emergency fund

Ambulance

What to do when you have an emergency

Posted by on | Featured

Emergencies happen. We can minimize our exposure to incidents as best we can, but there are some things that we can’t control. That’s why they’re emergencies. We can debate what counts as an emergency. For example, I don’t believe wear-and-tear … Read More … Read More

Tags: ,
Explosion

The debt blunderbuss, or can you have an emergency fund and still pay off debt?

Posted by on | Featured

There is a financial cage match article that I can’t write: debt vs. the emergency fund. It’s not hard to see why there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to question of what comes first before the other. How much debt you … Read More … Read More

Tags: ,

Can you use your retirement account as your emergency fund?

Posted by on | Featured

  My high school algebra teacher always had some sagacious advice for our class. “Open the door before you walk through it.” That sort of thing. This always elicited a laugh from us, which I suppose was the point. Though … Read More … Read More

Tags: , , , ,

This is how much you need for your emergency fund

Posted by on | Featured

  An emergency fund, as I’ve talked about before, is a fundamental part of any sound financial life. You want to get to the point where you could live for six months on what you have socked away. (Retirement accounts … Read More … Read More

Tags:

How to have an emergency fund when you’re still in debt

Posted by on | Featured

  Some of you have already paid off their debts and are well on your way to becoming wealthy enough to feel safe, live easy, and accomplish anything. But some of you are knee-deep (or neck-deep) in debt, possibly living … Read More … Read More

Tags: ,

When your life changes, change your emergency fund

Posted by on | Featured

  An emergency fund is a vital tool, not just in your financial situation, but also for your sense of emotional grounding. But no kidding. I like to joke that a fully-funded emergency fund is like anti-anxiety medication, but without … Read More … Read More

Tags: , ,

Why the Home Depot and Target breaches aren’t an argument for using credit cards

Posted by on | Featured

  Another month, another major retailer announces that their internal records have been hacked, and their customer credit/debit card accounts stolen. This time it was 60 million accounts, making it the biggest breach ever. I was at dinner the other … Read More … Read More

Tags: , , , , , ,

Why overdraft charges are okay (but unecessary)

Posted by on | Featured

  Overdraft charges are the great irony of banking. You get charged a fee when you try to make a purchase and you don’t have sufficient money in your account. It would almost be a joke if it weren’t so … Read More … Read More

Tags: , , , , , ,

How would you handle a loss of income?

Posted by on | Featured

  The local free paper in town recently did a story on the local homeless population, interviewing a few of them and getting their own individual stories rather than treating them as one faceless mass. Today, I was reading the … Read More … Read More

Tags: , , , ,