An emergency fund protects you from surprise expenses like:

• Car repairs
• Job loss
• Medical bills
• Home repairs

Without an emergency fund, people often use credit cards and go into debt.

Start with a small goal.

Your first target should be $500 to $1,000.

After that, build toward 3 to 6 months of living expenses.

Easy ways to grow your emergency fund:

• Save spare change automatically
• Transfer money on payday
• Sell things you no longer use
• Put tax refunds or bonuses into savings

Keep this money in a separate high-yield savings account so it is easy to access but harder to spend.