These days, you might feel like you're climbing a slippery slope and your paychecks just don't seem to be making much progress up the hill. You might even be slipping backwards, sucked down by rising expenses. But there's good news! If God has numbered even the hairs on your head, He certainly cares about the numbers involving your pocketbook.

The smart investor surrounds herself with a team of advisers who are professionals in their respective fields — stocks, mutual funds, real estate, finances, tax laws, and more.

Unless you've got degrees in law, business, and accounting, and you're a licensed stockbroker and real estate agent, you're going to have to rely on the knowledge and skills of others in order to avoid costly errors.