Assisting at Home

05/18/2026

Great info!

05/14/2026

Great advice for estate planning. Take a look.

Synthesized fresh caption for estate planning checklist
🧱 Beneficiary designations override your will. If your 401(k) still lists an ex-spouse, they receive that money regardless of what the will says. Retirement accounts, life insurance, and annuities pass directly to whoever is named — the will does not apply.

A TOD (Transfer on Death) or POD (Payable on Death) designation on a bank or brokerage account works the same way. You can often add one directly at your financial institution, though state rules and account types vary.

Power of attorney documents are as important as the will itself. A healthcare POA names someone to make medical decisions if you cannot speak for yourself. A financial POA gives someone authority to manage your accounts and bills. Without these, your family may need court approval before they can act on your behalf — even in an emergency.

A living will is separate from a healthcare POA. The POA names a person; the living will documents your actual wishes for end-of-life care. Both are needed.

A trust is worth considering when you have minor children, own real estate in multiple states, want to control how and when assets are distributed, or want to keep your estate out of the public probate record.

The letter of instruction has no legal weight but may be the most practical document you leave behind. It tells your family where accounts are held, what passwords exist, and what your wishes are for things a will does not address.

Review everything every few years — and always after a marriage, divorce, birth, death, or major change in assets.



P.S. Every Friday I send a short email with the week's top post, my take on the best article I read, and what I'm writing about on the site. Link in the comments.

05/02/2026

05/01/2026

04/29/2026

Advice from the amazing Teepa Snow!

04/29/2026

🏥 As of April 1, hospitals face stronger federal penalties for not posting their prices, with civil monetary fines now up to $5,550 a day for the largest hospitals.

The rule is simple: every hospital must publish both its cash prices and its insurance-negotiated rates as a machine-readable file on its website.

Most patients never look.

One ER visit for stitches at the same hospital: $5,805 insurance-negotiated rate vs. $256.84 cash price. The CPT code was identical.

That case comes from journalist Marshall Allen, who spent his career reporting on hospital billing before he passed in 2024.

The first move on any hospital bill is to request the itemized version, which HIPAA gives the hospital 30 days to deliver.

Then check each CPT code against FairHealthConsumer webiste for what insurers actually pay in your zip.

If the hospital is nonprofit (about 60% in the U.S. are), they're required by IRS Section 501(r) to have a financial assistance policy, often covering incomes well above the federal poverty level.

01/15/2026

Please listen if you have a loved one at the “end of live” but you just aren’t sure. Your loved one is not wanting to eat or drink. It is part of the dying process. It is a part of the end of life.