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.

Read 'The Millionaire Next Door' and 'A Random Walk Down Wall Street.' Those two books taught me more about money than anything else. The library has them for free. Most people who look rich are actually drowning in debt — real wealth is quiet.

I made this exact mistake when I was younger and it cost me. Learn from others instead of learning the hard way. The personal finance section of any bookstore has dozens of books — they mostly say the same sensible things for a reason.

I'm not a financial advisor but I've learned a lot from personal experience. The most important thing is to start early and be consistent. Even small amounts add up over time thanks to compound interest. Don't try to time the market.

The biggest financial mistake I see people make is not having an emergency fund. Before investing, before paying extra on debt, save 3-6 months of expenses in a savings account. This protects you from going into debt when unexpected things happen.

Pay off your highest-interest debt first — that's almost always credit cards at 18-22%. There's no investment that reliably beats paying off an 18% credit card. It's a guaranteed return. Knock that out before you even think about the stock market.

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.