<prompt> Human: First a little background:I was homeless 2 years ago and have since gotten a room to rent and been continuously promoted at my job. Right now I pay 600 a month for rent, have a cell phone bill of about 120, and my only other expenses are transportation and weekly spending money on groceries. I work really hard and have a strict budget. I just got a recent promotion that has me making about 31,000 a year after taxes. I live in Southern California so Im pretty lucky that at the moment my monthly cost is pretty low. I had a family member pass away a few months ago and just received a check in the mail for 12,500. I was already planning on leasing a car and found a lease that will get me a decent car for around 220 a month with 2,200 due at signing and am probably going to move forward with that in the next couple weeks. Here is where my question really lies- I am 30 years old and have basically been living check to check my whole life. I know to some people 12.5k might not be life changing money but it certainly is for me. This means Im not going to have to come close to zeroing my bank account out after larger purchases and I will have some money to put away and invest for the first time in my life. What should I do? How much should I invest and what kind of account or accounts should I open to best serve the money I now have? Im not really sure how much to even keep in my checking account and how much to have in savings. To be frank, Im nervous Im going to screw this up. Any positive advice would be greatly appreciated.Assistant: I wouldnt lease if possible, get a used reliable car, if you can paid in full. Then, stuff the leftovers in a high yield savings as an emergency fund, while you could invest in your situation I would focus on building that emergency reserve. Human: Thanks for response! No leasing because its just a waste of money? I guess I was just thinking lease because I didnt previously have the ability to put together a large lump sum to purchase outright.  <response>: Leasing tends to be a bad idea unless its a business car your writing off as an expense. I would find something older but reliable and boring, ie CamryCivic, etc. Buy certified pre owned only if it comes with a warranty, otherwise spend the 150 on a thorough independent inspection and then either pay cash or finance IF you get a good rate RATE, not a good payment. 