I probably think about retirement more than I should. I'm not in any hurry to grow old and grey but I am looking forward to not working while I travel around the country and the world. Since travel ain't cheap, it's time to get my finances (back) in order while I still have a 30 year investment horizon.

Since I graduated college, my work experience has been, well, sporadic. A year here. A year there. A year in the Peace Corps. And lots and lots of traveling. I've enjoyed it. But it really does put a hole in your retirement planning when you're globetrotting and not working and spending and not saving or investing. Time for that change.

That said, I'm probably in better shape than many of my peers. I have a decent sized 401K from my years at Electronic Arts, distributed across a bunch of mutual funds which I just rebalanced. I have a Roth IRA. I have a traditional IRA. I have DRIPs with a few individual stocks and am looking to starting a few more. I have a large discretionary investment account with Scottrade that's doing quite well, up over 30% for the year thank you very much, and I actually have a large and growing savings account.

Well it's time to start putting that savings to work in the market. Since the interest rate at WAMU and every other bank for that matter can't even outpace inflation, I'm actually losing money by keeping it parked in my savings account. Time for those greenbacks to go to work for me.

Here's the thing: there are so many investment options it's hard to know what to do. I have a good idea, but I'm no financial planner. I got started this morning opening a few Roth IRA accounts with a couple of mutual funds recommended by my old friend Michael, who produces TV shows for a living, but could easily pack it in and become a market analyst. I started a small DRIP (dividend reinvestment plan) with an energy company called Piedmont Natural Gas (PNY) that offers a modest 3% dividend, but also re-invests those same dividends at a 3% discount, not a gigantic return but a nice ancillary benefit along with the dollar cost averaging of investing the same amount every month, 25 or 50 bucks or so, I still haven't decided. There's still more work to do.

I'm not rolling in dough, but since houses around these parts are outrageous and I rent, I don't have a massive mortgage sucking the wind out of my paycheck. Even though I'd love to have my own house, I don't mind living in an apartment and investing my disposable income in the market.

The big question is where can I put my money to get the best return? Mutual Funds or ETFs? Stocks? Bonds? Gold? Euros? Foreign or Domestic? Targeted or Diversified? Traditional or Technology?

I've been asking friends and colleagues for advice. Getting some good advice here and there. I’d like to hear what the good folks out in internetland have to say. Anyone have some any investment advice?