I just wanted to comment on this post and some of the key points you touched on that are crucial to financial success!

As a representative from State Farm, we often recommend that our policy holders integrate insurance considerations into their overall budget plan and emergency fund planning, especially now more than ever as the economy continues to fluctuate.

Another thing I wanted to suggest is using a financial calculator when assessing your own finances as a great way to chart out where your money goes each month and how that will impact your situation.

There are a lot of different calculators out there but one I’ve found helpful and comprehensive is available from Kiplinger: http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/budget.

As people think about how to establish their emergency fund, we at State Farm urge our customers to incorporate the cost of potential insurance deductibles – auto, home, health, and others – in the event of a claim – as you never know when an emergency will arise.

Does anyone else have any other helpful tools people can use when trying to chart their finances as a means to reaching a specific financial goal?