Purpose
Design an ordinary week after full-time work
Replace the quiet gifts of work with a few dependable anchors for people, movement, purpose, learning, and open time.
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Explore what matters now.
Search the full field guide, or browse by the part of life you're thinking about. Every guide uses plain language and links to its sources.
Guide library results
37 guides across later life
Money
Make a retirement income map before making withdrawals
See pensions, benefits, savings, work, taxes, and irregular costs in one household view before choosing a withdrawal sequence.
Money
Social Security
How Social Security works, from payroll taxes and work credits to benefit formulas, COLAs, spousal and survivor benefits, taxes on benefits, and the trust fund outlook, plus how to apply.
Money
When to claim Social Security
Claiming Social Security at 62, at full retirement age, or at 70 changes your check permanently. The math behind each choice, how couples coordinate, and the mistakes that cost the most.
Money
401(k)
How employer 401(k) plans work, with 2026 contribution limits, employer matching and vesting rules, traditional versus Roth accounts, fees, loans, rollover choices, and required distributions.
Legal
Advance directives
Living wills and health care proxies put your medical wishes in writing and name who decides when you cannot. How the documents work, how to complete them free, and where to keep them.
Home
Aging in place
Most people over 50 want to stay in their own homes as they age. What that takes in practice: honest cost numbers, what Medicare does and does not pay for, home changes, technology, and backup plans.
Money
Annuities
What annuities are, how each type works, current immediate-annuity payout levels, the fees and surrender charges to check, state guaranty protection, and the sales tactics that deserve suspicion.
Money
Budgeting in retirement
Retirement spending is not flat. It dips through the middle years and rises with health costs late. How to build a budget around guaranteed income, health care, inflation, and the surprises.
Money
Catch-up contributions
Savers 50 and older can put extra money into 401(k)s, IRAs, and HSAs each year. The 2026 catch-up amounts, the new super catch-up for ages 60-63, and the Roth rule for higher earners.
Home
Compare housing options without letting labels decide
Evaluate cost, care, contract, location, community, transport, and the next level of support, not just the building tour.
Home
Continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs)
CCRCs promise a home for life, from independent living through nursing care, in exchange for an entrance fee and monthly charges. How the four contract types differ and how to vet a community's finances.
Home
Downsizing
Selling the family home for something smaller can free up money and effort, but commissions, capital gains taxes, and property tax quirks complicate the math. How the numbers work and how people decide.
Legal
Estate planning
Wills, trusts, probate, and beneficiary forms: how property actually passes at death, what the 2026 estate and gift tax rules are, and why documents need updating after every major life event.
Money
FIRE movement
Financial independence, retire early. Where FIRE came from, how the 25x rule connects to the 4 percent rule, the lean, fat, coast, and barista variants, and what the math offers people 50 and older.
Legal
Funeral planning
What funerals actually cost, your rights under the FTC Funeral Rule, cremation and green alternatives, why prepaying carries real risks, veterans benefits, and the first steps when someone dies.
Home
Home modifications
What it costs to make a house safer for aging, room by room: grab bars, walk-in showers, stair lifts, ramps, and better lighting, plus the funding sources and renter rights that can help pay for the work.
Money
Individual retirement account (IRA)
Traditional IRAs offer tax-deferred retirement saving outside the workplace. 2026 contribution limits and deduction income ranges, spousal IRAs, rollovers versus transfers, penalty exceptions, and RMDs.
Money
Long-term care insurance
More than half of people turning 65 will need long-term care, and Medicare does not pay for most of it. What traditional and hybrid policies cover and cost, who qualifies, and the alternatives.
Technology
Make a digital legacy plan without sharing every password
Inventory important accounts, choose legacy contacts, record wishes for files and subscriptions, and store access instructions securely.
Health
Make a preventive-care calendar you can actually use
Bring screenings, vaccines, medicines, vision, hearing, dental care, and questions into one reviewable plan with your clinicians.
Technology
Passwords, passkeys, and trusted access without a sticky-note system
Use a reputable password manager, multifactor authentication, recovery contacts, and a separate emergency-access plan.
Money
Pensions
A guide to defined benefit pensions, from benefit formulas and vesting to the lump sum versus annuity choice, survivor protections, PBGC insurance limits, and the 2025 repeal of WEP and GPO.
Purpose
Phased retirement
Phased retirement means cutting back to part-time hours instead of stopping work all at once. How formal programs work, what informal deals look like, and the pension, 401(k), and health insurance checks to run first.
Legal
Power of attorney
A durable financial power of attorney is the single most useful incapacity document most people can sign. How it works, choosing an agent, why banks balk, and what happens without one.
Money
Required minimum distributions (RMDs)
When mandatory withdrawals from tax-deferred retirement accounts begin, how RMDs are calculated, the deadlines and penalties, qualified charitable distributions, and the 10-year rule for inherited accounts.
Money
Retirement age
There is no single retirement age in the United States. The milestones run from 55 to 75, and the ages you choose change your Social Security check, your Medicare coverage, and your taxes.
Home
Retirement communities
From 55+ neighborhoods to independent living with meals and housekeeping, retirement communities differ widely in cost and commitment. What each type includes and what to check before moving.
Money
Retirement planning
An overview of preparing for retirement, with savings benchmarks by age, 2026 account limits, the main sources of retirement income, frequent mistakes, and a checklist for the final five working years.
Money
Retirement withdrawal strategies
How to turn savings into income that lasts. The 4 percent rule and the research since, guardrails and buckets, sequence risk, which accounts to tap first, RMDs, and annuitized income floors.
Home
Retiring abroad
More than 700,000 people collect Social Security outside the US. The visas retirees actually use in Mexico, Portugal, Panama, Costa Rica, and Spain, what happens to Medicare and taxes, and the downsides.
Money
Reverse mortgages
A reverse mortgage lets homeowners 62 and older turn home equity into cash with no monthly payments. How HECMs work in 2026, what they cost, the built-in protections, and when they help or hurt.
Legal
Review beneficiaries after life changes, not just at retirement
Check retirement accounts, insurance, payable-on-death arrangements, and backup beneficiaries after relationships or plans change.
Money
Roth IRA
Roth IRAs turn after-tax contributions into tax-free retirement income: 2026 income limits, the five-year rules, withdrawal ordering, conversions and the backdoor Roth, and no lifetime RMDs.
Money
Senior discounts
Where senior discounts actually live and when they start: the federal lands pass at 62, Amtrak at 65, store days at 55, property tax relief and utility help, plus when the senior price is not the best price.
Relationships
Talk about family help without making money the only language
Clarify the request, protect dignity, discuss fairness openly, document agreements, and keep your own long-term security visible.
Money
Taxes in retirement
How Social Security, 401(k) withdrawals, Roth accounts, and capital gains are each taxed in 2026, plus the temporary senior deduction, state differences, IRMAA surcharges, and paying as you go.