This week on Money and Investing, Mitch Olarenshaw and I share the five investments we’d make if starting from scratch, offering practical advice for anyone building wealth from the ground up. 1. Invest in Your Financial Education Before committing any money, build a solid understanding of the basics. Compound interest, opportunity cost, and the risk-free rate all shape how well your decisions perform over time, and most of this knowledge is freely available. 2.