What Is The 10/20 Rule Finance To Budget And Save? - Savvy Earning (2024)

BUDGETING, PERSONAL FINANCE

  • Last updated:July 16, 2023

What Is The 10/20 Rule Finance To Budget And Save? - Savvy Earning (1)

The 10/20 rule finance is a helpful budgeting trick to make sure you don’t get overwhelmed by debt.

So basically the 10/20 rule goes like this:

  • The total amount you owe should not exceed 20% of what you earn in a year.
  • Monthly payments must be kept below 10% of your monthly income.

In recent times, many individuals and households are facing financial issues withrising cost and mounting debtsso it is super crucial to have a grasp on our financial situation to make informed decisions.

Note: This may not be suitable for everyone as we are all in different financial situations.

Table of Contents

What Is The 10/20 Rule Finance?

This rule is very straightforward, it sets guidelines for managing debts and ensuring financial obligations remain within manageable limits.

The rule suggest:

  • The total amount you owe should not exceed 20% of what you earn in a year.
  • Monthly payments must be kept below 10% of your monthly income.

To apply it effectively, here are 2 essential components:

  1. Debt to income ratio. It gives you an idea of how much income is being allocated to debt repayment.
  2. Monthly payment percentage. this mainly focuses onindividual debts. (not exceeding 10% of monthly income)

How Do I Use the 10/20 Rule?

To unleash the full potential of the 10/20 Rule, you need to determine your maximum debt and monthly payment threshold.

Start by calculating your monthly income after tax. You can use theIRS websiteto calculate your tax. This should exclude all sources of income, such as your salary, freelance gig or any side hustles you may have.

Got you monthly income? Good, now multiply it by 20% to determine the maximum limit for total monthly debt payments.

Next, multiple 10% to your after tax monthly income to get the maximum threshold for each individual debt.

Example Of How To Use 10 20 rule

Let’s say, me, Mr Savvy is earning a monthly income of $5000. By applying the 10/20 rule, I will allocate a maximum 20% of my income ($1000) towards total monthly debt payments.

Additionally, I can also have my individual debts that don’t require monthly payments of no more that 10% ($500).

Now, imagine I have a car loan with a monthly payment of $400 and a credit card debt with a minimum payment of $100. These should fall within the 10% threshold for each individual debt.

Great! I was able to keep my debt under control!

Pros and Cons Of Using The 10/20 Rule

The main benefit to the 10/20 rule is that it limits your borrowing and the amount of debt you take on. However, you must also keep in mind that it has certain drawbacks. Take a look at the infographic.

What Is The 10/20 Rule Finance To Budget And Save? - Savvy Earning (2)

Additional Information:

Student Loans

They can feel like a heavy weight on your shoulders, especially for recent graduates. The monthly payments can still eat up a significant portion of your paycheck, making it challenging to allocate funds towards other financial goals.

Mortgage or House Payments

Here’s the catch, the 10/20 Rule doesn’t directly consider mortgage debt as it often involve large amounts. This might give you an incomplete picture of your overall debt-to-income ratio and financial obligations.

Credit Cards

Credit cards often come with high interest rates, making it challenging to fit within 10% individual budget. Minimum payments may not be enough to make significant progress, resulting in prolonged debt repayment and mounting interest costs.

Conclusion

The 10/20 rule provides a valuable framework for budgeting and debt repayment as it helps to maintain a healthy balance between income and financial obligations.

However, it is important to know that it may not be perfect for everyone due to different financial situations.

Remember, the 10/20 rule is just one tool in your financial toolkit.

Free 60/30/10 Budget Spreadsheet

If you’re looking to save more of your income aside, try going for the 60/30/10 budget method where you’ll save 60%, spend 30% on your needs and the remaining 10% on your wants.

Here’s a FREE budget spreadsheet for you to use!

The 10/20 rule of thumb is best for handling debts but has limitations on how you budget your money. The 70/20/10 rule however provides a more in-depth budgeting plan as well as debt management.

The disadvantage is that you’ll have less to spend on your wants as most of your money will be going into your savings/debt repayment (60%).

Take your after-tax monthly income and multiply by 20%and 10%, respectively. Make sure 20% goes to savings and 10% is for consumer debts.

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What Is The 10/20 Rule Finance To Budget And Save? - Savvy Earning (2024)

FAQs

What is the rule of 10 20 in finance? ›

The 20/10 rule of thumb is a budgeting technique that can be an effective way to keep your debt under control. It says your total debt shouldn't equal more than 20% of your annual income, and that your monthly debt payments shouldn't be more than 10% of your monthly income.

What is the 1020 rule in finance? ›

The idea is to keep your total debt at or under 20% of your annual income, while maintaining monthly payments at no more than 10% of your monthly net income. Very important — these figures exclude real estate debt.

What is the 10 20 30 rule for savings? ›

The most common way to use the 40-30-20-10 rule is to assign 40% of your income — after taxes — to necessities such as food and housing, 30% to discretionary spending, 20% to savings or paying off debt and 10% to charitable giving or meeting financial goals.

What is the 20 20 rule in finance? ›

To start, the 20/20/60 rule uses the same three categories as the above rule with some percentage adjustments: 20% for savings. 20% for consumer debt. 60% for living expenses.

What is the 10 rule of money? ›

Apply the rules of 10 and 20.

Sethi says he saves 10% and invests 20% of his gross income minimum. In his book, 'I Will Teach You to Be Rich,' Sethi suggests saving 5-10% and investing 5-10% as part of a Conscious Spending Plan (aka budget).

What is rule of 20 in accounting? ›

In other words, the Rule of 20 suggests that markets may be fairly valued when the sum of the P/E ratio and the inflation rate equals 20. The stock market is deemed to be undervalued when the sum is below 20 and overvalued when the sum is above 20.

What is the number 1 rule of finance? ›

1. Spend less than you make. This may seem obvious, and boring, but spending less than you make is by far the biggest key to financial success. If you struggle with spending, focus on this one rule until you're at a point where you have positive cash flow at the end of the month.

What is the 10 5 rule finance? ›

This rule is a general guideline for investors to use when considering their asset allocation. It suggests that investors may expect an average annual return of around 10% from stocks, 5% from bonds, and 3% from cash over the long term.

What is Rule 21 finance? ›

The relationship can be referred to as the “Rule of 21,” which says that the sum of the P/E ratio and CPI inflation should equal 21. It's not a perfect relationship, but holds true generally.

What is the 50 30 20 rule of money? ›

Key Takeaways. The 50/30/20 budget rule states that you should spend up to 50% of your after-tax income on needs and obligations that you must have or must do. The remaining half should be split between savings and debt repayment (20%) and everything else that you might want (30%).

What is the 10 1 rule for saving money? ›

The 10% rule of investing states that you must save 10% of your income in order to maintain a comfortable lifestyle during retirement. This strategy, of course, isn't meant for everyone as it doesn't account for age, needs, lifestyle, and location.

What is the 80 20 rule in saving money? ›

The rule requires that you divide after-tax income into two categories: savings and everything else. As long as 20% of your income is used to pay yourself first, you're free to spend the remaining 80% on needs and wants. That's it; no expense categories, no tracking your individual dollars.

What is the rule of 20 in business? ›

The rule is often used to point out that 80% of a company's revenue is generated by 20% of its customers. Viewed in this way, it might be advantageous for a company to focus on the 20% of clients that are responsible for 80% of revenues and market specifically to them.

What is the 20 60 20 rule for savings? ›

Put 60% of your income towards your needs (including debts), 20% towards your wants, and 20% towards your savings. Once you've been able to pay down your debt, consider revising your budget to put that extra 10% towards savings.

What is the 70 20 10 rule for personal finance? ›

The 70-20-10 budget formula divides your after-tax income into three buckets: 70% for living expenses, 20% for savings and debt, and 10% for additional savings and donations. By allocating your available income into these three distinct categories, you can better manage your money on a daily basis.

What is the 50 30 20 rule in finance? ›

The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.

What is the 10 5 3 rule in finance? ›

The 10, 5, 3 rule. This is the expected long-term return from equities 10%, bonds 5%, and cash 3%.

What is the 40 40 20 rule for savings? ›

The 40/40/20 rule comes in during the saving phase of his wealth creation formula. Cardone says that from your gross income, 40% should be set aside for taxes, 40% should be saved, and you should live off of the remaining 20%.

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