Tag Archives: Emergency Savings

7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Spending Your Emergency Fund

Posted on by
Reply

An emergency fund is essentially a financial safety net, designed to ‘catch you’ in an emergency by helping you navigate unexpected challenges without going into debt. However, deciding when to tap into these savings is a crucial decision that requires many considerations. Before you dip into your emergency fund, evaluate the situation carefully to ensure spending that money is essential. Here are seven questions to ask yourself before spending your emergency fund, to help you make the right decision.

1. Is This Expense Truly a Necessity?

The first question to ask yourself is whether the expense you’re facing is truly essential. Your emergency fund is meant to cover critical needs, such as keeping a roof over your head, ensuring you have food on the table, or covering medical emergencies. If the expense isn’t vital to your survival or well-being, it may be wise to reconsider using your emergency fund. This might mean postponing non-essential expenses like entertainment or luxury items until your financial situation is more stable.

2. Are There Other Resources Available to Help?

Before using your emergency fund, check if there are any external resources available to help cover the expense. In times of financial crisis – many organizations, banks, and utility companies offer assistance programs such as deferred payments, waived fees, or discounted services. Additionally, food pantries and community services can provide essential support in times of need, reducing the need to use your savings. By leveraging these resources, you can stretch your emergency fund further and preserve it for truly critical situations.

3. Do I Have Other Cash Reserves?

Consider whether you have other cash reserves that can be used before tapping into your emergency fund. This could include money saved for non-essential purposes, like a vacation or new car fund, or extra cash in your checking account. Utilizing these funds before turning to your emergency savings can help you avoid depleting your emergency fund unnecessarily. However, be cautious about pulling money from long-term investments like retirement accounts, as this may have significant consequences in the future.

4. Can I Find a More Affordable Solution?

Another important consideration is whether there’s a less expensive way to handle the situation. Your emergency fund is a finite resource, so it’s important to stretch it as far as possible. Look for cost-effective alternatives, such as buying generic products instead of name brands, reducing utility usage to lower bills, or finding discounts on necessary items. Frugality and resourcefulness can minimize the amount you need to withdraw from your emergency savings.

5. Do I Have Other Ways to Generate Cash?

Before withdrawing from your emergency fund, consider whether there are alternative ways to generate the cash you need. For example, taking on a temporary side gig or selling unused items around your home may provide the extra income you need to cover an unexpected expense. This approach can help you preserve your emergency fund for more dire situations. Remember, your emergency savings should be a last resort, so explore all other options before making a withdrawal.

6. Will I Need This Money for Something More Urgent Later?

When considering whether to use your emergency fund, think about potential future expenses that could arise. If your job is unstable or you have an older car that might require costly repairs, you may need your emergency fund for these situations. While it’s impossible to fully predict future expenses, it’s important to weigh the current need against possible future emergencies. If you anticipate larger, more pressing expenses down the road, it might be better to hold off on using your emergency fund now.

7. How Much Will Remain in My Emergency Fund After This Expense?

Finally, consider how much of your emergency fund will be left after covering the current expense. It’s crucial to maintain a sufficient balance to handle future emergencies. If withdrawing for this expense would significantly deplete your savings, leaving you vulnerable to future crises, you may need to think twice about using the funds. Financial experts generally recommend keeping three to six months of living expenses in your emergency fund, so consider whether your balance will still meet this guideline after making a withdrawal.

Protect Your Financial Future

Your emergency fund is a vital tool for financial security, but it’s important to use it wisely. By asking yourself these seven questions, you can make informed decisions about when and how to use your savings, ensuring that your emergency fund remains intact for when you truly need it. For more personalized financial advice and tips on managing your finances, contact us at 732.312.1500, visit a branch, or explore our services online.

Could Your Budget Handle a Decrease in Income?

Posted on by
Reply

One of the most difficult situations to deal with is a decrease in income, especially if you are like many Americans of late – living paycheck to paycheck. Many of us base our lifestyle around and live right up to the limit of what our income can afford us to purchase. Living this way can really hinder your budget no matter how much you bring in.

However, spending above our means and not sticking to a budget can really be a problem – because what happens if life throws out a curveball? This unfortunate instance happened to many Americans this year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are a few ways to make sure you are financially prepared should you ever experience an unexpected income drop.

The Importance of a Variety of Income Sources

One of the best ways to handle a potential loss of income is to build up income from various sources, if possible. This can be important so that you aren’t relying on one source of income for everything.

If you don’t make as much as you’d like in your daily 9 to 5, starting a side business or part-time job in order to be able to fall back on additional income can be a help. Try to consistently save some of your extra income when times are good so that you are prepared the next time a crisis happens.

What Can You Cut from Your Budget?

It’s important to know which items you would cut in a pinch from your budget if you had to. It’s also good practice to plan ahead of time and figure out where you could cut back if you ever needed to.

Look at your spending patterns, and figure out what is most important. Items such as groceries and bills are necessities, and will need to be managed even if you are making less. However, dining out and added services such as cable can always be temporarily cut from your budget if you needed to.

Review what you spend money on currently and start to get prepared. You could even think about cutting back on some of that spending now, and put it aside in your emergency savings fund to be ready for a rainy day.

Do You Have an Emergency Fund?

This is one of the most important savings accounts to ever have. An emergency fund’s purpose is to be a safety net in the event that your income takes a cut, and you no longer have enough money to meet your current financial obligations. When you have somewhat of a buffer saved in the bank, you’ll feel better prepared and less stressed should you experience any sort of financial emergency. Continue to save what you can and keep putting it away into your emergency savings account – every little bit helps!

Article Source: Moneyning.com

4 Tips for Planning for Financial Emergencies

Posted on by
Reply

We don’t always know when the unexpected will happen. That doesn’t mean we can’t plan for it though. In fact, one of the best things you can do for your finances is to look ahead and prepare for the inevitable emergency.

Here are four tips you can use for your plan:

1. Start with Your Rainy Day Fund

It’s old news, but the reality is that many Americans still don’t have the resources to handle a $500 emergency. That means you probably need to beef up your rainy day fund. Get started even if you feel like you can’t set aside a ton. Every little bit helps. Set aside money each week that can be used for a rainy day.

This also includes paying attention to what’s happening with your expenses. While things do happen unexpectedly, the truth is that we often get clues that something is about to break down. The washing machine behaves erratically, or you notice something about the fridge. Once those signs appear, start setting money aside.

2. Plan for Routine Costs

You know that the oil needs to be changed in your car every so often. There are plenty of other maintenance milestones that come with owning a car too. You need to plan for these items. From home maintenance to the fact that your kids need to get clothes for school every year, there are routine costs in your life.

Make a plan to save a little bit each month for these routine costs. You can use a system that helps you prepare to meet these challenges when they arrive, preferably a system where savings are automated. That way, you won’t have to rely as heavily on your emergency fund or (worse), your credit cards.

3. Perform an Insurance Audit

When was the last time you checked your insurance coverage? Do you have the right amount? Will it cover your situation? Double check your coverage.

Make sure your home is covered. What if you’ve recently bought some expensive items? Are they covered against loss? Look at your health insurance coverage. Will it be enough if you end up in the hospital? Is the deductible affordable? On the other hand, are you paying for too much coverage and not freeing enough money to save?

The right insurance coverage can go a long way toward helping you out when you’re in a pinch. And don’t forget the life insurance to cover your family, just in case.

4. Know What You Can Cut

Finally, make sure you know what you can cut from your budget in an emergency. Which items are the first to go? Which items, when cut, could result in immediate savings? This exercise can help you spring into action once a financial emergency strikes.

Plus, looking at your spending with a critical eye can help you now. If you take the time to review your spending and identify areas of waste, you can plug those leaks now. Divert the money toward other goals, like building a rainy day fund or preparing to buy a new appliance.

Article Source: Miranda Marquit for Moneyning.com

4 Easy Ways to Start Building Your Emergency Fund

Posted on by
Reply

Things happen. And then we have to spend money. Hopefully you’ve got some money put away to help out with life’s curve balls. If you don’t, it’s time to start that emergency fund. Here are some easy, pain-free ways you can build up some extra cash.

Start with your tax return: If you’re getting money back at the beginning of next year, a great destination for that cash would be your emergency fund. Start putting a little away now, and when that refund check comes, you can be on your way to having 3 to 6 months’ living expenses saved away.

Start a small direct deposit: Hardly anyone gets a paper check anymore, so you’re probably familiar with direct deposit. Another easy way to start that emergency fund is to open up a savings account and put a small amount into your account every week. If money’s tight, and you don’t feel like you can afford to take too much out of your check each pay period, then it’s okay to start small. $10 a week won’t hurt your wallet too much, but will still help you put away almost $1,000 a year. Add that to your tax return and you’re off to a good start.

Start with coins: You probably have loose change piled up in multiple areas right now. Throw all of that change into a jar and count it up. That loose change might not seem like much, but if all your change goes into your new emergency fund, you’ll be surprised at how fast it adds up.

Start clearing out that checking account: If you’ve budgeted well you may not have much “free” money left in your checking account after the bills have been paid, the groceries have been bought, and the 401k has been stocked. If there’s a good bit still floating around, move a little into your emergency fund. In fact, any time extra money finds its way into your pocket, put it away for emergencies.

Article Source: John Pettit for CUInsight.com

How to Build the Perfect Emergency Fund

Posted on by
Reply

Piggy bank stands on 100 dollar papers, isolated on white background

Start small.

While you should eventually build an emergency fund that can handle more serious emergencies (economic downturn, loss of job, etc.), you’re going to want to start by putting together a short-term emergency fund. Your short-term fund is meant to take care of unexpected expenses that while not severe, can still mean trouble if you aren’t prepared. Things like a car repair, replacing a broken window, or getting a parking ticket are all things that can be covered by your short-term fund. Ideally, you’d want this to range anywhere from $500 to $1,000.

Figure how much you’ll need in the long run.

Chances are, if you find yourself out of work or the victim of a natural disaster, $500 to $1,000 won’t be enough to keep your head above water. So to make sure you can keep you (and your family) financially stable for an extended period of time, it’s best to save anywhere between three to six months’ worth of expenses. That may sound like a lot of money (and in most cases it is), but having something to fall back on will make your recovery process all the more easier.

Building yourself a budget is a great way to figure out how much you should aim to save for a long-term emergency. Figure out what expenses you’d really need to be covered (food, shelter, major utilities) and which you can do without for a short period of time (cable bill, online subscription services, etc). Once you get that number, you can start working out a savings plan for yourself depending upon how much you’re able to sock away each paycheck. It might take a lot of time, but having a specific number in mind can really help to keep you motivated.

Tighten up your budget.

If you’re struggling to come up with money to put away for an emergency fund, there’s no better way to boost your cash flow than by tightening up your budget. Writing a concise list of your needs and wants can help you identify what areas of your budget you can cut back on. Think of the extra money you could save just by cutting back on dining out or going without Netflix for a couple months. Once you’ve met your savings goal, you can transition back to your regular spending habits with the peace of mind that you’ll be able to handle almost anything that comes your way.

Drop your debt.

While you’d ideally want to take care of both simultaneously, paying down debt and saving money isn’t something that’s feasible for everyone. In situations like these, it may be in your best interest to prioritize paying down your debt first. The longer you carry debt, the more interest it builds and the more you’ll have to pay over time. Taking on high-cost debt (credit card debt, for example) can also be an emergency in and of itself and be a huge drain on the emergency fund you worked so hard to build.

Furthermore, carrying a high balance on your credit card can have a negative impact on your credit. And the lower your credit score, the more likely you are to get higher interest rates on future loans and credit cards. Getting out of debt, and avoiding unnecessary forms of it, can help you maximize your contributions to your emergency fund and ensure it’s there for when you really need it.

Most people don’t realize how important an emergency fund really is until they’re actually faced with a serious emergency. Putting in the time and effort to build an adequate emergency fund is a simple way to make sure you and your loved ones won’t fall into debt. So do yourself a favor and take the time to evaluate your expenses, build a budget, and start saving today!

Emergency Savings – Here’s What You Really Need

Posted on by
Reply

3D Illustration of a Piggy Bank and a Stethoscope

Costs related to an unexpected illness or accident can spiral. Here’s the truth about savings in America: We all talk a lot about how much we should be saving and spending, but the majority of us don’t save enough to pay for a surprise expense that must be covered immediately.

More than 60% of Americans don’t have enough money stashed away to pay for unforeseen expenses such as a $1,000 visit to the emergency room or a $500 fender-bender, according to a Bankrate.com study.

The same survey found that 82% of us keep household budgets — mostly with pen and paper or in our heads, but we look to outside help to pull us out of a financial crisis.

Staying afloat after a job loss.

We also seem to have a blind spot about how much emergency savings we actually need. Most financial experts will tell you to stockpile three to six months of paychecks in an interest-earning account like a money market that you can get your hands on without tax or early-withdrawal penalties. But what many unwittingly discovered after job layoffs in the depth of the recession was that three to six months of paychecks for emergency savings wasn’t nearly enough when unemployment lasted six to 12 months, sometimes even longer. It also matters if you’re single or if you’re part of a two-income household, and if you rent or if you own a condo rather than a house.

Cushioning the blow of surprise expenses.

Gauge your emergency savings needs not just on income — but on what you own and what replacement costs might be. How much would a replacement roof be? What about a new transmission in your car? How about a health emergency? It’s the most feared and pricey crisis Americans face and for good reason, since it’s the #1 cause of bankruptcy.

You should be allocating emergency savings into three tiers: minor emergencies, major emergencies and job-loss protection.

  • Minor emergencies

They’re what you’d expect: health-care deductibles and negligible car and home repairs. But be sure you are prepared to cope with multiple minor emergencies around the same time. For example, there could be a domino effect of emergencies, like a car crash could lead to a broken leg and an unexpected car insurance deductible as well as a healthcare deductible.

  • Major emergencies

The good news is that major emergencies don’t happen with the same regularity that minor ones do. A key premise here is that the cash you have on hand — a liquid asset, can be used for any major emergency. The caveat for those with health savings or flexible spending accounts is that those accounts can cover health costs but are hands off for other emergencies.

  • Job loss

In general, there’s a 10% probability that any one of us could lose their job in any given year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those numbers, of course, are skewed during recessions and economic hiccups like we’ve seen in recent years. In these cases, according to the BLS, more than 10% of those who are jobless need more than a year to find employment.

Add that all up and the advice is to save enough to cope with a year of unemployment. That’s a tall order, but remember you don’t have to do it all in one year and it doesn’t necessarily mean a year’s worth of paychecks – but rather a year’s worth of expenses covered. Unemployment insurance is considered too. In two-income families, it’s unlikely that both people will lose their jobs during the same year, but they should be covered as if the higher income gets knocked out of the equation.

Hopefully you will never need to worry about most of the items on this list, but it’s always better to be financially prepared and plan ahead when you can!