Money for money: how to accumulate a financial cushion
The semi—annual amount of expenses is the size of the financial cushion considered optimal for those who started saving for the first time. However, everyone has a comfortable level of savings. It depends on the needs, habits and region of residence, experts say. When forming an "airbag", it is better to choose reliable, liquid instruments that will have quick access in case of unforeseen situations. Izvestia has learned effective accumulation strategies.
Individual approach
It is difficult to name the exact size of the minimum savings, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. It depends on the level of expenses — personal and family needs, habits and region of residence, says Ekaterina Kosareva, managing partner of the analytical agency VMT Consult.
— Someone costs 50 thousand rubles, and for someone 200 thousand rubles is not enough. You can start with a three—month or six-month amount of expenses," she said.
It is also difficult to determine the share of income that should be postponed, the Izvestia interlocutor clarifies. It is important to assess the family's credit burden and basic needs and determine what can be dispensed with. The amount of 10% of income is considered universal, since the disappearance of this amount of funds may not be felt.
— At first, it's not so much the amount that matters, as the habit of saving regularly. The pot will be replenished faster if you contribute a share from any income: salary, payment of tenants, part—time jobs, support for relatives, gifts, and so on," Kosareva comments.
In turn, Alexander Schneiderman, Head of Sales and Customer Support at Alfa-Forex, recommends saving up to 15% of your income every month if possible.
At the same time, not only regularity is important, but also automation, says Kirill Chernovol, a researcher at the Gaidar Institute's Laboratory for the Analysis of best international practices. Banking applications will help to set up this process.
— The services allow you to set up automatic translation. For example, you can immediately transfer 10% of the received amount to a savings account. This reduces the risk of "eating through" money and builds discipline," the expert believes.
A wide range of tools
However, it is impractical to simply save money — inflation will quickly undermine savings, experts say. They recommend using financial instruments that will bring profitability and compensate for natural losses.
When forming a financial cushion, you should choose reliable and liquid instruments that can be quickly accessed in case of unforeseen situations. This will avoid debt, says Alexander Abramov, head of the Laboratory for the Analysis of Institutions and Financial Markets at the Presidential Academy.
— It is wise to start with bank deposits for a period of 3 to 6 months. In the current conditions, they provide relatively high returns, while being easy to use and protected by a deposit insurance system," he says, adding that the law insures deposits of up to 1.4 million rubles in one bank.
As a rule, the highest yield on deposits — 1-2% lower than the key rate — is available for deposits with a relatively high minimum contribution (from 100-300 thousand rubles) without the possibility of early or partial withdrawal.
— The logic can be as follows: place the minimum required amount for the required period, and at the end review the market and choose a new deposit with a comparable or higher rate, — Kirill Chernovol notes, advising to compare offers through special aggregators.
At the same time, sometimes special rates close to the key rate apply to new customers, Ekaterina Kosareva points out.
"But it's more about marketing than about the real deposit market," she says.
Playing for a long time
As a next step, Alexander Abramov recommends taking a closer look at federal loan bonds (OFZ). Their profitability is often comparable to or slightly higher than the profit from deposits. At the same time, the entry threshold is quite low — the cost of bonds is on average 1 thousand rubles.
— But it is important to choose liquid issues so that, if necessary, you can quickly sell securities without significant losses, — says the expert.
As funds accumulate, in his opinion, it is possible to switch to corporate bonds of reliable issuers, as well as to open or exchange-traded mutual funds (mutual funds) of large management companies.
— When choosing a fund, you should pay attention to the level of commissions and management results: excessive costs reduce the final profitability, — says Abramov.
In turn, Alexander Schneiderman believes that it is wise to start investing on the stock exchange with a capital of 300-500 thousand rubles. He notes the high attractiveness of ruble—denominated instruments and considers it advisable to keep 60% of savings in deposits, and 20% in Russian stocks with attractive dividends.
"More advanced users of the exchange can try to store 20% of the capital in precious metals, as well as explore the possibilities of the over—the—counter foreign exchange market strictly in Russian jurisdiction," he lists.
Kirill Chernovol argues with him, stressing that with the development of banking applications and specialized platforms, it is possible to start investing in the stock market with small amounts.
In the risk zone
At the same time, experts agree that one should not risk the last means, that is, the minimum accumulated capital. It is better to adjust the share of high-risk investments as capital grows.
According to Alexander Abramov, stocks are more suitable for long-term investment purposes. However, they also require a higher risk tolerance.
"This tool is usually considered less suitable for the formation of an airbag due to possible volatility," he explains.
The key rule in this case is not to invest in risky instruments that may be needed over the next year (medical expenses, rent, tuition, vacations), Kirill Chernovol notes.
— It is reasonable to enter into such assets gradually, in small regular amounts, — the interlocutor of Izvestia is convinced.
Reduce costs
When making savings, however, it is important not only to save money from income, but also to optimize expenses. At the same time, you should not go into total savings. It makes sense to analyze where the money goes and identify waste, Ekaterina Kosareva believes.
— These may be unnecessary subscriptions that were issued under the promotion once for a ruble and for which a small but regular amount is debited. For example, on several streaming services at once. These can be impulsive purchases on marketplaces or in supermarkets," the Izvestia interlocutor gives examples.
You should also follow the credit card replenishment regime and pay loans on time to avoid unnecessary delays, the analyst adds.
In addition, it is worth reviewing the structure of resource use — install water and electricity meters, if there are none, eliminate all plumbing leaks, check windows for leaks, Kosareva lists.
— This way you can save up to 10% of the utility bill. And over the course of a year, with tariffs rising, significant amounts are accumulating in this way," she summarizes.
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