The five best ways to invest $10,000

Your definition of windfall may vary, but there's little argument that $10,000 is a healthy chunk of cash -- certainly enough to give you cold feet when deciding how to invest it. The good news is there are a lot of options: That amount is more than enough to meet most online broker minimums. We've slimmed things down to five of the best ways to invest $10,000. Feel free to mix and match; there's no rule that says you have to throw it all into one pot. A guaranteed investment return is as rare as free money, and a 401(k) match gives you both: When you put dollars into the account, your employer puts dollars in, too.