1
Make a will
2
Pay off your credit cards
3
Get term life insurance if you have a family to support
4
Fund your 401k to the maximum
5
Fund your IRA to the maximum
6
Buy a house if you want to live in a house and can afford it
7
Put six months worth of expenses in a money-market account
8
Take whatever money is left over and invest 70% in a stock index fund and 30% in a bond fund through any discount broker and never touch it until retirement
9
If any of this confuses you, or you have something special going on (retirement, college planning, tax issues), hire a fee-based financial planner, not one who charges a percentage of your portfolio
