The short answer
One list, one calendar, one place to pay. Start with the master list from How do I find every account he had?. Put every due date on one calendar, and choose for each bill whether it pays itself or you pay it.
This chapter explains how things usually work in the United States. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and the rules where you live may differ. Before you act on anything here, check it with one of the people named at the end of the chapter.
What to do
- Put every due date from the master list on one calendar.
- Mark the bills that come once a year, with a reminder a month ahead.
- Decide for each bill whether it pays automatically or you pay it by hand.
- Move any automatic payments off his card or his account.
- Check every statement once a month, and call the number on it about any charge you don't recognize.
- Show one trusted person where the system is, and keep your logins to yourself.
What can wait
- Switching providers to save money. You can compare prices once the system is running.
- A perfect system. A list and a calendar with most of the dates on them are enough to start.
- Deciding about small subscriptions you are unsure of. Mark them on the list and decide later.
Who can help
You can ask your bank to go through its bill-pay service and your automatic payments with you, at a branch or on the phone.
A daily money manager can help with the bills for a fee. Ask what they charge before you agree.
If someone helps manage your money for you, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Managing Someone Else's Money guides, at consumerfinance.gov, are written for them.
The rules, phone numbers and web addresses in this book were checked against the agencies’ own pages in October 2026. They change, so check anything you rely on with the office itself.
From Book 4: Everything They Handled
This page has the short answer and the closing lists from chapter 4. The full chapter explains, in plain words, what exists, what to ask, and who can answer. The book covers months 1 to 9.
Hear when the next book is out
Five or six short emails a year at most, and a note when a new book is out. Each one is about something that tends to come up in the first two years. You can unsubscribe whenever you like.