If individuals are not using hardware wallets, I would not recommend storing encryption locally but instead placing them on an exchange. 
Point of this topic is not how you keep your crypto-currencies, where you store them
and what you are doing them, point of this address the volatility in value of crypto-currencies.
Value is always different, and what can investor expect in few years. There are risks, but we
take that risk in order to make great profit one day.
How safe our money is in crypto-currencies depends which crypto-currency you chose. In
Bitcoin is safer than in Ripple, but now you have more than 1000 coins and tokens. You can
choose your level of risk and you will make profit proportional to that risk.