<prompt> Human: I have a traditional IRA max out each year and SEP-IRA try to contribute at least 5kyear that I cant touch until Im 59. But I also have a bunch of cash that I stupidly just let sit in a high-yield CD over the last several years. I kick myself thinking I could have bought a house or stocks and seen it multiply. Anyway I understand retirement funds pretty well, but I dont know what to do with cash. For example, I dont know how to analyze the capital gains issues. I could just put the cash into index funds like my retirement funds, but then what happens if I need it for an emergency or to buy a house? Is there a primer out there that educates me on all the options for how to invest cash that I might need to withdraw quickly? Thank you.  <response>: What is the money for?Your emergency funds should be in cash, or cash-equivalent. 