Also ask yourself how much diversity you want in your investments. Diversity—having an array of investment types, like stocks, mutual funds, bonds, etc.—reduces overall risk, because it’s rare to have all of your investments perform badly at the same time.

Grab a grown-up cheat sheet.
If attempting to invest with or without the help of a broker sounds too intimidating, then you might try an established forecast (a “cheat sheet” of the stocks with the best outlook) with a proven track-record. The Coffeehouse Investor website and newsletter are a great resource for investment newbies—their recommended plan is about as hands-off, limited-risk, no-investing-experience-necessary of a system you’re going to find. Or, if you’re heading to the library, pick up a copy of the The Coffeehouse Investor: How To Build Wealth, Ignore Wall Street, and Get On with Your Life.