No spouse or kids
Solo Aging
Aging alone without family means no default decision-maker. Who to name instead, how care gets arranged and paid for, and how to live alone safely.
Articles in Solo Aging
Planning on your own
Who Will Take Care of Me When I'm Old If I Don't Have Kids?
Mostly people you pay and people you named in writing. What care cost in 2025, who arranges it when nobody's coming, and the three moves to make now.
Solo Aging: How to Plan for Aging Without a Spouse or Kids
Aging without a spouse or kids? A calm, step-by-step plan — care network, the four legal documents, who decides if you can't, and how to fund a solo old age.
What Is an Elder Orphan? The Definition, the Real Numbers, and What to Do
No spouse, no kids, no one to call? What “elder orphan” actually means, the verified numbers behind it, what legally happens if you name no one — and the first three things to put in writing.
The Best Books for Solo Agers (2026): What to Read If You're Aging Without a Spouse or Kids
Four books for aging without a spouse or kids, compared honestly — who each one is for, and which question it actually answers.
Who decides for you
What Happens If You Have No Next of Kin? Medical Decisions, Your Money, and Your Estate
Who decides for you in the hospital, who handles your money, and who gets your estate when there's no family. A state-by-state table of whether a friend counts.
Who Can Be Your Power of Attorney If You Have No Family?
A friend, a neighbor, a former coworker or a paid professional fiduciary. Who qualifies, who can't serve, how to ask, and why your backup should be younger than you.
Paying for care with no one to arrange it
Is Long-Term Care Insurance Worth It If You're Single?
No spouse to give free care changes the math. 2026 premiums for singles, who should buy and who should skip it, the 2026 tax deduction, and the Medicaid fallback.
The Best Long-Term Care Books (2026): Paying for It vs. Actually Arranging It
Paying for care is a well-covered shelf. Arranging it — hiring, vetting, running it, and who does that if you can't — is nearly empty. Which book covers which half, compared honestly.
Assisted Living vs. Nursing Home: How to Tell Them Apart
The real difference between assisted living, nursing homes, and long-term care — what each provides, why Medicare usually won't pay the bill, the 100-day skilled-nursing rule, and who actually pays.
How Do You Qualify for Medicaid for Long-Term Care?
How Medicaid pays for long-term care when Medicare won't — means-testing, state-specific income and asset limits, the 5-year look-back, spousal impoverishment protections, and why an elder-law attorney usually pays for itself.
Retiring before 65: coverage until Medicare
Health Insurance Before Medicare: Your Options Before 65
Retiring before 65 leaves a coverage gap until Medicare. The four ways to bridge it — and why your income is the biggest lever in 2026.
The Best Health Insurance Books for Early Retirees (2026): What to Read Before You Retire at 58
Nearly every retirement healthcare book starts at 65 — the day your problem ends. What actually covers the gap before Medicare, compared honestly, plus the free sources that beat a book.
What Should I Do in the 5 Years Before I Retire?
The pre-retirement checklist for the five-year countdown — confirm your income covers real spending, solve healthcare before and at 65, time Social Security, clear debt, and get the documents done — in priority order, not a random to-do list.
How Do I Prepare for Retirement in My 60s?
A calm, year-by-year plan for your 60s — catch-up savings, bridging health coverage to Medicare, when to claim Social Security, and the paperwork — so day one feels like freedom, not a cliff.
Living alone, safe and connected
Help for Seniors Living Alone: Daily Check-Ins, Free Services and Who to Call
Living alone? The free daily check-in calls, the meal delivery that doubles as a wellness visit, and the one number that finds both near you.
What Home Modifications Do You Need to Age in Place?
A room-by-room guide to aging-in-place home modifications — bathroom, stairs, lighting, and floors that let an older adult stay safely at home, plus what to fix first and when to think bigger.
How Can Seniors Prevent Falls? Exercises and Home Safety That Work
Falling isn't an inevitable part of aging. The exercises, checks, and home fixes that cut fall risk — straight from the CDC and NIA.
How to Make Friends After Retirement (and Beat Loneliness)
Where to actually meet people after 60 — and how to turn a friendly hello into a real friendship. Plus why it matters for your health.
Solo Travel After 60: A First-Timer's Guide
Plan a safe, confident first solo trip after 60 — meeting people, staying safe, picking destinations, and traveling alone without feeling lonely.
Put the person you chose in writing
With no spouse or children, nobody has automatic authority over your bank accounts, and most states' default medical lists put a friend at the bottom, if they list one at all. Trust & Will's Will Plan ($199, October 2026) covers the paperwork that changes that: a will, a power of attorney, a living will naming your health care agent, and a HIPAA authorization so the hospital will talk to that person. Planning around Medicaid? Use an elder-law attorney instead.We may earn a commission if you buy through this link — at no extra cost to you. We only point to tools we'd use ourselves.
Compare will vs. trust →Planners & Books
Gift guides
Practical Christmas Gifts for Seniors: 20 Useful Ideas They'll Actually Use
22 practical, useful gift ideas for seniors — easier everyday living, comfort and mobility, staying safe at home, and the parent or grandparent who has everything.
The Best Gifts for Retirees: 23 Christmas Ideas They'll Actually Use
15 gift ideas a new retiree will actually use — for travelers, homebodies, and hobbyists, plus gifts that aren't stuff.
Travel Gifts for Seniors: 21 Christmas Ideas for the Retiree Who Loves to Travel
21 travel gifts and gear ideas for seniors who love to travel — comfort for long trips, smart packing, staying safe and connected on the road, and the traveler who has everything.
More to explore
Money & Security
Budgeting, scams & fraud, Social Security
Estate & Legacy
Estate, end-of-life, the emergency binder
Caregiving
Aging parents, the sandwich generation & caregiver care
Health & Aging Well
Fall prevention, staying active & sharp
Home & Place
Downsizing, decluttering, aging in place
Live Your Best Life
Travel, hobbies, friendship, and purpose