If you were lucky enough to have a job this holiday season, and even luckier to get a holiday bonus from the boss, then pat yourself on the back. Since funds are few and far between these days, that holiday bonus is even more precious. And precious things should be spent well — or shall we say invested well. We know it’s hard to not spend that cash, but hold out for another week or so when most of the shopping mania calms and the urge to spend dies down. And in the spirit of saving cash and building wealth, we’ve thrown together a few ideas on where to go and what to do to get the most out of your bonus this year.

1. Open or Fund a Roth IRA

If you haven’t opened one yet, this is your year! It’s never too early to start planning for your retirement. And if you think that your company pension is going to offer you a warm retirement, chew on this for a minute: a 25 year old currently making an annual salary of $40,000 a year would need to save approximately $600,000 by the age of 65 to effectively battle inflation and live on 75% of their ending salary (assuming they received living wage raises each year). Keep in mind that the majority of pension payment lump sums are in the $100,000 range, meaning that most people only save that much throughout their entire career, and social security payments are barely a drop in the bucket. Never underestimate the crippling power of inflation and economic instability. Supplement your future income by chucking away even a hundred dollars a month into a Roth IRA, and your future self will thank you.

2. Open a Vanguard Stock Account

I will be the first person to tell you that now is the time to Buy, Buy, Buy! Stocks are cheap, the market will rise again, and the people who take advantage of opportunities now will be in better financial shape ten years down the road because of it. Don’t believe me? Follow Warren Buffet’s lead. He’s been buying up stocks like they’re on the 50% off aisle at Wal-Mart. I’ve been putting more money into my stock account, and am planning to invest in another fund this year. And since I’m a big Vanguard fan, here are my three favorite funds managed by them: 500 Index Fund, Extended Market Index Fund, and the Total International Stock Index.

3. Debt Repay

Nothing says “Hello 2009″ like a clean financial slate. Throwing a lump sum at a mountain of student loan debt can be a big motivator to getting that balance paid off. Plus, knocking down a balance can drastically reduce your monthly payments, although I prefer the snowballing method rather than lowering your minimum payments to hasten the repayment process. There are few feelings that trump being free of debt, and the extra disposable income you’ll see each month after finishing off that last bill will feel like sweet victory.

4. Invest in Yourself with a Networking Vacation

I’ve decided to sock away some cash to go towards Networking Vacations. This is not your typical vacation, but attending industry conventions and networking events to further promote my freelance career. After a quick Google search for industry networking events across the country, I realized that there is a convention for absolutely everything. So far for 2009, I’ve planned three small trips and I’m treating them as personal investments in my budget. To save funds, I’ve set up a recurring savings transfer to a high yield checking account with a savings goal (this means once I reach my target amount, the money transfers will automatically stop). And since I’m planning pretty early (almost a year in advance for two of them), I’ll be able to get super cheap airline flights and good hotel rates.

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