About Margaret Hale and Solo and Sure

I'm Margaret Hale, and I write the guides on Solo and Sure. They should stand on their sources, not on who I am.

Why I started

I looked after my aunt, who had no kids and no one else. I only learned what was missing when she needed it: a ride home, a key holder, someone the hospital would listen to.

Most planning advice assumes a spouse or grown children will step in. She didn't have either, and the gaps showed up one at a time.

So I wrote this for anyone who doesn't have an obvious person to call. Maybe you live alone, don't have kids, or your kids are far away or not in touch. Maybe you'd rather not lean on family. Whatever the reason, the plan is the same.

What this site is

Solo and Sure is a set of plain, practical guides: who finds you if you fall, who drives you home after a procedure, who can speak for you in the hospital, and what paperwork makes that work. Rules differ between the US and Canada, so each guide says where it applies.

I'm not a lawyer, nurse, or financial planner. I read the rules themselves and write down what I find. The guides are general information, not advice for your situation.

How the guides stay right

Every guide lists its sources and the date it was last updated. How We Research explains the process, and How We Make Money explains how the site is paid for.

If you spot a mistake, please tell me through the Contact Us page.

Margaret Hale, editor