Ash ExantusChief Financial Educator, Ash Cash Enterprises · Financial Empowerment Leader | Public Affairs Strategist | Media Executive | Advocate for Economic Equity & Financial Literacy | Champion for Formerly Incarcerated Communities

Ash Cash visits @YahooFinance to give 5 steps to building an "F-you" fund

28 Jan 2018 · 3 min

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2:32

In this short talk, the speaker outlines how to create an "F‑you" (FU) fund—a reserve of six to eight months of living expenses that provides the financial security to leave a job you dislike without feeling trapped. The process begins with calculating your current expenses to determine the target amount (e.g., $3,000/month requires at least $18,000). Next, you must live below your means, sacrificing discretionary spending to funnel money into the fund. The third step is to automate contributions via a direct‑deposit that bypasses your primary checking account, making the savings invisible and reducing temptation. The fourth step is to keep the fund separate and inaccessible—no debit cards or easy withdrawals—so daily cues don’t trigger spending. Finally, the speaker stresses adopting a "just‑in‑case" mindset rather than a revenge‑driven one, viewing the fund as protection for both financial and creative freedom, enabling you to pursue the life you deserve.

Chapters

An FU fund is a fund that you create where you have at least 6 to 8 months of expenses in an account so that if you're working at a job that you do not like and you would rather do something else, you could tell your job, FU. Having an FU fund is simply security to make sure that you're just not stuck at a job. You have freedom of not just finances but also Freedom to do what you love day in, day out. The first step is knowing your numbers. Where are you right now and how much do you need to be comfortable for at least 6 to 8 months? If you know that your expenses are $3,000 a month, you need $18,000 at minimum in that fund. So now that you've figured out how much money you need, the second step is To live below your means. In order to accumulate this FU fund, you may have to sacrifice a little bit. You may not be able to go out every weekend with your friends so you have money to be able to put into the fund. There's so much temptation that can stop you from putting money into your FU fund that you have to make it automatic. Go to your HR professional, have them set up a direct deposit that doesn't even touch your regular account so that way you don't see it, you don't know it exists, it's building for you in the background. Out of sight, out of mind means that your fund has to be separate. You should not have easy access to it. There should not be a debit card attached to it. If you do not separate it, the temptation— it's every single day, no matter where you are, there is some type of signal that's going to tell you to spend your money. Keeping your emotions at bay is a very critical part. If you go into any situation saying that I'm doing this because I want to tell my job, fuck you. That's the wrong mindset. The mindset is a just-in-case mindset. It's saying that I want to protect myself. I want to protect my financial freedom. I want to protect my creative freedom. I just want to make sure that in worst-case scenario, I don't feel stuck at a job. This is the freedom that is going to allow you to live the life that you deserve, because that's what it's all about at the end of the day.