Confessions of a Finanical Show-aholic

I confess, I am a financial show-aholic. I absolutely love watching them. You know, the shows that help people with the various financial troubles and tribulations? I just can't get enough of them.

Before you jump to conclusions, I am not deep in debt nor ignorant of how to manage money. Actually, my family is blessed because I run a successful company and my husband works for a wonderful Michigan manufacturing company that is doing very well. Yes, I said a Michigan manufacturing company that is doing very well. Contrary to popular belief, it's not all doom and gloom here in Michigan.Yep, we're doing just fine.

So, why then am I so addicted to shows that exist primarily to teach people how to dig themselves out of the financial black holes that they've managed to throw themselves in? Answer: I have no idea!

My favorite financial gurus are Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman, and Clark Howard. All three of them are funny, quirky, and best of all, terrific teachers. While the common thread for all three is the same -- you should be the one controlling your money -- they have different philosophies that I think can be explained quickly. After watching them all for years I think I know their styles well enough to wrap them up in just a couple of words:

Dave Ramsey - No Debt
Suze Orman - FICO Score
Clark Howard - Be Frugal

Based on a few online forums there are people who passionately follow one of them and rail against the other two. I suppose it is because of the philosophies mentioned above. Or perhaps it's a personality thing. There are things about each one's personality that could turn a person off I suppose. For example, Dave tends to go on tangents about the government, Suze has this tendency to call everyone either "girlfriend" or "boyfriend" when she wants to call attention to something she has just said, and Clark is, well, just dorky! But, as someone who is a bit of a dork, occasionally gets mad at the government, and has actually used the word "girlfriend" when addressing my female friends, I don't mind that at all.

But, back to why I am addicted to these shows. I think it all comes down to this. I am a perfectionist and a life-long learner. While I'm a pretty good money manager, I know I could be better. I love learning new techniques and keeping up with changes in the law that might affect my family's wealth. So, what better way to fulfill both of these desires than to watch Dave, Suze and Clark? Plus, they make me laugh!

"Warning, warning! There could be a possible 'stupid-tax' in your future, girlfriend!"

(Disclaimer: The last sentence only makes sense to other finanical show-aholics.)