{"title":"Solo Aging","description":"\u003cp\u003eA hospital form asks for an emergency contact and you sit there with the pen up. This is the household of one: who may act for you, decided in writing while it's still your call. Who runs the care when there's no somebody to phone the agency at eight in the morning. And how you insure yourself between your last day of work and Medicare, with no spouse's plan behind you.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"health-insurance-for-the-solo-early-retiree","title":"Health Insurance for the Solo Early Retiree","description":"\u003ch3\u003eYou retired early — now you have to insure yourself until Medicare, alone\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLeaving work before 65 means leaving employer health coverage behind, and if you're a household of one there's no spouse's plan to fall back on. The years between early retirement and Medicare are where a lot of careful plans quietly spring a leak — a single wrong move on income or enrollment can cost you thousands in premiums or lost subsidies. This book is the plain-English guide to crossing that gap on your own.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Marketplace plan by plan, COBRA, and the short-term traps.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe cliff that's back for 2026, and how to stay under it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA fill-in MAGI worksheet you run on your own numbers.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSix solo scenarios worked end to end, with the math shown.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe bridge-year loop you run every fall, and the handoff at 65.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuestions people ask\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat are my health insurance options before Medicare?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFour, realistically: an ACA Marketplace plan, COBRA from the job you left, a spouse's plan, or going without and paying cash. For a household of one there is no spouse's plan, which is why this book compares the two that are left, plan by plan, and says when COBRA is genuinely the cheaper answer — it sometimes is, and usually isn't.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs COBRA or a Marketplace plan cheaper if I retire early?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eUsually the Marketplace, because a premium tax credit follows your income and COBRA doesn't — COBRA charges you the whole group premium plus an administrative fee, the share your employer used to pay included. COBRA wins in specific cases: a deductible you've already met mid-year, a drug or specialist only your old network covers, and short gaps. Six worked case studies do the math, and the free calculator runs your own numbers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow does my income affect my ACA subsidy after I retire?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eYour premium tax credit is set by your modified adjusted gross income for the year, not by what you used to earn — which means an early retiree controls it in a way a salaried worker never could. Which withdrawals you take, from which account, in which year, moves the number. The book calls it the MAGI control game and gives you a fill-in worksheet; the free ACA Subsidy Calculator shows what each choice costs before you commit to it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePaperback Book · 72 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eEducational information only — not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e","brand":"Retirement In Order","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44279910826087,"sku":"k5z4j5","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/7312\/8039\/files\/solo-early-retiree-health-insurance-thumb_cd7e34b4-31ab-4210-815e-50e7ef986049.png?v=1788725916"},{"product_id":"solo-aging","title":"Solo Aging: Living Well \u0026 Planning Ahead","description":"\u003ch3\u003eAging alone is not the same as aging without a plan\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you've just watched a parent age without a plan, you know exactly what's at stake — and you know there's no obvious person lined up to do it for you. Solo Aging comes at that fear head-on: it names it out loud, then dismantles it with a plan you can actually finish. Not a reference tome that reads like homework, but a steady, been-there friend who refuses to let you catastrophize or avoid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is a practical guide to building that missing infrastructure — the people, documents, backups, safeguards and decisions that let you stay in control of your life as you age.\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYour care network.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe legal scaffolding.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWho decides if you can't.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFunding a solo old age.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHousing while you still choose.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe human side.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuestions people ask\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is solo aging?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSolo aging is growing older without a spouse or adult children to step in — never married, divorced, widowed, or child-free. The practical problem isn't loneliness. It's that there is no default next-of-kin: hospitals, banks and courts all fall back to a relative who isn't there. So the decisions most people leave to their family, a solo ager has to make on purpose and put in writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho decides for me if I can't decide for myself?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhoever you named — or a judge, if you named no one. With no spouse and no children there is no automatic decision-maker, so an unplanned incapacity ends in guardianship and a stranger gets appointed. The book covers naming a healthcare agent and a durable power of attorney, naming backups for both, when a professional fiduciary is the right answer, and SSA's advance designation for your benefits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat legal documents does a solo ager need?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA healthcare proxy with a HIPAA authorization attached, a durable power of attorney for money, and a will or trust. The chapter on the legal scaffolding covers each one — plus the part the general guides skip: who you name when there is no obvious person, exactly how to ask them, and who backs each of them up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ePaperback Book · 146 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eEducational information only — not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Retirement In Order","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44279934943335,"sku":"n4nqj5","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/7312\/8039\/files\/solo-aging-thumb_4d46a9ca-4964-4da3-aaf7-002111ec66bd.png?v=1788725913"},{"product_id":"the-solo-series","title":"The Solo Series: Never Married","description":"\u003ch3\u003eNaming someone takes an afternoon. What you are naming them to is a job.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA hospital form asks for an emergency contact and you sit there with the pen up. Everyone else seems to have a spouse and a grown child the admissions desk can phone. You have a friend you have not asked yet, a sister two states away, and a guess about which of them would actually pick up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eWho may act for you, decided in writing while it's still your call — and what you'd be asking them to do, costed out before anyone has to ask. Two paperbacks, one parcel, free US shipping. Start with Solo Aging; the naming is the part that can't be done later.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSolo Aging — the decades ahead, and who may act for you.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHousing, funding and final wishes with no next-of-kin.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLong-Term Care — who runs the care, not just who gives it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat Medicare pays for, and the longer list it doesn't.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Care Management Map — one row per job, and the blanks.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBoth books exactly as sold separately — nothing abridged.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuestions people ask\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's actually in the bundle?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBoth paperbacks, shipped together in one parcel: Solo Aging (146 pages, 5.5x8.5) and Long-Term Care on Your Own (294 pages, 5.5x8.5). They are the same editions sold separately — nothing is abridged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy buy the pair instead of one?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBecause they are the two halves of one job, and each one is worth less without the other. Solo Aging names the people and gives them legal authority. Long-Term Care on Your Own works out what you are actually asking those people to do, what it costs, and which parts of it your county will help with. A signed document with nobody who knows what to do with it is half a plan, and the pair costs less than the two bought apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhich one should I read first?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSolo Aging, because naming a healthcare agent takes an afternoon and can't be done retroactively — and because the person you name is who the second book is written to be handed to. Then read Long-Term Care on Your Own while nothing is urgent. The work in it is research, and research is the one thing you cannot do from a hospital bed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwo Paperback Books · 440 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eEducational information only — not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Retirement In Order","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44311855235175,"sku":"n4nenn","price":47.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/7312\/8039\/files\/the-solo-series-thumb.png?v=1788725934"},{"product_id":"the-solo-series-widowed-or-divorced","title":"The Solo Series: Widowed or Divorced","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe income, the paperwork, and the care. All of it has one name on it now.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA marriage ends — by a death certificate or by a decree — and the retirement you had been planning quietly stops existing. It was built on two Social Security records, two sets of hands, and an unspoken assumption about who would handle things if you couldn't. All of that is a question with your name on it now, and the questions arrive together, while you are least able to research anything.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe benefits you are owed, the person who signs if you can't, and the care somebody has to arrange. Three paperbacks, one parcel, free US shipping. Start with the money — the rest is priced off it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy the benefit you take first may not be the one you keep.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePut who may act for you in writing while it's still your call.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat the care costs — and who runs it when you're alone.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuild a backup network for health, money, housing, and care.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePlan for aging without assuming a spouse or child steps in.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThree complete books, one reality: the plan is yours to build.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuestions people ask\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's actually in the bundle?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAll three paperbacks, shipped together in one parcel: Social Security for Widows \u0026amp; Divorced Women (132 pages), Solo Aging (146 pages) and Long-Term Care on Your Own (294 pages), all 5.5x8.5. They are the same editions sold separately — nothing is abridged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhich one should I read first?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe Social Security book, and not because it is first on the cover. What you claim, and when, sets the income the rest of the plan is built on — including what you will be able to afford when care is the bill. Solo Aging comes next, because naming a healthcare agent takes an afternoon and cannot be done retroactively. Long-Term Care on Your Own is the research, and it is the one to read while nothing is urgent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI'm divorced, not widowed. Is half of the first book wasted?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eNo — it splits at that fork and works each side to the end, so you read your half and skip the other. The divorced-spouse side is the one more people get wrong: the 10-year line, the 2-year rule, and the belief that claiming on an ex's record cuts his check or gets him told. It doesn't, and he isn't.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThree Paperback Books · 572 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eEducational information only — not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Retirement In Order","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44398270808167,"sku":"y29zpp","price":69.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/7312\/8039\/files\/the-solo-series-widowed-or-divorced-thumb_7263b14e-73f4-4c0c-881c-427cc2b9b491.png?v=1788725941"},{"product_id":"long-term-care-on-your-own","title":"Long-Term Care on Your Own","description":"\u003ch3\u003eYou are the one who has to arrange it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLong-term care is usually described as something that happens to a family. Somebody notices. Somebody calls. Somebody drives. If you are unmarried, widowed, or your children are grown and far away, there is no somebody — there is you, on hold with an agency at eight in the morning, trying to work out who is even allowed to answer your question.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDon't ask who will care for you; ask who will run the care.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe job nobody names.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat it costs, and what pays.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBringing care into your home.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRunning it and watching it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhen home stops working.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhen you can't run it yourself.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuestions people ask\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho is this book for?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe person who has to arrange their own care and has no obvious second name to put on the form — never married, divorced, widowed, child-free, or with adult children too far away to make a Tuesday-morning phone call. It is written to you, not about you, and it does not use the adult-child framing that most eldercare books run on. If you are arranging care for a parent instead, Caregiving Without Losing Yourself is the one for that job.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes Medicare pay for long-term care?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMostly not, and the book spends a full chapter on exactly where the line falls. Medicare is built around medical treatment and recovery, not the day-to-day help with bathing, dressing, and eating that long-term care actually means — and the pieces it does cover come with conditions people usually discover at the worst moment. The chapter walks the difference, then a second chapter covers what does pay for the hours. Program rules vary by state and change, so the book routes you to the office that can confirm yours rather than quoting a figure that expires.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShould I hire through an agency or hire someone directly?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIt depends on what you are willing to be responsible for, and the book lays out both columns rather than picking for you. Hiring directly usually costs less per hour and makes you the employer, with everything that word carries — taxes, coverage when your person is sick, and no backup at seven in the morning. An agency charges more and absorbs some of that. There is a full chapter on the trade, another on vetting and writing the scope of work down, and a fill-in page of hiring questions in the back.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ePaperback Book · 294 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eEducational information only — not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Retirement In Order","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44472402935911,"sku":"8md6d9","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/7312\/8039\/files\/long-term-care-on-your-own-thumb_87299340-88ef-44d0-a312-b4892ea5b4ec.png?v=1788725922"},{"product_id":"solo-series-complete-bundle","title":"The Solo Series: Complete Set","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThree of these answer who signs. The fourth answers who shows up.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe forms come first. A benefits office wants a certified copy, an insurer wants a new subscriber name, and a hospital intake screen wants an emergency contact you no longer have. You get through all of it, and for a while it feels like the hard part is behind you. It isn't. The hard part turns up years later on an ordinary Tuesday, when somebody has to phone the home-care agency and find out why the aide didn't come, and there is nobody whose job that is.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe benefits you are owed, the coverage you now buy yourself, the person who signs if you can't, and the care somebody has to arrange. Four paperbacks, one parcel, free US shipping. Start with the Social Security book — what you claim is what the rest gets priced off.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSolo Aging — who may act for you, and the papers that say so.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHealth Insurance — the subsidy cliff that's back for 2026.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSocial Security — what a marriage or a divorce still pays you.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLong-Term Care — who runs the care, not just who gives it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions people ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's actually in the bundle?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAll four paperbacks, shipped together in one parcel: Social Security for Widows \u0026amp; Divorced Women (132 pages), Health Insurance for the Solo Early Retiree (72 pages), Solo Aging (146 pages) and Long-Term Care on Your Own (294 pages), all 5.5x8.5. They are the same editions sold separately — nothing is abridged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is this different from The Solo Series: Widowed or Divorced?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIt is those three books plus Health Insurance for the Solo Early Retiree, the 72-page guide to covering yourself in the years before Medicare with no group plan behind you. The trio takes you through the income you are owed, the legal authority to act, and arranging the care itself. The fourth book is the one that matters only if you are not yet 65 — so if you are already on Medicare, buy the trio and keep the difference.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhich one should I read first?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSocial Security for Widows \u0026amp; Divorced Women, and not because it is first on the cover. What you claim, and when, sets the income figure that decides your Marketplace subsidy — so reading it second means making the coverage decision on a number you have not settled yet. The exception is a deadline: if a COBRA election window or an open enrollment is already running, read that chapter of the insurance book alongside it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFour Paperback Books · 644 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eEducational information only — not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Retirement In Order","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44482692382823,"sku":"xxq2m8","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/7312\/8039\/files\/solo-series-complete-bundle-thumb.png?v=1788725949"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.retirementinorder.com\/collections\/solo-aging.oembed","provider":"Retirement In Order","version":"1.0","type":"link"}