<prompt> Human: After a long legal battle, I was awarded 20,000 in unpaid wages from a previous employer. I got the check in the mail today. Not quite sure what to do with it. Edit: to clarify a little. I currently have no debt, and no big ticket items that I need to purchase. Im wondering what options I have in investing it. Ive never had a lump sum of cash that I didnt need right away before.  <response>: To start with, Id deposit the check with a bank.A check for 20,000 in your name is not a very liquid asset, its hard to use it to buy groceries, for example, and youd need to worry about keeping it intact and undamaged. 