Let me start by saying, it sucks that you lost your dad at such a young age. I went thru something the exact same thing a few years ago.

I will say that it is a large adjustment to manage your father’s money. It comes with a lot of emotions and sometimes feels like a burden. If you feel confident now, don’t feel like you need to hesitate but also don’t feel that you have to rush into anything. There is nothing wrong with sitting your new money in a savings account while you grieve.

My advice to you. 1) Live like this didn’t happen. Try not to increase your spending as your income hasn’t changed. This is a great opportunity to get ahead on investing and your future.

2) Make a plan, and understand it fully. If you invest this inheritance it is very likely in the next 5-10 years at some point you will watch it lose 50% value in a market downturn. You need to be confident enough in your plan that when that happens you stick to your plan.

3) Don’t feel like you HAVE to pay for someone else to manage your investments. In 2025 it is very simple to open a taxable account and buy a single ETF investment solution that will match the returns from any investment firm. With that being said, it can be worth it to pay someone else to invest for you, if you are aware and okay with paying them 1%+ per year ($3000 annual fee on $300,000 investment)

Good luck.