<prompt> Human: Would it be better to keep surplus savings as cash or invest in physical silver?Thanks  <response>: I dont think there is any point in purchasing silver. In general, my money falls into two categories1. Emergency Savings2. Investments that I expect to gain valueThe first needs to be extremely liquid so I can buy food, car repairs, a new hot water heater, etc at short notice. Therefore silver and other commodities are not appropriate.In the second, I want to maximize my earnings potential. Precious metals have historically performed abysmally compared to stock and bonds. You could hold a small percentage of your over all investment portfolio 5 or less in precious metals, but it should not be a primary asset class. 