About Today: The April Showers You Really Need to Worry About

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Today April showers are here, so hopefully you're remembering to take an umbrella with you whenever you leave the house. But you should also be thinking about how to prepare for a different kind of rainy day -- the kind that can devastate your finances. About Money's experts have some tips on preparing for the financial worst, from getting your insurance in order to setting up an emergency fund. Oh, and to get you started, we're giving five lucky readers $100 to spend on anything (more on that below!). The Smart Way to Build an Emergency Fund Whether it's job loss, a huge medical bill or a lawsuit, the most basic way to prepare for a financial emergency is by creating an emergency fund. But instead of just stuffing cash in a jar on top of your fridge, you need to open a proper account and be logical about how it's funded. Here are some of the basics. Choosing the Right Account for Your Emergency Fund How to Prepare for a Layoff How Much Emergency Cash Should You Stash? Search Related Topics:  emergency fund  saving money  savings accounts Insure Yourself the Right Way While a rainy day fund will take care of mid-level financial emergencies, a truly catastrophic event -- a hurricane, a medical emergency, an untimely death -- calls for a sturdy insurance policy. From life insurance to disability, we look at which types of insurance you need to sign up for. The Insurance Basics You Need Now Do You Need Identity Theft Insurance? How to Get the Best Car Insurance Rates Search Related Topics:  insurance  health insurance  cancer insurance Disaster Planning for Businesses Business owners need to be especially careful to insure themselves -- a disaster that shuts your business down, causes property damage or injures your employees could conceivably ruin you. Before you hang a shingle, know what kind of insurance you need to have in place. The 4 Things Your Business Insurance Policy Should Cover Insurance Needs for Small Businesses Protecting Against Suits By Injured Employees Search Related Topics:  disaster losses  business valuation  Get Started With $100 From About.com! Whether you're buying car insurance or just going out to dinner, we think you could use an extra $100 in your pocket. That's why we're giving away some free money over on the About Money Facebook page. Five lucky followers will get a $100 Visa gift card to spend on, well, anything you want! Enter by Tax Day -- that's Tuesday, April 15th! -- for a chance to win. Click here to enter. What You Should Do With a Sudden Windfall Why Using Your Credit Card for Emergencies is Risky When Should You Use Your Emergency Fund? Related Searches Ways of Saving Money Car Insurance Policy Money Tips Personal Insurance Emergency Cash Loans Featured Articles How to Avoid Early Retirement Pitfalls Build an Emergency Fund to Fend Off Debt 8 Ways to Save on Summer Camp Why You Should Tune Out Financial News TV 7 Ways to Quickly File for a Tax Extension The Pitfalls of Refinancing Your Mortgage   More from About.com Sign-up for Shareables! An every-morning rundown of the day in history, headlines and trends produced by your pals at About.com. Please sign up it's free (of course), we think you will like it! Help! I'm Too Busy Time and stress management tips to help you feel as though you have more time. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Today newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. If you would like to unsubscribe from all newsletters sent from About.com, please send an email to optout@about.com with "Unsubscribe" as the subject line. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2014 About.com     Follow us on: Advertisement