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Personal Finance FAQ Series: What is an Emergency Fund?

“The shortest period of time lies between the minute you put some money away for a rainy day and the unexpected arrival of rain.”
– Jane Bryant Quinn

unexpected arrival of rain

Your grandmother always talked about saving for a rainy day. What exactly does that mean? How much should we save for that proverbial rainy day? In this episode of the personal finance frequently asked questions series, we look at emergency funds and what they mean for you and your family. If you want to see an example of an appropriate time to use your emergency fund, check out this video, where I answer if you should use your emergency fund if you have lost your job.

What is an Emergency Fund?

The transcript for this video follows below.

Tell me if something similar has ever happened to you. You’re sitting in your house one hot, sweltering summer day, and you notice that the house doesn’t quite feel as cool as it should. Like a lobster being boiled in water, you didn’t notice it was getting hot until nearly too late. You walk over and look at the thermostat and it’s 85 degrees, but the fan is blowing full blast.

Your air conditioner has kicked the bucket. That’s a $3,000 bill you didn’t put in this month’s budget. How do you pay for it?

That’s where the emergency fund comes in. The emergency fund is money that you have set aside that will allow you to pay for a large, unexpected expense in cash. The other main purpose of the emergency fund is to provide you with funds to be able to pay your bills in the event that you lose your job. That’s why it’s also referred to as a rainy day fund.

The usual rule of thumb is to keep 3-6 months of expenses in your emergency fund. While that is a good start, I recommend keeping even more in liquid assets so that you can use paying in cash as a negotiating strategy for large ticket items such as furniture or elective surgeries.

Where do you keep your emergency funds stashed? Should you invest them in the stock market? No. I recommend you use a money market fund which has limited check writing abilities as the place where you stash your cash. The idea is that you need to be able to access the cash quickly and easily if there is an emergency.

Also, it needs to be accessed in case of a real emergency, such as having to fly home for a funeral or the unexpected loss of a job. Getting a bigger television for your man cave is NOT an emergency.

What questions would you like to see me answer? Leave me a comment and let me know!

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John Davis
John Davis is a nationally recognized expert on credit reporting, credit scoring, and identity theft. He has written four books about his expertise in the field and has been featured extensively in numerous media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, CBS News, CNBC, Fox Business, and many more. With over 20 years of experience helping consumers understand their credit and identity protection rights, John is passionate about empowering people to take control of their finances. He works with financial institutions to develop consumer-friendly policies that promote financial literacy and responsible borrowing habits.

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