Prepare for Disasters

It’s fine to prepare for unlikely disasters, perhaps by buying earthquake insurance in a low-risk region, or keeping garlic on you in case of vampire attack. But be sure that you’re preparing for more likely disasters, too, such as these:

• Having a bad credit score: A bad credit score will doom you to high interest rates when you’re looking to borrow money, such as for a home or car. Start beefing up your score by paying down your debts and paying bills on time.

• Losing your job: As the ongoing pandemic has made clear, unexpected job losses happen, and they can put you in financial peril. Make sure you have an emergency fund stocked with at least several months’ worth of critical living expenses, such as food, housing, utilities, taxes, transportation and so on. It’s also good planning to make yourself more hirable by learning new skills or getting new certifications or degrees.

• Needing long-term care: Long-term care is an important issue everyone should consider. If you’re wealthy, you can pay for any care you might need; if you’re poor, you probably won’t be able to pay for it at all. But if you’re in between, consider long-term care insurance. Learn more at LongTermCare.gov.

• Not being able to retire: This is a big disaster awaiting millions of people who haven’t socked away enough money to retire on. The best way out of this problem is to read up well in advance, make a plan and act on it. Good strategies include working for a few more years, saving as much as possible in IRAs and 401(k)s, cutting back on spending, taking on a side gig or two and perhaps cashing out a life insurance policy if it’s no longer needed. One of your best moves might be to invest long-term dollars in the stock market, perhaps via a low-fee index fund (such as one that tracks the S&P 500).