<prompt> Human: What is the point of short term investments? Capital accumulation before settling into a long term holding pattern?  <response>: Here is a good example:My house is about 17 years old. The gas furnace is 17 years old. They generally last about 15-20 years. For the last year I have been putting money aside into a bond fund specifically for the furnace replacement. I have amortized this 5000 cost over 2-3 years, and have protected my wealth from inflation - but just barely. This is a good purpose for short term, risk-averse, investments. 