Should You Build Your Emergency Fund or Invest in the Stock Market?

Creating a financial plan involves a blend of evaluating your tolerance for risk, gauging your relevant time horizon, and developing personal goals. At the same time, we're all faced with the challenge of saving for retirement -- the longer you wait to begin investing, the more you'll need to save down the line to reach levels high enough to retire. With these competing priorities at hand, it's valuable to think about the different considerations for building an emergency fund versus beginning to invest.