How to Quickly Build an Emergency Fund

I’ve often thought that having an emergency fund is the most basic component of good financial planning. Everything else you do with your finances is based on this simple, single building block. You can have money coming in, money going out, and even a healthy reserve for your golden years. But if you don’t have money set aside somewhere, just to have available in case of an emergency, then your finances will never feel quite right.

At a minimum, your emergency fund should hold at least enough...