Notes from the family filing cabinet.

One short read a week on the paperwork of real life — what changed, what to check, what to keep. Every post links the sources it leans on.

Taxes & records

The receipts worth keeping past tax day (and the ones to shred)

Seven years for some, forever for others, nothing at all for most. A shred calendar for the paper — and the photos of paper — piling up at home.

2 min · September 21, 2026

After a loss

What to do with a loved one's phone: the 30-day digital checklist

Their phone holds the two-factor codes, the photos and the subscriptions. Here's the order to work in before the battery dies and the accounts lock.

2 min · September 15, 2026

Estate planning

Beneficiary forms beat your will — a 20-minute autumn check-up

The forms on your 401(k), IRA and life insurance decide who gets the money, whatever your will says. Here's how to check them in one sitting.

2 min · September 8, 2026