re: Best place to invest $500k for 6 months

Meh, with the market fundamentals this poor, would put it in something safe - like a mattress - if you wanted it back in 6 months. Taxes are going up on everything that keeps the economy moving, employment is still shitty. In about 3 months we're going to have all of the Q4 companies report - I really don't think it's going to be chock full of awesome. Also keep in mind that Obama is going to tax the shite out of you on any short term capital gain.