新闻周刊:疫情下9项明智的投资(3)

In other words, almost everyone, unfortunately, has something to worry about in the current economy. Here's how to kick off your financial contingency¹ plan.

换句话说，不幸的是，在当前的经济形势下，几乎每个人都要担心一些事情。以下是如何启动你的财务应急计划。

Pump up your emergency fund. The ideal time to get aggressive about pumping up your emergency fund is when you know you could soon be facing an actual emergency. Like now. Financial experts recommend keeping three to six months' worth of essential expenses in a savings² account for a reason: You don't want to fall into debt if you lose your job, especially when you may not have income coming in for a while to pay down those bills.

增加应急基金。当你知道你可能很快就会面临真正的紧急情况时，你就应该积极地增加你的应急基金。

Here's a simple stress test to see if you have enough socked away for that proverbial rainy day, which, in this case, could be a monsoon³. Look over your credit card and bank statements to see how much you typically spend in a month on necessary stuff (housing, food, insurance) and then divide that by the amount in your savings account. If the resulting figure is less than three, you're underfunded.

这里有一个简单的压力测试，看看你是否有足够的资金来应付众所周知的穷困时期，在这种情况下，可能是穷困季。查看一下你的信用卡和银行对账单，看看你一个月通常在必要的东西(住房、食品、保险)上花了多少钱，然后用这些钱除以你储蓄账户上的金额。如果最终的数字小于3，说明你资金不足。

One way to beef up emergency savings quickly is to repurpose forgone⁴ spending. If you're working from home for the foreseeable future, redirect some of the money you're saving on commuting⁵ costs, lunch, dry cleaning and happy hour toward your rainy-day fund. Likewise, for savings on restaurant meals, movies and concerts, sporting events and all the other leisure activities that most people won't be indulging in for the duration of the pandemic.

快速增加应急储蓄的一个方法是重新利用省下的支出。如果你在可预见的未来在家工作，把你在通勤、午餐、干洗和欢乐时光上省下的钱转到你的应急基金上。同样，在餐馆吃饭、看电影、听音乐会、参加体育活动和所有其他休闲活动费用，大多数人疫情期间都可以节省下来。

Another possible source of a quick infusion⁶ of cash: your taxes. According to the IRS, 73 percent of taxpayers⁷, or about 96 million Americans, got a refund⁸ on their 2018 return, averaging $2,869. If you haven't filed or received your virtual check yet, it's especially important this year to earmark all or most of this money for savings.

另一个可能的快速收入来源是：你的税收。根据美国国税局的数据，73%的纳税人，也就是大约9600万美国人，在2018年获得了退税，平均为2,869美元。如果你还没有提交或收到虚拟支票，今年特别重要的是将所有或大部分的钱用于储蓄。

Lower your debt overhang. Likewise, you'll want to pay down credit card debt while you still have a regular paycheck coming in. Carrying a balance is never ideal, but sometimes cash-strapped families have to bite the bullet—and that could be you if you or your spouse⁹ is furloughed without pay or laid off. Keep your credit limit unclogged in case you need it.

降低你的债务负担。同样的，你会想要在你还有固定收入的时候还清信用卡债务。保持收支平衡从来都不是什么理想的事情，但有时手头拮据的家庭不得不忍痛忍受——如果你或你的配偶遭遇无薪休假或下岗，那你们就是这样的家庭。保持你的信用额度畅通无阻，以备不时之需。

Use a card with a long zero-percent financing period (15 months or more, ideally) to pay down credit card debt, which has been rising recently. Or if you have debt on two different cards, consider paying off the one with the smallest balance first, regardless of the interest rate. Research has shown that this "small victories" approach can keep you motivated.

使用长期零利率的信用卡(最好是15个月以上)来偿还最近不断增长的信用卡债务。或者，如果你有两张不同的卡上的债务，考虑先还清余额最小的那张卡，而不考虑利率。研究表明，这种“小胜利”的方法可以让你保持动力。

1 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

2 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

3 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

4 forgone   

v.没有也行，放弃( forgo的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Tax expenditures are the revenues forgone due to preferential tax treatment. 税收支出是由于税收优惠待遇而放弃的收入。 来自互联网
• The alternative forgone is called the opportunity cost. 这种选择性的放弃就叫做机会成本。 来自互联网

5 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。

6 infusion   

n.灌输

参考例句：

• Old families need an infusion of new blood from time to time.古老的家族需要不时地注入新鲜血液。
• Careful observation of the infusion site is necessary.必须仔细观察输液部位。

7 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

8 refund   

v.退还，偿还；n.归还，偿还额，退款

参考例句：

• They demand a refund on unsatisfactory goods.他们对不满意的货品要求退款。
• We'll refund your money if you aren't satisfied.你若不满意，我们愿意退款给你。

9 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？