How to get ready for the that could happen
Suppose you lost your job, your health,
or your spouse. Could you cope? Would you end up broke? With the economy
on life support, it’s time to stress-test your finances
BY KATH Y KRISTOF
ILLUSTRATIONS BY HARRY CAMPBELL
YOU MAY THINK you’re prepared for
any life crisis—but are you really? The
day before his 65th birthday, Vera Jordan’s husband, Arlin, noticed blood in
his urine. Three months later he was dead
of kidney cancer. For Vera there was
little time to grieve: she needed to save
his service station from bankruptcy.
“The only thing he ever cried about
was leaving me in the mess I was in,”
says Vera, 71, who struggled to keep
the business afloat long enough to sell
it. “There were times I told God He had
given me more than I could handle.”
Every year millions of us face a fate-
ful turn of events—an illness in the
family, the death of a spouse, divorce,
disability, job loss. And for many, the
resulting tension and sadness are only
heightened by financial pressures. Can
I pay the bills? Hold on to the house?
Who can I trust to help me manage?
of adults
40 through
79 have been
through
at least one
life crisis
