Assuming your income and assets are reasonably well funded, hire a hourly rate personal financial planner. Many finance books I've read failed to mention INSURANCE (life, disability, umbrella, etc.). In my view, insurance is paramount to secure your long term future.
If you are still starting out, here is the general guideline:
1. pay yourself (emergency fund first, then retirement funds (401K, IRA), after that, special funds such as wedding, down payment, etc.)
2. protect yourself (term life if you have kids, medical, rental or home owner insurance, etc.)
3. pay your debts (pay off debts with the highest interest rate first, that's usually credit cards, student loans, etc.)
4. pay it forward (sponsor some worthy causes. I do children international for 20 years now. Open source, etc.)
5. be frugal, but enjoy life (frugal is good, but sometimes, it's good to enjoy finer things every now and then)
6. the remaining money goes to portfolio focus on growth
If you are still starting out, here is the general guideline:
1. pay yourself (emergency fund first, then retirement funds (401K, IRA), after that, special funds such as wedding, down payment, etc.)
2. protect yourself (term life if you have kids, medical, rental or home owner insurance, etc.)
3. pay your debts (pay off debts with the highest interest rate first, that's usually credit cards, student loans, etc.)
4. pay it forward (sponsor some worthy causes. I do children international for 20 years now. Open source, etc.)
5. be frugal, but enjoy life (frugal is good, but sometimes, it's good to enjoy finer things every now and then)
6. the remaining money goes to portfolio focus on growth