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How Much Should I Have As An Emergency Fund – It’s never too early to start saving for emergencies or retirement, but the question is, how much? There is no specific number that one should save by 30, but there are general guidelines.
Even if you’re a 30-year-old who hasn’t started saving yet, there’s still time, and no amount is too small.
How Much Should I Have As An Emergency Fund
It is important to have a separate emergency fund for unexpected expenses like car accidents, home repairs and medical bills. A good rule of thumb is to save at least three to six months worth of expenses in an emergency savings account.[1]
Emergency Funds Explained
To calculate how much you need in an emergency fund, add up all your bills (utilities, rent, car payment, insurance, etc.) and common expenses like food and gas. Then, multiply by three to get the minimum amount to save for your emergency fund.
For example, if your monthly expenses are $1,500, you should save at least $4,500 for three months’ worth of expenses and $9,000 for six months’ worth.
Everyone’s retirement plan is different. The amount of money you need to save will depend on several factors, including when you start saving, how much you earn, your cost of living and your target retirement age. Here are general guidelines.
At the end of 2021, the average annual wage was $49,920 for those aged 25 to 34 and $58,604 for those aged 35 to 44.[3] So the average 30-year-old should save $50,000 to $60,000 by Fidelity’s standards.
Food Safety In An Emergency
T. Rowe Price’s benchmarks for households with incomes between $75,000 and $250,000 suggest you should save 0.5x 30 of your income.
Earning $75,000, you need to save $37,500 in 30. Note that the numbers listed in the graph above are the midpoints of these ranges.[4]
If you start saving early (around age 25), experts recommend putting 15% of your pre-tax earnings toward your retirement savings.[5] If you earn $50,000 a year, that means you should save $7,500 for retirement.
If a 15% savings rate isn’t possible, that’s okay. Start small, and as your income grows or your debt is paid off, start contributing more to your retirement accounts.
My Emergency Fund, Why I Keep $2,000 For Emergencies
A long-term goal is to save 10 times your pre-retirement annual income by age 67.[2] If your annual salary is $50,000, that means you need to save $500,000 for your retirement fund. But is $500,000 enough to sustain you? Let’s look at some scenarios assuming you need living expenses for 26 years.
If you need about $19,200 a year, $500,000 may be enough. This is a simple example that does not take inflation or compound interest into account. It’s helpful to check the different scenarios using the online calculator to determine the right number for you.
In addition to what’s saved in your retirement accounts, consider retirement income streams like Social Security. The national average for Social Security benefits was $1,657 per month as of January 2022, with a maximum of $3,345. That amount is payable to someone who earned a maximum taxable income of $147,000 in 2022. 35-year career.[6]
It’s beneficial to take advantage of employer-matched opportunities and tax-advantaged accounts that can reduce your taxable income and help you avoid paying taxes on interest. More on that below.
Emergency Fund: What, Why, How Much To Save And Where?
Even if you have nothing left by the time you’re 30, you still have plenty of time. Start with an emergency fund and consider retirement and other savings goals.
If you have the money to start a retirement fund, be sure to research how to best allocate funds at 30. T. Rowe Price suggests 0% to 10% bonds and 90% to 100% stocks because younger people have a higher risk tolerance. Stocks can provide huge returns over time.[8] Here are some additional tips to optimize your savings.
Creating a budget is an essential first step. A detailed budget—with specific categories like utilities, transportation, rent, food, healthcare, and savings—can give you a clear picture of how much you’re spending and where you can cut back.
If you’re not sure how to allocate your income, try the 50/30/20 method, where 50% of your income goes to needs, 30% to wants and 20% to savings.
Infographic: Do I Have An Emergency Fund?
The more debt you have, the more interest you pay. Whether it’s student loans, mortgage or credit card debt, there are several strategies you can use to help pay off your debt. The debt snowball method suggests that you make minimum payments on all debts, but put more money into the smallest debts first. Once you pay it off, move on to the next smallest loan. This will help you see progress as you check loans off your list.
Another popular repayment strategy is the debt avalanche method, where you make minimum payments on all loans, but put any extra money toward your highest-interest loans. This saves money on interest in the long run.
A tax-advantaged account is any account that has tax benefits. This includes tax-free and tax-deferred accounts. By contributing to these types of accounts, you reduce your taxable income and pay no tax on the accrued interest. Examples of tax-advantaged accounts include Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, Flexible Savings Accounts (FSAs), and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).[9] If you have an employer-sponsored 401(k), be sure to check how much your employer will match.
If you want to put more money into savings, try a side hustle or gig work. Even if you can only dedicate a few hours a week to delivering food or riding, that income adds up.
How Much Should Be In My Emergency Fund: Building A Rock Solid Emergency Saving
Saving money can help you prepare for the worst (unexpected emergencies) and the best (retirement). Although the savings goals outlined by Fidelity and T. Rowe may seem unattainable, remember that saving of any kind is a good first step toward reaching your financial goals.
Take on a money-saving challenge or explore apps that can help you save. There are plenty of tools at your disposal that can help you build towards a brighter financial future.
Ana Gonzalez-Ribeiro, MBA, AFC® is an accredited financial advisor and bilingual personal finance writer and educator dedicated to helping populations in need of financial literacy and counseling. Her informative articles have appeared in various news outlets and websites, including Huffington Post, Fidelity, Fox Business News, MSN and Yahoo Finance. She also founded the personal finance and motivation website www.AcetheJourney.com and translated the book Financial Advice for Blue Collar America by Kathryn B. Hauer, CFP, into Spanish. Ana teaches personal finance courses in Spanish or English for the W!SE (Supporting Education) program, and has taught workshops for nonprofits in NYC.
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Garrett & Sam Gymsplain Emergency Savings
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By submitting my information, I agree to the Terms of Service, Consent to Use of Electronic Documents and Signatures, Privacy Policy, Disclosure of Customer Records and Customer Identification Program.What do you do if your car needs major repairs? What if you lose your job or have a long hospital stay? These are things we don’t want to think about but they are very important to the budget. If you save for these types of situations, it will make those stressful times a little less stressful. Emergency funds are important to have enough money in case you have an emergency. So, how much should you save for an emergency fund? We answer this question and more below.
An emergency fund or rainy day fund is an amount you can set aside for unexpected life events. If you lose your job or need to pay a large medical bill, having an emergency fund can help protect you from the worst situations in life.
The answer is very simple: to avoid borrowing. We don’t know what the future holds, so it’s best to prepare in advance. The COVID-19 pandemic is an emergency fund example that highlights how important it is to have extra cash saved in the event of a job loss or serious illness. It allows you to get through tough financial times without taking out a loan or racking up exorbitant charges on your credit card. The last thing
