I started my job as a personal banker. Though not very expert, this advice would be good enough for a young man. When you start fresh, you start from zero. So begin saving today, set a target for your savings (say save 20% of your savings). Save that amount of money first once you get your salary instead of spending. That's the most critical part. Once you think savings in your bank account is good enough (maybe 10K), start moving into buying necessary insurance policies for yourself. Necessary as in life and medical insurance which secures mainly on your medical expenses. You do not want to spend extra bucks on the rising medical cost, that will ruin your financial plans. Only when you have settled savings and insurance, you can move into investment in mutual funds, unit trust and equities. Those require you to study and equip yourself with the knowledge before making the investment. This step should be at last after you have sufficient savings because investment may lose your capital. Try doing it in this sequence as a beginner. Hope it helps