Originally Posted by abaya

Huh... this thread is back from the dead, but I like it.

I'm reading several different things here... keep 3 months' salary in savings, 3-6 months, 6-12 months... is this assuming a single person's savings account, or does it change if there are two incomes in a marriage relationship?

Assuming there are no debts (with either partner), I've always thought CD's were a fairly good investment. Living in Iceland, we haven't thought much about retirement plans (the state takes care of that for you here--so as a citizen, I could always come back when I'm older and use that money), but I think when we get back to the US, we'll have to look into those, as well as real estate. It feels very risky to me, to invest in stocks... does anyone have encouraging stories from their own investments on the market? Also, where's the best place to put money away for future children's education?--I would think a long-term CD, but that's just off the top of my head.