Every piece of banking and credit advice assumes you’re managing money for yourself — or maybe for young kids who will eventually grow up and handle their own finances. Nobody writes about what happens when your dependent is 21 and will never manage a bank account on their own. My son has profound autism. He … Read more
Every parenting article about “what it costs to raise a child” uses the same USDA number — roughly $310,000 from birth to 18. Then they assume the job is done. Your kid turns 18, moves out, gets a job, starts their own life. My son is 21. He has profound autism. He can’t read, can’t … Read more
When I started researching financial planning for my son, the first question I kept running into was: “Should I get an ABLE account or a special needs trust?” The answer is both. That’s not a cop-out — it’s the reality. They do different things, protect against different risks, and cover different time horizons. Using one … Read more
When my credit score was 530, I didn’t really understand what that number meant. I knew it was bad. I knew it meant I couldn’t get approved for things. But I didn’t understand what went into it, how it was calculated, or what I could actually do to change it. Most “credit score explained” articles … Read more
Here’s the cruel math of having a special needs child: you need to save more money for their future than most parents, but the government says they can’t have more than $2,000 to their name without losing the benefits that keep them alive. Two thousand dollars. That’s the SSI resource limit. Go one dollar over … Read more
There’s a specific feeling that comes with getting denied for a credit card. It’s not just disappointment. It’s the confirmation of something you already feared — that your financial situation is as bad as you thought, and maybe worse. I got denied. After my divorce, with a 530 credit score and a pile of debt, … Read more
When your credit score is 530, the financial world has one door left open for you: the secured credit card. Every other door — regular cards, good interest rates, favorable loan terms — is closed. I know because I tried knocking on them. A secured card isn’t glamorous. There are no signup bonuses. No travel … Read more
When I first heard about ABLE accounts, it sounded almost too good to be true. A savings account for my disabled son that doesn’t count against his SSI benefits? Sign me up. Then I actually tried to open one. And use one. And figure out the rules that nobody explains in plain English. I’m not … Read more
Every debt payoff article on the internet says the same thing: “make a plan and stick to it.” Then they show you a chart with hypothetical numbers that have nothing to do with your life. Here are my actual numbers. The real ones. What I owed, what I was paying, what I changed, and where … Read more
I was lying in a hospital bed doing math in my head. Not the kind of math they teach you — the kind where you’re calculating how many years your special needs son might have to survive without you and whether the money you’ve been spending on drive-thru coffee and streaming services would’ve made the … Read more