My ultimate goal is to create operating systems for myself that allow me to think as little as possible about the silly decisions you can make all day long - like what to eat or where we should meet - so I can focus on making real decisions.

As a wife, daughter, friend, and the founder and CEO of LearnVest, my schedule is anything but simple. But I learned early on how to meticulously manage my time.

The best advice that I can offer is that being proactive and a careful planner is key. Think about the major things that could shake up your financial life, and Ill bet there are some great ways to protect yourself.

There are many random, unprotected sites online that appear safe to use and are ready to accept credit card information. You wouldn't give a stranger off the street your credit card information, so be extra cautious about who you are sharing it with online.

I always encourage people to pay themselves first, so I really advocate setting up direct deposit for your paycheck and establishing an automatic transfer so that part of each paycheck goes straight into your savings account.

Before you take the leap, before you jump, really make sure it's going to be something you want to get out of bed [to do] everyday, because it is so hard. So you want to make sure that you're really committed.

Know the difference between your necessary and discretionary expenses.