Almost 33% of Americans don’t have an emergency fund — why it matters and what to do about it

Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below. The rule of thumb for personal finance is that everyone needs an emergency fund worth three to six months of living expenses — ideally stored somewhere highly liquid, such as a checking account. But about 1 in 3 Americans had no emergency savings at all in 2025, according to research from Empower (1). Top Picks Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't ...