Are you nearing your second half?
What nobody tells you about the 10 years surrounding retirement.
It isn't the downhill side — it's the part where you finally know what you're doing. Medicare, money, family, and everything in between: checked, dated, and written in plain English.
We built this because most sites either patronize this stage of life or ignore it entirely. This one won't do either. Short, straight answers — no jargon, no fine print you need a magnifying glass for, no assumption that getting older means slowing down.
— The Second Half Guide
Just published
The newest pieces. Everything stays filed under its topic below — this is simply what went up most recently.
We built the retirement calculator we wanted to exist
Most calculators stop at the Social Security check. Ours follows the decision into savings, spending, work, couples and Medicare timing.
NewThe 2027 Medicare plan numbers, and what an average can’t tell you
CMS projects lower 2027 Medicare Advantage premiums, a $700 Part D deductible and a $2,400 cap. What a national average can't tell you about your…
NewETIAS: the EU travel authorization that isn’t live yet
ETIAS, Europe's €20 travel authorization, has no start date, and sites charging for it aren't the EU. What actually applies to Americans at the…
NewThe medical equipment fraud crackdown, and what to check on your own statement
CMS barred 11 equipment suppliers tied to $3.4 billion in suspected fraudulent billing. What to actually check on your own Medicare statement.
NewCMS canceled 760,000 Marketplace enrollments over fraud concerns
CMS canceled 315,000 Marketplace enrollments covering 760,000 people over fraud concerns. How to check whether your own coverage was affected.
NewThe Medicare Advantage debit card rule arriving in 2027
Starting in 2027, Medicare Advantage debit cards check purchases in real time and unused balances no longer roll into the next year. What changed.
NewMedicare’s sales rules loosen on October 1
Medicare's sales rules loosen October 1 -- shorter call recordings, no SOA wait. What changed, and the two protections that did not.
What we're covering
Eighty-two pieces published so far — the dates, thresholds and dollar figures worth knowing as you approach 60, plus the parts of this stage that have nothing to do with paperwork. Tell us what to write next in the form below.
Medicare & health insurance
Enrollment windows, what the drug cap really covers, and where Medicare stops working.
Money & the tax year
The dated facts — deduction amounts, claiming ages, the thresholds that move each year.
Paperwork that matters
Wills, beneficiary forms, digital accounts — explained without the law-school vocabulary.
Scam & fraud protection
The current phone, email, and gift-card scams — and exactly what to do if one gets through.
Aging in place
The home changes that actually matter — and the ones that are just upsells.
Travel & discounts
Where the real discounts are, what changes at the airport, and the logistics that decide whether a big trip works.
Grandparenting & family
Staying close across the distance — and the boundaries that keep everyone happy.
What matters most to you right now?
Pick as many as you like, or just write in. We're building the first guides from what people actually ask for.
We set the type larger than most sites and picked a typeface built for easier reading, on purpose. If anything here is still hard to read, that's useful for us to know — say so in the form above.