I know I'm getting old when I sign up for an Individual Retirement Account. Of all the information I've read and financial advisors and friends I've spoken with, folks generally recommend Vanguard for the brokerage of choice. Their website is easy to navigate and your accounts are simple to manage. There's the right mix of information for the dummies who never took an investing class to more advanced info for the money jocks.

So today I opened a Roth IRA with 50/50 split between the Vanguard LifeStrategy Conservative Growth Fund VSCGX and the Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund VFIFX.

For anyone new to the world of investing, I highly recommend Investing for Dummies. The content is wide and vast and gives you some great jumping off points to explore from. The book tends to play it on the conservative side which is good idea for those just diving in.