Originally published in FORCE Magazine – November (Thanksgiving Edition)
This is an article I wrote for FORCE Magazine this November for Thanksgiving that went live, and I want to share it with my beloved subscribers. Thank you for being here—and for letting me bring value into your life.
As we move through the Christmas season, gratitude doesn’t disappear after Thanksgiving. If anything, it deepens. The year slows down. Conversations turn inward. We think about family, health, income, and the life we’re responsible for protecting.
Gratitude is easy. Protection takes courage.
When Gratitude Meets Reality
This year, I am deeply grateful simply to be alive and whole—professionally and personally—after a whirlwind.
In January, I navigated a complete leadership reset: a new firm, new team, and entirely new systems. Everything I thought I knew about finance had to be relearned—and sometimes unlearned.
In July, I closed a ten-year chapter of my life with grace, mutual respect, and a shared-custody arrangement for our young daughter. I am thankful for that, too.
But here’s the truth many people avoid:
Gratitude without protection is fragile.
So I had to ask myself the same question I now ask my clients:
What are you thankful for—and what are you doing to protect it?
The Gratitude List We All Share
Most people are thankful for the same things:
Being alive—the simple miracle of breath
The people we love: parents, partners, children, even the fur baby at our feet
A roof that’s ours, income that supports it, and progress we’ve worked hard to build
Beautiful.
Now the harder question:
How durable is that gratitude when life swerves?
Risk Management Is Love in Action
We can’t bubble-wrap life. But we can design structures that hold when the unpredictable happens.
Accidents. Illness. Job loss. Market shocks. Living longer than our money.
That’s what risk management really is—love translated into systems.
And it’s the difference between hope and preparedness.
The Five Pillars of Durable Planning
1) Term Life Insurance – Protect Against the Unthinkable
A pure, temporary safety net designed to replace income and clear liabilities if death happens too soon.
Gut-check: If you weren’t here tomorrow, could your family stay in the same home, same schools, same future?
2) Disability Income Insurance – Protect Your Paycheck
Your income funds everything. A major illness or injury can derail it instantly.
Gut-check: Could you cover essentials for 12–24 months without your paycheck?
3) Cash Reserves – Protect the Near Term
Life throws $2,000 problems on $0 days.
Gut-check: Do you have 3–6 months of fixed expenses in an accessible account—no market risk, no penalties?
4) Cash-Value Life Insurance – Protect Against Sequence & Tax Risk
When properly structured, it becomes a long-term asset with tax-advantaged growth and access through policy loans. It can serve as a non-correlated bucket during market downturns or high-tax years.
Gut-check: If the market drops early in retirement, do you have a steady bucket to draw from while your portfolio recovers?
5) Annuities – Protect Against Outliving Your Money
Longevity is a blessing—and a real financial risk. Certain annuities provide guaranteed lifetime income that markets can’t promise.
Gut-check: If you live 30+ years in retirement, what income keeps the lights on when withdrawals don’t?
Your Thanksgiving-to-Christmas Durability Checklist
Consider this a simple kitchen-table audit:
Life insurance: Coverage that matches obligations
Disability income: Meaningful income replacement
Emergency fund: 3–6 months liquid
Diversified buckets: At least one non-market asset
Longevity plan: A clear income pathway
Estate basics: Updated beneficiaries, wills, or trusts
If you already have these in place—fantastic.
Now ask: Are they sized right? Titled right? Coordinated properly?
Good intentions alone don’t protect families.
Common “I’ll Get to It Later” Traps
Under-insuring because you “have some”
Relying only on market accounts for retirement income
Skipping disability coverage
Treating cash value like a rainy-day fund instead of a strategy
No trigger plan—who does what, in what order, when something happens?
From Grateful to Guarded: A Simple Framework
Inventory reality: Liabilities, expenses, dependents, assets
Model scenarios: Death, disability, market downturns
Close the gaps: Right-size coverage, build reserves, formalize longevity
This isn’t about fear. It’s about freedom.
The freedom to celebrate the holidays with a deeper exhale—because you’ve built a structure that protects the people you love, even when you can’t be there.
Final Thought
If any of this stirred a quiet “hmm… I’m not sure I’m fully covered,” let’s talk.
Wishing you a season of gratitude that lasts longer than a holiday.
—Dr. Linh Trinh An, DMA
Risk Management Advisor | Founder & CEO, Money Umbrella LLC
Disclosure: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized financial, tax, or legal advice. Product availability and features vary by carrier and state. Consult your own advisors before implementing any strategy.
