Whenever someone mentions the word rules, most of us want to run in the other direction. It's not that we're rebellious by nature; it's just that rules are no fun and, well, breaking them usually is. But there's something really great about financial rules of thumb: They work. In most cases, following them will help protect you from risk and maximize your investment potential.

Following are some important money rules to keep in mind as you budget your expenses, save money and invest for your future. These are rules you won't want to break.

Rule 1: Follow a budgeting formula

Balancing your expenses against your salary is nearly impossible without a strategy to stick to. To determine how much to spend on various expenses, follow this formula recommended by top experts:

• Try to spend no more than 30 percent of your take-home pay on all your housing expenses. This includes any combination of rent, renter's or homeowner's insurance, mortgage payments, property taxes and homeowners association or co-op fees.
  
  
• Allocate an additional 15 percent to transportation expenses, including car payments, bridge tolls, insurance, parking, cab fares or anything else related to getting you from place to place.
  
  
• Plan to set aside about 10 percent of your monthly income for savings, whether it's for building your emergency fund, setting aside money to invest or saving up for a big purchase or vacation.
  
  

If you follow these guidelines, you should still have enough left for other expenses. It's a handy way to make sure your salary matches your expenses and keeps you in the black each month.