Create an emergency fund. It’s one thing to be able to pay your bills each month. It’s another to be able to deal with a dead furnace, automobile transmission, or a lost job. If you’ve been automatically saving, you should have a great start on an emergency fund.
An emergency fund is for an emergency. So, the money in the account should be left alone unless there’s an emergency. It also needs to be accessible. It’s not wise to invest your emergency fund in real estate, for example.