<prompt> Human: My wife and I have bought a home, paid off student loans and all credit cards. I have 20,000 in the bank and I dont know how to safely invest it. I would like access to the cash so I can possibly buy a rental property in the near future. My wife and I are each putting 12 of our income into company provided 401ks. I know this is a first world problem, but I am looking for advice  <response>: Safely will only get you about 2 APY right now a long-term CD, which will not beat inflation on average 2.5-3 over long periods. You will need to accept some loss on your investments due to inflation, or increase your risk tolerance. 