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Unbroke: Celebrity Advice on Saving Money?

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May 2009
23

by billeater
Posted In:  News and Opinion

Okay, so I had to laugh at this one. ABC Television is launching a one-hour special on Friday, May 29th @ 9PM ET that's "an unconventional look at the fundamentals of everyday finance with all the facts about credit cards, mortgages, stocks and bonds, investing and 401k's, in a fresh new format combining information and humor."

Update: Mainstreet.com is putting together a Twitter event for viewers to share their reactions to the show live as they watch it. See Mainstreet's Unbroke Article for the details.

 

The show will be hosted by Good Morning America contributor Mellody Hobson. According to Hobson:

"Financial education is critically important, and 'UN-BROKE' proves that it doesn't have to be boring. The economic crisis was a harsh wake-up call that we can't keep doing the same thing in the same way. To me, that meant taking a fresh look at my own approach to financial education. This will make people laugh while they learn."

What might make people laugh more? The advice on how to manage your finances is coming from Hollywood Celebrities:

  • Will Smith, who gets down to basics with a boardroom full of corporate finance executives.
  • Samuel L. Jackson, who appears as a bestselling author of self-help books and who is "Broke as Hell and Not Going to Take it Anymore!""
  • The Jonas Brothers, who teach screaming teenage girls the mysteries of the stock market. "
  • Seth Green, who explains the fundamentals of a smart mortgage from his "crib.""
  • Cedric the Entertainer, who talks back to credit cards.

Check the Celebrity Money Mistakes article from WalletPop.com for why this might be a bad idea.  Their article includes these gems and more:

  • Kevin Bacon, Steven Speilberg, and other celebrities that lost big in the $50 billion dollar Bernie Madoff scandal
  • Donald Trump's $25 million dollar loss on the sale of his home
  • Richard Dreyfuss and a $870k loan to family members gone bad

In any case, tune in and share your comments. Looking forward to seeing it.

ABC's UNBROKE Special

A short snippet of one of the segments:

 

 

Un-Broke: The Seth Green Cribs Edition - watch more funny videos

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Comments

Re: Unbroke: Celebrity Advice on Saving Money?

Submitted by billeater on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 11:14.
billeater's picture

GenerationM: Yes, that's roughly  the reaction I've heard from most people.  Not much meat, but a fun presentation that might at least generate interest in the topic.  Oh, and some bad advice about investing in individual stocks versus an index or other less risky fund.

Thanks for commenting!  Stop by the forums while you are here...

Re: Unbroke: Celebrity Advice on Saving Money?

Submitted by Generation Mill... on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 10:09.
Generation Millionaire's picture

Wow, hit a lot of topics -- not sure any of it will stick -- however the format was fun - I loved Cedric's grandfather immitation.  I do presentations to young adults on power of $ and life style -- so i am watching to see the reaction of the younger generation.

Re: Unbroke: Celebrity Advice on Saving Money?

Submitted by micharch on Sun, 05/24/2009 - 11:08.

What might make people laugh more? The advice on how to manage your finances is coming from Hollywood Celebrities:
 
I seriously doubt if any of these celebs even know how the balance their checking account each month. Is the video meant to inspire us to live within our means, or wonder who/why this fool is trying to give us frugal advice?