for what you need. "They should prepare for higher health costs; things like mobility issues. You don't really think about that, but a lot of times that's not always covered. When a mobility issue comes up, you'll have to pay out of pocket for it," she said. That's where your emergency fund can come in. Your emergency fund should be larger to protect your retirement account, Wheaton said. "You generally don't want to pull large sums of money from retirement accounts at one time. If you do have an emergency or a medical expense you have to pay for, it's nice to pull it out of your emergency fund, as opposed to pulling it from your retirement account." That way, your retirement money will continue growing and be there when you need it, while your emergency fund will help to make sure the unexpected is covered, too. Liz Knueven Personal Finance Reporter