October 2026

Small business owners spend a great deal of time planning for growth. They think about new clients, staffing, equipment, pricing and the next opportunity. Far fewer spend time on a less comfortable question: what would happen if the owner simply could not work for a month?

Open enrollment has a way of arriving when life is already busy. A benefits email appears, a deadline is several weeks away, and it is tempting to click through the same choices you made last year. For many households, that means one of the most important financial decisions of the fall gets less attention than a routine online purchase.