Anonymous wrote:I would increase it, but it doesn’t all have to be in cash.

+1
Look into something like a balanced fund if you are comfortable taking on more risk. A HELOC would be a hard no for me if I were in your situation: single breadwinner, kids, possibly unemployed, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Idk if this is an option for you but we pulled a HELOC on an investment property we have so we could keep our savings / investment rate up while hedging against the same risk.

Depending on your company you may also get a significant severance package if laid off that will cover 3-4 months paychecks (or more) and healthcare for 6ish months so with your current savings you’re already close to a year. That’s what Meta and Coinbase did recently.

I’ll look into a HELOC, we have decent equity. Also I’m going to start churning 0% credit cards to always have 6-12 months of interest free spending available.

Likely in the event of layoff I’d get a decent severance but don’t want to count on it

I would increase it, but it doesn’t all have to be in cash.

Get to one year

Increase it to one year, but investment account can also be your emergency fund. Your income should be lower in the year 1 or two of job loss and it's ok to sell long term stocks.
Is working any job an option for you or your partner? I worked at nights and weekends while home with kids.
Could you downsize fast? I have done it several times in 30 years. Being flexible when it comes to moving or selling even real estate, has served me well. I retiring very early partly because my fast pull-backs and then full steam ahead.

Idk if this is an option for you but we pulled a HELOC on an investment property we have so we could keep our savings / investment rate up while hedging against the same risk.

Depending on your company you may also get a significant severance package if laid off that will cover 3-4 months paychecks (or more) and healthcare for 6ish months so with your current savings you’re already close to a year. That’s what Meta and Coinbase did recently.

I work in the tech industry (as a software developer) which is experiencing large scale layoffs. I currently have 6 months spending in cash for emergencies, this accounts for needing to pay for healthcare if I lose my job, assuming 2k/month premiums. I’m thinking of increasing it, maybe double or triple, because I’m the sole breadwinner and have children. But this also seems kind of excessive and I want to stay invested as much as possible.

What should I do?