Trigger words: investments
Indicator sentences: We are possibly using different definitions of investment.
Negotiation parts: I am talking from an economic perspective, where investment is the allocation of resources towards increaseing the quantity of quality of production factors. So buying an house as part of a speculative bubble (IE what happened in 2007) would not fall under my definition of investment, but would be a use for savings. Your definition seems to preclude investments that don't pan out, which is ridiculous. Buying a house is always an investment. You are contributing to the economy by paying people in the housing industry - builders, upkeep, real estate sales, etc. The hope is that by owning the property and contributing to the development of the surrounding community, your home will literally create value. This may or may not be the case for you, but surely having society as a whole operate with the idea that investments can create value is what drives the economy in the big picture (which is what you seem to be after).