Placing a money plant in harsh, direct sunlight, especially during peak afternoon hours, is one of the fastest ways to stress it. The plant is naturally suited to the dappled, filtered light of a forest understorey rather than open, unshaded exposure, which means strong direct rays can quickly scorch its leaves, leaving them yellowed, crisped at the edges, or covered in dry brown patches. This is particularly true for the variegated varieties, whose lighter, cream-coloured sections contain less chlorophyll and are even more vulnerable to sun damage than the deeper green parts of the leaf. A money plant kept in a west-facing window with unfiltered afternoon sun, for instance, often shows visible stress within just a couple of weeks.