Ideas on how to safely invest a six figure number while ....?

... taking my specific circumstances into consideration?

I'm a fairly new divorced mom of two in my early forties. Most of the money at hand is inherited, a portion of it is from my divorce settlement. Still shaken by the life-changing event, i.e. divorce, disoriented and fearful about my own and my children's financial future I'm holding on to this money with a great desire to safely grow it. Although well educated, after having been a stay-at-home mom for over a decade, I'm still struggling to find a way to have a steady income through a job. Starting a business or investing into a business I can be part of by using a portion of the money while investing the larger portion of it in other ways is what I would prefer.
Any ideas from knowledgeable experts would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance!

I'm not educated in financial matters but I'm working on it :)

First you want ultra low risk, do not let anyone talk you into buying stocks unless you do a lot of learning before you decide to buy. If you want to learn how to buy stocks and invest in companies I would strongly recommend Jim Cramer's Mad Money and RealMoney for your reading list. I think that the safest thing for you to do is to put it in a low risk mutual fund with a respectable company, such as fidelity. You can call these funds and explain to them your situation and tell them that you are wanting low risk with return that would beat the average savings account (not much of a challenge there) and the ability to liquidate without paying huge penalties in case of an emergency. Personally I love investing in stocks and have made a lot of money doing it but it is definitely not for everyone so I beg you to stay away unless you REALLY know what you are doing. As a previous poster mentioned it wouldn't hurt to talk to someone from the bank at which you currently have the money, but keep in mind their motives, they will want to keep your money in house so shop around for the best rates. Best of luck, I hope I have helped.

While you are exploring other ideas, put half into Vanguard Star Fund (mostly stocks) and the other half in T. Rowe Price Spectrum Income Fund. While there's no guarantee, both of these funds have a good track records, are no-load, and have low management fees.

Good luck.

You are kidding right ..you say you are educated..investment broker...your financial consultant at the bank you have your 6 figure account in.

If you only remember one word remember this one:
G-O-L-D...........and silver. Buy physical coins or bullion. Stash it in a fire-proof safe. Buy enough that it's too heavy to lift. Wait a few years - your buying power will be guaranteed. If you are a gambler put it in stocks ( which might tank) or the bank (which might fail) or potentially worthless government bonds. Paper assents can vanish - physical gold cannot. Have a nice day.

Invest in Exchange Traded Fund:

ETFs are cheaper than mutual funds. ETFs have very low annual expenses, nearly 20 basis points or 0.2% less. As against this, actively managed mutual funds show average expenses exceeding 135 basis points (1.35%). This does not include the extra 2% - 5% as loads, 12(b)-1 marketing fees, transactions costs, and soft dollar expenses mutual funds, passed on to you but never informed, except in very fine print that nobody cares to read.

I disagree with all previous answers. There are basically three tenets to investing. 1) diversification 2) risk management 3) asset allocation. IF you employ all three of these strategies, you will be able to sleep at night.

Many banks now offer short term Certificate of Deposits at a rate over 5% for a relatively short term. Also a place called Bernstein Global Wealth Management in NYC on the Avenue of the Americas (6th) Avenue may assist you in investing your money. They offer low to moderate to high risk investments and have a decent track record. Also, a Smith Barney or A.G. Edwards may be able to assist you in investing. As for investing in a business, that may not be wise if you need access to you money, particularly if you do not know what business you would like to own or invest in. Is there a way that you can get a job for the time being to have some kind of income flow to give you time to find out what kind of business you would like to start? I do not know how old your children are so finding a job may not be possible at the present time. I also do not know if you own your home, and if so, whether you have a mortgage and what your monthly expenses are. I think you should sit down with a financial advisor at AG Edwards, Smith Barney or Bernstein to see what they could help you do with you money. You do not have to invest with them, but they might provide you with useful information. Be careful! Divorce is a life-changing event.