Depends how much money and for how long. Saving dollar bills for a coffee maker rather than buying a cup of Starbucks is a good start if that's your current station in life. If the market takes a dive and you don't have cash equivalents, you have to sell at a loss to cover your living expenses and can't buy more stock to capitalize on eventual recovery. Maybe a credit union checking account that pays a little interest is not so bad for someone with limited time / knowledge to manage too many types of assets?