Saw this list reprinted in another personal finance book while at B&N tonight and I was surprised by its generally good advice in such a concise form. Obviously it's not for everyone but I would definitely recommend it to my friends who are not as PF savvy. I might also add #10: live within or below your means.
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 401(k) 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 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, a tax issue), hire a fee-based financial planner, not one who charges a percentage of your portfolio.
There's also an article about it:
http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/...ry030730rb.htm
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