The blog

Leave your family the map, not the mess.

Plain answers for the woman holding the family's paperwork. Read one, and take one step this week.

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Talking with your parent

How to Talk to a Stubborn Aging Parent About Getting Help

She isn't refusing help. She's protecting her say over her own life. A calm, five-step way to start the conversation, with words you can use tonight.

After a loss

What to Do When a Parent Dies: The First Week, in Order

A calm, plain-language list of what to do in the first week after a parent dies, in the order it usually happens, and what can wait.

Digital accounts

How to Get Into a Parent's Phone and Accounts After They Die

Why families get locked out of a parent's phone, email, and accounts after a death, what Apple and Google allow, and the three things to write down now.

Planning ahead

How to Plan for Aging Parents Before a Crisis

A plain-language way to plan for aging parents before something happens: the five things to gather, in order, using the P.E.A.C.E. method.

After a loss

Social Security Survivor Benefits: The One Call That Starts the Money

Who qualifies for Social Security survivor benefits, the $255 payment, the eight things to have ready, and why waiting to call costs your family money.

Planning ahead

The 8 Papers Social Security Will Ask Your Family For (Gather Them Now)

When a parent or spouse dies, Social Security asks for eight documents before survivor benefits start. Here's the list, where each one lives, and how to gather them while everyone is still here.