At 18, I moved my dad into a nursing home. He was only 70 at the time.

Having been raised during The Great Depression his philosophy around money was simple: work hard, save money and invest wisely. The problem was, he believed in “self-insuring,” saving enough so that if something did happen, he could pay out of pocket.

He never thought he’d get sick. He never thought he’d need insurance. Who does?

It started in his 50’s and got progressively worse from there. It took many years and untold doctor’s appointments to finally get a diagnosis: Progressive supranuclear palsy, an uncommon brain disorder.

In less than four years, he moved from our house to a group living facility, to an apartment with a caregiver and finally to a nursing home where he spent the last five years of his life.

It was long. It was painful. And it was expensive.

Three weeks after he died, I received my own diagnosis: Giant cell tumor, a rare aggressive non-cancerous tumor in my left femur.

After the surgery to have it removed, I was left out of work and back in my childhood bedroom to recover.

These events, while difficult, helped me realize my life purpose: helping clients plan for the future while safeguarding against the unknown.