What is the 70 20 10 rule for money?

Asked by: Justice Larson  |  Last update: October 27, 2025
Score: 4.1/5 (70 votes)

It's an approach to budgeting that encourages setting aside 70% of your take-home pay for living expenses and discretionary purchases, 20% for savings and investments, and 10% for debt repayment or donations.

What is the 70/20/10 budget rule example?

Example of the 70-20-10 Budget Rule

For living expenses, you would multiply 6,000 x 0.70, and see that you have $4,200 of after-tax dollars for housing, utilities, food, entertainment, and all the other items listed above. For savings, you would multiply 6,000 x 0.20, or $1,200 to put toward savings and debt.

Which is better, 50/30/20 or 70/20/10?

It can work well if your essential expenses are within 50% of your income and you want a balanced approach to spending and saving. 70/20/10 Rule: May be better if you aim to save more aggressively or have higher essential expenses that exceed 50% of your income.

What is the 50/30/20 rule of money?

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.

What is the 70 20 10 investment rule?

The rule states that you should allocate 70% of your income to monthly rent, utility bills, and other essential needs to improve your financial well-being. 20% of your income should go to savings. The remaining 10% can go towards your investments or to debt repayment.

What Is The 70-20-10 Budget? | Clever Girl Finance

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What is the 70/20/10 model with examples?

With the 70:20:10 model you learn 70% from “on the job” experience and from doing. You learn 20% from others in the way of observing, coaching and mentoring and 10% is down to formal training like courses, reading and online learning. You never forget how to ride a bike!

What is the 40-40-20 budget rule?

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%.

How to budget $3,000 a month?

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.

What is the 20/10 rule money?

The 20/10 rule of thumb is a budgeting technique that can be an effective way to keep your debt under control. It says your total debt shouldn't equal more than 20% of your annual income, and that your monthly debt payments shouldn't be more than 10% of your monthly income.

What is the best time to start saving for retirement?

It's best to start saving as early on in your career as you can, but no one has a time machine to go back and begin stashing away money earlier if they procrastinated a little longer than they should have.

Is 70:20:10 outdated?

70-20-10 Is Good In Theory, But Nobody Does It

The 70-20-10 model is aspirational, but it's not being implemented. The Association for Talent Development concedes that on-the-job learning is difficult to track and measure.

What is the best money rule?

The 50/30/20 rule is a streamlined plan for anyone looking to spend and save responsibly. This rule recommends that you spend 50% of your post-tax income on necessities (housing, food, utilities, transportation, insurance, childcare); and 30% on wants (travel, gym memberships, cable, dining out, etc.).

What is the 80 20 rule for retirement?

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.

How much should I save if I make 70k a year?

Most experts recommend putting 10 to 15% of your income into a retirement account each year.

What is the 60 40 rule in money?

It says you should aim to keep 60% of your holdings in stocks, and 40% in bonds. Stocks can yield robust returns, but they are volatile. Bonds provide modest but stable income, and they serve as a buffer when stock prices fall. The 60/40 rule is one of the most familiar principles in personal finance.

How much money should be left over each month?

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.

Is 70/20/10 a good budget?

Yes, the 70 20 10 rule budget is beneficial for those looking for a balanced approach to managing their finances. It helps in saving for the future while also allocating funds for essential expenses and discretionary spending.

What is the 10000 cash rule?

The Internal Revenue Code (IRC) provides that any person who, in the course of its trade or business, receives in excess of $10,000 in cash in a single transaction (or in two or more related transactions) must report the transaction to the IRS and furnish a statement to the payer.

What is the 5 rule in money?

Setting aside 5% of monthly take-home pay can help with these "one-off" expenses. It's good practice to have some money set aside for random expenses so you won't be tempted to tap into your emergency savings or pay for one of these things by adding to an existing credit card balance.

How to save $1 000 in 3 months?

Set a clear timeline

Breaking down the amount you need to save in shorter intervals can help you make concrete changes to your monthly budget and make the end goal more tangible. If you wanted to save $1,000 in three months, for example, you'd need to save roughly $84 per week.

What is the 50/20/30 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.

Can you live off $3,000 a month in retirement?

You can retire comfortably on $3,000 a month in retirement income by choosing to retire in a place with a cost of living that matches your financial resources. Housing cost is the key factor since it's both the largest component of retiree budgets and the household cost that varies most according to geography.

What is the 80 20 spend rule?

According to this rule, 80% of overall value comes from 20% of the most important items. Procurement has embraced this principle to prioritise its purchases using three categories: A, B and C also named Tail spend. However, appearances can be deceptive.

How much should you have in your savings by 30?

By age 30, you should have saved about $52,000, assuming you're earning a relatively average salary. This target number is based on the rule of thumb you should aim to have about one year's salary saved by the time you're entering your fourth decade.

What is the 60 20 20 rule?

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.