Despite the word’s negative connotation, the current transaction is entirely good. It’s a wise choice in terms of strategy. A sinking fund, in its most basic form, is a dedicated account into which a person consistently contributes money for a specific objective.
Let’s examine each element of the word in turn to see what we discover
A sinking fund is a unique account created with a specific goal in mind. You need to start saving now since you may soon be faced with significant bills. As an example, it is quite likely that you will need to buy a new automobile at some time. This will be an impending expenditure of greater importance. So that you can afford to buy your next automobile, you should consider starting a car savings account. It is well known that certain expenses are high, like pricey schools, taxes, and vacations. All of them are significant expenses that will arise in the future. For setting up a sinking fund you need to be specific.
Just to be clear, an emergency reserve and a sinking fund are not the same thing
A kind of savings account known as an emergency savings account (ESA) is one that is only meant to be used in the case of a catastrophic occurrence. These are all very urgent financial difficulties. The expense of medical care might rise suddenly. Avoid using your emergency fund to pay for discretionary expenses like trips, regular vehicle maintenance, or tax obligations. The money in a sinking fund is reserved for a particular use.
Continue reading the remainder of the definition of “to which a person regularly contributes.” The steady and slow flow of these money is referred to as “sinking”. These reserves routinely grow in size over time. Monthly donations are often made to sinking funds. Singles and couples often use automated transfers from a checking account to a savings account that is allocated for one or more sinking funds. They eventually have enough after putting money aside for a period to cover the trip, automobile, or other item they have chosen.
As an illustration of how to create a sinking fund, think about the following scenario
In four years, you plan to purchase a new vehicle. You do the calculations and decide that the down payment for the automobile will be $24,000. Divide $24,000 by 48 months (four years) if you wish to save $200 per month for your car’s sinking fund.
You must set aside $500 per month into a “sinking fund” if you want to have enough money to tour the globe. Every year, you’d want to take a vacation, but you don’t want to spend more than $3,000 total. You must budget $250 per month to reach this objective.
It’s important to include in the amount you wish to save each month when creating your monthly budget. As a result, many people would need to make compromises in other areas of their finances. Even so, it’s clear that the little sacrifice was beneficial. It is possible to pay these expenses without taking on debt, but doing so would increase the overall cost.
Which savings accounts are ideal for use as sinking funds?
Savings accounts are often regarded as the greatest way for consumers to invest their money. Different kinds of savings accounts have different minimum balance requirements to open. Account holders must be able to maintain the account’s minimum balance for a high return savings account to be a wise choice. In this case, a normal savings account would suffice.
