If one of life's crises were to come your way, would you be prepared? I'm talking the big ones, the disasters we're all afraid of: divorce, death of a spouse, disability, job loss.

Although there are clearly emotional sides to every one of these, I'm actually focusing on financial preparedness. A recent survey by AARP Financial found that while 60 percent of Americans between the ages of 40 and 79 have experienced a life crisis, many of us are simply not prepared.

In fact, 51 percent of people surveyed say that they are unprepared to deal with the financial impact of a job loss. Forty-four percent say the same about a serious illness or disability of a spouse, and 35 percent are unprepared to handle a divorce.

Part of the reason, to be sure, is that on a superstitious level, we're afraid that preparing for these kinds of things will end up making them happen. Acknowledging the possibility makes it real. In our minds, it makes sense, but on paper, doesn't it sound downright silly?

Fortunately, we have the means to change this attitude. Let's go through each scenario one by one -- starting with job loss, the one that is on the top of everyone's minds these days -- and develop plans to get you prepared.

-- Job loss. No doubt there are people reading this right now who have already lost their jobs. If you're lucky enough to still have yours, you probably have friends or relatives who aren't. So first thing's first: You need emergency savings of at least six months' worth of living expenses. It seems like I've said it a million times lately, but it's certainly worth repeating. Also, keep your eyes peeled at work, says Mac Hisey, president of AARP Financial. "Find out how your business is doing. Are you losing customers? Are sales or revenues down? Are you starting to see strain in your boss or the top people in the firm? Those are very concrete things that can help you understand if your business is holding up well in this recession or not."

This is a time to be proactive. Make yourself indispensable at work, and outside of work, get back into networking to build up your contacts. Update your resume and start brainstorming what you'd do to generate an income in the event of a layoff. Pick up a side job if you can -- the extra income certainly won't hurt. Continued...