I would try to open a managed retirement account or 401k type account through your primary job. Most jobs offer you matching of some sort. As for me I have most of my money in HYSAs at the moment. Around 3.8% apy. For awhile now that’s looked more attractive than letting it to the whims of the current market. I also bought some us government I bonds while they were paying 9.62% apy. I don’t know if that was a good idea yet or not because they won’t mature til the fall. They’re still paying around 7% because they’re indexed to inflation, so slightly better than hysas

It’s more about the risk profile than the level of investment. More risk equals more potential rewards. But you want something moderate risk like VOO which is an S and P 500 tracker. Meaning it’s made up of a mixture of s&p500 stocks.