Where is a good place to invest? Does anyone have any recommendations?
Pre 1964 US dimes, quarters, and half-dollars. They are all 90% silver and almost any coin shop, *bleep* shop, or silver/gold store will have them. Plus there is ebay, I would recommend buying them in rolls of dimes from a good source. If you don't live in the US, the US coins are still good as basic silver but it may be easier to get your own countrie's coins. I know Canada and Mexico's coins where once silver, so just do some research and figure out the years and what materials where put into the coins.
Bullion is fine too, but has a premium and thus are a bit more expensive. Most countries have banks that issue bullion, and you can usually find them second hand at the same sources mentioned above.
If you want stocks, get commodities. Mining stocks are a good long-term option. Real-estate is also a great option. If you can invest in real-estate and get rental income its even better. No only is your principal fairly secure (Shelter is a basic human need, and if you're smart about it can provide a long-term reliable source of income.) A lot of people are losing their homes, and are looking to rent someplace cheaper, so now is a good time to be able to find renters. Assuming you buy most of the house outright, your rent should cover all expenses and anything left over can be saved to be reinvested. Once the house is completely paid off your are square free and you can save your rent for bad time and all extra on re-investing. I would suggest focusing on affordable housing, as there are a lot of fancy houses out there without renters because no one can afford them. Trailer homes are a nice, cheap option to start out with.
Same applies to any income investments in the form of dividends. Finding a company that will pay dividends, especially one that's already a secure investment is even better.
Business is a good way to invest as well, but starting a business also takes a lot more effort overall then the above methods. Not only do you have to invest your money, but a lot of your time as well. If you're just starting out, and you don't have a huge amount of money I would suggest this simply because there is no other way to make enough money to invest into the other areas when you're still fairly young. The most important determining factor when it comes to investing is your age, the younger you start the better off you'll be.
If you have a decent job and save a lot of money already I would suggest investing a little bit into all of these things. Starting a business could replace your job and earn to a lot more in the future while your investments secure your living expenses. Income investing was a huge trend at one time (one of the only ways to invest since only rich people could afford to trade stocks) and was used as a safety net to make enough income to live off of.
Do not, do not, do not, do not invest into any Cash investments. They all lose money in the end (that includes saving money in a savings account.) due to inflation. You simply do not get enough for your investment and it is not secure. Currencies are one of the most unsecured investments you could possibly make simply because there is no limitation to the amount of money that can be created. Use money as a tool while it still has value, and remember that your other investments can be liquidated with relative ease (the hardest would probably be a house.) if you so require. My emergency fund is in silver, and I have a small amount of cash in case I really just need cash. Everything else I got is into business.