BUILD A BUFFER

Your emergency fund,
in months of breathing room.

Choose the essentials and the amount of time you want to picture.

Your 3-month buffer$6,000.00

Your numbers

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
Calculator inputs
months
Choose 1–36 whole months.
USD
USD 1,000.00 · 1 thousand US dollars
USD
Enter 0 to leave the timeline out.USD 250.00 · 250 US dollars
USD
USD 2,000.00 · 2 thousand US dollars

USD • Amounts up to $100,000,000.00 (100 million US dollars). Up to 2 decimal places. Valid Indian or international commas are accepted. Rates 0–25%, up to 4 decimals.

YOUR MONEY, PICTUREDHypothetical estimate

Your 3-month buffer

$6,000.00

USD · International number style

6 thousand US dollars

$5,000.00 remains. At $250.00 a month, the gap closes in 20 months.

One block = one month of essentials. Filled blocks show what your existing savings cover.

0.5 of 3 months covered.

Still to save$5,000.00
Covered today0.5 months
Explain this

One block represents one month of essential expenses. The selected target is your monthly essentials multiplied by your chosen coverage. Existing savings fill the blocks. When essential expenses are zero, months of coverage are not applicable.

Assumptions in this picture

All scenario amounts use USD. International number style. No currency conversion.

  • $2,000.00 in monthly essentials × 3 months.
  • $1,000.00 set aside; $250.00 saved per month.
  • No interest. Examples of 3, 6 or 9 months are comparisons, not recommendations.
View numbers
Current scenario breakdown
Coverage exampleTargetGap today
3 months (selected)$6,000.00$5,000.00
6 months$12,000.00$11,000.00
9 months$18,000.00$17,000.00
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A picture of one set of assumptions, not a prediction or personal recommendation. See the math behind it.

THE IDEA BEHIND THE PICTURE

Give your buffer a useful unit.

USD example. Calculator settings do not convert this article’s amounts.

With $2,000 in essential monthly expenses, three months of coverage means a $6,000 target. If $1,000 is already set aside, you cover half a month and have $5,000 left to save.

Multiply monthly essentials by your selected number of months. Subtract the existing fund to find the gap. At $250 a month and no interest, that gap takes 20 months to fill.

Read the step-by-step guide →

Keep the assumptions in view.

Three, six and nine months are comparison examples. The right amount depends on your circumstances. No interest is included, and changing expenses are not predicted.

What counts as an essential expense?

Think about the bills you would still need to cover during a disruption: housing, basic food, utilities, transport and other unavoidable commitments. Your list may differ from someone else’s.

Plan a savings goal