re: Money you need 3, 5, 7 years from now

You have to remember any type of IRA account you're going to get your arse taxed if you pull it out unless it's a Roth.

Your best bet if you're going to plan and spend it is put it into some sort of savings account. Ideally one with a semi-decent interest rate, though they all pretty much suck right now.

As the poster above said, even getting .75% is better than what your checking or standard savings account will give you. I'd check out Barclay's, it's pretty much the best out there at 1% APY. No minimum and no fee required.

If you're already contributing to retirements, I'd put majority of your spare funds and hold it as cash.