5 Ways to Plan for Unexpected Life Events in Washington 

Life is going along swimmingly, and then … it isn’t. Or perhaps you’ve known for years that obstacles are awaiting you. You’ve tried to ignore them, and they’re about to hit you like an out-of-control steamroller. 

Life insurance and other security-enhancing insurance products are part of the solution to unexpected life events. The following four strategies can minimize your exposure to misfortune and get you back on your feet faster when bad things happen. 

Here’s how to confront those unexpected — and unappreciated — life events. 

1. How to Anticipate Potential Threats and Risks in Washington 

What are your vulnerabilities? Yours will be entirely different from the future threats that might face anyone else. Is it job insecurity? A fraying marriage or relationship? Are your finances slowly (or not so slowly) draining? How’s your health? Are you drinking more now than you did in the past? Do loved ones have problems you feel you must help address? 

Sometimes an unexpected life event does, indeed, catch us by surprise. There’s nothing we could have done to head it off. But sometimes, situations become issues slowly and develop over time. 

Small problems can gather weight like a snowball rolling down a steep hill. That’s why you need to know as far ahead of time as possible the minor challenges that might grow larger later. When you have those troubles in sight, you’re better prepared to take the next step. 

2. How to Handle Unexpected Life Events in WA 

Legendary Yankees catcher Yogi Berra once said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” He meant it literally, but the quote has taken on a richer symbolic meaning. Forward momentum can sometimes be more important than doubt, which holds us back. Take action, rather than always pausing for inspiration or clear answers. 

In this case, it means that once you’ve anticipated the troubling life event on your horizon, the most important thing you can do is confront it. Whether your relationship needs repairing or you need to take a second job to stabilize your finances, you need to do something. Don’t be so frozen with doubt that you refuse to see that you even have a problem developing in the first place. 

Procrastination and denial are short-term comforts. If the problem doesn’t come to a head today, you can put off making any immediate response. Or at least that’s the compelling way to look at it. Just remember, short-term irritations ignored now harden into deeper and harder to confront troubles in the future. 

3. Seek Help after an Unexpected Life Event in WA 

Don’t try to confront every unexpected life event alone. Start by trusting loved ones such as your parents, spouse, or significant other. Share your concerns with those who mean the most to you and who want to work with you to help address life’s challenges. But then there’s a point when assistance should come from a more professional source. 

If a pipe bursts in a wall in your home, you’d call for an expert to handle it. You wouldn’t try to deal with the problem on your own unless you knew plumbing, plastering, wiring, and other skilled trades. It would prove disastrous to try to handle the problem alone if you didn’t have proficiency in these areas. 

In that same regard, consider seeing a therapist or other valid professional when problems build up and threaten to leave emotional scars. 

4. How to Make an Unexpected Life Event Easier 

It’s certainly not true that all of life’s problems can be solved with money. On the other hand, many unexpected life events — such as a health scare, divorce, business failure, and countless others — have a financial component to them. 

A response can be easier, or at least the blow cushioned, when the unexpected life event strikes if you have savings to buffer the damage. And if it’s the event itself that drains your financial resources — such as a business setback — at least you can hold off for longer. 

You never know when the “rainy day” will occur or how long the storm will last, so vow to establish and grow your savings even when the skies are cloudless and blue. 

5. Review Your Insurance Coverage 

Covering unexpected life events is virtually the definition of insurance. You pay your auto insurance premiums before the collision. You get your home insurance policy years before the storm. And you purchase life insurance when you’re in the best of health. 

The point is that your insurance policies are ways of proactively dealing with unfortunate life events that you don’t foresee. But when those troubles do occur, your first response can be to pick up the phone and dial your agent. 

It might not make your experience any less traumatic, but it’s the first step toward getting you and your loved ones back on your feet again. And consider this: Certain types of life insurance policies can be borrowed against or even cashed in without financial penalty over time or under some circumstances, including various health threats. 

Perhaps it’s time to have an insurance review. Consider contacting an independent insurance agent — one who can handle multiple forms of insurance and present coverage from many brands. 

Your agent will ask questions and help determine the vulnerabilities in your current coverage that could leave you unable to adequately confront future threats. Your agent might also offer ways to save money on your coverage by bundling policies and taking advantage of other discount programs. 

After meeting with an independent insurance agent, you should feel that you’ve proactively addressed unexpected life events you can’t see on the horizon. 

Get Affordable Life Insurance with Vern Fonk Insurance 

Our independent insurance agents can help you with life insurance and other insurance products that can help you address unexpected life events. Call us at (800) 455-8276 or get a quick quote online. You can also visit an independent insurance agent by finding a nearby Vern Fonk Insurance location.