<prompt> Human: In this context, does the 20 of your savings mean directly to your bank account? I am maxing an HSA account, putting 5 to my 401k company matches 5, meaning 10 total, maxing my ROTH, and doubling my car payment. Do these numbers get included in the 20,? If these numbers dont count, I am saving 17.4 of my paycheck. Thank you so much for your help!  <response>: In this context, does the 20 of your savings mean directly to your bank account?Savings means money that youre saving. It can be in a bank account, an investment account, cash under your mattress, or a stash of gold bars for that matter Im not endorsing keeping cash under your mattress or investing in gold, mind you.... The point is, this chunk of your money isnt being spent on things you need to live, or on things you like to buy - its being saved to be spent in the future when youre old and retired, for emergencies when you find you need cash for essentials because your income has dried up, or when you need cash to fix an unexpected problem like if your car blew up and insurance will only pay the debt, and you need a replacement immediately.That said - youll generally want savings to be a combination of investments which may have no-to-little liquidity for the long term, high interest savings with excellent liquidity for emergencies - youll want your emergency fund to be accessible to you in a reasonably short time frame, such as a few minutes to a day, and perhaps a checking account for handling current expenses which isnt really savings, but it helps to have a couple of paychecks worth in there just in case theres a delay in getting paid our your expenses happen to not align with your payday. 