How much money should a 20-year-old and a 50-year-old have? Here is the recommended financial cushion

Meanwhile, data National Register of Debtors from 2025 show that 17 percent adult Poles have no savings, and another 28 percent has a reserve not exceeding PLN 5,000. zloty. Every third person would survive without income for at most a month.

On the other hand, some progress can be seen, according to the study Ariadna panel by 2025, 69 percent already have savings. Poles, while in the years 2009–2019 more than half of the respondents could not declare this fact.

The group of people with reserves sufficient for more than half a year is also growing noticeably, but still includes only one in four respondents. This means that most of us have a cushion too thin to absorb major shocks, from job loss to a costly car repair or medical emergency.

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Saving versus inflation

However, saving money itself is only half the task of effective saving on the so-called black hour. The second one is protecting their purchasing power.

CPI inflation in March 2026 was 3%. on an annual basis, and the March NBP projection assumes that it will remain close to the target of 2.5 percent in the coming years. The problem is that the average interest rate on newly opened term deposits has dropped to around 3.3%. , and on current accounts it is only 0.6 percent. Therefore, whoever keeps money for a “rainy day” in a regular bank account actually loses it.

Before we move on to specific amounts, we need to clarify one basic rule: A financial cushion is not an investment.

This is money that is used in an emergency, so it must be liquid, i.e. available quickly and without losses. The minimum threshold that most financial planners agree on is the equivalent of three months' expenses. The upper limit is six months, and for people running their own business or working in industries with high turnover, even twelve.

Remember that it is about expenses, not income, because expenses determine how long it takes to survive a month without income from work.

How much money should a 20-year-old have?

For example, for a 25-year-old who earns around the median (approx. PLN 5.8 thousand gross, which is less than PLN 4.4 thousand net) and does not yet have a mortgage or children, monthly living costs may be in the range of PLN 3-4 thousand. zloty.

Three months of such a reserve is PLN 9-12 thousand. PLN, six months is already 18-24 thousand. zloty.

For someone at the beginning of their career, aiming for the lower end of three months is a reasonable first step.

At this stage, the most important thing is the habit of regular postponementeven if at the beginning a modest PLN 300-500 is transferred to the savings account per month.

Data from the Central Statistical Office show that the median salary in the group up to 24 years old is currently approximately PLN 5,831 gross, so expectations regarding the cushion must be proportional to earnings.

How much money should a 30-year-old have?

The situation changes quite a bit after the age of thirty.

The cost of living increases due to loan installments, higher rent, and often the first child. The median salary in the 35-44 age group is approximately PLN 7,549 gross, which after deductions gives a net salary of approximately PLN 5.5 thousand. zloty.

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Monthly expenses for a household with one child are typically PLN 5,000-7,000. PLN, with two people they easily exceed PLN 8,000. zloty. For a 35-year-old with a loan and a family, a cushion for six months means an amount around 30-48 thousand zloty.

This is serious money and it takes time to accumulate it, but it is at this age that the risk of sudden loss of income hurts the most, because permanent obligations, from installments to kindergarten fees, will not wait for a new job.

How much money should a 40-year-old have?

After the age of forty, the proportions shift again. Income tends to peak at a career peak, but so do aspirations and commitments. A person who earns 12-15 thousand PLN gross and supports a family with two children in a large city, it can spend up to PLN 8-10 thousand. PLN per month.

Six months of such a reserve is PLN 48,000-60,000. zloty. It is worth remembering that after the age of forty, the occupational risk profile also changes. Finding a new job in a managerial or specialist position takes statistically longer than for younger workers, so extending the cushion to nine months is not an exaggeration in this case.

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How much money should a 50-year-old have?

A fifty-year-old should think about a financial cushion in the context of upcoming retirement. At this stage, we often have already paid off the mortgage, the children start to become financially independent, but there are higher health expenses.

A reserve for six to twelve months of expenses, i.e. approximately PLN 40,000-80,000. PLN depending on your lifestyle, provides not only security, but also mental peace.

For people planning early retirement in the spirit of the FIRE movement, i.e. financial independence and early retirement, the cushion should be even greater, because it constitutes a buffer for the transition period between the last payment and the activation of passive income.

Where to keep your financial cushion?

Okay, but where exactly should you keep this money? The financial cushion must meet two conditions at the same time: be available within a few days and not lose value faster than inflation.

A savings account is still the simplest solution for the first layer of reservesi.e. money for immediate expenses.

In April 2026, the best promotional offers reach 5.5-7 percent. per year, but they usually concern small amounts (up to PLN 15,000-50,000) and require the fulfillment of additional conditions, from active use of the personal account to performing a certain number of transactions.

The standard interest rate on savings accounts, without promotions, is on average 1.4%, which does not cover even half of the current inflation. Therefore, it is worth treating promotional accounts as a short-term tool and not relying on them as the only place to store your cash reserve.

For the part of the pillow that we reach for the least often, i.e. the second layer, inflation-indexed treasury bonds are an interesting investment alternative.

Ten-year EDO bonds issued in April 2026 offer 5.35%. in the first year, and from the second year an interest rate equal to inflation plus a fixed margin of 2%.

Four-year COI yields 4.75 percent in the first year and then inflation plus 1.5 percent.

This means that regardless of how inflation behaves in the coming years, the money invested in these securities will not lose its purchasing power, and will even increase it slightly.

An additional benefit in this case is the purchase of securities on the IKE-Bonds account, because after meeting the conditions (withdrawal after the age of 60), the entire profit earned is exempt from 19%. Belka tax.

The limit on IKE contributions in 2026 is PLN 28,260which allows us to systematically build an inflation-resistant part of the financial cushion.

However, do not forget about the limitations. Treasury bonds can be redeemed before the maturity date, but this involves a fee ranging from PLN 0.50 per unit in the case of one-year RORs to PLN 3 in the case of ten-year EDOs, which significantly reduces the profit for larger amounts.

That is why it is worth keeping in bonds the part of the cushion that we reach for very rarely, and to have money in a more liquid form for current surprises.

How to put it all together?

The simplest scheme involves dividing the financial cushion into two layers.

The first one, corresponding to one to two months of expenses, is in a savings account with the best available interest rate, preferably without conditions blocking possible quick access to the funds.

The second, covering the remaining three to four months of reserves, works in inflation-linked bonds. This division provides liquidity and protection against loss of valueand at the same time it does not require making complicated investment decisions or sleepless nights.

It is also worth remembering one psychological trap. When the cushion grows to several dozen thousand zlotys, there is a temptation to “do something smarter with them”, e.g. put them into shares, funds or cryptocurrencies.

However, you must remember that a financial cushion is a completely different category of money.

The pillow is not there to make money. It is there to give you time and peace when something goes wrong in your life. Its main task is retain value and be at your fingertips.

Anyone who needs higher rates of return should build a separate investment portfolio, beyond the cushion not instead of her.