[Schneed10]

In the short term, banks and lenders are going to be rough investments due to the national credit crunch. In fact, stocks in all sectors might have a rough go in the next year or so. Most recent inflation numbers showed 3.5% and it could go up to 4% soon. GDP growth will slow due to the credit crunch - mortgages will continue defaulting killing home sales (and Lowes & Home Depot's sales), consumer confidence will dip (and thus discretionary spending), plus uncertainty with the impending election is going to prevent the market from ever taking off. In the next year, I don't see much upside to most stocks.

If you want a half-decent stock though, I'd choose a utility yielding a decent dividend. Or a DOW stock yielding a high dividend. Those are very stable companies in any economic environment. They'll also never hit a big payday for you, but your money will be relatively safe.

Putting it into a money market fund honestly isn't a bad idea either. This economy is going to get rough.

If you're thinking long term, shove it in a Fidelity or Vanguard IRA (lowest expense ratios). I highly recommend the Fidelity International Discovery fund (an international stock fund).

Or, best yet, just spend the dough and spruce up your Redskins room!