I'm getting to that stage of life in which I worry that my money won't last as long as I do.

Lately, I've been going through what I laughingly call my investment portfolio, and I'm thinking about making some changes. I want to put money into something that yields better than a coffee can buried in the backyard but is less risky than betting on a horse ridden by a jockey named Moose.

Until now, I have mostly used what could be called the "Deposit Slip" test to evaluate my fiscal fitness. If I run out of deposit slips before I run out of checks, I must be doing all right. The last time my checks outlasted my deposit slips, "Have Gun--Will Travel" headed the Thursday night TV line-up.

Anyway, with my dotage now coming in view, I have decided to get serious about putting my financial house (in my case, it's more of a financial pup-tent) in order. I have stopped dwelling on if-onlies--as in "If only I had bought WalMart 30 years ago." I've been doing serious research and have plowed through depreciation schedules, equity ratios and price-to-earnings formulas until my head aches. And I believe I have discovered some things that could be useful for others in my fiscal situation. I have distilled what I have learned into a short quiz that may give you a realistic picture of your pocketbook:

1. The best financial advice I ever received was:
   1. Pay yourself first;
   2. Don't put all your eggs in one basket;
   3. Don't buy 72-cent feeder cattle just before the fed market goes to 50 cents.
2. I keep enough cash on hand to:
   1. Get us through six bad months;
   2. Get us through one really bad month;
   3. Pop for coffee at the Crossroads Cafe.
3. My investment portfolio includes:
   1. Stocks, bonds and mutual funds;
   2. Land, livestock and machinery, all debt-free;
   3. Lucky numbers for Saturday's Power Ball drawing.
4. I look for a financial advisor who:
   1. Has degrees in accounting and tax law;
   2. Has a solid grasp of the commodity futures market;
   3. Doesn't try to cash his paycheck at the gas station.
5. I use credit cards only as:
   1. Part of my financial management strategy;
   2. A last resort;
   3. Long as the numbers aren't worn off.