I found this great article with some tips gathered from wealthy people that I thought you guys might find interesting.  http://community.careonecredit.com/b/my_journey_out_of_debt/archive/2011/06/10/7-financial-tips-i-picked-up-from-the-wealthy.aspx

The two things I will say are 1) If you buy real estate, know that your mortgage isn't the monthly cost.  You need to consider upkeep, taxes, insurance, unexpected repairs, bad neighbors that you can't get away from, recessions, etc.  It's a decent investment to be sure, but in California, for example, if you rent out a house for $2k, it'll take you at least 6 months of rent per year before you make any real money if you factor in insurance, upkeep and taxes.

Also, if you have a mortgage, you don't OWN a home.  You own a debt.  The bank owns the home, so be sure to think of it that way.  You want to get rid of that mortgage as fast as you can so that you can pocket that payment every month.  If you magically got rid of your mortgage, what could you do with that $1800 (or whatever) in your pocket monthly.  That's right, anything you want.  

Invest in peace...