What kind of investment can I make with only 4K? I don't just want to let it sit in the bank.....?

If you have 4k earned income, put it in a Roth IRA, invest it in a Total Market ETF and build around it. Leave it for 40-50 years and you'll be happy you did!

Open a short-term CD or an IRA

It really depends on your goals and your tolerance for risk. You could put it into a mutual fund, a CD, treasury bills, bonds, money market account. and a wide variety of other things. That's enough money that it might be worth going to see a financial planner. Many banks are not offering savings accounts with decent interest rates (over 4%) if you open on line and accept terms such as limited access.

Putting it into an IRA is a good idea, but if you do so remember that you can't touch it until you're 59陆 (I think that's the age) without penalties.

Your first option should be to fund fully a retirement account. If you do this, and you have extra cash, then one of the best things you can do is open a DRIP Plan.

They are seldom talked about because brokers make very little money when they suggest them. Yet, they have proven to be one of the best, if not the best, long-term strategy on Wall Street.

They are perfect for small investors, as well as big investors. They are safe and allow you to not care about whether the market is going up or down.

Go buy some small quantities of low risk stocks.