{"id":302063,"date":"2026-01-24T23:12:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T23:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/302063\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T23:12:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T23:12:09","slug":"death-disability-lawsuits-the-8-life-events-financial-advisers-say-clients-are-least-prepared-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/302063\/","title":{"rendered":"Death, disability, lawsuits: The 8 life events financial advisers say clients are least prepared for"},"content":{"rendered":"

Americans are often ill-prepared for life\u2019s toughest moments \u2014 including death and health calamities. For example, fewer than one in three American adults have a will and just 11% have a trust, according to a survey from Trust & Will<\/a>. And these aren\u2019t the only things we\u2019re not prepared for.<\/p>\n

We asked eight finance pros what events their clients are least prepared to encounter \u2014 and what to do about each. In many cases, the experts we spoke to said Americans could benefit from both estate planning attorneys and financial advisers to get these things in order. You can find a financial adviser using CFP Board, NAPFA or this free tool that matches you to fiduciary advisers<\/a> from our ad partner SmartAsset; you can find estate planning attorneys through the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) or through the Martindale-Hubbell directory.<\/p>\n

Losing their job<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one thing most clients are unprepared for is losing their job. Most people underestimate how difficult it is to be unemployed and to find work again,\u201d says portfolio manager Ryan Hughes at Bull Oak. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn this economy, it is not uncommon for someone to remain unemployed for six months or longer. Finding the right job at the right company can take some time. We tell our clients that if they feel that their current position feels uncertain, it is not a bad idea to beef up their emergency fund. Three to six months might not cut it. Six to 12 months is probably more appropriate and it will give you peace of mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Disability<\/p>\n

\u201cClients are very unprepared for disability or a disabling event. Everyday Americans really underestimate the chance of them becoming permanently or temporarily disabled,\u201d says certified financial planner Jordan Vlastuin at Make the Memory Financial Planning. \u201cAccording to the Social Security Administration, a worker born in 2001 has a 25% chance of becoming disabled before normal retirement age. Most clients are not sufficiently insured, especially those who are self employed. Even a short-term disability can have severe consequences on their future earning potential.\u201d <\/p>\n

To protect yourself from a disabling event, securing long-term disability insurance and building an emergency fund are key. Disability insurance can replace a portion (typically 60% to 80%) of lost wages due to illness or injury. Employer-sponsored disability plans are frequently available as a benefit, but individual policies can also be purchased and can cover bonuses and commissions.<\/p>\n

Caregiving<\/p>\n

\u201cPlanning for the caretaking and passing of a spouse is incredibly difficult, especially in situations where the process is slow and painful, as is the case for families suffering from dementia,\u201d says certified financial planner Caitlin Frederick at Ullmann Wealth Partners. \u201cThe caretaking process is exhausting and caretakers often feel guilty for taking any time for themselves or for seeking help in a full-care facility. The reality is that the caretaker needs to stay healthy in order to be able to help their spouse,\u201d says Frederick. This<\/a> article from the National Council on Aging can help you prepare.<\/p>\n

Divorce<\/p>\n

About 40% of today\u2019s marriages will end in divorce, according to the Institute for Family Studies. \u201cMy clients are not ready for divorce,\u201d says financial adviser Anthony Rasotto at ARC Wealth. \u201cMost of my clients have wills, even though they are five to 10 times more likely to get divorced than die. While I don\u2019t press the subject too hard, I try to communicate to my clients that a prenup isn\u2019t pessimistic, it\u2019s practical. It\u2019s basically saying, \u2018Hey, I love you, and if things ever get messy, I\u2019m still gonna treat you like a human being.\u2019 That\u2019s not just mature, it\u2019s kind of romantic in its own twisted, adult way,\u201d says Rasotto.<\/p>\n

Lawsuits<\/p>\n

\u201cMost clients are least prepared for the risk of a lawsuit. They assume legal problems only happen to other people, until a business dispute, real estate issue or personal liability claim puts their assets at risk. By the time they think about protection, it\u2019s often too late to implement effective strategies,\u201d says asset protection attorney Blake Harris at Blake Harris Law.<\/p>\n

To cover your bases here, you can structure businesses as LLCs, and put assets in trusts with the help of an attorney who can draft necessary legal documents and ensure you have an umbrella liability insurance policy. <\/p>\n

Long-term care<\/p>\n

\u201cMy experience is that most people are usually not prepared for the costs and logistics of long-term care. Most individuals significantly underestimate the probability of needing long-term care and the financial impact once they do need it,\u201d says certified elder law attorney Evan H. Farr at Farr Law Firm. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople typically think that Medicare will cover long-term care (it doesn\u2019t \u2014 not a penny), or that the time they spend in a nursing home will be relatively short. Neither assumption is correct. A nursing home stay costs an individual anywhere from $10,000 to $16,000 per month. Medicare covers nothing for long-term custodial care. Nothing. Ever. People have this confusion because Medicare does cover short-term rehabilitation, which happens to take place in a nursing home, but that is vastly different from long-term custodial care, which Medicare does not care about,\u201d says Farr.<\/p>\n

Moreover, planning for long-term care can be one of the hardest things to assist with. \u201cIt\u2019s hard for clients to come to terms with the fact that planning is not limited to the elderly or worst-case scenario. Long-term care planning is about probability, timing and loss of control. Many clients are emotionally resistant to planning for dependency, cognitive decline or the possibility that their spouse or child may have to make decisions on their behalf. This emotional resistance often causes clients to delay planning until a serious illness occurs and the client has fewer options for long-term care and greater stress,\u201d says Farr.<\/p>\n

Having significant savings beyond an emergency fund is essential in terms of footing the costs associated with long-term care. Having long-term care insurance is by far the best way to prepare for an unexpected long-term care event, which can be monumentally expensive for extended periods of time.<\/p>\n

Retirement<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond preparing for death, I see the majority of my clients unprepared for retirement and for the increased costs of healthcare,\u201d says financial strategist Sarah Snyder, creator of the SMART Money Framework. \u201cSo many people have been programmed to delegate responsibility for their benefits to their employers. By this, I mean health insurance, life insurance, saving for retirement and even longevity planning. Usually what we have through work is a good start, but rarely is it enough. In each of these areas, it\u2019s possible to put in place our own portable benefits that give us more control, prepare us better for a rapidly changing world and protect ourselves and loved ones much more holistically,\u201d says Snyder. <\/p>\n

The general rule of thumb for retirement savings varies by age, but by age 50, someone should have about six times their salary saved. By age 60, that number jumps to about eight to 10 times salary and at the point of retirement, the goal is to have about 10 to 12 times your salary saved. To do this, pros typically recommend saving 15% of your gross income, beginning as early as possible. When it comes to making withdrawals, the 4% rule is widely used, suggesting you draw about 4% of your portfolio the first year of retirement, and then adjusted for inflation in the years following.<\/p>\n

Death<\/p>\n

\u201cMost families are unprepared for a disability or death event. Many do a great job saving, building wealth and managing debt. However, most are so busy in the day to day that they forget to stop and execute an estate plan describing their wishes,\u201d says Frederick. \u201cMany think an estate plan is for the ultra rich. However, the reality is that as soon as kids are involved, an estate plan is needed at any level. One side of the family will have one opinion. The other side will have another. Parents don\u2019t want their children to be in the middle of a disagreement in the event that they are gone too soon.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Americans are often ill-prepared for life\u2019s toughest moments \u2014 including death and health calamities. For example, fewer than…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":302064,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[177],"tags":[79,13782,41565,18,3260,47522,18131,3334,19,41586,3442,41557,3592,88058,17,85377,148996,47521,234,235,9436,44285,88059,2895,19363,26243],"class_list":{"0":"post-302063","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-corporate","10":"tag-corporate-industrial-news","11":"tag-eire","12":"tag-estate-planning","13":"tag-financial-investment-services","14":"tag-financial-services","15":"tag-general-news","16":"tag-ie","17":"tag-industrial-news","18":"tag-investing","19":"tag-investing-securities","20":"tag-investment-advice","21":"tag-investment-advice-research-services","22":"tag-ireland","23":"tag-long-term-care-costs","24":"tag-mpbankrate","25":"tag-mpsmartasset","26":"tag-personal-finance","27":"tag-personalfinance","28":"tag-political","29":"tag-political-general-news","30":"tag-research-services","31":"tag-retirement-planning","32":"tag-securities","33":"tag-synd"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}