Since a lot of us here have expressed interest in not starving to death in a gutter, I figured I'd start a weekly thread to discuss financial matters.
Ground Rules
- Remember that we're all just Internet randos. Don't bet your life savings on a hot tip from this thread.
- Keep culture war in the culture war thread. Yes, global events may impact our personal finances, but that does not mean we have to incessantly harp on culture war aspects here. If you are going to discuss it, please stick to the practical impacts of it on an individual level.
- Be kind. Remember that everyone here comes from different circumstances. We all have different resources available and different risk tolerances.
- Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Better is better. Celebrate people when they take a step up and work to move their finances in the right direction. Don't flame out because they haven't followed what you consider the optimal path. Everybody has to start somewhere.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
How much emergency cash do people keep around?
and where precisely so I know where to lookI don't mean uninvested money in a checking account or whatever, I mean literal cash not in a bank.I have a few thousand, which might be too much, but zero feels like too little.
I generally have 500-800 in my wallet and another 1000-1500 in the house, but I play poker regularly so there is an actual use case. Absent that, I would probably keep 200-300 in the wallet and 500 in the house. I'm Gen X though and almost exclusively used cash (with the occasional check) until my late 20s, so it's a habit.
Interest on $1000 is what, $4/month tops? I'd rather have the flexibility.
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