This week hasn’t been the best at work. It started off much like any other. We start with our sales meeting and agenda planning, and then we help customers. It didn’t feel like anything out of the ordinary. But, then we were hit with a ton of bricks.

The local police department sent a detective out to talk to a couple of us because we had witnessed and notarized a Last Will and Testament for one of our members. This isn’t anything odd, we do this a lot, so we weren’t too concerned. We figured it was probably some routine follow-up for someone who had passed. It’s unfortunate, but not anything we haven’t dealt with before.

But this time was a little different. This time it was a fairly young member…who had committed suicide. We were devastated. What’s worse, none of us could specifically remember the member in question. He wasn’t a regular at our location. The member had placed his affairs in order, though, and was rather meticulous about it. He had the will drawn up and notarized, he scheduled all of his bills for the month to go out via bill payer, and he left all the financial documents in a place for his fiancée to find. He left behind a fiancée and two children from an ex-wife.

We don’t have a lot of detail on what happened with the member; however, from what we’ve heard, the member was struggling financially and felt like he didn’t have any other options. It saddens me that he didn’t feel like he could talk to anyone about it, especially his family. But, he had a sizeable life insurance policy that didn’t have the normal suicide clause in it, so his children will be well taken care of. I suspect that those children will come to hate the money and wish for another day with their father.

Meanwhile, a friend of mine who works with a big bank called me in a panic this week because one of her clients – and family friend – jumped off the top of the highest toll road. No note, no demands, and he wasn’t willing to negotiate with the police as they tried to coax him away from the ledge. My friend explained to me that he had lost his job that day and she knew they were struggling as he had talked to her about a debt plan. She thought they had been making good progress, though. She said she wasn’t sure if his spouse worked, but that they had two small children so she didn’t think so.

She was devastated. It’s never easy to be that close to something like this. It was difficult enough to hear about it through the normal channels. But, I think the worst part for her was her family’s grief. The man was a close friend of her father’s and he was understandably shaken. My friend was also friends with the wife, who was confused and hurt that her husband felt he couldn’t talk to her. A lot of strong emotions involved in this situation. I didn’t have anything comforting to say, because really, what can you say?

These stories are not ones we like to hear, but I share them with you because I want to let everyone know that there are options. Yes, things look bleak in the economy, but giving up isn’t the answer. If you’re willing to make sacrifices on the luxuries in your life and make the hard decisions to get your finances under control, then you can get ahead. And there are places out there that can help you figure it all out.

I’m not suggesting that getting out of debt is easy, particularly if you’ve lost your job recently. But, the U.S. isn’t down and out yet. There are still jobs to be had and areas that are still doing well. I just hope that anyone reading this is safe and well, and they understand that things will get better.

Related posts:

1. A Tale of Two Lenders
2. The Magic Tale of the Chargeback
3. How to lend money to Friends without ruining the Friendship
4. 7 Habits to Financial Success – Part V
5. Financial Maxims: In Your 40s