<prompt> Human: It seems every post on this sub is someone asking if they should use their savings to pay off Xloans, mortgage, car payment, etc. My question is, outside of your emergency fund, what is the purpose of have thousands of dollars in savings? Obviously people save for things, but so many people say that they have like 50k in savings, but 42k in student loans or car payment, or huge mortgage left. Why not pay that off assuming you have a separate emergency fund? Instant return, isnt it? This has always confused me. It seems like there are so many ways to make your hard earned money work for you, WAY better than a savings account interest rate which I admit have been higher in the past.  <response>: Opportunity. Cash is always king and youre limited to what you can do if your money is tied up. That 50k could make you that much more desirable of a buyer if you tossed that onto your down payment for a dream home.What if you see that the housing market is going to pick up soon and you have the perfect chance to pick of a quadplex or something. You might have to pass up on a great opportunity because you no longer have the cash on hand.I think it ultimately depends on your risk tolerance and age. Youre not going to see many older folks leveraging their money as much. 