Budgeting basics: The 50-30-20 rule (2024)

FAQs

Budgeting basics: The 50-30-20 rule? ›

The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.

The 40/40/20 rule comes in during the saving phase of his wealth creation formula. Cardone says that from your gross income, 40% should be set aside for taxes, 40% should be saved, and you should live off of the remaining 20%.

Bottom Line. Living on $1,000 per month is a challenge. From the high costs of housing, transportation and food, plus trying to keep your bills to a minimum, it would be difficult for anyone living alone to make this work. But with some creativity, roommates and strategy, you might be able to pull it off.

Some Experts Say the 50/30/20 Is Not a Good Rule at All. “This budget is restrictive and does not take into consideration your values, lifestyle and money goals. For example, 50% for needs is not enough for those in high-cost-of-living areas.

This system can help you get better acquainted with what you earn and where it goes, while tracking your daily spending (that's the 70% of your after-tax earnings) plus debt repayment and saving (the 20% and the 10%).

YOUR BUDGET

The 80/20 budget is a simpler version of it. Using the 80/20 budgeting method, 80% of your income goes toward monthly expenses and spending, while the other 20% goes toward savings and investments.

Another method to determine how much rent you can afford on $60K is the 50/30/20 budgeting rule. This recommends allocating 50% of your monthly take-home pay to necessities, 30% to discretionary expenses, and 20% to debt payments and savings.

“Retiring on $2,000 per month is very possible,” said Gary Knode, president at Safe Harbor Financial. “In my practice, I've seen it work. The key is reducing expenses and eliminating any market risk that could impact your savings if there were a major market downturn.

Key Findings. On average, an individual needs $96,500 for sustainable comfort in a major U.S. city.

What are the three 3 common budgeting mistakes to avoid? ›

The 60/30/10 budgeting method says you should put 60% of your monthly income toward your needs, 30% towards your wants and 10% towards your savings. It's trending as an alternative to the longer-standing 50/30/20 method.

When following the 10-10-80 rule, you take your income and divide it into three parts: 10% goes into your savings, and the other 10% is given away, either as charitable donations or to help others. The remaining 80% is yours to live on, and you can spend it on bills, groceries, Netflix subscriptions, etc.

It is recommended that you spend 30% of your monthly income on rent at maximum, and to consider all the factors involved in your budget, including additional rental costs like renters insurance or your initial security deposit.

This is a serious amount of money, and it's enough to live a very comfortable life in many countries.

The 50/30/20 budget rule states that you should spend up to 50% of your after-tax income on needs and obligations that you must have or must do. The remaining half should be split between savings and debt repayment (20%) and everything else that you might want (30%).

The idea is to divide your income into three categories, spending 50% on needs, 30% on wants, and 20% on savings. Learn more about the 50/30/20 budget rule and if it's right for you.

If you have a large amount of debt that you need to pay off, you can modify your percentage-based budget and follow the 60/20/20 rule. Put 60% of your income towards your needs (including debts), 20% towards your wants, and 20% towards your savings.

Take 20% of your income and put it from your checking to savings accounts and investments. Next, set up another automatic transfer and put 10% which will go towards donations/ extra debt payments. The remaining 70% in your checking account will be used on the essentials.