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A 45-year-old single mother who spent years building a six-figure cash cushion is questioning whether she should follow a financial advisor’s recommendation to invest most of it.
Posting on Reddit’s r/personalfinance recently, the woman said she has accumulated about $100,000 in cash savings and another $300,000 spread across various 401(k) accounts. She earns roughly $200,000 a year, including bonuses, but admits she has always been cautious with money.
“The value of a dollar is declining, but the thought of most of my money being dependent on the stock market/annuities is scary,” she wrote.
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The woman explained that she recently met with a financial advisor for the first time. The advisor suggested keeping just $10,000 as an emergency fund and investing the remaining $90,000 through a brokerage account.
Many in the thread agreed that holding too much cash can come with an opportunity cost, but they felt the advisor’s recommendation didn’t adequately account for her circumstances as a single parent.
The most common advice was to base an emergency fund on monthly expenses instead of choosing an arbitrary dollar amount.
“Risk-averse would generally mean 6 months of expenses in a [high-yield savings account], work out whatever that is, keep that, put the rest into investments,” one commenter wrote. Another added that workers in less stable industries may want nine to 12 months of expenses set aside.
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The original poster added that she works in operational risk management within the financial services industry and believes available opportunities have become harder to find.
“The available positions have definitely started to dry up over the last few years,” she said.
Although she feels secure in her current role, she still has concerns about the future.
“My current role seems to be pretty stable. I’m confident that I will be fine for near future but with AI you never know.”
She later clarified that her cash savings are not sitting idle in a checking account. Instead, the money is already held in HYSA and certificates of deposit.
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Why Getting Expert Advice Can Help
The conversation also showed why it can be helpful to talk to a financial professional, especially when you’re deciding what to do with a large amount of money.
For a lot of people, talking with a financial advisor can make things easier to understand and help them come up with a plan that fits their goals, comfort level with risk and overall financial situation.
While few people argued that keeping the entire $100,000 in cash forever was the best strategy, there were also commenters who felt the advisor’s recommendation was reasonable given the current strength of the stock market.
Some pointed out that with a $200,000 income, substantial retirement savings and cash already parked in high-yield accounts and CDs, investing a large portion of the money could help her keep pace with inflation and build long-term wealth.
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This article She Saved $100K And Met With A Financial Advisor Who Told Her To Invest $90K Of It. Will She Listen? ‘The Value Of A Dollar Is Declining, But…’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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