Rename your ‘emergency fund’ if that suits your saving style
By Kimberly Palmer | NerdWallet
While the term “emergency fund” is used widely in the personal finance world to refer to short-term savings, some financial experts say the term isn’t helpful for everyone — and may even be harmful.
“I’ve never liked the term,” says Pamela Capalad, certified financial planner and co-founder of See Change, a financial coaching program for creators of color. She prefers to use descriptions like “the yes box,” “a savings cushion” or even a “rainy day fund” — anything that doesn’t have the word “emergency” in it.
Capalad says the term “emergency savings” evokes fear in people and suggests you’re just waiting for something terrible. “Saving is already so hard for people to do, and the fact that you’re saving for something bad to happen instead of something good to look forward to is not something that motivates people to save,” she explains.
Still, others in the industry remain fans. “I personally find the term helpful,” says Jason Ewas, senior policy manager at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. The public widely recognizes and gravitates toward that term, he says, adding that “emergencies happen to everyone.”