Preparing to be a 1st time investor.

[EnderFFX]

I am making a decent wage and am currently paying down all of my debts. I have a 10K CC Debt, and a few K (2-3) in store credit cards. I have no monthly car payment and around 30K in student loans.

Before I start investing I am going to pay down my CC debt and my store credit cards (I'm predicting 3-6 months). After that I would like to start slowly investing. I've read the FAQ, no true help there because I don't know if I should start investing in Stocks, Mutual Funds, etc. I am purchasing books, talking to friends who are much more financial savy than me.

I am 30 years old, around 30-40k in 401k. A little bit of savings and that is it.

What suggestions would you give for a novice investor?

[ebranig]

The best investment you can make right now is to pay your Credit Cards down. Guaranteed return on investment of 10-15-20%--whatveer you're paying.

As for your investing questions, you first need to determine your goals. Are you saving for a house? A car? Retirement 30 years from now?

Also, where is your 401k money right now?