Our in-house investment expert Erica Whittlinger offers her sure-fire formula for financial success, and breaks it down into six simple axioms you can follow to insure that you'll live a comfortable life.

1. Spend less than you make.

2. Save the maximum in employer-sponsored, tax-deferred retirement plans.

3. Invest at least 25 percent and preferably 50-75 percent in stocks.

4. Diversify among and within asset classes.

5. Choose high-quality investments, and if you do speculate, limit it to 5-10 percent of your portfolio.

6. Remember when you're gone, you can't take it with you.