Dave: great response. As personal finance noob I am really struggling or craving for someone to just tell me what to do. This however seems impossible as no one plan fits all. Or can it?

Take for example your statement: "For example, while I probably wouldn't advise it myself, a plan consisting of "maxing out" 401k contributions, then using all proceeds to regularly purchasing stock index funds, might work very nicely for many younger workers like us. Over the long run, such a plan will almost certainly offer far greater returns than the more typical 401k saver will likely ever see. "

When I read this I ask myself "OMG... maybe I should not have made a New Years resolution to max out my 401K this year" But then again, it sounds like you are saying in the end I will probably be OK with this strategy.

Not sure if that counts as an actual question as much as a general statement about the frustrations associated with being a finance noob.

- Paul