Share your insights or perspective on the financial matter presented in the input.

As an investing novice, what to do with my money?
3-5 years is long enough of a timeframe that I'd certainly invest it, assuming you have enough (which $10k is).  Even conservatively you can guess at 4-5% annual growth; if you invest reasonably conservatively (60/40 mix of stocks/bonds, with both in large ETFs or similar) you should have a good chance to gain along those lines and still be reasonably safe in case the market tanks.   Of course, the market could tank at any time and wipe out 20-30% of that or even more, even if you invest conservatively - so you need to think about that risk, and decide if it's worth it or not.  But, particularly if your 3-5 year time frame is reasonably flexible (i.e., if in 2019 the market tanks, you can wait the 2-3 years it may take to come back up) you should be investing. And - as usual, the normal warnings apply.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance, we are not your investment advisors, and you may lose 100% of your investment...