经过海蒂·约翰逊，Director, Behavioral Economics, Financial Health Network
In the past few weeks, record-breaking numbers of people have filed claims for unemployment as industries shut down in response to the novel coronavirus. Millions of people have very suddenly and unexpectedly lost their jobs or substantial portions of their income. While policymakers are responding by increasing unemployment insurance benefits and creating economic impact payments, these measures may not be enough to fill the gaps between income and expenses for many of those who have lost their jobs or had their hours cut because of the pandemic.
很难知道在前所未有的情况下，“良好”的财务决定是什么，根据每个人的独特情况，良好的决定可能会有所不同。在财务健康网络雷竞技最新网址中，我们已经对财务决策进行了行为科学研究，以了解人们可能面临的挑战并确定可以提供帮助的策略。在这里，我们分享了如何花费储蓄，返还账单和债务以支持大流行中财务健康的提示。
如何度过你的储蓄潇洒地
It can feel painful to take money out of a savings account when you’re facing financial hardship, particularly if you’ve been saving for another goal, such as a vacation or a down payment on a home. Behavioral researchers have found that people use a system calledmental accounting, in which we mentally earmark different buckets of our money for different purposes. This system helps us avoid spending the earmarked money on something else, but can get in the way when the unexpected happens. Some people also fear that starting to tap into their savings could lead to depleting them altogether — a phenomenon known as the “what-the-hell effect” that has been在节食行为中证明and may apply to our money management as well.
此外，人们经常会转向高成本的信用，而不是使用他们实际的节省。研究人员发现a significant gap在至少有400美元的液体节省的家庭数量和说的人数之间that they would use their liquid savingsto cover an unexpected $400 expense (76% and 56%, respectively). Other studies have found that about41％的家庭carry credit card balances in amounts that they could have covered with the money they held in checking and savings accounts.
For anyone experiencing a loss or drop in income, now is the time to use that emergency fund instead of paying high interest rates on credit.可以利用您的储蓄来维持生计以在短期内支持您的财务健康。您可以考虑以下技巧以在可能的情况下重建节省：
- Set achievable goals for rebuilding your savings, and make a plan to get there.Recent research suggests that the amount of short-term savings that can help a family weather an emergency is smaller than the rules of thumb that we’re used to hearing. TheJPMorgan Chase Institute estimatesthat maintaining six weeks of take-home pay in savings can help weather a simultaneous dip in income and spike in expenses. Other researchers find that平均低收入家庭需要大约一个月节省收入。较小的目标（例如储蓄中的几周费用）更具激励性，使他们更有可能达到无法克服的目标（例如节省价值几个月的费用）。
- Make a plan to get to your savings goal， 哪个可以帮助缩小差距在意图和行动之间。列出您需要采取的步骤以重新节省，并尽可能具体。例如，您可以记下何时在获得新工作后开始储蓄，可以节省多少，频率和使用哪些工具（例如工资单，自动化银行转移或其他工具）。当您的财务前景更加明显时，您已经朝着实现目标迈出了一步。
- 如果您幸运的是有比您立即需要更多的节省了，separate the money that you’ll need for upcoming expenses from the restinto a designated account. That way, you can be confident that it won’t all disappear, and have a designated pot that matches what you need right now.
如何修改账单和管理债务
不幸的是，由于大流行，许多面临收入损失的人没有足够的储蓄缓冲区来实现。有了社交距离的要求，我们都削减了一些在正常时间堆积的小费：咖啡店的温暖饮料，音乐会的门票或与朋友和家人的体育赛事。但是，如果您被解雇，这些削减是不够的。这次已经面临财务健康挑战的工人将面临最大的障碍。根据美国财务健康脉动的说法在财务上只有8％的人储蓄等于2018年的三个月费用。对于这些工人和其他许多工人，寻找处理账单和管理债务的方法变得更加紧迫。
不幸的是，这种紧迫性可能会破坏人们在重制其财务策略所需的决策复杂性的能力。寻找保持必要费用最重要的方法，同时导航收入突然下降会占据宝贵的心理带宽，这可能导致一个scarcity mindsetthat makes it harder for people to make decisions that benefit their financial health.
为了摆脱稀缺的心态，您需要找到一些懈怠。Slack可能来自寻求朋友和家人的帮助，额外的信贷来临时支付费用或减少付款义务。如果您由于承保要求而获得收入下降，可能很难获得新的信贷。在线，新的信用也成为付出耗尽心理带宽的另一个账单。对于以信用良好的建筑，我们建议：
- 有限公司nsidering any existing lines of low-cost credit first，例如家庭净值信用额度。
- Being cautious about using credit cards to cover your expenses。这指数增长偏见means credit card interest can add up much more quickly than we expect.
- 探索您的银行还是信用合作社是否提供低成本的目标贷款产品，以帮助客户度过危机。For example, Financial Health Network member BECU is提供0％的APR个人贷款to assist with paying bills for its members experiencing a loss in income. Check out how our成员正在回应在我们的资源枢纽中，在COVID-19危机中，以获取更多选择。
这re are several options to consider for reducing your payment obligations right now. We know that it can be daunting to reach out to billers and creditors, especially when you’re worried about what you’ll find. Peoplecheck their investment accounts less frequently when the market is down, in a phenomenon called the “ostrich effect.” Similarly, avoiding your billers and creditors can feel psychologically easier than risking exposing yourself to bad news — but you may be surprised by how many options you’ll have for payment flexibility as creditors respond to the pandemic. We recommend:
- Checking the websites of all your creditors and billers to see what relief may be available.Don’t forget to consider bills that you may have set to autopay; although those bills won’t be top of mind, you may find savings by working with those billers to reduce your regular payments. Financial institutions are providing payment relief options for credit cards, personal loans, auto loans, and others if you contact them, and many utility companies are pausing service shutoffs for nonpayment. In many cases, foreclosures and evictions are on hold for several months while people may have trouble making full payments, and many people will be eligible formortgageorrentrelief. By exploring all of your options, you may find some slack where you least expect it.
- Planning how to reallocate the money that usually goes toward paying your federal student loans。这federal government issuspending all payments on federal student loansuntil September 30 2020 — which means that if you’re one of the millions with federal student loan debt, you just got a monthly bonus in the amount of your regular payments. Use that bonus to help with your remaining bills after getting any reductions available. If you have private student loans from a bank, credit union, or educational institution, reach out to them to explore any payment relief options as you would for your other billers.
- 优先考虑您的付款以支付可能影响您的信用报告的债务right away if you miss a payment, such as credit cards and any loans you have. Many people experience债务帐户的厌恶，这驱使他们在可能的情况下完全偿还债务。在预算有限的情况下，这可能会导致您落后于其他付款，并可能对您的信用评分产生负面影响。如果您无法全额付款，则最低付款可以使您保持良好的信誉并保护您的信誉。请注意，在医疗债务方面，信贷局provide a six-month grace periodbefore they will include medical debt on your credit history.
People are facing challenging decisions right now about how to make ends meet with the sudden and unprecedented halt to many industries. Consider how behavioral tips can help you reprioritize your short-term financial obligations to optimize your financial health, while also considering how to plan for savings. These tips can help to keep your finances afloat until we can restart our economy and get back on track to achieving financial health for all.
商业领袖: Learn more about how the Financial Health Network is supporting organizations as they work to help their customers, employees, and communities. Visit theCOVID-19 Resource Hub用于相关研究，解决方案和新闻；或发送电子邮件给海蒂·约翰逊（Heidi Johnson），以了解有关行为科学如何帮助您的客户或员工的更多信息hjohnson@www.hamroaawaz.com。
