Geneen Roth author of Lost and Found,
Self-help author Geneen Roth spent years as a sales clerk and an avocado-and-cheese-sandwich maker in a health food store so that she could write nonfiction.
When she landed on The New York Times best-seller list and the money started to roll in, she had little idea of what to do with it.
"I was fleeced by Madoff," she wrote in a salon.com article in January of 2009, explaining how she and her husband lost $1-million in retirement savings. The massive Ponzi scheme demolished the life savings of thousands of investors and shook confidence in the U.S. financial system. Read more here.
Last month, Bernard Madoff's younger brother pleaded guilty to doctoring documents that help conceal the fraud. Peter Madoff, 66, is expected to serve a 10-year term; his brother, 74, is serving a 150-year term for his crimes.
Their victims, meanwhile, have been left to deal with the financial fallout. Ms. Roth, an author and a teacher on compulsive eating and spending, has chosen to write candidly about the catastrophe, accept responsibility for the loss and turn her experience into a new book, Lost and Found.
Today, she lectures and holds workshops urging people to get out of their "financial fog." View a video of Ms. Roth reading from her book here.
Then, join Ms. Roth on Thursday, July 19 at 2 p.m. for an online discussion to discuss her ordeal, what she learned and what she recommends to people who feel "money dumb."
You may leave questions for Ms. Roth in the comments section of this article.