<prompt> Human: Im 17, from New Zealand, and 5000 richer. Entered a scientific innovation competition and just received news I was chosen for a Gold scholarship, worth 5000 cash.I dont have a job, my parents dont give me pocket money, and my bank account has never risen above 200 - so naturally Im pretty inexperienced with handling substantial amounts of cash, let alone 25 times what Im used to.Where should I go from here? How should I allocate my spending so I can balance treating myself with healthy future investment? Id imagine I should probably save a portion for growth of some sort but again I wouldnt know where to start. Help needed! Thanks :  <response>: At 17, 5000 seems like a lot. In the grander scheme of things, its not. The best thing to do at 17 is to invest in yourself. You won a scientific innovation competition congratulations! so clearly you are not just interested in science and innovation but you also have the talent for it. Invest in that talent. I dont know about how education works in New Zealand, but Im sure that some of that money can be used to feed that talent one way or another. If its not to pay for a formal education because education is free in NZ, use it to buy books, online courses,...That 5k invested in your specific talent will increase in value many times over in the future. That doesnt mean you cant treat yourself in any way, go ahead and use some of it to treat yourself, youve earned it. 