Our journey to Financial Independence

Category: Saving Money

How To Build An Emergency Fund in 2021

You need an Emergency Fund. Whether you like it or not. It’s easy to feel safe and comfortable in our job. If 2020 taught me anything it’s that nothing is as it seems.  Preparing for the worst is the only way to protect yourself.

 Whether, it’s a solid job, parents, or social security nothing is ever guaranteed. Before COVID-19, I felt unstoppable my job was going great. I used to think “I work in hospitality and people would never stop traveling.”

All of a sudden, the unimaginable happened everyone was stuck at home and on furlough I went. 6 months… Not knowing if I would do my job again. Thankfully, I had prepared myself for it. 4 months of expenses saved up spared me from liquidating my investments.

It’s easy to get excited about potential investments and forget about covering our rear. One thing has become apparent the true priority is to have a financial safety net. 

illustration of trolley with gold as part of fund

Pros & Cons of an Emergency Fund

You’re probably thinking is there any negative? And also “we get it you are safer with it.” Stick with me you won’t regret it I promise. There is a reason why an Emergency Fund is the first step in “5 Ways to Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck“.

PROS

Peace of Mind

Living on the edge always sounds like more fun than it’s worth. I started off wanting every penny I made to have a purpose. That could only be putting it to work right? Right… An emergency fund is not only purposeful, but it’s also vital. Knowing you are financially secure will make taking risks all the more enjoyable.

A Back-Up Plan

Whatever happens, you can always get out of a pinch. Of course, this fund should only be used for emergencies. I’ll plead guilty here. I’ve used it to pay a deposit on a flat in the past as I was running low on cash. In this case, you should always make it a priority to replenish the fund. Hopefully, you learned from GME that GameStop options aren’t an emergency.

Debt-Free

 With an emergency fund, you’re protected from Credit Card (CC) debt. Although, CCs can be a great tool. Who doesn’t like a few miles?

They also come with extremely predatory interest rates between 14% and 35% APR. They might seem like a good solution to solve problems in the short-term. Yet,  you soon end up in a vicious circle. With a few months of expenses set aside, you always have a safe solution.

CON

You might be wondering, how can there be any CONs? Well, there is just one – it’s a bit of a first-world problem though.

Inflation

Your emergency fund can be too big. What does that even mean?

Well once you have 6 months of expenses set aside the extra cash will lay prey to inflation. If you were to transfer additional savings to a high-interest saving account the money would be growing (Although less than 1 percent). You could also look into investing in market tracking funds like Vanguard’s VUSA which tracks the S&P 500. The market has seen a growth of 7% annually on average over 100 years.

Additionally investing your extra cash is a great opportunity to make use of your ISA allowance.

How much do you need?

There isn’t a one size fits all answer. How much you need in your Emergency Fund will depend on your circumstances.

 

Let’s say you are working in an at-risk job and live abroad. In that case, you will want to save 6 months worth of expenses. Whereas if you still live with your parents and have a job within a stable industry 3 months probably will be enough. 

 

Furthermore, the country you live in will impact the amount you need to save. I live in the UK therefore I benefit from free healthcare. Whereas if you are based in the US, you’ll need to get closer to 6 months saved as a medical emergency could hit you hard. 

 

When you are establishing your total sum. You should focus on the following expenses.

  1. Rent
  2. Utilities (WIFI, mobile phone, energy)
  3. Food (Groceries only)
  4. Transport

Everything necessary to survive. You shouldn’t include outings to the movies, your gym membership, or a shopping spree in it. Focus on what your essentials cost you.

 

Once you’ve answered the questions above you should have your number. Keep in mind that it isn’t fixed. As you move house, country, or have a family – costs will change. I review my needs on a bi-annual basis and adapt my fund as I go.

Don’t forget any additional savings can go to building up your investment portfolio whether it’s with Trading 212 (Get a free share valued up to £100/$100 with my link) or Vanguard.

List of sums representing emergency fund

How did I set my Emergency Fund up?

  1. I calculated my monthly expenses and reviewed the conditions of my work package (Severance pay) so I knew what I was entitled to. It led me to a targeted total of 3.5 months of expenses.
  2. I opened a separate bank account at my bank. Although it is easily accessible it makes sure I don’t tap into my fund inadvertently. I personally recommend Virgin Money’s Current Account. As you get 2% interest rate up to £1000 and 0.5% on the remainder of your money.
  3. Track your spending and round up. As I track my daily spending with Emma (AFL) I can track how much I spend weekly and round it up to the next £5. That way, at the end of the month I transfer the total to my Emergency savings. If you use the cash you could put the coins aside when you break a note.
  4. Automatic Transfers. I can save a minimum of £700 a month so I set up a standing order to my emergency account on payday. I make sure no matter what that money is set aside.
  5. Do you get a bonus? I’m lucky enough to get a yearly company bonus. You know where I’m going with this it goes straight into the piggy bank.
  6. In the first year of setting up this account, I would check the balance quarterly. It took me around 18 months to build my safety net. I know can invest the money elsewhere! 
  7. Priority Number 1. If ever I need to call on to the emergency fund my priority is to refill it as soon as possible.

What have we learnt about Emergency Funds?

Well, quite a bit so I decided to summarize the key points for you below.

 

Key points:

  1. Keep 3 to 6 months of expenses as an emergency fund.
  2. Review it frequently.
  3. Keep the money in a separate account.

I hope you enjoyed Cent by Cent’s first guide! I truly believe Emergency funds are often overlooked. Hopefully, you never need to tap into it, and peace of mind is priceless to achieve your financial goals. Feel free to share how many months you’ve set aside and how you built your Emergency fund. 

grow your investments graphs going up

What Is An ISA (Individual Savings Account)?

ISA the UK's tax free saving account

What if I told you that you could open an account and never pay a cent on the interest and capital gained?

Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Almost like it’s too good to be true. 

Well, that’s partially true… You are limited to £20’000 per financial year. This target might seem unreachable right now, but if you are in the right place to change that. 

2 years ago, I had just arrived in London – my eyes full of stars. No idea what to do with my money though… A new country meant a new system. Thankfully, many of my colleagues had come from abroad and could help. They told me about Individual Saving Accounts (ISA). 

Honestly, I couldn’t believe it existed and I come from Switzerland… the country of Banks. This sounded like a golden opportunity. 

As a result, I can’t have you missing out can I? Here, is what you need to know about the ISA system. You can deposit up to £20,000 per financial year  all earnings will be tax free. They come in 4 forms:

  1. Cash ISA
  2. Lifetime ISA
  3. Stocks & Shares ISA
  4. Inovative Finance ISA

Why should you care?

You might be thinking why does it even matter? I’m barely able to save £100 whether my interest is taxed or not won’t make a difference. You couldn’t be further from the truth.

If you were to save £100 a month for 20 years and keep it in cash you would have £24,000. Whereas if you were to invest it in a fund tracking the S&P 500 which annually returns 7% on average – you would have £52,638.21. If you save this money in an ISA you will have earned £28,638.21 tax-free. On the other hand, if you kept the investment in a general account you would be taxed on account of capital gains.  

S&P 500 ETF tracking fund

Although the tax-saving might seem minor today, in the long run, your ISA will work for you. Aiming to max-out your ISA should be a goal every year. 

As of now, I have gone from saving around £1000 annually to targeting a £6000 saving goal this year. If I were to pay taxes on my return this year I would go from a £150 interest accrued to around £100. ISAs are a blessing in disguise.

What are the different ISA?

At this point, you might be wondering what are my options? Also, How do they work? In this article, I will summarize each ISA. In effect, giving you an overview of what each account does.

  1. Cash ISA

This one is straight forward it’s a fixed interest saving account. Which is either instant access with a lower interest rate or fixed-term and will incur a penalty for early withdrawal.

  1. Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA)

As an IFISA holder, your investment is in the form of a peer to peer (P2P) loan. Based on how long you are willing to leave your money in the account you will receive interest from the loanee. It’s risky as default is a common occurrence. Withdrawal of funds is also extremely challenging.

  1. Lifetime ISA 

This Account is capped at £4000 p/a and can only be opened between 18 and 40. You can contribute until you are 50. During this time, the government will add a 25% bonus. This contribution can only be accessed when withdrawing for retirement or first-time property buyers.

  1. Stocks & Shares ISA (My favorite)

This Individual Savings Account allows you to invest in stocks, funds, ETFs, and bonds of your choosing via a brokerage platform. Although capital is at risk, it allows you to earn interest, dividends, and coupons tax-free.

I will be doing individual reviews for each type of ISA and giving you tips on how to set them up. If any questions come to mind ask away in the comments.

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Which one did I go for?

So far I have held both a Cash and Stocks & Shares ISA. After seeing the interest rates plummet in March. I decided to close my Cash ISA. Since then, I have invested with both Vanguard and Moneybox. I will review both services in an upcoming blog post. 

Currently, I’m satisfied with my return as on average Vanguard has returned 14% and Moneybox hovers around 6%. As I look to get on the property ladder. The Lifetime ISA will most likely be the next stop in my ISA adventure.

I would love to hear your thoughts on ISAs, if you are not from the UK what does your country offer?

I’ll be writing individual articles for each type of ISA going in-depth on the pros and cons. Watch this space as I will backlink towards each post and include the articles in my Newsletter!


Feel free to share the article with your friends and if you know of anyone with the same question as you.

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