Ever wonder why conventional wisdom is so conventional? It's because it's the same people repeating it over and over.

The reason why this happens is mostly laziness. Reporters and TV producers call on the same people to render their opinions because they are the ones who return calls and show up when they are needed. I have done it myself so I know the drill well. Yes, Woody Allen's claim that 80% of success is showing up continues to be proven right. These people can be summed up in several categories: wisemen -- they almost always are male -- whose every utterance is treated as if it was etched in stone tablets by the almighty, and insta-pundits -- who are able to give quotes on every topic imaginable. Finally, there are the personal finance gurus whose message is that by helping me make money, I can help you save money.

Below are my choices for the most overexposed business pundits and media personalities. They are in no particular order.

Wisemen: Alan Greenspan -- Don't you miss the days when no one understood what the former Fed Chairman was talking about? Now, his message is pretty clear: buy my book and the subprime mortgage crisis was not my fault. Honorable mentions: former General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) Chief Executive Jack Welch, billionaire George Soros, and oilman Boone Pickens.

Since the announcement on Oprah's television program that Suze Orman's financial advice book Money & Women would be available for free as an e-book from Oprah.com, more than a million copies in English have been downloaded, as well as an additional 19,000 in Spanish, according to a statement released Saturday. This puts it the same league as such other free download sensations as the 9-11 Commission Report and Stephen King's "Riding the Bullet."

Yet, the offer hasn't kept people from buying the version of Money & Women published by a division of Random House last year. The book was ranked number 6 on Amazon on Saturday, behind Oprah Book Club selection A New Earth and just ahead of Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. The 9-11 Commission Report remained a bestseller for months despite its availability for free online.

The big publishers remain skeptical about providing content for free online. While some see it as a valuable marketing tool, others suspect that it harms sales of traditional books. But the tide may be turning, albeit in baby steps. HarperCollins has announced plans to make available free electronic versions of some of its books, or portions thereof, the New York Times reported last week. They will not be downloadable, however.

Providing some free content is "like taking the shrink wrap off a book," said a spokesperson for HarperCollins, which will allow consumers to sample the content. "I didn't grow up buying every book I read," added fantasy novelist Neil Gaiman, author of some of the free content. "I read books at libraries, I read books at friend's houses, I read books that I found on people's window sills."

Suze Orman suggests that sales are a secondary concern for her in the Oprah offer. "This was not about getting people to buy the book, but getting them to read it, and that was the intention behind this offer."

It's been three weeks since our Money Face-Off feature ran here at BloggingStocks and on AOL, offering you the opportunity to share who you though had the financial edge in a series of twenty head-to-head match-ups. So I thought I'd take another look and see how things have worked out.

It's hard to pick just one big winner. In terms of the largest lead over a rival, Ivanka Trump easily beats Paris Hilton with 89% of the vote. Others holding big leads over their opponents include Tiger Woods, Warren Buffett, Steven Spielberg, and Rupert Murdoch.

In terms of receiving the most votes, the clear leader is the Oprah Winfrey vs. Martha Stewart match-up, with just short of 150,000 votes. Other big vote getters were Tiger Woods vs. David Beckham, Rudy Giuliani vs. Michael Bloomberg, and Bill Gates vs. Steve Jobs. In terms of the liveliest discussions in the comments, the winners are Oprah Winfrey vs. Martha Stewart, Erin Burnett vs. Maria Bartiromo, and Bono vs. Angelina Jolie. Also check out the comments for the J.K. Rowling vs. J.R.R Tolkien, Tiger Woods vs. David Beckham, and Ivanka Trump vs. Paris Hilton posts.

As for the face-off posts here that got the most attention, the clear winner is Erin Burnett vs. Maria Bartiromo, with more than 13,000 hits. Lindsay Lohan vs. Britney Spears and Oprah Winfrey vs. Martha Stewart also attracted lots of readers.

Results for all the face-offs follow below, but keep in mind that the voting is still open. It's not too late to add your vote or let us know what you think.

This post is part of our Money Face-Offs feature. Let us know who you think comes out ahead in this head-to-head match-up, and check out our other Money Face-Off posts.

Worlds apart, Cramer and Orman speak to totally different classes of investors. Jim Cramer is the fast-talking showman talking primarily about stocks and Suze Orman is a slow-talking educator preferring funds. While Cramer likes to jump around playing with bells and whistles, Orman is making sure she speaks clearly and enunciates to her audience so they can understand and follow along.

The biggest difference between the two gurus is that Orman is interested in what you do with 90% of your assets and Cramer is only interested in the 10% Mad Money. Orman talks about getting people started on actually thinking about their personal finances and financial well-being. Cramer is interested in the sport of investing. He gets a rush from the whole subject. Orman is in no rush and much more sedate. Clearly Orman offers far more sound advice in the form of broad investing principles you can live by year in and year out with a minimal amount of work. That said, watching her is like going to your history and geography class. Valuable information, but not the highest form of entertainment. Cramer is a stock trader, and that fact by itself has proven to be harmful to most investors, even professionals. But his investment broadcasts are more like visiting the sports book in Las Vegas with 100 games in play at the same time.

While Suze Orman certainly has her critics, I believe she has hit the nail on the head with her recent look at the need for reform in the credit card industry: "It would also be helpful if the credit card companies were required to clearly explain all their fees and interest rates. I was pleased to see that Sen. Carl Levin (D.-Mich.) recently stated that he found the fine print language of credit card agreements unwieldy -- and he's a graduate of Harvard Law School. There's no reason that all the pertinent credit card charges and policies can't be laid out in a clear, one-page chart ... We require high school students to take driver's education and pass a written and driving exam before we allow them to operate a car. But we do absolutely nothing to educate them on how debt works, and instead allow credit card companies to set up booths at freshman orientation and sign kids up to cards with sky-high credit limits."

The SEC has done a pretty solid, for the most part, job of cutting down on investors getting duped, not with micromanagement, but with broad disclosure laws. If the Congress is going to take on the credit card industry, as it should, it should adopt the same model. If the Congress can accomplish two things, we can make a big dent in the credit card crisis:

1. Require clear and concise disclosures of the terms of the credit agreement -- not microscopic legalese -- Clear language that people can understand.
2. Once we've required credit card companies to disclose the terms clearly, we need to make sure that people can understand them. As Orman points out, we require people to pass a test before they can drive. Here's an idea: How about a 10 question credit literacy test, administered with the driver's license test. If you can't pass the credit test, you can't get a driver's license. That should get teenagers excited about financial literacy!

The Congress can certainly play a role in cracking down on predatory lending, but it should probably be limited to two things: Mandating clear disclosures and making sure that consumers are educated.

In this week's episode of the Bloggingstockcast we cover Photobucket and News Corporation's (NYSE: NWS) MySpace's new truce, Suze Orman's Caribbean cruise of debt, Buyyourfriendadrink.com, the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) NBC's Universal Studios collaboration to make the Simpson rollercoaster, and celebrate our one year anniversary of blogging.



Want to be featured on BloggingStockcast? Post a link in the comments section to a video for our consideration. Tell us your favorite stock and why in one brief line and make sure to say "And you're watching the BloggingStockcast!"

The New York Times reported today on Suze Orman's upcoming "Sail with Suze" personal finance cruise. I've been quick to defend Suze Orman when others have maligned her pop psychology approach to personal finance, and I stand behind my support of her work. However, the idea of a personal finance cruise is sort of stupid. The cruise packages start at more than $1,000, but you learn about stuff like FICO scores, debt, whether Social Security is enough (hmm), and the stock market.

Here's the problem: If your FICO score is bad enough that you need to go on a cruise to learn about it, you probably can't afford the cruise. If you're wondering whether Social Security will be enough to provide for your retirement, skip the cruise and start an IRA of one kind or another. A personal finance cruise is akin to holding a casino night for Gamblers Anonymous. What's next? An NAACP cruise featuring Don Imus?

Thursday's New York Times features a really interesting piece on Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) self-help programs for employees (registration required). The world's biggest retailer offers its workers opportunities to take aerobics classes together, and, in a move that might make Al Gore a Wal-Mart shopper, reimburses its employees for using public transportation to get to work (As though many Wal-Mart workers have a choice, given their earnings).

According to the Times:

In the last year, Wal-Mart has quietly introduced an ambitious program in the United States - in equal parts self-help class, corporate retreat and tent revival - that tries to turn its 1.3 million workers into a model for its 200 million customers on issues ranging from personal health to the environment.

The program, to be announced today, tests the assumption, if not conventional wisdom, that environmentalism and fitness are luxuries of the well-off, inaccessible to a vast number of the nation's working class because of hectic schedules, stretched budgets and bad habits.

So far, 50% of employees in the dozen states where it's been implemented have signed up for programs that involve quitting smoking, saving money on electricity, healthy eating, and other workshops. It would be easy to get really cynical about programs like this, but I actually am impressed. Very few companies offer programs like this for low-wage workers. But I have another idea: How about workshops on personal finance, where employees could learn about budgeting, saving, and how to manage their 401(k)s? Wal-Mart could buy copies of books like Suze Orman's Money Book for Young Fabulous and Broke for younger employees, and Start Late, Finish Rich for the older ones. If Wal-Mart could educate its workforce about their finances, I might even become a fan. Not even the public schools have been able to do that.

As promised, I am here to deliver my re-cap of this weekend's edition of the Suze Orman show. Her latest book, Women & Money, is probably the most frilly of her books, focusing on the 8 Qualities of a Wealthy Woman: harmony, balance, courage, generosity, happiness, wisdom, cleanliness, and beauty. Isn't that cute?

While I watch the show regularly, it seems that since she began doing segments featuring her topics related to women and money, the show has become less about personal finance and more about pop psychology. There may be nothing inherently wrong with this, but it will be less interesting to certain viewers, myself included.

Harry Hurt III of the New York Times ripped into Suze Orman's new book Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny. He begins with this attack:

Among the substances that need hazmat warning labels are the liquid that bronzes Suze Orman's hair, the paste that whitens her teeth for her publicity photographs, and her latest financial advice manual, "Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny."

While Mr. Hurt is certainly entitled to his opinion, he is, as he freely admits, not the target audience. On Amazon.com, the 48 reviewers so far have given the book an average 4.5 stars (granted they also gave Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki's book an average of 3 stars when 1 star would have been generous).

The point is: if the book doesn't appeal to men, who cares? It's like Elton John dismissing Playboy as boring.

Recently , BloggingStocks writers have written several pieces about personal finance guru Suze Orman. In January, Vince Chan wrote about Orman's endorsement of TD Ameritrade, with some skepticism about her motives. On February 26th, I wrote that Suze Orman had come out in an interview with the New York Times. Orman has received a mixed reception in the media, and last week I defended her, and then my colleague Georges Yared wrote a piece not defending her.

Throughout all this coverage of Suze Orman in the media and on BloggingStocks, our readers have responded in a way that can best be described as bimodal. Some of the comments:

No one who has a clue listens to Suze Orman's squawking anyway.

Some of the best financial advise I got was from Suze on a PBS special, and for all intents and purposes it was FREE!

Her financial spew is completely useless and PAINFUL to listen to.

Suze gives sound advice, she translates the difficult subject of finance to everyone. Thanks Suze for making MONEY TALK easy.

Blogging Stocks has sure been kissing up to Scamming Suze lately. What are you invested in?

I watch her shows every Saturday and refer to her money tips whenever I need to. Her advice about purchasing real estate has helped me avoid potential "mortgage disasters" so that I can own my own home. I admire her bravery for tackling all those bullies, especially men, who can't accept that a woman can succeed to the top.

To take a deeper look into Suze and the advice she gives, I will be watching each broadcast of her weekly show, and reporting on the situations, her advice, and other alternative options. Please comment with your thoughts about Suze Orman and show.

I normally love Chuck Jaffe's columns for Marketwatch. I've mentioned them several times on BloggingStocks, and I think he provides some of the smartest commentary on investing, often exposing stuff that other journalists won't touch. However, I strongly disagree with his column about Suze Orman, which appeared Monday morning.

His comments come on the heels of Suze Orman's interview with the New York Times. In addition to coming out in the interview, she made some comments about her own personal financial situation which, admittedly, came across as arrogant:

Do you enjoy spending money? Oh, yes. My greatest pleasure is still flying private. I spend between $300,000 to $500,000, depending on my year, on flying private.

I just wanted to take a minute to congratulate Suze Orman on having the courage to stand up and speak out for her rights. In an interview with the New York Times, the Queen of Personal Finance said that she has a life partner, and spoke up about the importance of legal protection for all Americans: "Yes. Absolutely. Both of us have millions of dollars in our name. It's killing me that upon my death, K.T. is going to lose 50 percent of everything I have to estate taxes. Or vice versa."

It's great to see the woman who has been so vocal about the importance of financial responsibility with her classic books like The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke and her latest book, Women and Money, take a stand for another cause she believes in. I wish her all the best, and I will continue to watch her show on CNBC for her terrific financial advice. Favorite segment: Can I afford it? If you don't already watch the show, make sure you start.

As a contributor to GuruWatch.org, I noticed that celebrity guru, Suze Orman, is at it again. At what you might ask? Writing a new book, for one. And marketing herself, for another. Notice that she clearly gave thought to the colors to be used on her latest book cover. In short, she definitely knows how to make money .... for herself at least!

Suze Orman has partnered with TD Ameritrade (NASDAQ:AMTD) to offer brokerage account bonuses to women who read and follow the advice from her latest self-help book "Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny." In the book, Orman outlines a simple five-step, the "Save Yourself Plan," intended to help women find long-term financial security. TD Ameritrade is helping to promote Orman's book by offering a $100 bonus to clients who follow the Save Yourself Plan, open a new brokerage account during the month of March, and make monthly direct deposits of $50 or more for one year.

Forgive my eternal cynicism, but the "Save Yourself Plan"? I'm undecided whether that name is meant to motivate women by instilling fear or by uplifting their spirit. Orman explains it this way, "What's at stake is far bigger than money itself; it's about every woman's sense of who she is and what she deserves, and why it all begins with the decision to save yourself."

Would TD Ameritrade really care if women followed Orman's advice? The key is to build up the necessary illusion that they're after your best interest, and not your fees/commissions. The brand marketing strategy to reach out to women investors is a smart one.

As for Suze, increasing book sales would not be a bad thing at all for her bank account. I wonder if she uses TD for that? Hmm ...

Voting continues for the Best & Worst of 2006, and there is no closer race right now than between Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen's bumbling faux-journalist from Kazakhstan (as well as the motion picture named for him), and YouTube, everyone's favorite source for wacky foreign television commercials, drunken celebrity rants, and re-edited movie trailers, as the Up-and-Comer of 2006. Whether you think that Baron Cohen is brilliantly clever or just a cheap-shot artist, whether you believe YouTube offers hours of wholesome entertainment or is just an online version of America's Dumbest Home Videos, let your vote be counted.

The contest for Biggest Fall from Grace is not quite so close, but close enough that with a late surge, Mel Gibson could still overtake current frontrunner, President Bush. As some commenters have pointed out, Bush really didn't have far to fall as he'd already lost credibility before 2006. So if you think Gibson's arrest and drunken tirade have permanently harmed his career (despite the apparent popularity of Apocalypto), then lend your support to help him take the lead in this category.

Many of the close races are for second place. While Donald Trump leads in the Most Annoying Money Personality category, there is a virtual tie for the silver among Suze Orman, Jim Cramer, and Mark Cuban. In the Most Overpaid CEO contest, Barry Diller of IAC (NASDAQ:IACI) and Bob Nardelli of Home Depot (NYSE:HD) are battling for second place behind Lee Raymond of ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM). The Walton family has a slight edge over Martha Stewart for second place as the Tycoon We'd Send to the Poor House, and the Enron sentencing and the real estate market trail gas prices as the Money Story of the Year.

As we've learned from the past few national elections, every vote counts.

Voting for the Best & Worst of 2006 ends Christmas Eve, so don't wait too long. Results will be posted December 28.

For another view on Borat and YouTube, as well as many other of the nominees, also check out MarketWatch's Winners and Losers of 2006.