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Savings

Emergency Fund

Cash set aside for unexpected expenses, kept separate from long-term investments.

An emergency fund is a reserve of readily accessible cash — commonly three to six months of essential expenses — that protects you from having to take on debt or sell investments at a bad time when the unexpected happens.

Examples

  • Keeping three months of expenses in a separate savings account is a typical starting point.

Related terms

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Savings
Guide

How to Build an Emergency Fund

An emergency fund is the foundation of a resilient financial plan. Here's how to build one step by step.

Retire Early Guide Team1 min

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