Fairly good list, but I'd take issue with a few things:
Never own a credit card. They are all scams and are far more likely to ruin your credit than help it.
I strongly disagree with this. Credit cards aren't scams. The problem is that people use them irresponsibly. The best way to treat credit cards is as charge cards: you pay the entire balance at the end of the month and only rarely and only for very good reason ever use the high-interest line of credit the cards give you. It's much better to use credit cards than debit cards as the credit cards offer stronger protection against liability for identity theft, and it's better to use credit cards than cash because cards are simply more convenient. As long as you pay off the balance every month, you don't get shafted. Now, if you don't have the self-control to do that, then, sure, don't get them, just like if you don't have the self-control not to get yourself shit-faced drunk every time you see a container of alcohol you shouldn't keep alcohol in your house. But, in both these cases, the first attempt at solving the problem should be gaining self-control rather than avoiding the underlying issue by treating the symptom.
The difference between a 401k and a Roth IRA, and why you need both and why paying off your house before retirement is bad.
Well, you missed Roth 401(k)s and traditional IRAs. Give those some love, too. It's usually only better to use Roth vehicles when you're young or, for whatever reason, not making much money, and, in that case, you should double down and use Roth everything. Regarding paying off your house, yes, sometimes it's best to hold onto a mortgage, but it's also sometimes not, so you need to learn how to do the calculations. Remember, any money paid past the minimum payment on a mortgage goes straight to the principal, and you'll never pay interest on that portion of the principal again. That's a pretty good reason to make extra payments, and the mortgage deduction is sometimes a red herring because you lose your entire standard deduction by taking "advantage" of it.
The last thing I'd like to mention is a really, really important thing I think you left out: never take out student loans. Again:
NEVER. TAKE. OUT. STUDENT. LOANS.
Taking out student loans is 50 times more risky than taking out a credit card. If you fuck yourself up with a credit card, you get to declare bankruptcy and erase the debt. If you fuck yourself up with a student loan, you're an indentured servant until you pay it back. It's that bad. I don't care how low the interest is. I don't care how much money you THINK you'll be making when you graduate. It's never worth the risk, and you should never do it, whoever you are and whatever your situation is. If you can't afford college, go to a community college, get an Associate's degree, and work in data entry or something until you can afford college. Taking Pell grants, or other grants, or scholarships is great, and you should try to do well in high school both to get some merit-based scholarships and to get AP credits that I know from personal experience can let you do a 4-year degree in 3 years. But never student loans. THOSE are scams.
Oh, and one last thing: don't fuck yourself up by having a kid until you are completely and totally financially secure. Just don't.
---linuxrocks123