# Could you get $20,000 in emergency funds in 30 days? $200,000? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 25, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097 "2011-05-25T00:44:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/61 "2011-05-25T15:43:13Z")
Lemme see… :eyes trashcan full of soda can recyclables: …nope, not likely. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/62 "2011-05-25T15:45:18Z")
I could do either, and I’d still have enough left over to pay for the lobster. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/63 "2011-05-25T15:55:46Z")
Could anyone here go up a decimal place and get $2,000,000? I couldn’t - selling the house (assuming that could be done in 30 days), maxing the line of credit, and liquidating all of my retirement savings and investments, I’d still be short … unless it was a true life-or-death situation, say for my son, in which case I could beg the remainder by getting my parents to sell their house as well. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/64 "2011-05-25T15:58:13Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Could anyone here go up a decimal place and get $2,000,000? > > I couldn’t - selling the house (assuming that could be done in 30 days), maxing the line of credit, and liquidating all of my retirement savings and investments, I’d still be short … unless it was a true life-or-death situation, say for my son, in which case I could beg the remainder by getting my parents to sell their house as well. Guess my kid is dying. Well, fuck him. (Disclaimer: I don’t actually have a kid.) ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/65 "2011-05-25T16:09:44Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Could anyone here go up a decimal place and get $2,000,000? > > I couldn’t - selling the house (assuming that could be done in 30 days), maxing the line of credit, and liquidating all of my retirement savings and investments, I’d still be short … unless it was a true life-or-death situation, say for my son, in which case I could beg the remainder by getting my parents to sell their house as well. I couldn’t. I expect some people could in the life-or-death situations I mentioned, at least if they owned their own home, could cash in a 401k or something similar, and it would help if both parents were willing to sell their homes and they live in as expensive an area as I do for housing (London England). That sounds like a lot of ‘ifs,’ but I can think of a few people who fit the criteria. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/66 "2011-05-25T16:12:27Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Like I said in the other thread, it would depend on the emergency. Ransom demand for my daughter, life-saving operation in a country where my travel insurance declined to cover the costs (‘acts of God’)? I could definitely get $200k - my mother would sell her house. For $20k I know other friends would step in to help me as well. There was a CSI (or maybe Criminal Minds, one of those) on the other night where the parents had to get something like $200,000 in 24 hours to free their daughter. I looked at my SO and just said ‘Bye bye daughter.’ Even if I could get the money, it wouldn’t be that quickly. Even if I did sell the house and everything I owned in record time, the poor kid would have nowhere to live and no possessions. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/67 "2011-05-25T16:24:39Z")
I voted both, but I seriously doubt the situation exists where I would need $200,000 enough that I would go through trouble of obtaining it. If such circumstances did exist, they would probably make it easier to obtain the large sum. I’m assuming that emergency funds don’t include buying a boat. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/68 "2011-05-25T16:33:14Z")
Getting the $200,000 would only happen if it was a matter of life and death. It would require liquidating investments I promised my mother I wouldn’t touch while she was still alive\* and completely destroying my retirement fund. $20,000 would be very painful, but I could do it. (\*She transferred the bulk of her estate to us kids a while back to avoid future inheritance taxes. She kept enough to live on … unless she happens to live to be 105 or something like that. So a condition of the transfer was that we wouldn’t touch the money while she was still alive. However, if was for something as extreme as saving the life of a grandchild, I’m sure she’d say “use it!”) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/69 "2011-05-25T16:38:03Z")
We could get 20K from the home equity line of credit, plus cash advances on credit cards. The 200K would be a bit trickier - I said no, but we could come close but it’d mean liquidating all our stocks and probably a chunk of our retirement money. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/70 "2011-05-25T16:39:25Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > There was a CSI (or maybe Criminal Minds, one of those) on the other night where the parents had to get something like $200,000 in 24 hours to free their daughter. I looked at my SO and just said ‘Bye bye daughter.’ Even if I could get the money, it wouldn’t be that quickly. Even if I did sell the house and everything I owned in record time, the poor kid would have nowhere to live and no possessions. 24 hours would be a lot more difficult for me but it’d probably be doable. Better to have a living kid with no home and no possessions than have your kid die. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/71 "2011-05-25T16:47:49Z")
I think two million’s probably beyond my reach even with help from my family. So if anyone’s looking for potential abduction targets, you can take me off the list now. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/72 "2011-05-25T17:41:08Z")
It’s interesting to read this thread. It’s yet more proof to me that the SD is not representative of the entire U.S. I wish it was! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/73 "2011-05-25T18:11:45Z")
Could do either, but 200K would hurt. Best not ask for another installment any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/74 "2011-05-25T18:24:30Z")
I could do $20k without much problem, using up my savings and borrowing a bit from the 401k. I could probably get $200k, but that would take some serious borrowing from relatives, and I have no idea how I would pay it back. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/75 "2011-05-25T18:25:58Z")
$20K I could handle out of my emergency fund, but $200K is almost certainly impossible. I suppose at this moment my parents actually have the cash that they could loan me, but within a year it will all be spent on a new house. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/76 "2011-05-25T18:37:37Z")
Sure, but then the OP would be my personal physician. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/77 "2011-05-25T19:06:38Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Could anyone here go up a decimal place and get $2,000,000? Apple would have to hit $2000/share. Which some analysts have said is within the realm of possibility. Get back to me in a couple of years. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/78 "2011-05-25T21:25:54Z")
20K - yes. 200K? Probably not. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/79 "2011-05-25T21:55:33Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Could anyone here go up a decimal place and get $2,000,000? > > I couldn’t - selling the house (assuming that could be done in 30 days), maxing the line of credit, and liquidating all of my retirement savings and investments, I’d still be short … unless it was a true life-or-death situation, say for my son, in which case I could beg the remainder by getting my parents to sell their house as well. I don’t think I could, either. Even with help from family, I don’t think I could get that much. Maybe one mil. But I’d never ask for that kind of money, anyway, unless for some reason I was absolutely certain I could pay it back almost immediately, and it was a true emergency. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097/80 "2011-05-25T22:56:18Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > 24 hours would be a lot more difficult for me but it’d probably be doable. Better to have a living kid with no home and no possessions than have your kid die. Yeah but my theoretical kid is awful bratty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-get-20-000-in-emergency-funds-in-30-days-200-000/583097.md?page=5)