If you are worried about job security and do not have an adequate emergency fund (ideally eight months' worth of living expenses stashed away in a federally insured bank or credit union), you need to focus more on saving money than paying down the balance on your credit cards.

Absolutely pay off your credit card debt, because a child can always get a loan to go to school, possibly a scholarship, a grant.

Never invest emergency savings in the stock market.

It's only when we give to ourselves as passionately as we give of ourselves that we create the life we want and deserve.

If the only way you can build an emergency fund is to pay the minimum due on your credit card, that is what you need to do.

In all realms of life it takes courage to stretch your limits, express your power, and fulfill your potential... it's no different in the financial realm.

For all your long-term investments, such as retirement accounts that you won't touch for at least ten years, you need a mix of stocks and bonds. Stocks offer the best shot at inflation-beating gains. But stocks don't always go up. That's where bonds come into play: They have less upside potential, but they also do not pack the same risk.