Just cashed out for 2M. What now?
giardini: If you don't own a home then buy one. Buy it as a home, not as an investment, so the smaller the better. If possible, buy a home in an area that has no homeowners' association and associated fees. If you don't, you will eventually regret it. You could buy a "fee simple townhome", which means it's small (condo-size) and has no association fees.The reason I say buy not as an investment is because the real estate market hasn't nearly hit bottom yet and won't for another two years. Until then investing significantly in real estate would be a mistake. So buy something modest that you like in an area that you like.Cash is king right now. Being in Canadian currency is good. Read Nassim Taleb, who presciently suggested years ago that we avoid investing heavily in the stock markets; they're too risky. Instead put ~90% into absolutely safe investments and then bet the remaining 5-10% in long-shot positive "black swans" (e.g, high technology and biotech ventures with long odds but incredible payoffs). Most often you'll lose but, when you win you'll win huge, more than enough to cover your losses. To understand his suggestions, you'd best read his excellent book, "The Black Swan".And I assume you've split your money into various accounts so that you are insured against any losses should your bank go out of business.