200 hundred k to invest...

[fireitup123]

Hi,
I have a couple hundred k to invest. The money has been sitting in my checking account (and I'm not even getting interest on it right now).

This is money I don't need for my bankroll in poker. I have no debt. I want to put this money to work for me in a safe place. I also don't need this money in the near term (it can stay in for five or more years). I'm fairly young, and am maxing out my retirement savings from year to year (put away 40k in a SEP for 2004 and plan to do that again in 2005).

Questions:
1. Any general suggestions on how to invest this money?

2. My initial idea is to put most of it in mutal funds, possibly all with Vanguard. I'd want to pick four types: growth and income, international, aggresive growth, and one other but I can't remeber the type right now.

Is my money safe at Vanguard (200k plus)? Any security concerns? Or should I be investing in multiple company mutal fund accounts for better diversification?

3. There should be another 200k or so to invest in long-term investments (over 5 years) next year, and I may decide to diverify by getting 100k or so in real estate / bonds. Good / Bad?

4. I also would want a couple hundred k in liquid form that I could access if needed. Suggestions on where to put that money at and be getting a decent amount of interest (was thinking a money market account possibly)? This would be a large majority of my poker bankroll that I don't need immediate access to but want availab le just in case.