A few tips:
1) Read a lot, from lots of different people
2) Pay off debt first, making 9% on a mutual fund makes no sense if you are paying 18% on your credit cards.
3) Look at the fees, every fun charges fees to manage the money, lower fees are better
4) If you don’t understand it, walk away
5) If it sounds too good to be true, it is, walk away
6) Check out index funds, they tend to be dull but have low fees and work well over the long term
7) Don’t do #6 because I said so, but because you have done the reading and understand it
8) If you are asking for help, make sure you understand who you are asking
9) “Free” advice often is a sales pitch, and may not be so free.