Suze Orman Says These Are The Biggest Money No-Nos

Suze Orman Says These Are The Biggest Money No-Nos
MoneyWise        Esther Trattner   

From the Recaps Archives originally posted on August 6, 2019

Suze Orman Says These Are The Biggest Money No-Nos

Best-selling author, TV host and personal finance guru Suze Orman has been inspiring Americans for decades to make better money moves and avoid serious financial mistakes.

She'll be the first to tell you that what you don't do with your money may be even more important than what you do with it.

Here are 22 major money don’ts — straight from the expert.

 Don't be too quick to buy a home

Invest your extra money to buy your dream home -- when you're ready

Homeownership is part of the American dream — but buying one before you're able can lead to financial disaster.

"Sometimes it makes sense to own a home," Orman tells CNBC.com. "And sometimes, depending on where you live, it makes sense to simply rent."

That's particularly true if you're in an expensive city. Instead of pouring a lot of money into property, Orman says why not invest in the stock market? That way, you can grow your savings — maybe into a down payment on that home of your dreams.

You're new to investing? You might try an automated investment service, which will automatically adjust your portfolio to protect you from market turbulence.

2. Don't lease a car

Financing a car or buying a used car is better than leasing 
In Suze Orman's words, you should "you should never, ever ever ever, lease a car."

If you lease, you'll sink your money into several years' worth of car payments and be empty-handed when the lease term is done.

Financing is a better option, but Orman says if it will take longer than three years to pay off the car, then it’s out of your price range. (You certainly don't want to consider one of today's seven-year car loans.)
 
Buying a used car is another way to go. Models that are just a few years old will have great safety specifications and the same audio-visual tech as a new car, at a fraction of the price.

3. Don't co-sign a loan

When a friend or family member in need asks you to co-sign a loan, Orman says the only correct response is to turn them down.

As she puts it: "Don’t be afraid to say 'no to others and say 'yes' to yourself."

When you co-sign a loan, you become legally responsible for paying back the money. Life is unpredictable, and if anything happens to prevent the borrower from repaying the loan, you’ll be on the hook to make the payments.

Plus, if the borrower is so much as late on a few payments, your credit score can take a hit.

4. Don't take Social Security too soon

Our favorite financial guru advises Americans to avoid early retirement for a very good reason: It's worth it to delay taking Social Security until age 70.

"Every year you wait between your normal retirement age and 70, Social Security will add a guaranteed 8% to your eventual monthly payout," she writes, in AARP The Magazine.

She says delaying Social Security until you reach 70 will give you a monthly benefit more than 75% percent higher than what you'll get if you start at 62.

"Living well into your 80s and beyond is no longer some rare event," Orman says — and you want to make sure your resources will last as long as you do. 5. Don't sell stocks when markets are bad

When stocks are hurtling lower, investors tend to drop investments fast. This is a bad idea, says Orman.

Instead of dumping stock, she advises that you just keep investing the same amount of money each month, regardless of what the market is doing. Using this strategy, a bad month for the market becomes a good month to invest.

"I wish for 2008 again," she tells Yahoo Finance, referring to the year of the big market meltdown. "That’s when the fortune was made. That’s when you could buy stocks for pennies on the dollar."

If you train yourself to hold on tight through market dips, you’ll continue to build a solid portfolio with long-term earning potential.

To continue reading, please go to the original article here:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/suze-orman-says-biggest-money-142928266.html