“You should have a rainy day fund”
We’re sure you’ve heard that advice before – but have you actually started one? If you did, was it the right type of fund? How much expert advice did you seek before starting? Or have you just been squirrelling money away into your standard savings account, with all the best intentions but not necessarily 100% conviction that that’s the best thing to be doing with your cash?
To clear up any uncertainty we sat down with Financial Expert, Ricki Allardice, to discuss the ‘What, When, Why, How’ (not necessarily in that order) of starting a rainy day fund…
Why do I need a rainy day fund?
Have you ever needed a lump sum of cash, to take care of a financial emergency? That’s what credit cards are for, right? Wrong.
If you have to take out a short-term loan to pay for an emergency, you are going to pay a whole lot more for that emergency than what it actually costs, simply because of the high interest rates that are charged on short-term loans. As an example in South Africa, interest on credit cards can easily exceed 20%. This could turn a R50 000 emergency into a R60 000 emergency, if you pay it off over a year.
When should you start thinking about building a rainy day fund?
Ideally it should take preference over any other type of saving, as emergencies can happen at any time. Thus it is essential to set it up as quickly as possible.
How much should be in my rainy day pot?
The minimum aim of the fund is to contain one month’s worth (ideally three months’ worth) of expenses, giving you leeway in the event of an emergency.
What should my rainy day fund look like?
This fund should fulfil a number of criteria, the most important of which are:
1. It should be conservative
When you want your money it should all be there, plus some interest. So it should either be invested in something like a money market account or an income fund. The Sharenet BCI Income Plus fund is my favourite for this purpose.
The reason why I suggest using a conservative fund is because the fluctuations in capital value are minimal in this risk profile. Ideally what you are after is a portfolio with a high likelihood of growing your capital without losing any, even over the short term. More aggressive portfolios may deliver better returns over the long term, but you may lose capital in the short term. Investing your rainy day savings into a portfolio which is too aggressive could see you lose money if you need to withdraw funds when the markets are performing poorly.
2. It should be liquid
In the event of an emergency, you need access to your money. Thus you should be able to access your funds in no less than a week. For this specific purpose I recommend a credit card. This allows you to pay for the obligation immediately on credit, then request your funds from your investment account and pay your credit card off, within the interest-free window (normally 28-60 days).
3. It should keep track with inflation
Your fund should, after all fees, seek to at least match inflation so that it is not losing value overall.
4. It should not be invested in your bank account or 32-day call account.
Most banks offer basic savings accounts or fixed deposit savings options, but these yield inferior returns to most money markets or income funds, and they impose penalties should you wish to withdraw your funds early. It makes little sense to use a vehicle like this for your emergency savings.
Setting up a fund is simple. You can contribute to it on a monthly basis via debit orders or simply contribute a lump sum if you already have the money saved. You can stop contributing at any time and access your money at any point in time, should you need to.
Even if you have more than three months’ worth of expenses invested elsewhere, allocating money towards a fund with a specific mandate will allow you to better manage your risk. Having to sell a portion of your investment portfolio is not something you want to do, as you will reduce your long-term gains on these investments. Setting up a dedicated rainy day fund is the smart way to manage your risk.
If you would like more information on this topic please get in touch via email [email protected]
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