One of the cruelest things about money: it costs more to not have it.

Can't cover a $400 emergency? You put it on a credit card at 24% — now it costs $480. Can't keep a minimum balance? The bank charges you a monthly fee for being low. Can't buy in bulk? You pay more per roll, per ounce, per everything. Overdraft fees, payday loans, late fees — they all target the people with the least.

Economists call it the “poverty premium.” It's why having even a little cushion changes everything: it's not just safety, it's savings. Your first few hundred banked dollars don't earn much interest — but they stop you from paying everyone else's.

This is the quiet case for an emergency fund that has nothing to do with being responsible and everything to do with being smart. A buffer is the cheapest leverage there is.

This week: open a separate “don't touch” savings account. Even $5 a week. You're not saving for a rainy day — you're buying your way out of the broke tax.

— Kevin