Suze Orman

Financial advice needs to change according to what is happening in the economy.

Credit card issuers and HELOC lenders are like fair-weather friends: They cozy up to you in good times, but when the economy heads south, they abandon you faster than Usain Bolt runs the 100 meters.

You have got to be the masters of your own financial future.

The less money you owe, the less income you'll need and the less you'll have to save for tomorrow.

The new American dream is one of responsibility. What is the bottom-line number that you're going to be able to pay back toward a student loan responsibly if you're doing it yourself after you have a job? That dictates the amount of money you can borrow. That dictates the school you can go to, if you can even go to a four-year college at all.

Anything that gets people to think harder about their financial security and take some responsibility is a good thing.

When someone chooses to value herself over the things she can buy, true transformation begins.