Tool · Reserve Builder
A reserve is what keeps
one bad month from becoming debt.
Two funds, in order. First a sinking fund for the big expenses you can see coming: registration, insurance premiums, tires, the holidays. Then an emergency fund for the ones you can't. The sinking fund comes first because otherwise every planned expense raids the emergency fund, and it never fills.
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1 · Sinking fund: the expenses you can see coming
| Expense | Cost | Every (months) |
|---|
2 · Emergency fund: the ones you can't
Housing, food, utilities, insurance, minimum debt payments, transportation. What you'd still owe if your paycheck stopped.
Six is the standard. More if your income is irregular or you're the only earner.
The sinking fund takes its share first. The rest builds the emergency fund.
0
Months you could last today
n/a
Emergency fund full
Your sinking fund, per month
| Expense | Cost | Every | Set aside / mo |
|---|
Keep both funds in cash you can reach in a day or two, separate from your everyday account so they don't get spent by accident. When a sinking-fund expense comes due, pay it from the sinking fund and keep the monthly set-aside going. Education, not financial advice.
Next tool
The Way Out: the three conditions for leaving a paycheck, and where you stand on each.