Where I'm Investing Right Now

I know what you're asking right off the bat (because I would be asking the same thing): why should you care where I'm investing right now? Well, I can't say for sure that my portfolio has performed better than yours through these turbulent times, but I do have my MBA and a bunch of experience working for well-known global companies, so I do have a unique perspective on investing and the business world.

Oh, and since I'm still paying off my mortgage and am not a multi-millionaire, my financial situation is probably a lot like yours. I have to say, with the S&P 500 up by 8% in the past 12 months in spite of all of the national and global economic uncertainty that we are facing, I'm not necessarily sure that we're in buyers' market as far as the stock market is concerned.

With that said, you and I have to keep investing in order to protect for our own (and our childrens' futures). We both need to be informed investors. So, my biggest investment right now is in me. I might not be able to control whether the Bush tax cuts will remain in effect, but I can boost my own situation by keeping in touch with what is going on out there. I read as much as I can about the business world (and the real world) via sources including Yahoo! Finance. I read about others investing strategies and think about how they apply to my own investing situtation. I'm my own financial advisor and I absolutely think you should be your own financial advisor too, but to do this successfully, you have to invest in yourself: it's the only way for you to succeed in this volatile market.

Since you're reading this article, you are obviously investing in yourself and trying to broaden your knowledge base. Great - now what? Well, since I'm relatively young, I'm aggressively investing in a wide range of international and small/mid/large-cap ETFs. Like Suze Orman, I am absolutely staying away from mutual funds and focusing on low-cost funds in tax-friendly Roth IRA, 401(k), and 529 accounts. The tax benefits in these retirement and education accounts is a critical piece of reaching my long-term investment goals.

I'm also investing in my primary residence and feel strongly that everyone should consider an early mortgage payoff as a key piece of an overall investment strategy. Even though interest rates are at record-low levels, paying off your mortgage is a risk-free way to boost your assets and cut your long-tern costs. Do you want to retire by the age of 40 or, more realistically, age 55? Paying off your home mortgage is a key investment strategy to early retirement (not to mention the piece of mind you'll have by paying off your home early).

You might have noticed that these investing strategies haven't included individual stock recommendations, and while I'm invested in some big name stocks that I personally believe in, I don't think that this is the key to investment success. If you follow the first piece of advice and invest in yourself, you'll find your own individual investment ideas and this may or may not include individual stocks based upon your own personal financial situation. To me, investing in yourself, purchasing low-cost ETFs in tax-friendly accounts, and paying off your home early are the keys to investment success.

Are these your key investing strategies? Please share your top investing strategies in the comments below.

More from this Contributor:
The MBA's Guide to the Stock Market: A Look at the Efficient Market Hypothesis
Stock Valuation: A Way to Figure Out What a Stock is Worth
Saving Too Much for Retirement?