{
  "article": {
    "slug": "emergency-fund-wrong-size",
    "title": "Your emergency fund is probably the wrong size",
    "url": "https://financely.ai/articles/emergency-fund-wrong-size.html"
  },
  "answer": "The right emergency fund is set by how long it takes to replace your income, not by a fixed range. A stable salaried earner in a deep job market needs about 3 months of essential expenses; someone on commission, contract or seasonal income needs about 9; a self-employed person about 12. Being the sole earner in a household multiplies the target by 1.5.",
  "method": "Every figure is produced by a deterministic calculation engine and verified at build time against that engine’s output. Inputs are included so any figure can be reproduced.",
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": "emergency-fund-wrong-size-1",
      "statement": "Someone with $4,000 of monthly essential expenses and variable income needs a 9 month buffer, which is $36,000.",
      "verified": true,
      "computedBy": "cash lens",
      "inputs": {
        "liquidCash": 12000,
        "monthlyEssentialExpenses": 4000,
        "incomeStability": "variable",
        "monthlySavings": 700
      },
      "verifyAt": "https://financely.ai/tools/cash.html"
    },
    {
      "id": "emergency-fund-wrong-size-2",
      "statement": "With $12,000 saved, that person has 3 months of runway and a gap of $24,000.",
      "verified": true,
      "computedBy": "cash lens",
      "inputs": {
        "liquidCash": 12000,
        "monthlyEssentialExpenses": 4000,
        "incomeStability": "variable",
        "monthlySavings": 700
      },
      "verifyAt": "https://financely.ai/tools/cash.html"
    },
    {
      "id": "emergency-fund-wrong-size-3",
      "statement": "Saving $700 a month, closing that gap takes 34.29 months.",
      "verified": true,
      "computedBy": "cash lens",
      "inputs": {
        "liquidCash": 12000,
        "monthlyEssentialExpenses": 4000,
        "incomeStability": "variable",
        "monthlySavings": 700
      },
      "verifyAt": "https://financely.ai/tools/cash.html"
    }
  ]
}