1. Prioritize your tasks
There are many financial decisions you simply can’t postpone. Life goes on for you, so try to prioritize your financial moves. “We advocate a much more nuanced timeline,” says Susan Bradley, founder of the Sudden Money Institute, which trains financial advisers to work with clients in transition.
She actually recommends breaking tasks down into three piles—urgent, soon and later—with those in the last pile being perhaps two years or more down the road, depending on individual circumstances.
For example, a spouse who stays at home with school-age kids may have the resources to keep the family home until the youngest graduates, but then he/she may need (or want) to downsize and head back to work.
Also, an empty nester who had been depending on a few more years of a spouse’s income just before retirement—and at least a few years of dual Social Security checks—may need to adjust more quickly.
