Big life changes come with money deadlines that are easy to miss: a 60-day window to keep your health coverage, a 30-day window to add a newborn to your plan, a court order you need before a 401(k) can be split, legal papers a parent has to sign while they still can. These guides put every step in order, with an interactive checklist you can tick off as you go. Your ticks stay in your own browser; nothing is saved on our site.
Choose your situation
- Lost your job? What to do in the first 24 hours, the first week and the first month: unemployment benefits, COBRA or Marketplace health coverage, your 401(k), severance and bills.
- Having a baby? Parental leave, adding your baby to health insurance, a Social Security number, the $1,000 Trump Account, the Child Tax Credit, child care tax breaks, life insurance and a first-year budget.
- Moving to a new state? Budgeting the move, checking interstate movers, part-year state tax returns, insurance and bank changes, and the new-resident deadlines for your license and car.
- Going through a divorce? Listing assets and debts, separating joint credit, splitting retirement accounts with a QDRO, the tax rules, Social Security after divorce and the loose ends to close.
- Caring for an aging parent? Power of attorney and health care papers, Medicare and Medicaid, paying for long-term care, tax breaks for caregivers and protection from elder fraud.
How we build these guides
Every deadline and dollar figure comes from the official source: the IRS, the U.S. Department of Labor, HealthCare.gov, Medicare.gov, the Social Security Administration, Federal Student Aid and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. We date-stamp rules that change and update the guides when the law does. Read our editorial policy.
Helpful tools: Emergency Fund Calculator, Budget Calculator, 401(k) Early Withdrawal Calculator, Bank Account Quiz, Scam Checker.