I bought this money plant (Pachira aquatica) at a grocery store - I probably should have re-potted it into better soil and a larger pot, but...
I have it inside, in bright indirect light. For some reason, it just occurred to me I could have put it outside for the summer, gradually introducing it to stronger light. I may still.
The problem is the leaves are getting brown spots, and some are dying. Am I right in assuming it's because it needs more water? I'm afraid I've been kind of neglectful of it. Should I wait until it's healthier, or wait until spring, to re-pot it? I like it as a houseplant, and would like to save it.
Thanks!

Definitely put it outside if you can. But do not put it in direct Sunlight right away. You need to get the plant used to higher light. Put it first in open shade like the north side of the house but shaded by the house. It is bright enough here and often much brighter than indoors close to a window. After a week slowly introduce it to Sun, preferably morning Sun. Over a week you can bump it to half a day of Sun and that should keep the plant pretty happy till Fall. It should grow well.
Those yellow spots and patches are very likely a combination of over watering and low light. Indoors plants do not need as much water as they need outside. Outdoors they will grow faster, subject to heat, wind and their water needs go up.

Top shelf advice from ToC, as usual.

I would add, it looks like there is a fertility issue going on. Have you fertilized it lately? Dyna-Gro Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 is a superb fertilizer for a number of reasons, which I'll provide if you're interested.

Al

Thanks Al, I thought I should get a notification after your reply but nada. Still trying to figure out this site.

Thanks to all for the input. I moved it outside, gradually. It now gets morning sun til about 1:00. Al, I've never fertilized it. And, as I said in my original post, it's been kind of neglected. If anything, underwatering is more likely than overwatering. I've fixed that problem. It has quite a bit of new growth since I moved It outside, but the yellowing leaves seem to be getting worse. I don't see any obvious pests. And, unless this plant likes to be root-bound, I should probably put it in a larger pot. Should I just cut off the yellowed leaves and let the new growth flourish? What about re-potting? This isn't really the time of year for that, but I'll be bringing it in for the winter.

Don't know why, but the pic keeps loading sideways. I've tried it a few times, without luck. Hope you can make it out.

No plant likes to be rootbound. Tight roots are stressful and no plant prefers to be stressed. All else equal, plants in pots with room for roots to run will always have better opportunity to realize more of their potential than plants with tight roots. The myth that certain plants like being rootbound arises from the fact that some plants don't tolerate wet feet well. Since plantings in which plants are rootbound can't hold as much water as plantings with room for roots to run, the reasoning runs that it's better to suffer the limitations of tight roots than the limitations associated with over-watering. I don't consider trading one form of stress for another to be a valid remedy, so I simply use media that can't be over-watered unless you try really hard to drown the plants. I started doing that 30 years ago and haven't used a commercially prepared medium since.

If you're going to repot (repotting is different than potting up), it would be best to do it now rather than later. Here in MI, I don't repot anything or prune anything in pots hard after Aug 1. The best time to repot where you live would be around Father's Day or the summer solstice when the plant's ability to make food (photosynthesis) is peaking. In this case, it's probably better if you don't wait.

If you can tolerate the spoiled leaves for a while, leave them. The first step in the shedding process is resorption, during which the plant reclaims nutrients and other useful compounds (from the damaged leaves) for use elsewhere in the plant, so they still serve a purpose.

Al