Casserly, like many other financial experts, stresses the importance of creating an emergency fund. In fact, you should make it one of your financial goals. Knowing you have a safety net can bring a lot of ease, which can be joyful indeed. With a rainy-day fund, you'll rest assured that whatever comes your way — sudden unemployment, say, or an accident — you'll be in a better position to handle it. Without one, an unforeseen expense could create a bigger mess, especially if you're forced to create debt to cover it. As Casserly says, "the last thing you want is to be paying interest on your credit card bill!"