TBWITWW and I were talking over dinner the other night about our financial goals. How much money we would like to have available for ourselves for our various expenses and savings.
Here is what we've come up with so far:Emergency FundThis is the money to cover things like unplanned car repair, medical expenses, or job loss. The goal is to never touch this fund. Eventually, I'd like to get it up to a total of 6 months income replacement for both of us, but that's long-term.Goal: $2500
Vacation FundBoth of us are the sort who don't relax. We always have to have stuff to do. Even our relaxing usually consists of projects. Vacations allow us to change focus and make our "projects" more leisurely. To this end, we need vacations for mental health. This fund would be annual.Goal: $1000
Down PaymentWe want to buy a house. While a 10% down payement would be nice, I don't think it's likely given what we want in a home. What we really want is a single-family home with a yard and we want a home in the city. We know that realistically, we're looking at an either-or. However, we want the negotiation room that a good down payment will get us.Goal: $10,000
RetirementMy own 401K is in good shape, however TBWITWW has very little in hers. She has not contributed to a retirement fund since we got married. Her current employer does not offer one, and we've not had much available to contribute. Now that money is becoming available in our budget, we need to start building a retirement fund for her.Goal: Fully-Funded Roth IRA
I'm not familiar with US laws, but can you contribute to a 401k on your wife's behalf? In Canada, a spouse can contribute to their spouse's plan. The tax savings are based on those of the contributor. So, say you earn more than your wife. You can contribute to her plan and get a tax refund based on your higher income. Thus, it is worthwhile to contribute equal amounts (or to top up one).