Physician In Numbers – Page 31 – A female primary care physician opines on money, travel, fitness, and other topics to be determined

A Wonderful Life

I’ve just come back from a walk outdoors at the end of a 3-day weekend.

Prior attempts at a post for this week were… whiny.

It’s been a very difficult few months, with parents hospitalized, a death and a funeral, a house guest who stayed with us for 3 weeks over 2 months (not that I’m counting), and some tough stints at work.

During that time, our lives at the PiN household were turned upside down, and we were taken out of our usual schedules. It was not great.

As I walked in the sun today, warmly dressed so that the cool weather was merely refreshing, I was able to reflect on the routine life that I have built with Mr. PiN over the past few years. The one that I missed very badly when it was gone.

A middle-aged couple from the late Middle Ages pose staring at each other. — They look very comfortable, though maybe no longer up for adventure at the drop of a hat.

Fitness Log #166 And Friday Firsts

I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for over 3 years, and plan to continue doing so.

I started the Friday Firsts sections as a way of keeping track of some of my “firsts” as I dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. Things seem to be settling down, but I will keep it for now–more as a way to be aware and thankful of what is happening in my life.

Low Clutter Gift Giving

It’s that time of year: Giving Tuesday, Hanukkah, Christmas, family birthdays. A girl’s mind turns to giving.

I’ve already written about giving to charity in various ways, including–most recently–via donor advised fund.

In this post I am thinking more about the gifts we give to family and friends.

This year, I was more interested in more ephemeral gifts: what with inflation, supply chain issues, and more discussion about decluttering, I thought it might be a good year to think about gifts that won’t linger in a closet for years.

Fitness Log #165 And Friday Firsts

I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for over 3 years, and plan to continue doing so.

Monday Melange December 2021. Giving, Saving, Preparing, Traveling.

Every day I read a lot (a lot) of blog posts in the personal finance space. I have also been known to read in other subjects. Sometimes I even remember to save some of my favorites. Today I want to share a number of posts that tickled my fancy.

A woman holding a bouquet and reading a letter. — She looks like she is enjoying her day’s reading

Fitness Log #164 And Friday Firsts

I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for over 3 years, and plan to continue doing so.

Fitness Log #163 And Friday Firsts

I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for over 3 years, and plan to continue doing so.

Doing Well By Doing Good: Setting Up a Donor Advised Fund at Fidelity

For the past 2 years, I have written about giving money to charity (see here, here, and here).

After several years of thinking about setting up a donor advised fund (DAF), possibly with a little trepidation, I finally started mine this month. It was pretty darned easy, though a few details were a bit tricky for me.

I thought I might go over my reasons for finally opening a DAF, and then go through the steps. Of course, I can’t help commenting on some of the small print that I found interesting or amusing.

Fitness Log #162 And Friday Firsts

I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for over 3 years, and plan to continue doing so.

Planning For Funerals

An astute reader may have noticed my post a few weeks ago, mentioning the 4-parent problem. Unfortunately, the PiN household now tops out at a 3-parent problem. The family situation being what it is, we had to help plan a funeral.

This got me started thinking: I talk all the time at work about advanced planning–for medical decisions, that is. CPR or no CPR. Keep going back to the hospital or stay more comfortably at home.

Personal finance writers discuss money management for a surviving spouse periodically, usually talking about lists of accounts, passwords, and directions on what to do once they are gone (see: here and here).

I see fewer discussions about the difficult middle: what to do once your loved one is gone, but before everything has been settled.

As we (me, Mr. PiN and his family) dealt with planning questions, I thought it might be useful to go through some of the issues we struggled with. It may not help the families of those who refuse to contemplate their mortality at all; but for people willing to plan, these are the things we wish had been thought about earlier.