Recent posts tagged ‘unemployment’

I’ve mentioned in several previous posts that the anxiety about 401(k) balances has been largely overstated, in part because of the beneficial effects of ongoing contributions and diversified portfolios. This point has come across as Pollyanna-ish to some of you, a point that I can sympathize with, even though I largely disagree with it.

However, I am no Pollyanna about retirement risks, and want to spend a moment discussing what I view as the most important real risk embedded in your retirement savings account: the possible toxic combination of unemployment and market losses.

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The idea that you should have a cash reserve equal to three to six months of your living expenses would almost certainly make any “Ten Commandments” list for personal finance.

It might also be one of the least obeyed commandments, as suggested in a recent post by my colleague Ellen Rinaldi. I wholeheartedly agree with Ellen’s emphasis on having a cash reserve—savings stashed in a bank account or money market fund—before getting too focused on investing.

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