This article is brought to you by Fidelity.
如果您关注TFDInstagram，您很可能遇到了我们的居民投资专家阿曼达·霍顿呢在这里，她分解了我们读者最近问的最大金钱问题之一。
您如何最好地准备紧急情况？我感谢这个问题。因为这是我们真正达到的目标：我们能否将忧虑引导到一个最终使我们在财务和情感上感觉更好的计划？
In just a few short months, we’ve experienced a devastating pandemic, widespread job loss, and increased economic insecurity and concern. Can we be honest about this? It is hard and scary. Wanting to understand the most effective ways to prep for an emergency is a natural and mature response. And although a money plan won’t cure all anxieties, taking action may help bring you a bit of mental peace.
Here are four steps you can take to emergency prep for now and into the future, beyond building yourself into a fortress of toilet paper.
1.了解您的“必需品”预算
财务准备的关键要素是对您的现金流有深入的理解 - 即将发生的事情以及发生了什么。Especiallyconsidering how much about our spending has changed over the last few months, we’re all likely due for a review. Make yourself a hot coffee, light a candle, and print out your last three months of bank and credit card statements. As you track your spending, make a note of what falls into the “essential to survive” category, and what could (honestly!) be done without.
If you have lost income or expect that you might lose income, you may have already switched over to an essentials-only budget. There’s no need to sugarcoat this, it sucks. I hope that it is only temporary.
这项练习将有两件事。首先，您将能够识别支出中的区域，您可以轻松，道德上的削减（例如未使用的订阅）或谈判（例如当前价格过高的汽车保险费）。其次，您将更好地了解在紧急基金中所需的东西，理想情况下，涵盖了六个月至一年的基本支出。
As a bonus, tracking cash flow is the first step to creating a realistic budget. Anyone who has ever tried to skip this step, knows; creating wholly aspirational category limits is a strategy that is sure to fail. While there’s absolutely no need to beat yourself up over your spending—it’s not your fault groceries are dang expensive!—it’s important that we also be realistic, especially when our survival may depend on it.
2.建立紧急基金
现在，确保银行中有足够的现金是游戏的名称。这笔钱应保留给紧急情况，例如在意外裁员期间支付账单。
在个人理财的世界中，关于一个人应该拥有多少紧急钱有很多分歧。那是因为没有一个“正确”的金额适合所有人！您需要多少钱取决于您的独特情况，例如您的工作稳定，生活成本以及您是否通过配偶和家属获得第二收入。这就是为什么步骤＃1如此重要的原因 - 建造3、6或12个月的紧急藏匿处需要知道这个数字。
While it may be ideal to have a minimum of 6 months’ worth of necessary budget items in an emergency fund, this simply will not be realistic for some people—especially现在不要。没关系;您所能做的就是最好的。如果您目前没有紧急储蓄，则旨在节省$ 500。一旦您在那里 - 呼吸，花点时间才真正为自己感到骄傲 - 然后朝1,000美元努力。
Keep an emergency fund in a bank account that is separate from your checking account, so you’re not tempted to spend that money on quarantine boredom shopping. Guilty as charged! [Quietly exits out of online shopping browser.] Bonus points if you use a high-yield savings account. No matter which bank you use, be sure the money is easy to access and avoid banks that charge a monthly account fee.
3.制定收入的应急计划
Telling someone to build an emergency fund if they don’t have income is silly at best and hurtful at worst. If you’re simply not able to save right now, it’s okay. Your focus should be on your income, anyway.
In an economic downturn, our biggest collective concern is losing work. Therefore, we must absolutely consider creating a contingency plan for our incomes. This is easily the most-overlooked part of emergency planning, which I totally get. It’s tone-deaf to tell people who are already stretched way too thin and working way too hard to stretch themselves甚至更薄而工作甚至harder.
Here, the advice diverges, depending on whether you are currently employed or not. If you are employed, you’ll likely want to shift your energy to maintaining your current source of income. Ask yourself: How can I make myself所以valuable to my company that they’ll do anything in their power to keep me on the payroll? How can I be part of the reason that my company makes it through this crazy time?
如果您很幸运能找到一份工作，那么您可能想像您要在一个月内失去它一样。在紧急计划中，我们应该假设最糟糕的情况。对于某些人来说，这可能意味着要实施自我紧缩时期来积蓄储蓄或利用工作场所福利（例如健康保险）。也许您需要订购一年的处方或购买可报销的隐形眼镜或眼镜。
当然，并非每个人都会控制自己的工作。这就是为什么它也是一个好主意both就业和失业者或失业者以考虑另一种收入来源。
Those in immediate need of income may want to consider doing freelance work, which provides a quicker payout than building a product or a business. If you’re having trouble knowing where to start, ask your networks what they could use help with right now, and tailor your offerings to fit those needs. You have an incredibly useful skill that some person or parent or business owner is in need of, I know it.
4. Know Your Avenues for Relief
Even if you’re currently employed, it’s smart to know where you can turn to in the event of an emergency. Those who are unemployed have likely already begun this investigative journey. Start with something as simple as compiling local phone numbers, emails, and addresses of these resources. For example, write down a list of a few local healthcare providers that are covered by your insurance so that there’s no question where you should go in the event that you get sick.
接下来，如果您被解雇或失业，请随时申请失业。在您浏览州的失业网站时，这将需要耐心和耐力，但是您需要不懈。这可能是您未来几个月中最重要的缓刑来源。
如果您是自雇或小型企业主，则可以通过薪水保护计划（PPP）或经济伤害灾难贷款（EIDC）计划获得贷款资格。那里没有运气吗？gh，加入俱乐部。继续通过城市，州和私人计划进行小型企业赠款，例如Spanx的女性小型企业赠款。保持监视；新计划将继续出现，旧计划可能会补充资金。
Understand the benefits available to you through the照顾法案，也称为“刺激法案”。这是为一些合格公民提供1200美元刺激检查的计划。如果您不在美国，请检查您的联邦和地方政府提供的计划。
紧急计划都是困难的，沉闷的工作and完全值得。祝你好运。
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