is Optional:

  • Regardless of market movements, panic is a choice.
  • Reassures listeners: “You are not your portfolio. You are your own greatest asset... your own greatest rescuer.”
  • Quote (34:25):

    "You are not your portfolio. You are not the market. You are not today's headlines. You are your own greatest asset... You are your own greatest rescuer."

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On older listeners and fear:

  “There’s a different element of fear involved when you are 60, 65, 70, even 80 or 90 than when you are 25, 35, 45, and even 50, it is different.” (04:40)

• On biological responses to fear:

  “There is a biological system in your body that decides whether you feel calm or panicked long before logic kicks in.” (16:45)

• Market volatility for older adults:

  "You think at this time that you're supposed to feel safe. But the history of living through all those market crashes… Here you are, you're supposed to feel safe, and yet you don't. And why is that? Most likely, it's because you're watching the markets move." (07:50)

• On health insurance costs:

  “$3,500 a month for insurance for [a family of five]” (12:05)
  This example underscores how even people in their early 40s are feeling the squeeze, broadening the relevance of her advice.

• On practicing calm:

  “When you are in the calm state, that means you’re safe. And this is where your wealth is protected.” (20:10)

• The value of experience:

  “You have survived wars, recessions, market crashes, personal losses, health scares. You are not fragile. Old is gold.” (33:00)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Why Fear Is the Focus Today — 03:30
• How Market Volatility Feels Different by Age — 05:45
• The Polyvagal System and Financial Fear — 15:30
• Three States of the Nervous System Applied to Money — 19:50
• Practical Tools for Calming Financial Anxiety — 29:10
• How to Work with Financial Advisors and Trust — 31:45
• Affirmations for Older Listeners: “Old is Gold” — 33:00
• Empowering Final Messages — 34:20

Takeaways

• Emotions like fear are biological and can override logic when making financial decisions, especially as you age.
• Panic is not a sign of weakness or poor intelligence—it’s a natural response that needs to be managed, not judged.
• Use breathing exercises and strategic self-questioning before making financial moves.
• A calm state is necessary for wise money decisions; if you aren’t calm, don’t act.
• Choose advisors who calm, not pressure you.
• Remember your resilience: “Old is gold.” You are more than your financial statements.

Closing Message (Paraphrased)

"You are not your portfolio or today’s headlines. You’re your own greatest asset and rescuer. Remember: People first, then money, then things. Now you stay safe." — Suze Orman (34:40)

This episode offers a compassionate, actionable framework for anyone—especially those in or near retirement—seeking to reclaim a sense of confidence, safety, and wisdom in their financial life, regardless of what's happening in the markets.