There is a strange reality that comes with working in financial services: you spend your career helping people prepare for the unexpected while quietly hoping you will never personally need the plans you put in place.
Ryan and I were both like that. We understood risk. We talked about insurance, retirement savings, emergency reserves, and estate documents- not because we were pessimistic people, but because we believed preparation creates freedom and security.
Then our lives changed overnight.
Ryan was diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive terminal brain cancer. In an instant, the conversations we had spent years having professionally became deeply personal. Every account, insurance election, and benefit decision suddenly mattered in a way we never imagined.
I feel incredibly fortunate that we both had backgrounds in financial services to help guide me during a time of unimaginable difficulty. But I am also part of support groups for women whose husbands have GBM, and I have seen firsthand how many families- at every stage of life- are completely unprepared when tragedy strikes.
Some are young parents while others are nearing retirement.
Some are financially successful. Others are just getting by.
And crisis does not discriminate.
The question becomes: what can you do now to make sure you have what you need if the unimaginable happens?
Plus, there is always the emotional side of this conversation. If we had known what was ahead, would we have lived differently? Would we have traveled more? Worked less? Taken fewer things so seriously?
Those questions are impossible to answer.
But there are also practical realities. There were things Ryan and I did right- decisions that gave me stability during chaos- and there are things I wish we had done differently.
Hindsight is 20/20. Today I’m sharing both.
What We Did Right
We Had Cash in an Emergency Fund
This was one of the biggest blessings during the early days of Ryan’s diagnosis.
Short-term disability benefits can take time. There is paperwork, approvals, delays, and constant follow-up. Meanwhile, the mortgage is still due. Utility bills still arrive. Life keeps moving even when your world stops.
Having accessible cash gave me peace of mind that the bills would be paid while everything else was uncertain.
Emergency funds are often discussed as a financial planning principle, but in reality they are also an emotional protection. They buy you time and breathing room when you need it most.
We Knew Where Everything Was
When a medical emergency happens, your brain is not functioning at full capacity. You are exhausted, overwhelmed, and trying to absorb medical information while needing to make decisions quickly.
Because Ryan and I had organized our financial lives, I knew where our accounts were, how to access them, and what existed. I cannot overstate how important this was.
Every family should have:
- A list of all accounts
- Password access instructions
- Insurance policies
- Estate documents
- Employer benefits information
- Key professional contacts
Not because something will happen, but because one day it might.
Ryan’s 401(k) Contributions Were Roth
At the time, it was simply part of our long-term tax planning strategy.
What we did not fully appreciate was the flexibility Roth savings would create during a crisis. Having tax-free assets available gives you more control over income, taxes, healthcare decisions, and future planning. In difficult seasons, flexibility matters just as much as growth.
We Had Individual Life Insurance
One thing we did right early on was making sure our core life insurance needs were covered outside of an employer.
Employer group coverage is valuable, but jobs can change. Health can change. Insurability can disappear overnight. Because we had individual policies in place, there was security that could not be taken away if employment changed during Ryan’s illness.
We Supplemented With Employer Group Coverage
In addition to individual coverage, we also utilized employer group term insurance. This created an added layer of protection at a relatively low cost.
When planning works well, it often looks boring- until the day you need it.
Ryan Had Long-Term Disability Coverage
Disability insurance is one of the most overlooked protections in financial planning, especially for younger professionals.
Most people think first about life insurance. But an illness or injury that impacts your ability to work is statistically far more likely during your working years. Long-term disability coverage became critically important for our family.
What I Wish We Had Done Differently
We Should Have Had Better Powers of Attorney in Place
We had documents prepared, but I wish we had created broader legal powers allowing each of us to act more seamlessly in the other’s best interest- not only in the event of incapacitation.
There are so many administrative hurdles during a medical crisis. The last thing a family should be worrying about is whether they legally have authority to help manage important decisions.
Estate documents are not just for older individuals or wealthy families. They are essential for adults of every age.
I Wish We Had Not Spent From Our HSA While Ryan Was Working
For years, we cash flowed medical expenses and used the HSA along the way because it seemed practical. Looking back, I wish we had allowed those HSA dollars to continue growing.
Now the medical bills are piling up at the same time income has changed dramatically. Having a larger pool of tax-advantaged healthcare savings would have created even more flexibility.
HSAs can be incredibly powerful emergency planning tools when viewed as long-term assets rather than short-term spending accounts.
I Wish I Had a List of Ryan’s Employer Contacts
Thankfully, Ryan was still able to communicate with me early on and provide contact information for his manager and HR connections. But what if he had not been able to?
When someone becomes suddenly ill, even knowing who to call can become an obstacle.
Every family should keep a simple document with:
- Employer HR contacts and direct managers
- Benefits portals and insurance carriers
- Payroll contacts
- Key advisors
The smallest details become enormously important during a crisis.
The Reality Nobody Wants to Think About
No one wants to prepare for tragedy. It feels uncomfortable, pessimistic, and emotionally heavy.
But preparedness is not about fear- it’s protecting the people you love from additional stress during one of the hardest moments of their lives.
I often think about the families I speak with in support groups- good people trying to survive impossible situations while also navigating financial confusion, missing documents, insurance issues, or cash flow crises.
The goal is not perfection.
No family gets everything right and we certainly did not.
But even a few intentional decisions made before a crisis can dramatically change what life looks like when one arrives.
Where to Start
If you’ve been meaning to get your financial house in order- to review your insurance coverage, organize your documents, update your estate plan, or simply make sure someone you trust knows where everything is- please don’t wait for a reason to do it.
At Method Financial Planning, this is exactly the kind of work we help clients think through. Not just the investment and retirement planning, but the preparedness- the often unnoticed work that makes all the difference when it matters most.
If you’re ready to take that step, we’d love to connect. Schedule a free discovery call and let’s make sure your family has what it needs- whatever comes next.
