<prompt> Human: Hello rpersonalfinance! I recently took a temporary position with my company outside the U.S. and sold my house. As a result, I will be sitting on 40k that I will eventually use to buy another house when I moved back to the states in a few years. I plan to keep saving on top of that what I would have been paying in a mortgage. I am completely debt free outside of a 10k car loan at a 2 rate. I also maintain an adequate emergency fund.My question is: how do I make the most out of holding this future down payment? I want to make more than a savings account interest rate but also need the money to be accessible in case I get sent back earlier than expected.  <response>: Im going to give you a different answer than the people who will say savings account or CD.This all depends on your appetite for risk and resources to handle loss. Lets say you invest the money and it goes down 25. How bad will that be for you? What is your backup plan? Would you be ok taking a permanent 10k loss or delaying buying a house a few years? Are you sure you want to get a house when you get back to the states immediately or would you be ok renting a few years?Basically, the risk of investing is that the stock market would tank and you would be forced to sell which locks in that loss. However, if you have the ability to not sell by deferring the spending then the stock market will likely pick back up in a few years. Otherwise, are you willing to have a larger chance of gaining 10k vs a smaller chance of losing 10k? Maybe your appetite for risk is high enough this is a good idea for you. Is your net saving rate high enough that you will be investing 40k in the next 3 years? If, so I would consider investing the 40k you have now and saving the new money for the house payment. 