Jordan E. Goodman	The Week of March 22nd, 2009

Money Magazine Journalist

1. What's in your wallet right now?

I have about 10 credit cards, my driver's license, pictures of my son, and several inspirational cards from Peak Potentials workshops I have attended including Life Directions, Guerrilla Business School and Enlightened Warrior Camp.

2. What do you wish your parents taught you about money?

My parents, particularly my mother, taught me a great deal about money and investing. But I think they could have taught me more about taking risks instead of playing it too safe. They also taught me the value of working for money by matching my earnings for a specific goal, like buying a boat, which gave me a good incentive to work hard.

3. What is your worst habit around finances?

Going into debt to make something happen and then it either doesn't happen at all or it takes much longer to happen than I ever thought it would.

4. What makes you happy?

Financial Security and being able to spend time with family and friends without worries.

5. Personal philosophy around money?

Treat money with respect and good things will happen. There are always opportunities to profit, no matter what the economic circumstances. Don't live in fear about money.

6. Where does money come from? ]

Money comes from people who value what you have to offer to them to make their lives better in some way.

7. What would you do with a million dollars?

I would pay off debts, invest aggressively, donate some to charities, and finish parts of our house that I would like to have done, like adding some art and new garage.

8. What is your most prized possession?

My house and everything that has gone into renovating and furnishing it.

9. Who is your role model?

Personal finance gurus like Louis Rukeyser, Suze Orman and Ric Edelman who have brought financial knowledge to millions of people.

10. What is your greatest achievement?

Writing 12 books and educating millions of people on how to do better with their money on TV and radio shows, at my website www.moneyanswers.com and in seminars. I am particularly proud of my latest book Fast Profits in Hard Times (at www.fastprofitsinhardtimes.com) because it is giving people hope that they can make money even in a faltering economy that we have today.

11. How did you decide to become a journalist?

Starting at age 12 I wrote the Youth Baseball column for the Cape Cod Times in the summer and got hooked on being a journalist. I loved to interview people and transform what I learn into a coherent article that reaches a wide audience. By my mid-teens I was also doing radio and right after college starting doing TV and have enjoyed journalism ever since. I got a Masters at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and met lots of great journalists on the faculty and my classmates, which was also inspirational.

12. What contributions to society do you want to make?

I am passionate about increasing personal financial literacy in America. I see the results of financial illiteracy, which is the amount of debt people get into and the bad financial habits they have when it comes to investing, insurance, budgeting and every other aspect of their financial lives. I want to turn that around and help empower people to understand finance and make the most of their opportunities in every medium.

13. If you could buy one thing right now what would it be?

Vacation home on the beach in a nice place.

14. Favorite activity that doesn't cost a dime?

Playing with my cats Socks and Princess.

15. How do you indulge yourself?

Summer vacations on Hilton Head Island for 2 weeks every year.

Jordan Goodman, America's Money Answer Man, is a nationally recognized expert on personal finance and the author of 12 bestselling books on personal finance, including Fast Profits in Hard Times, Everyone's Money Book, The Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms, and Master Your Money Type. He provides financial advice to millions of people each month through regular appearances on radio call-in and TV shows and through his seminars to corporate, association, and university audiences. He has been a regular contributor to NBC News at Sunrise, The Marketplace Morning Report on Public Radio, and many other shows. He hosts a popular financial resources Web site, www.moneyanswers.com, and is the host of The Money Answers Show on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel at www.modavox.com/voiceamerica/vshow.

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