Alan Kopit Quotations

Three to six months' worth of savings for living expenses is the minimum every household should have, no matter its income. Any less can leave people vulnerable to serious financial woes if they hit unexpected difficulties, like a job loss or medical problem. It's a good habit for all working people to put away a reasonable portion of their take-home pay into some form of liquid savings.

Regularly using liquid savings to cover normal expenses may indicate you are not planning properly. If you find yourself doing that, you should reassess your overall budget strategy.

With recent reforms in U.S. bankruptcy law making it more difficult than ever to erase debt, it's important to protect yourself. If you face financial challenges, seek the advice of a lawyer or professional financial advisor to explore alternatives.

There's no question that there's been a trend towards do-it-yourself divorces, and do-it-yourself law in general, in the past decade. More people are turning to the Internet -- many sites have very complete forms.

There's no wrong reason to save money, but it's a good idea to think about the basics initially. First create a fund to cover living expenses if you're left without income for period of time. Once you have that established, you can start putting away money with other things in mind, like a vacation or a new car purchase.

It's easy for young or single people to feel like they do not need to maintain any savings, because they may not have the financial responsibilities that come with having a family. In fact, they may be the most in need of savings, because they may not have an immediate family member to take care of them financially in an emergency.