Emergency Savings Calculator: Determine How Much Emergency Savings you Need
Emergency Savings Calculator
Emergency Savings:
Having adequate emergency savings can make unforeseen unemployment, auto repairs, medical emergencies, property damage and even legal issues more manageable. With adequate emergency savings, you can focus on how to best meet your family's needs, rather than worrying about finding the money to handle these difficult situations. This finance calculator helps you determine how much emergency savings you may need, and how you can begin saving toward this important goal.
Emergency Savings - Definitions
Emergency Savings:
Experts recommend you keep between three and six months worth of your living expenses set aside as emergency savings. If you currently don’t have emergency funds saved, start small. Open up a savings account at your local bank and begin saving a little at a time to build your emergency savings for a rainy day.
Emergency medical - Total amount you may need in a medical emergency. Don't include amounts that will be covered by insurance. Also, insurance deductibles should not be included in this amount.
Emergency legal - Emergency legal costs such as legal defenses for civil suits or criminal accusations. Don't include amounts that will be covered by insurance. Also, insurance deductibles should not be included in this amount.
Emergency auto repair - Emergency auto repair costs. Don't include amounts that will be covered by insurance. Also, insurance deductibles should not be included in this amount.
Emergency property damage - Total amount you may need in an emergency involving damage to property such as your home. Don't include amounts that will be covered by insurance. Also, insurance deductibles should not be included in this amount.
Emergency other - Any other amounts that may be required in an emergency not included in medical, legal, auto or property categories.
Insurance deductible medical - The amount you are required to pay for medical expenses before your insurance coverage begins. Some medical insurance only covers a portion of your expenses after your deductible has been paid. If you insurance does not cover 100% of your expenses after you have paid your deductible, you may wish to enter your total maximum out of pocket costs here, which may be considerable higher than your deductible alone.
Insurance deductible auto - The amount you are responsible to pay on auto insurance claims before your insurance covers any expenses. Deductibles for auto insurance are commonly range from $100 to $500.
Insurance deductible property - The amount you are responsible to pay on property claims, such as storm damage to your home, before your insurance covers any expenses. Deductibles for home or property insurance commonly range from $250 to $1000.
Insurance deductible other - Any other insurance deductibles that may be required in your emergency fund.
Monthly living expenses - Your total monthly living expenses. This amount should be your total expenses, not your total monthly income. Remember to include your home or rent payments, food, clothing, gas, phone and other monthly expenses. This amount does not need to include monthly savings or contributions to retirement accounts - see 401k calculator.
Months of unemployment - The number of months you expect it will take to find a new employer if you become unemployed. The time it takes to find a new job can range anywhere from one month to more than a year. It is important to be realistic in your unemployment estimate. Covering living expenses if you become unexpectedly unemployed can be your largest emergency expense.
Amount currently saved - Total you currently have saved that should be included in this analysis.
Amount to save per month - The amount you will contribute each year to your emergency savings.
Rate of return - This is the annually compounded rate of return you expect from your investments before taxes. The actual rate of return is largely dependant on the type of investments you select. From January 1970 to December 2007, the average compounded rate of return for the S&P 500, including reinvestment of dividends, was approximately 11.4% per year (source: www.standardandpoors.com). During this period, the highest 12-month return was 61%, and the lowest was -39%. Savings accounts at a bank can pay as little as 1% or less.