I'd put it in a cd or something with a guaranteed rate of return. I don't trust the stock market and the lying mother fuckers that come up with their skewed, misleading statistics.
buy a duplex. live in one side and rent out the other. owner occupant loans are better than real estate investment loans. investment loans are more % a month and usually have to put 20% down. live there two years then buy a small house with a refinance on duplex. hold on to them. don't sell.
later, like 8 years down the road sell the duplex, and pay off the little house. refi the little house and buy a few more rental houses and sell homes on contract. and keep it going. find yourself a good tax guy that knows the gray areas as well. do this all the while living in your parents basement.
Read it understand it. It has the best track record for consistant gains in the stock market. They are always #1 or #2 over many many years of results. It is not a get rich quick scheme. It is not Microsoft or Dell or a high flier. It is a conservative approach to making money in the stock market by very good calculations for both risk and return on your money in the risk category in which you choose.
Read it and understand it first, then make your decision. If you don't want to put in the time, then just put your money in the bank. Because you need to understand it before investing.
Look for a large piece of property within a reasonable commute of a city that's growing. In less time than you'd think, that farm will become a very valueable subdivision full of pricey lots.