A Suze Orman exclusive

Financial traits: Has a hand in everything, but control over nothing. Owns twenty mutual funds, five insurance policies, and seven credit cards.

Advice: Untangle your financial mess before you drown.

Octopus, more is not the same as better. If you buy every new stock or fund you hear about from your buddy in the next cube over, you are headed for some rough waters. Focus, focus, focus, my friend. Take a serious look at all your mutual funds and see how much overlap you have, by checking each fund's investment category-you know, whether it is a Large Cap Growth, a Small Cap Value, or what-have-you. I bet you have three or four funds that are all in the same category. Why would you do that? It's silly. Invest in the one with the best long-term track record and lowest expenses. Then add new money to that fund, rather than buying more funds.

And get your credit cards under control. You want one card for everyday use, and one or two cards to back you up in case of emergencies. That's it. But don't cancel your other cards; simply cut them up and don't use them. When you cancel a card, you wipe out important "history" that can ding your FICO score. Or, if you feel like you have to cancel cards to keep from using them, try canceling just one card every six months; and promise me you'll keep the cards you have had the longest. That way you're still preserving the best of your credit history.