Optimal Finance Daily · Thursday, September 17, 2026
Leo Babauta of Zen Habits suggests building a financial cushion in a bank account, beyond an emergency fund, to increase financial security and simplify bill payments. He argues that this cushion provides peace of mind and makes managing monthly expenses easier.
“Build a relatively large cushion in my account to allow myself to pay all my bills at the beginning of the month.”
“Besides security though, there's an equally good reason to build up a cushion in your bank account. It simplifies your finances.”
“But he keeps it there anyway on purpose, because the peace of mind is worth more to him than the few extra dollars.”