The key to successfully surviving these life-changing events, financially at least, is to anticipate hard times, shore up your financial situation now, and give yourself some breathing room.

Build an emergency fund to get you through the rough times. You'll need three months' living expenses as a minimum, more if your industry is subject to prolonged layoffs.

Set money aside every month. But unlike retirement savings, keep your emergency savings fairly liquid, in a savings account or a money market fund. Hopefully you will never need it. But if you do, you'll be glad it's there.