11.   Next, amass a cash cushion equal to at least three months of your after-tax salary in a bank CD or a money-market account.

12.   Puentes readily confirms that smaller shops like his have thin cash cushions.

13.   Still, unless Apple can stabilize its business, the cash cushion could dwindle quickly.

14.   The company, which has run on a thin cash cushion for years, did not report its cash position.

15.   The cash cushions could help the funds outperform if the stock market tanks.

16.   You need a cash cushion to get through minor financial crises, such as car repairs and insurance deductibles, and through major ones, such as a layoff.

17.   But the Icahn plan provides more of a cash cushion, said his attorney, Ed Weisfelner.

18.   Sargen also believes that investors may want to keep an extra cash cushion while also being prepared to deploy funds as opportunities arise.