That would not include the opportunity to enjoy a good bottle of wine. But it would certainly include adoption. Certain business opportunities might go on the list, too. Most people need to borrow if they start their own business, for instance. That would still qualify under admonition of many financial planners that you should borrow only to create something of lasting value.
Most planners say the best place for emergency money is a home equity credit line.
Jane King, a financial planner in Boston, likes home equity lines so much that she urges clients to set them up instead of an emergency fund. And you don't have to keep money in the bank at these insulting interest rates. When you set up a home equity line, be certain to get a credit line and not a loan. A credit line is available credit waiting for you to tap into. But there is no cost unless you actually write a check on it and make the loan, King says.