[Financial Planning] Balancing Retirement Savings and Emergency Fund

They can work on steps four and five of financial order while growing emergency funds and maximizing Roth and HSA contributions.

### Prioritizing Retirement Savings While Building Emergency Fund: Financial Guidance for Late Savers
* 💰 " Can I grow my emergency fund while **maxing out my Roth and HSA** if I'm behind on retirement savings?" This is a common question for late savers who feel the pressure to **catch up on retirement**.
* 🩺  Assess the risk of having only **three months of living expenses saved up**. Consider factors such as being a **one-income household** or having a **large income disparity**.
* 💸 " If it is incredibly risky, then you might need to **prioritize that**." However, if you have other assets or sources of liquidity, you can consider simultaneously **saving for both the emergency fund and retirement accounts**.
* 💡  Roth IRA contributions can be withdrawn tax-free in dire emergencies, making them a **flexible savings option**.
* 🎯  Late savers like Laura and her husband, aged 44 and 48, should view saving for retirement as a "**Millionaire Mission**" to make their money work hard for them.
* ⏳ " 44 and 48 is not that old. You still have a **long Runway**." While they may need to save more and make sacrifices, they have time to **catch up on retirement savings**.

[Music] Laura has a question from Facebook. She says, We're working on steps four and five of the financial order of operations at the same time. I'm 44, my husband is 48, and we are behind on retirement. We have 3 months of emergency money but want to grow it while we max out our Roth and HSA. We don't want to miss out on the time. Is this okay? Yeah, so this one, this one, you know, we try not to leave like a ton of gray, right, because when there's gray, like, people have a hard time making decisions. But this is a unique one that we've talked about a little bit in the past, and you're, and I want to remind you, Laura, that you're not alone in this. So a lot of folks say, Hey, I know that I need to have three to six months of living expenses, and I figured out that really our number is six months. We really need six months of living expenses, but man, I hate missing out on that Roth IRA.

I hate not doing the HSA. I hate not saving more to my 401k or 403b or 457. Is it okay? Can I multitask? Can I do both things? And this is the guidance that we generally give, especially, you note, you're 44 and 48, and you feel like you're a little behind the curve. I love hearing that you've already got three months of living expenses covered. Now, what I don't know is like how much at risk is your household, meaning, uh, are you a one-income household, uh, where one spouse works and one spouse doesn't, or is there a large disparity in income, meaning if the higher income-earning spouse lost their job, you guys would be in a really bad place, really, really fast. You have to do that triage to assess how aggressive, how risky is only having three months of living expenses. If it is incredibly risky, then you might need to prioritize that. However, maybe you guys are equally yolked and you're in a similar income situation, or perhaps you

have assets saved up in an after-tax brokerage account, or something else that could provide needed liquidity if you got into a crutch. If that's the case, I think probably is okay once you hit that 3-month threshold to also be building towards the 6 months, while not missing out on tax-free growth with Roth IRAs and HSAs. Agree, disagree 105, no I I absolutely love it, and here's the other thing I I mean we try not to share this rule because it's a break glass, and and your future self will be mad at you if you actually use this rule, but um you know Roth contributions, especially to the IRA, you have the ability to if you really got in a dive, I'm talking about dire emergency, you could pull out your original contribution completely tax-free. So in a lot of ways, those two, that's why they the steps four and step five of the financial order of operations kind of do work well together, is because if you got in a really desperate decision mode, you would have another Avenue to get

access to those dollars so I love it. I mean, I got an email. I can't remember if the email came back came in last night or if I because I know I just responded to it this morning morning about Nick. But yeah, Nick Nick wrote us and he said, Hey, well, I was in college. I was paying for college, but after I got on fire with y'all's concept, I was making sure I was paying for college, trying to avoid as much student loan debt as possible, and saving and getting my Roth IRA. And I think about those things. So, I think it's a noble thing, especially since y'all are in catch-up mode. I love that you feel like that clock is ticking in the background and you've got to get the money working for you. And that is the purpose is that you want to to to kind of have this millionaire Mission, hence the book Millionaire Mission, to where your army of dollars are working as hard as you do. And that's a big part of you feeling the pressure and making it.

happen so that one day you will have that Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow. Now the only thing I'll add to this ear must real fast Brian 44 and 48 is not that old. Yeah, I agree it's not that old. What I love though is you recognized hey we feel a little behind at 44 and 48 though you still have a long Runway. You still have a lot of time that you can get your money working for you. You might just have to work a little bit harder. You might have to save a little bit more. You might have to cut back a little bit more. You might have to make some harder decisions but it's not old. Now 50 on the other

Is It Okay To Do This Since We Are Behind On Retirement?

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Managing Retirement Savings and Emergency Fund Growth

A couple in their 40s is behind on retirement savings and wants to grow their emergency fund while maxing out their Roth and HSA.

The guidance is to assess the risk of their financial situation, especially considering if they are a one-income household or have a large disparity in income.

Prioritizing the emergency fund may be necessary if their situation is incredibly risky, but if their income situation is stable, they can consider multitasking to catch up on retirement savings.

The Importance of Building Liquidity for Financial Security

Building a 6-month emergency fund is crucial, while still taking advantage of tax-free growth with Roth IRAs and HSAs.

Roth contributions can be a last resort for dire emergencies, allowing tax-free withdrawal of the original amount.

These steps in the financial order of operations provide additional avenues to access funds in desperate situations.

The Impact of the "Millionaire Mission" on College Financial Planning

Nick expresses gratitude for the impact of the "Millionaire Mission" on his college financial planning, aiming to reduce student loan debt and build savings.

The "Millionaire Mission" is focused on making individuals' money work for them, creating a sense of urgency and pressure to achieve financial success.

The mission aims to empower people to build a strong financial foundation and secure their economic future.

Encouragement for Financial Planning in Your 40s and 50s

It's not too late to secure your financial future at 44 or 48, but it may require some extra effort.

With a longer runway ahead, there is still time to make your money work for you.

Making some tough decisions and saving more can help you build a better financial foundation, even at 50.