The Letter of Final Instructions
In many households, one spouse or partner will handle most of the financial and business matters. The other person often has little or no involvement in these matters.  This issue has been exacerbated over the past thirty years as many of these matters are now handled digitally which makes it even more difficult to pick up these duties without good documentation and an up-to-date status of all accounts.
I have done a zoom presentation to North Carolina government retirees numerous times in the past year about The Letter of Final Instructions.

I have a question for my fellow humble members of this Forum.
I’ve often heard financial professionals discourage borrowing from a 401(k) plan, citing what they call a “double taxation” issue. The claim goes like this: when you repay your 401(k) loan, you use after-tax money, and then later, when you withdraw funds from your 401(k) in retirement, you’ll pay taxes again on that same money. Therefore, they say, you’re taxed twice.
While there are many valid pros and cons to taking a 401(k) loan,

I read with great interest what happened to a widow whose husband died unexpectedly and she had to deal with the finances. The article which should be available without a subscription is below:
https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/widow-financial-planning-36ce4608?st=AM25UW&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
I wanted to know what do HD readers do to prevent something similar from happening to them. Is there a checklist that you review every so often with your spouse or someone who will handle your finances after you are gone.
I look forward to your wisdom.

The projected IRMAA premiums for 2026 start at $109,000 for a single person and $218,000 for married filing jointly.
The median household income in the US is about $83,730 (2024). And many workers pay far more for health insurance than any Medicare premium. 
The median household income for those age 65 and older is around $56,680 with significant variations by race and ethnicity- several much lower – roughly a quarter of the IRMAA threshold.
And yet,

SOME NEWS STORIES are unusual in ways that it’s hard to know what to make of them. Such is the case with the recent collapse of a relatively unknown company called First Brands.
On the surface, it might seem like a mundane story. First Brands is an auto parts supplier, making commodity items like brake pads and windshield wipers. The company was founded in 2013 by a fellow named Patrick James, who built it up over the years by acquiring several other,

MOST PEOPLE THINK their retirement accounts are completely locked until age 59½ due to the 10% early withdrawal penalty, but that’s not really true. There are many ways to access your money earlier without the penalty, and knowing them can give you flexibility. Of course, you shouldn’t be touching your retirement accounts unless you’re ready to retire.
Here are some distributions that are not subject to the 10% penalty, per the IRS list:

Birth or adoption (up to $5,000 per child)
Series of substantially equal payments (72t)
First-time homebuyer (up to $10,000,

My absolute favorite things are the living and breathing things in my life; Chrissy, my kids, grandkids, friends, and even Sophie the wondercat. But this article is about the inanimate objects that make me happy, without breaking the bank.
Our house, at 1900 square feet, is neither tiny nor large. It is nice, easy to clean and big enough to host my favorite living things. We live on plat three. Plat four is under construction. Last week we took a drive to the new section.

My electric utility is using AI analysis of my usage patterns to determine how my home uses electricity. For example, identifying various appliances by their energy signature. For several months it has been providing me with a summary.
Is this useful?  Well, knowing this implies I can make changes if I choose to exercise some control.  For example, altering my cooling thermostat setting.  Of course, ambient, outdoor temperatures and amount of sunlight are a factor.  Or,

The first is adequately providing for a surviving spouse/partner. While this can be accomplished in different ways depending on circumstances, there is absolutely no excuse for leaving a survivor with financial stress, none.
For our part, Connie has survivor annuities from my pensions, Social Security, life insurance covering two years expenses, her own very small annuity, income from our investments and the portfolio itself.  
Needless to say, the age difference between partners is a factor in any strategy. 

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Educational and funny
 

It’s Halloween, l thought we could have a little scary story today…Booo👻
Mark stared into the glowing screen, watching the blood drain from his reflection. Twenty-three years feeding the warehouse beast, and the numbers whispered their cruel truth: $47,000. A ghost of what might have been.
The employer match had waited, an unopened door. But there were other hungers, other demons whispering of pleasures that couldn’t wait, of tomorrows that never arrived.
“Should’ve saved more,” he breathed into the frigid air,

While I am not too worried about arranging a maximally productive schedule in retirement, I am curious about what readers’ daily schedule looks like in retirement.
Mine so far is wake up when I wake up, sit outside with a hot cup of coffee as I run through my gratitudes, respond to emails, blog and do research for fun, eat lunch, do any household chores/projects, hike a few miles with my wife, read, eat supper, and then read/watch British mysteries on TV.  

I guess it’s one of those dreams, when retirement finally comes, buying a coastal property and living by the sea. It’s an appealing scenario, and a lot of people make the leap to live their best life at the coast. But if you’re thinking about it, have you considered the extra weather and environmental risks of living near the sea?
Although I don’t permanently live at the coast, I do have a vacation property within a few hundred feet of the sea.

From time to time, I run across a news story that has the form of an “old master painting hanging for years in a local place, discovered to be a lost work of some great painter, worth millions.”
I have been trying ever so slowly to throw away things I no longer use.  I realize that some stuff may have actual value.  I found the photographer of polar bears playing I bought for my son’s room has become quite distinguished–the last sale was $1475 on eBay.

When I was growing up in a loving but economically stretched household, birthdays and Christmas presents were nice. But what really rang my bell was a gift of cash. These sometimes materialised when an aunt or uncle couldn’t think of anything better. As a kid those crisp notes were full of potential, self-directed treats, a true treasure.
My parents were exclusively a cash using family; if there was ever any excess it ended up in a bank savings account or credit union.