5 Most Popular Posts from The Mighty Widow in 2016
We may be a week into 2017, but I’m still reevaluating my 2016.
It was my first year seriously writing on this blog, and it’s been fun to look back and see what articles resonated most with you. In case you’re curious what fellow readers are into, here are the five most popular posts on The Mighty Widow from the past year.
The Widow’s Guide to Federal Income Taxes
This was the most read article for 2016, and I’m thrilled to see it top the list. Why? Because this was exactly the type of content I intended to write when I started The Mighty Widow. I wanted this site to have practical tips for widows, especially new widows. I had every intention of making a checklist of things to do after your spouse dies, resources to lean on and advice for getting through those first few months.
Instead, the blog has become something of The Maryalene Show, but I’m going to work on more practical articles in the upcoming year.
10 Ways to Help Your Newly Widowed Friend
I originally wrote this as a guest post for Sixty and Me. Since republishing it to The Mighty Widow, it has become the second most popular post on the blog. The article not only goes into practical ways to help, but also how to make it easy for your friend to accept assistance and when it’s time to back off a little.
2016 Living Well Planner Review
The Living Well Planner was my birthday gift to myself this year, and I was super excited to get it. Apparently you’re interested in them too. After a few months, I’m still loving it. If you haven’t seen it already, I did a follow-up on the pros and cons of the Living Well Planner as well.
Birthday Reflections
Speaking of my birthday, I was prepping for it to be miserable. Instead, it was a beautiful day, and I went on a beautiful walk. The kids were surprisingly sweet. We tried a new-to-us Turkish restaurant. It wasn’t a bad day, but it was still sad at times. As I wrote here, even the best days are overshadowed by the fact you’re missing the person you want to share it with most.
An Open Break-Up Letter to Obamacare
Many of you were interested and/or could relate to my never-ending saga with Obamacare – the one in which they tried to insist 1 of 5 children was Medicaid eligible and then cut the subsidy for another. It took 9 months to clear up the mess, and I vowed to never to buy insurance on the Health Insurance Marketplace again.
This is where I need to hang my head in shame and admit that I did, in fact, buy my 2017 insurance on the Health Insurance Marketplace. I naively thought I could get the same policy as my Obamacare plan off the marketplace simply by paying an extra $200-some a month (the amount of my subsidy). But nope. The most comparable non-Obamacare plan I found had a monthly premium that was $400 more. Plus,the annual deductible was $4,000 (!!) higher. It seemed a bit silly to pay so much extra just to make a point. So I still have my Obamacare plan and am crossing fingers for no problems this year.
What was your favorite post from last year? And what do you want to read this year? More practical advice on taxes, insurances and estates or are you good with The Maryalene Show?