I spaced out, even though you clearly gave your age.
I take it you've simply sold the mutual fund and the cash from that sale is still sitting in the IRA account? Which means you're not up against any time limit to re-invest.
Do take the time to educate yourself as much as possible.
I can tell you this, though: trying to time the markets is almost always a losing game. There are people who cashed out everything a year or so ago, utterly convinced that the peak had been reached and we were in for a huge crash. While there have been some ups and downs, there hasn't been a crash. Indeed, the market is currently very near its peak. Which isn't to say another crash isn't possible. But thinking you can spot the top or the bottom of a market isn't going to happen. One strategy is to pick a fund or two and dollar average, meaning you put in a fixed amount every month or so until your entire cash is fully invested.
Sometimes people freak out at what looks like a large drop in the Dow, but right now even a thousand point drop at this point would be only a 5% drop. It helps to look at the long picture. And this is money you don't want to touch for another 11 years, or you'll pay a penalty. That length of time works in your favor for positive returns. Again, do some research. Hopefully the more you learn, the better you'll feel about investing in some way or another.
Here's another suggestion: There are funds out there that invest in stocks that pay dividends, and those can do quite nicely. I can't name any funds or even fund families here, so do a bit of research.
The basic rule about diversifying investments is always a good one.
I hope you are able to figure out a good way to handle this money. Best of luck to you.
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