oooh i 'm just beginning to try to understand. only thing i have done so far is increase my retirement 403b every time i get a bonus or raise, so i started off contributing $25 a paycheck (every 2 weeks) 6 years ago, and now i put in $350 a paycheck :P. but aim to max out in the next year or so.
i need to read a lot more, i only have investing for dummies and have only thumbed through a few sections. i have pulled the lists people have mentioned here and will get started. it's tough to read at all though, with two little kids and working full time! so i'll see how i can squeeze it in.
my non profit pays well compared to others, and we just started the 4% match, so that's nice too. a big deciding factor will be how well my DH's job goes, he started at a new dealership (service side not sales) and they really have the potential to double or triple their current business so he is skating through right now, but things might look greener

in a year or two.
like i've said before, we're also squeezed out of the insane housing market around here, and i refuse to live in the boonies or extend DH's commute even more, so we're planning to invest what we would pay in a decent sized mortgage in the hopes of owning a house later down the road.
everyone has already been so generous with their thoughts and advice, i'm so glad i found a place to share my ideas and get informed feedback.