This guide is intended to be a starting place for new players, including those who have never played a Monster Rancher game before. We'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum!
What do the attributes do for my monster? Power: how hard your monster hits when it attacks with Power moves in battle, also reduces the impact of Power attacks by opponents. Intelligence: helps the monster attack with Int. moves, and helps lessen impact of opponents' Int. attacks. Skill: affects how accurately they attack. Speed: affects how well they dodge attacks. Defense: affects your monsters' ability to with stand hits, high Def means less Life lost per hit. Life: your lifebar in battles. (Has NOTHING to do with your monsters' lifespan.)
How can I make more money fast? The best way to earn money is to enter Battles, and, hopefully win. You can save money by finding items to use on your monster, or sell in town, around the ranch. Let the monster wander around, if it's not tired, or guide it around the grounds. If you see a big crystal, tap that area on your screen and the monster will, hopefully, pick the item up. You'll then have a free item in your inventory to use, or sell in town for money.
What's the best monster to start with? Your first monster will never be as great as later monsters. Since you start with limited funds and don't have access to the best drills and expeditions, the first monster will never have the opportunities that your future monsters will have. So, just try something and get started. The first monster will help you learn the game, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to raise many more types later. (There's no secret type that will help you 'beat the game' faster. This isn't that sort of game.)