[Moodles]

Maybe we’re talking cross purposes here because I generally save a large % of my paycheck. So if an emergency came up (and I was still employed) I would just save a smaller % of it.

But regardless I’m just saying you can use a credit card to buy time interest-free before you pay off the emergency with your salary/stocks/whatever. It’s better than taking a margin loan, no?

[chii]

> So if an emergency came up (and I was still employed) I would just save a smaller % of it.

i mean that's not really an emergency.

An emergency is one such that if you weren't prepared for it, you can't handle it. For example, losing one's job can be considered an emergency (a short one, if you're in high demand).

A medical emergency is a good example of an emergency - to which you prepare for by purchasing insurance.

So by saying that a person's portfolio would perform better by ditching the emergency fund is just the same as saying 'take on more risk and get more return'.

[Moodles]

You’re kind of nitpicking here. It doesn’t matter how much the expense is: the point is that you can use a credit card to buy time interest-free before you pay off the expense with stock/paychecks/whatever. Regardless of what the expense is, this is clearly better than taking out a margin loan immediately.