I'm by no means a financial expert, but it seems to me that at your Dad's age, if he is doing hard manual labor that is meant for a younger person, that he might not be doing it for much longer. And who is to say he would find another job that pays what he is earning now. So, it seems that leaving that 70k in something very low risk, like where the money is now, is probably a wiser move, considering they might need it sooner than later. There is just not a lot out there, that is low risk that earns a much better return. And my guess is that if it's not offered at their current bank...they probably wouldn't do it. Good luck.