One of the most common types of percentage-based budgets is the 50/30/20 rule. 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.
What Is the 50/30/20 Rule? The 50-30-20 rule involves splitting your after-tax income into three categories of spending: 50% goes to needs, 30% goes to wants, and 20% goes to savings. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren popularized the 50-20-30 budget rule in her book, "All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan."
How do you distribute your money when using the 50-20-30 rule? 50% goes to living expenses and essentials, 30% goes to flexible spending, and 20% goes to financial goals.
The 50/30/20 rule fosters financial discipline by helping you budget your expenses using the following savings ratio formula: 50% of your net income goes towards meeting your needs. 30% of your net income goes towards meeting your wants. 20% of your net income goes towards your savings.
Those will become part of your budget. 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. Let's take a closer look at each category.
Enter Your Monthly Income
50% of your net income should go towards living expenses and essentials (Needs), 20% of your net income should go towards debt reduction and savings (Debt Reduction and Savings), and 30% of your net income should go towards discretionary spending (Wants).
By spending 50% of your income on your needs and 30% on your wants, you'll hopefully be left with 20% to put into your savings. So for example, if you take home £1,800 each month, you should aim to save £360.
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.
Poorman suggests the popular 50/30/20 rule of thumb for paycheck allocation: 50% of net pay for essentials: groceries, bills, rent or mortgage, debt payments, and insurance. 30% for spending on dining or ordering out and entertainment. 20% for personal saving and investment goals.
The rule is very simple in practice. It asks you to break your in-hand income into three parts. 50% of the income goes to needs, 30% for wants and 20% to savings and investing. In this way, you will have set buckets for everything and operate within the permissible amount for each bucket.
Saving with the 50/30/20 rule and other methods
With this method, you'll set aside 50% of your monthly income to cover essential expenses (your needs), 30% for nonessential expenses (your wants) and 20% for savings.
Quick Take: The 75/15/10 Budgeting Rule
The 75/15/10 rule is a simple way to budget and allocate your paycheck. This is when you divert 75% of your income to needs such as everyday expenses, 15% to long-term investing and 10% for short-term savings. It's all about creating a balanced and practical plan for your money.
A compelling strategy is to guide clients with a 50/30/20 allocation model. Instead of a typical 60% equity, 40% fixed income portfolio, consider a portfolio with 50% stocks, 30% bonds and 20% fixed index annuities.
You should also consider speaking to a retirement planning professional if you're looking to create a personalized investment strategy. “You should start saving for retirement as soon as you are able to. There is no need to wait.”
The simplest explanation is that paying yourself first means depositing a portion of each paycheck directly into your savings. The remainder is then spent on your expenses. The budget's simplicity is an important reason why it can work well.
The answer will depend on your income, expenses, and financial goals. Here's a closer look. Ideally, you want to have 20% of your take-home pay left over after paying all of your bills. Track spending using an app or spreadsheet to determine why there isn't more money left over after bills.
Here's an example: If you make $3,000 each month after taxes, $1,500 should go toward necessities, $900 for wants and $600 for savings and debt paydown. Find out how this budgeting approach applies to your money. Monthly after-tax income. Do you know your “want” categories?
While this figure can vary based on factors such as location, family size, and lifestyle preferences, a common range for a good monthly salary is between $6,000 and $8,333 for individuals.
Rainy day funds, also known as budget stabilization funds, allow states to set aside surplus revenue for use during unexpected deficits. Every state has some type of rainy day fund, though deposit and withdrawal rules vary considerably.
Important reminder: The 50/30/20 budget rule only considers your take-home pay for the month, so anything automatically deducted from your paycheck — like your work health insurance premium or 401k retirement contribution — doesn't count in the equation.