Well, I am no expert, but had to learn a couple of things:

1) Before even thinking of investing money, pay back all your debts!
2) Do not trust any banker or finance adviser. They all live from your money. You have to care about your money!!
3) Investing money is like playing poker with professionals. You play against people which studied finances and spend their whole days just investigating opportunities.
4) Houses are not as good as everybody seems to thing. However, they force you to save money regularily.
5) If you still want to invest money, a mixture of stocks and gold may be good. A good alternative of stocks (if you do not have the time or interest) may be exchange traded funds. You buy for the Nikkei, Dax or Nasdaq or what ever you like. They have the same performance as the index itself, not better not worse. There is not much management needed, so the fees are lower than for other stock funds. Usually the bank does only the management, and if the bank is bancrupt, you do not loose the money. But there may be different kinds, you have to ask this, if you buy some.
6) Should you buy gold, look where you buy from. You get it much cheaper online than at the bank!