If I knew what I know now at age 21 I would
1. be wary of investing advice on a public forum.
2. I would educate myself about the different stock/bond etc. investments- there are probably lots of financial magazines and books right at your library. There is no easy way to gain this knowledge.
3. I would never invest in something I did not completely understand
4. I would realize that everything has fees. Mutual funds have fees. Annuities have fees, financial advisors have fees. Make sure you understand exactly what those fees are and how they impact the amount you will end up with and if the fee is worth it.
5. I would go to the library and check out a David Ramsey book, one by Suze Orman, Your Money or Your life, the Millionaire next door etc. and read all their opinions. Basically the advice will be the same. Spend less than you earn. Know how much things cost like cars, houses, school loans etc. and how long it takes to earn the money to buy them. Since you posted about a bible study you might like Dave Ramsey. He does a program a lot of churches sponsor.
6. I would diversify and not put all my eggs in one basket
7. I would track all the money I spend and the change in your net worth every year. Every last cent. We have years of doing this. It is amazing to realize how much you can spend on eating out or clothing if you don't really pay attention. It doesn't take anything but a cheap notebook and a pencil, but many people use programs specifically for that use.
8. My best choice I ever made that I would recommend to you is to choose your mate wisely. Marrying someone and thinking you will change their spending habits has little chance of working out.
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