In June I asked, “Can you afford to get sick?”. I encouraged you to look at your present situation and see how your family and you would be able to financially respond to a medical emergency. That article also had a link to a video about Dr. Barnard and how he was inspired to create critical illness insurance after seeing firsthand the financial devastation that an illness can have on a family.
As I was writing the article, I was thinking about how easy it is to be complacent when things are going well. We do not want to think about unpleasant things like sickness or injury. There are more interesting and less depressing things to do, especially when we are healthy.
In that piece, I wrote about an emergency surgery that I had many years ago. That event has made me grateful for my health and aware of how quickly things can change. The reality of change hit me in the face (as it were) again in September. I was reminded of our fragility when I had a retina detach in my right eye. Again, I found myself in emergency surgery hours after the event. The surgery was successful, and my vision is recovering.
The point I would like to make here is that at any moment our lives can change. Life does not care what we would rather be doing. A car accident, illness, or relationship breakdown can happen at any time. How would you respond? Would you even have time to respond?
I encourage everyone to review your wills, power of attorney. Look at your life insurance coverage and look into critical illness and disability insurance. Talk to your loved ones about your wishes. Understand the wishes of those close to you. Make sure that your important documents are secure but accessible. If something were to happen, you may not be able to take care of any of these things.
To help, here is an article about resilience as well as a financial log to keep track of important financial information and contacts. Physical copies are available, just reach out and I would be happy to send you one.
As always, I am available to talk and would like to help.
Chris