What is the best investment you can make with a small amount($4,000) of money put down to get a good return?

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Depending on your age, A good mutual fund would be sound. Talk to a broker or ask a friend to refer you .

Stock Market.

Depends upon your defination of "good" return, because, "All Things Being Equal", Rate of Risk = Rate of Return.

With $4K USD, I would consider a strategy with two
prongs: 1/ Do tons and tons of "Homework", that is also known as "Due Diligence".
2/ If after this you still wish to offer your cash to the investment markets, I would open an account with someone like TD/Ameritrade or Scottrade. Having done that, I would research Canadian Investment Trusts. They are like REITS, in that they must pay out some of their cash, MONTHLY. This is difficult as this is a new development, but their are some good ones. The last survey I read was in "MoneySense", the summer 2006 issue. You can find them at www.moneysense.ca.
Having done that, I would divide up my investments this way: 50% in a monthly income paying stock, re-investing the income; 33% in a growth mutual fund like PAXWORLD, and the remaining 16% in a speculative stock with developmental prospects you have determined to outweigh the risks by at least 3::1.
To really ride herd on this money, you would have to watch it weekly, pick a level where you get out, no matter what, and if the brokerage house allows for it, set up a "trailing stop" or "bracketed stop".
I know you can buy the no load mutual funds thru Scottrade, but I do not trade Canadian stocks thru them, unless they are dually listed. I do not know if TD/Ameritrade does that. You could also pick, after enuf homework, a Canadian Income Trust traded in the USA, like PVX, Provident Energy Trust, which has a good yield. There are a number of them, not just in resources, traded in the USA.
If you cant do this homework, then, simply use the best mutual fund you can find. If you have questions on how to select one, previously this month, I outlined my mutual fund requirements, so you can find it in my "answers".

Good Luck

Mutual Fund investment..
300% return profit in 15month..
if you want to know more just let me know ok...(^^,)

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