I have 20 thousand dollars that i do not need for the immediate future what would be the best way to invest it

19 answers !! ...and not one ( except Joe) made much sense.
So let's start at the beginning..." immediate future"...what does that mean ? one year? five?...makes all the difference in the world. If you are talking four or five years, I would suggest that you take about a weekend to read, read, read ( mostly on-line) about " investing". Then when you have even a tiny understanding of mutual funds or ETF's...open an account ( easily done at E-trade, Fidelity, Vanguard, etc.)
Get yourself invested in the companies in the U.S. and around the world that are growing and throwing off profits for anyone to share in... why shouldn't it be YOU ?
Once you've done just a little investgating...you can get " quotes" for funds on finance/yahoo or many other sites...
Look at " performance" ...do you see returns of 15 %.?..23%?..27%/ ... that could be YOUR money working for YOU.
I'll suggest a couple of funds to look at, but there are a zillion others... FLVCX...NBGEX...FAIRX...FEMKX.FGBLX..EUR...
Get those quotes ( a couple have DOUBLED in three years).
If you want to take a cautious approach...then put ten in the best bank account you can find...and split the other ten in three of those funds...see where you stand in six months or a year!!
Better advice: Make your first " investment" into a " self- directed" ROTH IRA ( you decide where its invested)...kiss that 4 grand goodbye for years to come...but it'll be there 50 times over when you need it !! Besides, if you are in some good international growth funds you'll make up that 4 grand in no time.
Take that time...read..get it done. Millions of people handle it..you can, too.
P.S. In "previewing" my message I see that a couple of funds were left off...FGBLX...EUROX
Good luck.

You should invest in a diversified mix of stocks, bonds, and money market funds. You want to buy a diversified portfolio of stocks as individual stocks are too risky. Most folks have a dificult time buying a properly balanced portfoilio of stocks on their own. They will misbalance their portfolio by buying all small stocks or all growth stocks, or some other misbalanced assortment of stocks. Unless you know what you are doing, it is best to buy mutual funds. I like Vanguard.com, other people like Fidelity, TIAA-CREF, and DFA. Buy no-load, low cost funds. If you are like most people you will invest part of your money aggressively in stock funds, and part conservatively in money market funds and bond funds. Vanguard.com has an on-line questionnaire which will give you an idea of how to do "Asset Allocation," determining how much to put in each type of fund.

If your company offers a 401K plan at work, try to invest the most you can. The money grows tax free, and some companies will match your contribution. Investing in a mutual fund IRA is also a good idea. If you have children, you may want to consider a 529 plan or other college savings plan that grows tax free.

I like index funds. Because of their broad diversification, you are less likely to have a dramatic drop in value. They also have the lowest expenses. For stock funds, I would suggest putting ~70-80% of your money in the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund. and ~20-30% in a foreign stock index fund. However, there are many different opinions out there on what the best mutual funds are. Read the links below and form your own opinion.

If you have high-interest debt, like credit cards, it is best to pay this off first before trying most of the investment ideas above. You should also have 3-6 months of salary saved up as an emergency fund in a bank or money market fund before trying more risky investments.

Believing advice you get on Yahoo answers can be risky, so read these websites for further information. If you find it too confusing, contact a professional financial advisor. They will charge you significant commissions, however.

Sources:

http://www.vanguard.com/VGApp/hnw/planningeducation
http://www.fool.com/school.htm
http://sec.gov/investor/pubs/assetallocation.htm
http://www.diehards.org/readsites.htm
http://finance.yahoo.com/education/begin_investing
http://finance.yahoo.com/funds/basics

Asset Allocation Calculators
(Determining how much to put in stocks and how much into bonds and money markets is a personal decision depending on your financial status. These Asset Allocation questionaires give you a rough idea how to do this. I like Vanguard best, but try some of the other sites as well.)
https://flagship.vanguard.com/VGApp/hnw/FundsInvQuestionnaire?cbdInitTransUrl=https%3A//flagship.vanguard.com/VGApp/hnw/planningeducation/education
https://ais2.tiaa-cref.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects.exe/DTAssetAlcEval
http://www.ifa.com/SurveyNET/index.aspx

Web forum: http://www.diehards.org/
(Many investment web forums are overrun by scam artists. This one seems the most legitimate site.)

529 plans: http://www.savingforcollege.com

Education...
Or lease out some housing to cover the mortgage...

Talk with a financial adviser for your area.

You have the right idea Markdama. To invest there are several questions needed to be asked. 1. What is your age? 2. what is the time limit needed to recoup your profit?
3. Can you wait over a period of time without taking out your investment capital? I suggest either a endowment
bond or government bond, also Fannie Mae.
Spartawo...

You can try a micro investment on my new startup company:
http://www.wordhugger.com

Very low risk, with a great chance to earn ample amounts back over time!

It really depends on your time frame. If you have more than 3-5 years before you are going to need the money then yes the stock market is a great idea. Diversifying is always recommended so that you don't have all of your eggs in one basket. If you are looking more short term then a CD, or some sort of money market instrument might be a better idea. If you currently have a financial adviser it might be a good idea to talk to them as they know your current financial situation and can better assess what might be best for you.

Looking into RE investment, you may be able to buy more with than your face value ($20K) these days with RE sub prime mortgage choked-up.

Learn about REI and use this fund to leverage it, ask more questions and find proven record person can show you how they did it. Lots of trick in the business, knowledge won't replace experience, be carefull but be decisive.

Good Luck

diversify, read a book or two, do your homework, and pick some stocks. Jim Cramer "Mad Money" is very animated and can make it fun, also has published a few books

Talk to your banker for the best advice.

Do you already have a house?

You could use that money for a down payment.

invest in stock market

Me too. Same amount. Any advice?

Right now I have most of it in an ING account at 4.3%. I've got the rest in bonds that I'd like to cash in since I think the savings acct is overproducing them.
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I just put 5K in to a 4.9% CD and 2500 in another 4.9% 6 month. The 9 and 12 didnt have a better rate, and I'd rather do shorter term like that anyway.

put it in a 6 month or 1 year CD. high interest rates.

Commodities. For instance, heating oil always goes up going into the winter. 5 years ago, the price per gallon went up 140% in 6 months. That was an extreme shift, granted, but theres almost always a large quick profit. Keep an eye on the price and be ready to sell fast. Another good bet is soybeans. As long as the stinking hippies keep eating it, might as well make some cash off 'em. :)

Give it to me !! ; - )

Just send to me COD and I'll be glad to invest for you.

You can invest in me if you like, lol. I would put your spare cash to very good use.

I'll take it off your hands.. and erm.. Hold it for you -100% interest for 1 year

with me i like to play blackjack and am pretty good or u could put it a in a cd if u don't need it for a few months get a higher interset rate than reg savings and no risk at all. Or invest in alternative energy because thats going to be huge especially with Bush leaving

Into the Kingdom of God (a Bible teaching and living church). "Give and it shall be given unto you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over shall men give unto your bosom."

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