Suze Orman’s Women & Money (And Everyone Smart Enough To Listen)

Episode Title: Impatience Is The Downfall To Wealth
Air Date: February 8, 2026
Host: Suze Orman

Episode Overview

This “Super Suze School” episode focuses on the critical role patience plays in building lasting wealth. Drawing on lessons from recent market downturns, especially the tech stock crash in 2022, Suze Orman explores how emotional reactions—particularly impatience—can undermine long-term financial gains. She also addresses practical strategies for safeguarding savings in volatile times, and unveils a new high-interest, insured savings option.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Learning from Market History: Tech Stock Lessons

• Parallels Between 2022 and Recent Market Moves
  Suze revisits the 2022 tech stock crash, emphasizing how even the "Magnificent Seven" (Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Nvidia, Meta, Tesla) suffered massive declines—yet rebounded to new highs.

  • Stock Drop Recap:

    • Apple: Down 30%+
    • Microsoft: Nearly 40%
    • Amazon: Cut in half
    • Google: Down 40%
    • Nvidia: Down 60%
    • Meta: Down 80%
    • Tesla: Down 75%

  • Memorable Quote:

    “Those companies didn’t lose their businesses. They lost your patience.”
    — Suze Orman (07:01)

  • Lesson: If investors held on rather than panicked, they saw substantial returns. The critical message: trust strong fundamentals and don’t let emotion drive decisions.

2. The Power (and Pitfall) of Patience

• Suze explains how our fast-paced, tech-driven society has conditioned us to expect instant gratification—not only in life but in investing.

  • Memorable Analogy:
    Suze reminisces about early computers that required patience to operate, contrasting that with today’s “immediate” mindset.

    “We’ve become a society of—if there’s any lag—you absolutely freak out. We don’t have patience anymore… and the lack of patience… is going to lead you to make serious financial mistakes.”
    — Suze Orman (09:20)

• Core Takeaway:
  "Your impatience is going to lead you to make serious financial mistakes" (09:35). Those who wait out downturns in quality investments are often rewarded, while acting out of fear can lock in losses.

• Catchphrase:

  “Fear always sounds smartest at the bottom.”
  — Suze Orman (13:08)

3. Perspective: Cost Basis and True Gains

• Many listeners mistakenly focus on recent highs and losses from those highs, rather than their long-term cost basis and actual profits.

  • Suze shares a practical example of stock appreciation and urges listeners to keep a ledger of their original investment (cost basis).

  • Notable Segment:

    “Stop thinking that you’re down so much money, because all you do is look at what it’s worth at the time… You don’t look at how much you have still made.”
    — Suze Orman (17:40)

  • Advice:

    • Record your cost basis for every investment.
    • Evaluate real profit/loss instead of short-term, mark-to-market swings.

4. How to Approach Volatility & Emotions

• The recent Friday market rally is cited as a case study:

  • Markets can turn sharply for little obvious reason (“markets moved ahead of the headlines, not behind them” – 19:36).

  • Emotional responses (relief, followed by uncertainty, then anxiety) can trigger poor decisions.

  • Addressing Listener Anxieties:

    • Don’t make “all-in” or “all-out” decisions based on short-term swings.
    • Stick to fundamentals—only invest money you don’t need for 5, 10, 15 years.
    • Diversify: index funds, ETFs, dividend-paying stocks.

  • On Market Timing:

    “When you sell something, it is very difficult to buy it back… Actually what happens? It never comes back down again.”
    — Suze Orman (14:02)

5. Practical Saving Solutions for Large Sums

• Many listeners are sitting on large cash sums, unsure where to park them safely.

• Suze’s Recommendation:

  • Keep “safe money” in vehicles that are 100% federally insured (FDIC or NCUA).
  • Don’t chase highest rates at the expense of safety.
  • For large balances, Suze has worked with Alliant Credit Union to develop a Jumbo Savings Account:
    • Requires $100,000+
    • 3.35% APY, liquid (not a certificate)
    • $250 bonus after a year if balance maintained
    • Must open by March 31st, 2026
    • NCUA insured up to $250,000
    • Now available for living trusts (23:30–26:00)

  “This is a savings account. This is not a certificate… and it is NCUA insured up to $250,000.”
  — Suze Orman (24:28)

• For smaller balances, other options include Alliant’s regular savings account (3–3.1%) or a six-month CD (~3.9%).

  • On Rate Chasing:

    “I never go for the highest rate. I go for the safest rate.”
    — Suze Orman (27:08)

6. Final Guidance & Wisdom

• On market highs, patience, and sticking to your plan:

  • Continue dollar cost averaging in high-quality stocks.

  • Hold patiently if you’re already sufficiently invested.

  • Suze’s Mantra:

    “People first, then money, then things.”
    — Suze Orman (28:16)

• Upcoming Episode Announcement:
  Suze will be joined by Keith Fitzgerald next Sunday for Suze School, promising diverse insights.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------| | 07:01 | “Those companies didn’t lose their businesses. They lost your patience." | Suze Orman | | 09:20 | “We’ve become a society of—if there’s any lag—you absolutely freak out. We don’t have patience…” | Suze Orman | | 13:08 | “Fear always sounds smartest at the bottom.” | Suze Orman | | 14:02 | “When you sell something, it is very difficult to buy it back… what happens? It never comes back down again.” | Suze Orman | | 17:40 | “Stop thinking that you’re down so much money, because all you do is look at what it’s worth at the time… You don’t look at how much you have still made.” | Suze Orman | | 24:28 | “This is a savings account. This is not a certificate… and it is NCUA insured up to $250,000.” | Suze Orman | | 27:08 | “I never go for the highest rate. I go for the safest rate.” | Suze Orman | | 28:16 | “People first, then money, then things.” | Suze Orman |

Important Timestamps

• 00:45 – Intro and "easiest thing to forget, hardest to remember" concept
• 03:30 – 2022 crash revisited: breakdown of losses in top tech stocks
• 07:01 – Key insight: patience versus panic
• 13:08 – “Fear sounds smartest at the bottom”
• 17:00 – Cost basis/actual profit versus perceived loss explanation
• 19:36 – Markets rally; emotions vs. headlines
• 22:00 – Suze on holding safe money, not timing the market
• 23:30 – New Alliant Jumbo Savings account explained
• 27:08 – Philosophy on rate chasing vs. safety
• 28:16 – Classic closing mantra: people, money, things

Tone & Language

Suze Orman is warm, encouraging, and peppered with memorable catchphrases. She blends practical steps with motivational insights, aiming to reinforce discipline, serenity, and a long-term perspective in her listeners.

Summary Takeaways

• Patience is the cornerstone of wealth-building.
• Markets and emotions are volatile—invest with a long time horizon.
• Evaluate your wealth based on your cost basis, not recent highs or paper losses.
• When in doubt, safety for large sums comes first (insured accounts).
• Don’t let fear or impatience drive financial decisions; trust your plan.
• “People first, then money, then things.”

For more, join the Women & Money community via the app, and catch the next Suze School with Keith Fitzgerald.