Insurance is weird. Let’s unpack it.

Honest education with a dash of sarcasm. Plain answers on life insurance, retirement, taxes and estate planning.

Conceptual illustration of an oversized DENIED stamp above policy documents, with a miniature ladder and magnifying glass.

Life Insurance · The big read

Why Life Insurance Claims Get Denied—and What You Can Do

Your policy has fine print. Your family deserves fewer surprises. Learn common reasons for denials and what to do next.

2 min read

Dates that matter

Dec 7 · Medicare switch Medicare Open Enrollment ends. Your plan has to get your change by Dec. 7.
Dec 31 · RMD deadline Required minimum distributions are due, except your very first one.
Jan 15 · ACA enrollment HealthCare.gov Open Enrollment ends. Pick by Dec. 15 for coverage that starts Jan. 1.

What are you trying to figure out?

I’m reading my policyWhat the fine print in a life policy actually means.My claim got deniedCommon reasons claims get denied, and what to do next.I’m planning retirementAnnuities, 401(k)s, RMDs and the dates that matter.I want a smaller tax billDeductions, accounts and rules, in plain English.

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A man in a dark suit sits at a desk in 1918, operating a mechanical Treasury check-signing machine that holds a row of pens over a sheet of government checks, with a bookcase behind him.

Uncle Sam already has a machine for the first paycheck. The TSP is waiting for yours.Retirement

FERS Retirement Options: Uncle Sam Already Writes You a Paycheck for Life. An Annuity Is How You Teach the TSP to Do the Same.

Nov 12, 2026 · 12 min read

A wide stone staircase rising between tall wood-paneled walls, with a pair of escalators running alongside it on the left.

Your income takes the stairs. Uncle Sam charges by the step.Taxes

2027 Tax Brackets and Standard Deduction: Your Income Takes the Stairs, Not the Escalator (So Go Ahead, Take the Raise)

Nov 12, 2026 · 6 min read

A red and white FOR SALE sign taped inside a vehicle windshield, with handwritten text reading 1959 F-100, $3,500 or offer, above a windshield wiper.

Your life insurance application, as the underwriter reads it.Life Insurance

Why Your Life Insurance Quote Looks Like That: You're Being Priced Like a Used Car, Mileage, Joyrides and Fuzzy Dice Included

Nov 12, 2026 · 7 min read

Still useful

More evergreen

Close-up of the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum, its dark granite face covered in carved lines of hieroglyphic, Demotic and Greek text.

The original jargon decoder. Took scholars about 20 years. This page takes five minutes.Taxes

26 Financial Terms Explained: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Money Matters

Jan 8, 2025 · 3 min read

An open treasure chest overflowing with gold coins and jewelry, with a skull beside it.

The inheritance. The skull is what happens when nobody reads the trust.Retirement

The Ultimate Guide to Not Blowing Your Inheritance: Combining Annuities and Spendthrift Trusts Like a Financial Ninja

Jan 8, 2025 · 3 min read

Close-up of a cream wool blanket with a brown plaid pattern.

The security blanket. Moth holes sold separately, fine print included.Retirement

Annuities: Your Financial Security Blanket (Without the Moth Holes)

Jan 6, 2025 · 3 min read

Browse the archive

The sections

Browse everything

Life Insurance

the “just in case” department

Why Your Life Insurance Quote Looks Like That: You're Being Priced Like a Used Car, Mileage, Joyrides and Fuzzy Dice Included Term Life With a Pre-Existing Condition: The Underwriter Already Read Your Diary, Took Notes, and Would Like a Word How to File a Life Insurance Claim: Take a Number, Bring a Death Certificate, and Make the Insurer Pay Interest for Dawdling More in Life Insurance

Retirement

don’t outlive your money

FERS Retirement Options: Uncle Sam Already Writes You a Paycheck for Life. An Annuity Is How You Teach the TSP to Do the Same.401(k) Rollovers Explained: Direct vs. Indirect, the 60-Day Clock and the 20% Toll Booth Nobody Mentioned at Your Exit Interview Annuity Surrender Charges, Explained: The Gym-Membership Cancellation Fee of Retirement Money (Now With Math) More in Retirement

Taxes

keep the IRS calm

2027 Tax Brackets and Standard Deduction: Your Income Takes the Stairs, Not the Escalator (So Go Ahead, Take the Raise)What Can You Buy With an HSA? The IRS Runs the Velvet Rope, and Your Massage Chair Isn't on the List Missed Open Enrollment? ACA Special Enrollment Periods Are the Health Insurance Side Door, and in 2027 the Bouncer Wants to See Your Paperwork More in Taxes

Estate Planning

no family feud

When Death Do Us Part Meets Debt Do Us Start: A Guide to Not Inheriting Your Spouse's Financial Baggage Why You Need to Name Beneficiaries (Unless You Love Family Drama) More in Estate Planning

Letters to the editor

Got a question about your policy, your 401(k), or that letter from the IRS? Send it in. A licensed human reads every one, and the good ones become articles, with your name left out.