Grace Hooper

Life skills writer at The Basic Hub.

Grace Hooper is a life skills writer at The Basic Hub. She writes about the practical stuff nobody teaches you: sorting out your money, staying on your feet, and handling the everyday mess of being an adult.

Her name is a tribute to Grace Hopper, the Navy admiral who insisted computers could talk to humans and wrote the first compiler - because Grace believes the same thing about practical advice: it should be in plain language, actually work, and never talk down to you.

Grace has done the adulting - the jobs, the kids, the moving, the money scares, the falls that remind you you’re not 30 anymore. She writes from lived experience: what actually worked when she had to sort it out herself.

She currently lives in Vietnam, where she spends her mornings on the floor doing the exercises she writes about - because she practices what she preaches.

Contact: [email protected]

Articles by Grace Hooper

The Fall Shot List - Which Vaccines, When, and What Medicare Pays September 6, 2026
Which fall shots to ask for, when to get them, and what Medicare pays.
The Emergency Kit When You're Not 30 Anymore - What Changes After 60 September 5, 2026
Most kit lists skip your pills, your glasses, and your plan. Here is yours.
Help With Your Winter Heating Bill - Before the First Cold Snap September 4, 2026
LIHEAP pays part of your heating bill, but the money runs out. Ask early.
How to Talk to a Bank Without Wanting to Cry - the Phone Call Scripts September 2, 2026
What to say to dispute a charge, waive a fee, or close an account.
The One-Afternoon Autumn Checklist - What to Do Before the Heat Goes On September 1, 2026
One afternoon prevents winter's costliest emergencies. Here is the list.
The $27 Fee You Can Turn Off - Overdraft Coverage and the Switch Your Bank Does Not Advertise August 31, 2026
The $27 fee you can turn off - the switch your bank does not advertise.
The Donation After a Disaster - When Generosity Becomes a Scam August 31, 2026
After a disaster, fake charities collect. Here is how to give safely.
Medicare 2027: The Premium Subsidy Is Ending - and the September Letter Is the One You Should Not Skim August 30, 2026
The Part D subsidy that held premiums down ends this year. What to check.
The Pills That Make You Fall: The Medication Check Before Falls Week August 29, 2026
The four drug classes that raise fall risk - and how to check yours.
Back-to-School Money Scams - What the Grandparents Need to Know August 29, 2026
Back-to-school scams target grandparents. One question stops them all.
Your Streaming Bill Is Going Up in September - the 20-Minute Keep-or-Cut August 28, 2026
Your streaming bill rises September 17. Do the 20-minute keep-or-cut.
The Grip Test - the Strength Check Your Doctor Never Runs August 28, 2026
A ten-second grip test, plus two exercises that rebuild hand strength.
Fall-Proof Your Home: The One-Afternoon Walkthrough August 27, 2026
A room-by-room walkthrough that finds the fall hazards in your home.
When Your Parent Can't Manage the Money Anymore - How to Step In Without Taking Over August 26, 2026
How to help a parent with money without taking over their life.
How's Your Balance, Really? Three Tests You Can Do in the Kitchen August 26, 2026
Three one-minute tests that tell you where your balance really stands.
The Postcard That Promises Extra VA Benefits: When 'You're Owed Money' Arrives by Mail August 25, 2026
A postcard promising extra VA benefits is a scam. Here is what to do.
Check Washing - the $24 Million Reason to Stop Mailing Checks August 25, 2026
Thieves washed $24 million in checks. Here is how to protect yours.
Medicare Open Enrollment 2027: The Three Checks Before You Mail the ANOC Letter Back August 24, 2026
How to read the Medicare ANOC letter: three checks that take ten minutes.
The Package You Didn't Order - Brushing Scams and the QR Code Inside August 22, 2026
The brushing scam: why that package you did not order is not a gift.
Seven Supplements in Six Days: The Label Test That Catches Junk Before You Buy August 20, 2026
FDA flagged seven products in six days. How to spot junk before you buy.
The Folder Your Family Hopes You Have - One Afternoon of Paperwork That Spares Them the Worst Month of Their Lives August 20, 2026
One afternoon of paperwork that spares your family the worst month.
Online Banking for People Who Never Wanted It - Checking Balances, Moving Money, and Paying Bills Without the Fear August 20, 2026
Online banking without the fear - check balances, pay bills, move money.
The Search Engine Is Selling You a Fake Bill - Paying Bills Online Without Paying a Scammer August 19, 2026
Paid search ads can impersonate your biller. Three checks stop it.
The Gold Bar Scam: When 'Your Computer Has a Virus' Ends With Gold Bars at Your Door August 18, 2026
The gold bar scam: how a virus pop-up ends with your savings gone.
The Second Scam: When 'We Can Get Your Money Back' Is Another Scam August 17, 2026
After a scam, the next call is another scammer. Here is how to spot it.
The Budget That Survives Real Life - No Spreadsheet Required August 16, 2026
The budget that survives real life: paper, three buckets, no app required.
Strength After 60: The Two Exercises That Cover Almost Everything August 16, 2026
Two exercises - one push, one squat - that keep you strong and independent.
Four Minutes a Day: The Shortest Strength Routine the Research Just Backed January 1, 0001
Four exercises, thirty seconds each - the smallest routine that counts.