Today, Suze’s going to show and tell us how we too might have some money right in front of us for the taking! As we work ourselves into week 4 of the Suze Orman America’s Money Class, this week it’s starting to pay off…literally! Tonight’s show is all about finding money that you probably don’t know you have….from unclaimed funds to hidden treasures at the bottom of a jewelry box. It’s there and Suze is telling us how to find it and then, what to do when we do! The fourth day of lessons and notes are below for Suze Orman’s America’s Money Class. They just may change your life and make your wallet a little fatter…and that’s the kind of fat that everyone loves to see! Her are my classroom notes:

• Suze reminds us of our upcoming test…At the end of class six, you have 24 hours to take it, get 80% and then, be entered into a possibility of winning $50,000. Get ready and pay attention!
• Case Study – Igor from Canada contacted Suze on Twitter and with that one tweet, quickly began realizing that everything was      connected…who you are and what is going on in your life. Igor says he was “heavy, had a low self-esteem, and was $30k in debt.” Suze tweeted him back and said in her 140 characters or less…”Wouldn’t it be great if you could save all your tips and live off your      paycheck.” This one tweet changed his life and started him making his own connection. Good for you Igor! Suze reminds us that it’s never too late to get our financial house in order. “It’s not until we get our financial  house in order that we have the power to do things that we have been afraid to do before that. If you can get in control of your money, if you can get rid of your debt, if you can raise your FICO score…when your financial reflection shines back on you and lights you up, that is what allows you to have the power to then tell the truth about who you really are.”
• When you get your financial house in order you gain the power to be your best self and stand in your truth.
• Case Study – Hidden Treasures! Mary Pittman, known as the “Missing Money Lady” contacted Suze because she found money      in her name! How does she do this? Mary shares that there are two websites      to find money one: http://www.missingmoney.com and http://www.unclaimed.org !Look for missing money on these sites. You just might be surprised. Go and claim your money. One person in Suze’s audience had $66,000 found for her! How much is out there for you?
• Mary Pittman is the author of The Little Book of Money.  http://www.thelittlebookofmissingmoney.com/
• Case Study – Striking it RICH in old gold!  Suze introduces us to Michael Fusky from Gold Fellow LLC, a company that Suze believes is honest.  Suze and Michael go through the differences  between the weight and cost variations of 10 karat to 24 karat gold.  Here is the quick and easy test for the rest of us… Don’t just go home and weight it.
  1.  Get a magnet instead.  “If it’s sticking, it’s not gold,” Michael tells us.
  2.  Take a close look at the jewelry.  Look for where the marking might be – usually near the lock or clasp for a  small karat marking (10kc, 14kc, 18kc, etc…)  But…be careful because there are  fakes.
• Where to buy gold from – “A retailer that provides with a sound insurance that it is gold,” Michael tells us. “If they can’t  provide you with that to you, you shouldn’t be buying it there.”
• Should you buy gold as an investment?  Suze says no.  Instead, look to the safe trade fund on the stock exchange.  “Choose to invest in ETF’s instead of actual Gold.”  Gold = GLD ETF. Silver = SLV ETF. Suze says, “I think you should have 10 – 15% of your portfolio in an ETF of gold or silver. Yes, invest in GOLD but do it through the EFT.”
  Action Plan: 1. Choose to invest in the ETFs of Gold instead of actual gold.2. One of the best ETFs for gold is GLD. 3. One of the best ETFs for silver is SLV. 4. At least 10-15% of your portfolio should be in the ETFs of gold and/or silver
• Suze’s advice:  If you don’t need the money today, hold onto the gold. If you want to sell, do your homework on:  http://www.goldfellow.com/
• Case Study: Pamela from Texas needs some advice from Suze.  She just came into $700,000 and wants to know how she should invest? (Oh, Pamela…we should all know this wonderful scenario one day in our lives!) Suze asks the questions that she says a good financial investor would ask and gives the advice, “Pay off your home completely. Nothing makes a single woman more secure than owning her own home.”  The kinds of questions that Suze thinks a good financial advisor should ask include: Do you own your home? Do you own your car? Do you have a retirement plan? Do you have a will and a trust and a trustee set up?  Suze suggests that investing in bonds may be the way to go since she isn’t subject to pay taxes because she lives in Texas. Municipal bonds that start to pay you out in 10 years with true diversification is one way to go.  Here are some  suggestions and an action plan that Suze shared.
  Action Plan: 1. Do not draw on your social security until you are 66-70 years old if you can wait.  2. Invest in tax-free municipal bonds. 3. Build a diverse portfolio.
• Money Class Audience questions:
  Should I pay off my debt or invest in a Roth IRA?  – Suze advice is “don’t be an all or nothing investor – where you take all the money you were doing something with and put it in a Roth IRA. There’s nothing wrong with taking only 50% of what you were going to put into the Roth IRA and taking the other 50% and      putting it towards your student loan so your debts go away faster.
  Lottery winners – What do I do about paying off my house?   – Suze advice is to look at the finances of your house…can you easily make the payment?  Because the money you have left will generate a little money for you…it’s almost better to pay off the first on your home and then take the money that you would be paying on your house and invest it in the stock market for yourself.
  Lottery Winner – Suze asks, “How would you feel if you owned your home outright?”  Suze reminds us…”The goal of money is…so you feel great… so you feel powerful… so you feel good…so you feel that no one can take what is yours.”
• Suze Lottery advice:  How to set your financial priorities if you win the lottery: http://bit.ly/zQqZwk
• Case Study – Frida, a 52 year old woman who’s retiring and wants a BMW and asks Suze, “Can I afford to buy the car of my dreams?”  – A $60,000 car. Suze advice:  Try to pay for the car in cash, sell other cars to put the money towards this purchase and finance what’s left      over a three year period of time. Suze reminds us that when you drive a new car off the lot, it automatically depreciates 20% so she suggests, “In this economy look to buy a car that is a year old and you’ll save so much      money over buying brand new.
• This weeks Final Action Plan steps
  1.  Go to missingmoney.com and unclaimed.org to find any hidden treasures
  2.  Consider selling your gold and investigate it’s value.
  3.  If you come into a large sum of money – Go slowly. Learn about the questions a good financial advisor      should ask you.
  4.  Do your homework before making investments.
• Suze is giving OWN viewers 1year free of “The Money Navigator” on www.Oprah.com.
  Go here for FREE access to the @NavigatorMoney  newsletter http://bit.ly/xZRgGU
  Get the Money Class episode 4 action plan: http://bit.ly/x7Jl9N
  Get the Money Class workbook for this week’s show here: http://bit.ly/xP2BKh