Free to print
Everything a household needs to get its papers in order, from the full Home Binder to a kit for retiring. Print them, or fill them in on screen and save a copy.
I once thought about bundling all of these into a book called “What No One Told Us.” It would have been the book I wished for after “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” got us through the baby years and then left us on our own, right as life with kids and aging parents got complicated.
In the end, I would rather give them away. Helping families get organized, and helping people in general, is what I love doing, and we really hope you find these useful.
They do the most when they are connected to Hubstone, where the details stay current and the reminders arrive on time. Not everyone is comfortable keeping personal information online, though, so each one also works completely on its own. Print it on plain paper, or fill it in on screen and save it to your own computer. Nothing you write comes to us, and there is no email or sign-up.
The one thing we ask: they are copyrighted. Print them, fill them in and share them with family and friends as often as you like. Just please do not copy them to sell somewhere else, or karma, and possibly our attorney, will find you.
Jessie, Hubstone
The house, the household and the family story. Keep them where the next person will look.
68 pages
The house and everything in it: who to call, where things shut off, and the record for every appliance.
53 pages
Your household’s important papers, where each original is, and who can see it.
14 pages
Your family tree, stories, traditions and recipes, health history, heirlooms and who they are for, and a letter to the family.
Keeping the house, the cars and the boat running, and a record of what was done.
23 pages
The shutoffs, systems and filters to write down, plus a maintenance schedule and a cleaning schedule.
19 pages
Cars, boats, RVs, motorcycles and trailers: records, maintenance, boat season and safety, new drivers, and what to do after an accident.
Shorter kits for one moment in a family’s life. Each one goes with a guide.
42 pages
Finding a direction, choosing college, a trade or the military, paying for it, health insurance and credit, and moving out.
26 pages
Choosing an agent, getting a house ready, buying, escrow and insurance explained, renting and reviewing a lease, packing, and every address to change.
41 pages
An aging parent or a spouse: permissions, Social Security and Medicare, speaking up, moving to care, the house, and driving.
15 pages
Your accounts and income on one page, Social Security and Medicare dates, and the paperwork that changes.
39 pages
How it all works when you turn 65, your coverage on one page, the mail that matters, how supplements and Advantage plans really work, and what to ask in the hospital.
23 pages
When someone dies: the first month, the calls, the paperwork, and settling the estate.
16 pages
The papers, accounts and updates that come with separating, in the order you will need them.
13 pages
Service records, time apart, moves on orders, and the benefits your family has earned.
11 pages
Who is family on paper, how two households work, and where the money and estate go.
12 pages
Your child on one page, the school plan, the benefits, and the plan for when you cannot be there.
12 pages
The person on one page, their support and benefits, and the plan for the years ahead.
Plain-language guides to the decisions behind the pages: the documents, the conversations and the money. Every binder and kit links to the guides it goes with.
The papers someone will ask for, and where they live.
It's not morbid. It's not greedy. It's the most caring thing you can do before something makes it urgent. Here's how to start the conversation, and what to cover once you do.
10 min readThe supply list, the categories, and a Saturday plan. About $20 if you buy the folders, nothing if you already own them.
6 min readFive ways to organize next of kin documents, what each one costs, and the question all five of them leave open.
6 min readWhat comes in the box, what the three versions cost, who it suits, and the part that decides whether it works.
7 min readLiving wills, DNR orders, and POLST forms, the documents that speak for you when you can't
The small form that overrides your entire estate plan
The document that can save your family, or destroy it, depending on how it's done.
How the legal process of transferring assets works, and how to minimize it
The full document checklist, category by category, including the six things families almost always leave out.
8 min readWhat to keep for good, what to keep for a few years, and what you can shred once it has done its job.
3 min readHow your family gets into your phone, your email and your photos if you cannot, and the settings that make it possible.
3 min readWho to call, where everything is, who can reach what, and what you want. One page that makes the rest findable.
3 min readWho to call, who decides, and who already knows.
What it means to be the person everyone calls, and how to be ready
How to coordinate care, share the load, and not destroy your family in the process
The attorney, accountant, advisor and agent who already know your affairs, and how to make sure your family can find them.
3 min readWhat someone needs to feed and care for your animals tomorrow, and how to make sure they are looked after if you cannot come home.
3 min readThe service papers your family will be asked for, what to have in place before a deployment, and what to carry yourself on a PCS move.
3 min readLooking after a parent or a spouse, and paying for it.
The financial, legal, and emotional terrain of spousal caregiving
Deductibles, networks, EOBs, and the system that counts on your confusion
How to find, vet, and manage in-home caregivers without making expensive mistakes
What it is, when to consider it, and how it changes end-of-life care
The documents, decisions, and conversations you need before a crisis forces them
Tracking, costs, generics, and the information your pharmacist wishes you knew
A family's real guide to dementia, the logistics, the grief, and the decisions
The emotional, logistical, and financial reality of one of the hardest transitions
Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, and the gap in between. A guide to navigating elder care costs.
One page per person: doctors, conditions, surgeries and where the records are, ready for an ER visit or a new specialist.
3 min readA one-page profile of your child, the IEP or 504 plan, the benefits and their renewal dates, and how to leave money without costing them benefits.
3 min readThe person on one page, the benefits and what has to be reported, who helps make decisions, and who steps in next.
3 min readWhat you have, what you owe, and who can reach it.
The money conversations stepfamilies need to have, and usually avoid
The accounts, assets, and obligations that outlast the marriage. A practical guide to protecting your finances during divorce.
How debt becomes a family issue, and how to navigate it together
How to know if you have enough, what kind you need, and what to do with what you have
The systems, conversations, and decisions couples never teach each other
The VA benefits, education programs, and survivor protections most families never claim
Every recurring charge in one place, what it costs, when it renews, and how to cancel it.
3 min readWhat to gather first, which accounts and passwords to change, and every form that still names your former spouse after the decree.
3 min readWhy stepchildren do not inherit by default, what a stepparent can sign, and the beneficiary forms blended families most often forget.
3 min readThe house, what is in it, and the ones you rent out.
The professional operations layer most homeowners never build, and pay for it constantly
What's covered, what isn't, and how to find out before you file a claim
The preventive operations system every homeowner should have, and almost none do
Budgets, contractors, permits, and everything that surprises first-timers
12 min readThe taxes, decisions, and family dynamics of receiving real estate. Learn about stepped-up basis, property taxes, and how to decide whether to keep, rent, or sell inherited property.
The operational reality of owning more than one home, and the system that makes it survivable.
The maintenance, costs, and decisions they don't cover at closing
12 min readWhat No One Tells You About Running a Vacation Rental Like a Professional - The systems, vendors, and operations layer that separates hobbyists from operators.
The financial, emotional, and logistical reality of one of life's biggest transactions
14 min readWhat to organize when you sell, rent, transfer, or pass on a home. Capture institutional knowledge, create documentation packages, and ensure a smooth property handoff.
College, the first apartment, the first job, and the house after they go.
The identity, financial, and operational reality of the transition nobody prepares you for
The FAFSA, EFC, merit aid, and everything families find out too late
The money conversations families avoid, and the ones that change outcomes
9 min readBeyond the application, the legal, financial, and logistical reality of the launch
Beyond the application, the financial, legal, and logistical reality of launch
The practical adulting guide parents wish existed, and can give their kid
The financial and benefits decisions most 22-year-olds get wrong, and how parents can help
How to figure out what fits before choosing college, a trade or the military, using free tools and a few honest conversations.
3 min readThe decisions that set what college costs and what it leads to, and how to compare offers side by side.
3 min readRegistered apprenticeships, union programs, trade schools and community college, and the questions to ask before signing anything.
3 min readHow enlisting and officer programs work, the ASVAB, MEPS and the Delayed Entry Program, and what has to be in the contract.
3 min readThe first week, and the paperwork that follows.
A note on the “we”
You will notice these pages move back and forth between I and we. That is on purpose. The I is me. The we is the wonderful family I chose: neighbors and book club friends who openly shared what they know, what they have lived through and what they learned the hard way. Thank you, all of you.
Would you like to become part of the we? Leave a comment, request a new kit, or add your own experience. These pages keep growing with your help.
Request a kitAdd your experienceLeave a comment
Or write to jessiekaz@hubstone.com
General information, not legal, medical or financial advice. Requirements differ by state.