[mshumi]

I'd happily buy pizza with SPY. Why keep money in a near zero-interest bank account when I can hold beta. If markets were 24/7 with instant settlement of securities I could hold all my money in stocks and bonds. I wouldn't be concerned with holding cash for liquidity's sake. More so I could hold more of my money in securities representing interest in real property -- housing, arable land w/ fresh water, and commodities which are usually a better store of value than cash unless there is a liquidity crunch. There are good reasons why asset prices have been soaring for the past decade.