As a savvy consumer of financial services, it’s important to understand how your assets are safeguarded.

While you may need to quickly adjust your financial “sails” occasionally to respond to unexpected life changes, there are many other events that you can prepare for in advance to make future course corrections much easier. Here’s a review of six major life events that can alter your financial plans – plus some actions you can take now to make sure you’re prepared for the future.

Even the best financial plan can’t overcome the effects aging have on a person’s ability to make financial decisions. Though people are living healthier for longer, there is already evidence that a person’s financial decision making peaks in their 50s and by age 60, the ability to process...