Those who wish to grow their finances tend to adopt an investment philosophy of diversification. Given the investment climate we have had to deal with in the last few years this is certainly the best approach for a 21st century strategy.
If your desire is to grow your portfolio, then these suggestions I offer to you should help you in that endeavor;
1) Define your investment approach - every successful investor has an approach to what they will invest in, how often and into what areas. Are you an equity investor (purchasing assets for value), a stock investor (purchasing shares of stock in a company to represent your preference), a business investor (you take ownership in a business) or real estate investor?
2) Define your investment criteria - It's possible to invest in a variety of ways. You must outline what fits into your investment criteria. For example, if you invest in real estate your criteria might be apartment buildings with 10% cap rate in a residential area. If you invest in stocks it may be tech companies only which have shown some increase in their stock price in last 60 day. This criteria will help you to focus on certain investments.
3) Define your investment focus - you must focus in a particular direction seeking a certain return on your investment. You could invest for income (you want income from the investment once you purchase it) or equity (you have an ownership interest on some level). Most investors choose either income or equity but not both.
4) Make plans based on your approach, criteria and focus - now that you have your approach, criteria and focus you can take the appropriate actions. To find financial success you must know exactly what you want so that you can go after it with focus. Access what levels of risk you are comfortable with and go for it.
5) Diversify your portfolio - When you have done the above mentioned steps then you need to make sure that all of your money is not tied into any one investment. You should have some in cash (money market, savings) and in illiquid forms such as stocks, bonds, real estate, T bills, etc.
Stay consistent with your financial investments. Use dollar cost averaging to make regular deposits into your savings plan. Slow and steady is the best way to move towards real wealth. In time you will be pleasantly surprised.