CBS Finance Expert Jill Schlesinger's Tips To Avoid Getting In The Way Of Your Own Financial Success

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Money: it's always a hot topic -- from saving and investing, to spending right and pinching pennies. Jill Schlesinger appears on CBS radio and television stations nationwide covering the economy, markets and investing.

She also appears on Eyewitness News This Morning and CBS This Morning every week. Schlesinger joined CBS3 on Wednesday to talk money.

Q: Let's talk money. What are some of the biggest financial issues facing people right now?

A: "It's hard to tell someone what their goals should be, but those are three good ones: pay off debt, emergency reserve funds and start saving for retirement as much as you can."

Q: Your book is called "The Dumb Things Smart People Do With Their Money." Give us some examples of how people get in the way of their own financial success?

A: "Fear and greed can lead us astray, and also, we have these really weird, underlying biases developed over years and years as human beings that can also be problematic. One of those examples is what we think just happened will happen again. So, we go through a financial crisis and everybody for five or eight years says, 'Oh my God, I can't do anything because I'm scared there's gonna be another financial crisis.' That's programmed into you as a human being but it's not the best thing for you."

Q: For anyone that has made a few mistakes, is there a way to turn things around?

A: "There are very few mistakes that you can't correct. Some of these mistakes, they are hard to correct, but most of them you can avoid them, you can correct them."

Answers have been edited for brevity. Watch the video for Schlesinger's full answers and tips.