Recently came into a lot of money...

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Seriously though, you will have to separate the good advice from the questionable.

If you don't have time/willingness to learn on your own (buy a few basic books), then I would recommend asking a CPA/CFP (a lot of them carry the dual certification/license). for advice. Their advice tends to be as unbiased as possible and you can link it with your 4rth quarter tax advice, etc. You'll pay a fee for time/expertise.

Don't ask a broker. A broker is a salesman selling products, of which many are inappropriate. The term "financial advisor" has also been a code word for "broker" or "sales agent" at many companies.

The financial community has got to learn to divorce their investment advice from the products they are peddling. Until then, proceed cautiously.

[saving peter]

One certainly mustn't write off the stock martkets just because we've hit a particularly rough patch. It would be a good idea to prioritize your expenses heads, set money aside for those you'll readily need cash for (put them into a short term instrument) and figure out how much you can put into long term investments. Invest these in long term instruments (3 to 5 years) like stocks / bonds. Since your business is doing well, you could even think of an SIP.

[disneysteve]

Invest these in long term instruments (3 to 5 years) like stocks

3-5 years is NOT long term. Money needed in that time frame doesn't belong in stocks.

[SoCoolGifts]

Looking at all the different and diverse ideas, it is clear to me that every young person should make it a point to learn about investing. So many seemingly great ideas and excellent points but how do you decide because you can't do everything.