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How much emergency fund is enough in Singapore?

Everyone says 3-6 months but with SG cost of living and being the sole breadwinner, I'm not sure. Where do you all park it so it's not just sitting there earning nothing? T-bills, SSB, high-yield account?
Anonymous asker ·Asked on 21 days ago ·752 views ·4 answers
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4 contributors answered

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Renovation Bro Alvin Beginner First-hand experience Been in reno industry 15 years, tell you honestly which ID markup crazy and where to save on your BTO reno.
Sole breadwinner here too, so I hold more than the textbook 3 to 6 months, I keep 9 to 12 months of expenses because if I lose income the whole household stops. Size it to your risk: single income, dependents, mortgage, or unstable industry all push you toward the higher end. Where I park it, in layers. First layer, 1 to 2 months in a plain savings or high-yield account (the ones where you hit criteria like salary credit and card spend) for instant access. Second layer, the rest in a mix of Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB, redeemable any month with no penalty, so genuinely liquid) and short-dated T-bills laddered so something matures regularly. That way most of it earns a decent risk-free return but I'm never more than a month from cash. Don't chase yield into anything with lock-ups or market risk for emergency money, the whole point is it's there when everything else goes wrong. Liquidity first, return second.
Hawker Ah Boy Beginner First-hand experience Third generation running our chicken rice stall, ask me about rental, ingredient cost and why food price go up.
As the sole earner I'd go 12 months, not 6. The peace of mind is worth more than the extra bit of return you'd get investing it. I learned this when I was between jobs for 5 months, that buffer was the difference between calm and panic. Size it to sleep well at night.
Anonymous contributor Beginner First-hand experience
Don't forget the high-yield accounts here often need hoops (salary credit, spend, giro) to hit the top rate. If you can't meet them, the advertised rate is a mirage. Read the fine print, otherwise SSB and T-bills beat a "high-yield" account you don't qualify for.
Anonymous contributor Beginner First-hand experience
SSB is my favourite for this, redeemable any month with no penalty and you get the accrued interest. I ladder T-bills for the portion I'm confident I won't need for six months. Keep maybe one month in a high-yield savings account for true emergencies. Works nicely.

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