Get a free copy of your credit report once a year from annualcreditreport.com — the real free one, not those 'free' sites with monthly fees. Check it for errors. Mistakes on credit reports are way more common than people realize.

Taxes are the part everyone forgets about. Whatever you're planning, factor in what you'll owe Uncle Sam. Talk to an accountant — a good one saves you more than they charge. H&R Block is fine for simple stuff but get a real CPA if it's complicated.

If your employer offers a 401k match, contribute at LEAST enough to get the full match. That's free money — like a 100% instant return. Skipping the match is leaving thousands of dollars on the table every single year. Do that before anything else.

The simplest advice I ever got was: spend less than you earn and invest the difference. Sounds obvious but most Americans don't do it. Track every dollar you spend for a month — you'll be shocked where your money goes.

Talk to a fee-only financial advisor, not one who earns commissions on products they sell you. The commission-based advisors have an incentive to recommend products that benefit them, not you. A fee-only advisor charges a flat rate.

Make a budget and actually stick to it. Boring advice, I know, but it works. The envelope method helped my family — cash in labeled envelopes for groceries, gas, fun money. When the envelope is empty, you're done spending in that category.

Be very skeptical of anything that promises high returns with no risk. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. The dot-com bust should have taught everyone that lesson. Slow and boring index funds beat hot stock tips over the long run.