Hello, friends! Thank you SO much for your feedback on my first Marvelous Money post! I’ve noted all of your questions and thoughts and look forward to discussing them together over the next few weeks. For our first nuts and bolts post, I wanted to begin with a topic many of you brought up: the emergency fund. Let me be clear: I am NOT an expert on personal finance, and so there are very few things that I will ever say with absolute certainty on the subject. Here’s one: If you don’t have an emergency fund, you need one. Several of you commented that you fell back on credit card debt when unexpected expenses came up. We can’t change the past, but we CAN change the future, so let’s just agree that from this point forward, that is not going to be an option for any of us, ever. Okay? Wonderful! Now let’s talk emergency fund. An emergency fund is for: — paying for something you had no way of knowing was coming and that would have a major impact on your family if you don’t cover it. Examples include paying the deductible on insurance (health/homeowner’s/car), medical bills from an accident or unforeseen medical problem, or a major problem with a necessary car. An emergency fund is not for: — buying a piece of clothing that’s on sale, a couch (or even a washer/dryer), a car, or a vacation. — building wealth (more about this below). What does an emergency fund look like? Almost every source suggests a fully funded emergency fund should cover three to six months of expenses. If you have a steady, secure job (think honestly about this) that you’ve held for a while and everyone in your family is healthy, then three months might be sufficient