10/01/2026
Some financial decisions get a second chance. A handful don't.
▪️ When you actually retire. In EBRI's 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey, 46 percent of retirees left the workforce earlier than they expected.
▪️ Stepping into a parent's finances. A 2026 Care.com report found sandwich-generation caregiving duties typically begin around age 34.
▪️ Receiving an inheritance. Ohio State research found nearly one in five people who inherited $100,000 or more had spent or lost the entire amount within two years.
▪️ Selling a business. For a typical owner, roughly 80 percent of their net worth is tied up in the business itself, per the Exit Planning Institute.
▪️ Writing (or updating) a will. Only 24 percent of Americans currently have a will, down from 33 percent in 2022, according to Caring.com.
None of these moments announce themselves on schedule. The families who handle them well are usually the ones who started talking years before circumstances forced their hand.
