Uhm, mattress is optional, but the form of notes (or equivalent) is not.

Words have meaning. Cash you have physically and it shelters you from incompetent/rogue financial companies and governments. If you use "cash" to mean something else then what is the word for cash?

Like everyone else, a liquid and very low risk (modulo inflation) financial instrument. (The definition is often a bit broader in financial statements.) I'd posit that, in this day and age, $100K (or whatever) in bank notes is going to do you very little good if you lose access to all your accounts.

> Like everyone else, a liquid and very low risk (modulo inflation) financial instrument.

You clearly misread my question. I'll rephrase for legibility then: What is the word for cash (as in "physical money not in a bank") if you use "cash" to mean "money in a bank"? Is it now a concept so rarely used that term is unnecessary?

Also wow, didn't know you can't buy a car or a house with cash in US anymore, interesting times. Which year did it become illegal?

Words can have more than one meaning, depending on context. For investors talking about asset allocation, "cash" means t-bills, money market, or money in the bank.

It depends on the context. In the context of paying for your dinner, it means bills/notes. In the context of personal or corporate finances, it means liquid, low-risk investments.

>Also wow, didn't know you can't buy a car or a house with cash in US anymore, interesting times. Which year did it become illegal?

It's not illegal but I'd guess in a lot of situations involving (legal) high dollar transactions, the seller is probably going to tell you to take your briefcase of $100 bills to the bank and get a cashier's check--which will also kick off some raised eyebrows and financial reporting obligations.