Have you ever thought about how you’d cope financially if life threw you a curveball? The trouble with our existence is that it’s impossible to predict what’s around the corner.

One moment, everything can be perfect. The next, your life could be turned upside down. If you’re keen to be more diligent about your finances and you’re trying to plan ahead, here are some potential scares to be wary of.

Illness

Even if you’re healthy now, this doesn’t mean that you’ll be fighting fit for the rest of your life. Sadly, illness can creep up on us, sometimes when we least expect it. If you have a job, make sure you’re familiar with your entitlement when it comes to sick leave and take advantage of any health-related benefits.

If you have dental insurance or routine health checks included in your employee package, for example, make use of them. If you’re self-employed, it’s worth thinking about how you’d cope if you were unable to work due to ill health. If you don’t have a nest-egg, you may wish to take out insurance to protect your income.

Accidents

Accidents happen all the time. Most of the time, we think that accidents only happen to other people, but none of us are immune. You could be crossing the road and be hit by a car if the driver hasn’t spotted you or you could find yourself flying off your bike on the highway. You could slip down the stairs or trip on the sidewalk. There are hazards everywhere.

Of course, it’s not possible to predict the future, but there are steps you can take to try and provide yourself with a financial shield. Even if you’re talking about accidents involving more than one motorcycle and there’s evidence that you were not at fault, it can take time to process a compensation claim. In the meantime, could you survive? Consider taking out insurance policies to cover you if you are injured on the roads, or you have to take time off work and think about putting money aside each month and creating an emergency fund.

Loss

None of us wants to dwell on the possibility of losing a loved one, but the reality is that this is a scenario any of us could encounter. If you lost your partner, could you afford to stay in the same house, do the same job and pay your bills? If you have a partner or you have children, it’s advisable to look at taking out life insurance. If the dark day ever comes, at least this will give you peace of mind that you don’t have to worry about your finances.

Unemployment

Most of us rely on our income to get by. If you lost your job, what would you do? We would all like to think that we could get another job quickly, but what if life doesn’t pan out how we planned? It’s worth setting up a fund just in case you find yourself in a situation where you haven’t got money coming in every month.

There’s a lot to be said for living in the moment, but could you cope if your life took an unexpected turn? It’s always a good idea to plan ahead and try and protect yourself financially.