It’s no surprise that Covid-19 and its economic fallout revealed with shocking speed how fragile financial security is for Americans. For individuals who’ve experienced job loss during the pandemic or other unexpected changes, many have turned to friends, family and the government for support and advice on how to recover financially.

As October is Financial Planning Month, now more than ever, it’s clear that consumers need the right information to play a more active role when managing their finances and planning long term in order to build a more resilient financial future, and financial advisors can play a key role in the process.

Keep in mind that we are also living longer and a longer life span requires additional planning. Traditional retirement planning may not be enough given historically low interest rates, rising health-care costs, and the possibility of future inflation. It’s more important than ever to help your clients get an early start on retirement planning as an early start can give savings time to grow and compound.

For those who don’t know where to start, here are three things to consider and prioritize when jumping into financial planning:

• Consider Open Enrollment: According to Prudential’s 2020 Financial Wellness Census conducted in May, 26% of respondents had an income disruption (including furlough, reduced compensation or work hours), and nearly 1 in 5 (17%) saw their household income fall by half or more in the months following the outbreak. With Open Enrollment season fast approaching in November, now is the time for financial advisors to ensure their clients are taking a fresh look at their benefit choices for the coming year and selecting options that best suit their new reality.

• Get Client 401(k)s Back On Track: Covid-19 was a major setback for pre-retirees as many might have had to take a hardship withdrawal from their 401(k) to pay for immediate expenses. Bouncing back from this setback involves both employees and employers. Employees should use a retirement income calculator to see how they are progressing and ensure that they are saving at a proper rate to maintain adequate retirement income. Further, given the volatility of markets, near-retirees may wish to consider purchasing an annuity, which can provide guaranteed lifetime income similar to a pension. If they haven’t already, employers should add features to their 401(k) plans such as automatic enrollment, automatic escalation of contributions and in-plan guaranteed income products to help workers achieve more certain outcomes.

• Prioritize Creating An Emergency Fund: Financial advisors should ensure their clients are approaching their budgeting intelligently in the foreseeable future and are being smart about creating a safety net of cash that can be used to meet emergency expenses. According to our survey, Americans’ individual efforts to set aside money for emergencies paid off during the Covid-19 crisis. In 2019, 71% of respondents said they had money specifically earmarked for emergencies, up from 61% in 2018. Among those who had established a dedicated emergency savings account, the median account balance had swollen to $9,000 from $5,800 in 2018. By May 2020, 86% of those with emergency savings said they still had emergency funds on hand.

If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it’s that a crisis can be unpredictable and its effects can be far-reaching, making it critical to not wait until you’re in the thick of it to get your financial life in order. For some, planning for their own financial future may seem counterintuitive when so many people are out of work and feeling the pressure of immediate financial needs.

The act of planning, however, can provide a sense of what we most need during these uncertain times—optimism and a sense of being in control. Thoughtful financial planning is actually most relevant during periods of adversity and is always time well spent to build resiliency for future shocks.

Jim Mahaney is vice president of strategic initiatives at The Prudential Insurance Company of America..