Only invest what you can afford to lose.
I am not a financial advisor, and you should get professional advice. The following is simply a personal observation.
Best bet in the stock market right now are shares in Canadian banks. They are all strong, and they beat market expectations this past quarter (The big 5 have been reporting results this past week). All but one posted a profit, and the one loss was negligible, and expected by analysts, and better than market predictions. Canadian banks have been rated the strongest in the world. Right now their share prices are depressed because - well the entire market is depressed, and because their share prices are influenced by their southern cousin's bank share prices.
Once the full fallout in the US banking and investment sector is known, the Canadian banks are likely going to be on a shopping spree. They have the capital to spend, and are just waiting to see how much lower the prices are going to get. Canadians tend to hate their banks, because they always seem to be nickel and diming us with fees - but if you own bank stocks, its means you own a money maker.
If you want a real flyer, buy $100 of a mining penny stock. Pick the right one, and they will increase by 10 or 100 fold. Its a gamble, but its better odds than the lottery.
There is an old stock market adage. Buy on bad news, and sell on good news.
Good luck.