I am in a similar situation. I lost my mom two summers ago and the estate is finally being settled. Everything has to be liquidated and distributed by May. The first thing I would do is talk to several investors. A poster had a good comment about thinking about the future. You may be a lot younger than me, so you might not have thought about that. I am 49 (TODAY), and I am presently single. I have 12 more years before I can retire with 25 years from the school system. I don't imagine my retirement will be more than somewhere in the low $20,000. AND...when I retire, I will still owe 15 more years on my house--note is $940 a month. SO...I am considering paying off the house as I get closer to retirement. Those are just thoughts. My BEST advise came from my future brother-in-law who handles finances for a large company. Put $100,000 each in three different banks...and put those in CDs that mature at different intervals...split up each $100,000 into CDs that mature in six months, nine months, and twelve months. THEN...don't make any big decision as to what you will do with the money for at least a year! THINK about what your plans are...and THINK about the future. Be smart with the money. Good luck to you in your decisions and plans. BTW...this may sound selfish, but remember...you are responsible for YOU (and of course, your children)...take care of you, not everyone else. I have to remind myself of this because I could blow it all doing for others! :-)

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If you're not living on the edge, you're wasting space.