You always read in the news about some freak accident that takes the life of an unsuspecting human, be it a shark attack, a plane crash, or to a lesser extent, being struck by lightning. The news reports will often highlight the statistics around these events and how frequently they actually happen.

Nevertheless, we often commit to avoiding dangerous situations, staying out of the water while on vacation, avoiding flights entirely, and staying indoors during a thunderstorm (which is always a good idea, to clarify).

But, the truth of the matter is that these accidents are called “freak accidents” for a reason. The odds of encountering these scenarios are so vastly low that there is a significant chance that not only will you never encounter a situation where something like that COULD happen, but you also may not even know of anyone who has. Let’s go over some statistics on the top offenders on the list:

  • You have a 1 in 3,748,067 chance of falling prey to a shark attack.
  • Going up the list, you’re slightly more likely to be struck by lightning with a 1 in 79,746 chance.
  • Increasing still, there’s a 1 in 5,051 chance you’ll encounter trouble in the air.

What’s even more insane are some of the other random happenstance things that we’re afraid of for some odd reason:

For example, icicles kill 100 people a year in Russia, hippos kill 2900 people in Africa a year, and here in the US, 450 people die every year from falling out of bed.

Now, I don’t want you to look up warily every time you walk under an awning in the winter, as the odds of encountering any of these scenarios are oh, so slim. But you better watch out for that bed!

Where I’m going with this is that you never know what’s waiting around the corner, be it a lightning strike, or winding up on the business end of a hippo. You and I both know that most of us don’t prepare for the possibility of a sudden medical emergency and the associated financial strains these put on us.

Now, maybe you’ve got it all together and are prepared for a seemingly insane eventuality, or perhaps you don’t. Either way, we’d love to talk with you about your plan to see where you stand. Give us a call at 513-563-PLAN (7526) or click here to book a call. Odds are that we can help you one way or another.

Regards,
Nikki Earley, CFP®