Hey Reader,

For better or for worse, I think about insurance a lot. And, if you think about it, nothing really happens without insurance.

I can just see my pal, Lee, right now texting me the Facepalm emoji!!!

“I’m really disappointed that I didn’t get to make shortbread for Hogmanay!”, I told my mother-in-law as we drove north up the Edens Expressway on the way to her home following the New Year’s celebration.

We had just been talking about recipes and I mentioned that my Mom always made shortbread for New Year’s Day. It’s tradition for Scottish households to serve shortbread at New Year’s to “first-footers”. My Mom’s parents are from Glasgow and Wishaw. I never met my grandparents, but my Mom taught me a few things along the way.

The Scottish tradition, called Hogmanay, can include whisky (no “e”) and coal, but it always includes shortbread. My Mom’s was simple, but it was the best.

Shortbread symbolizes food and good eating for the year. Whisky symbolizes prosperity and good will. Coal represents warmth and a good fire. All very simple, but very important.

Shortbread is not difficult to make, but it is very difficult to get it right. It’s gotta be crisp but soft, smooth but flaky and browned but not burned.

It’s flour, butter, sugar and a pinch of salt. Rolled and pressed in to the pan, scored with a fork, about inch and a half high and, when cooled, cut into rectangles about 2 inches by 3 or 4 inches. The oven temp and length of time in the oven are equally important.

I was disappointed because my Mom wrote down the recipe and, after many moves over the years, I cannot find the card she wrote the recipe on!! It’s not so much that I cannot make the shortbread, but that I cannot see my Mom’s particular handwriting, she’s left-handed, or touch the card that she wrote on at the kitchen table in San Jose back in 1985. And, as Jimmy Buffett would say, “and I know, it’s my own damn fault!”

As we kept driving, I told my mother-in-law that she had just given me a great idea for the next newsletter! She smiled.

This is nuts! Some people tell you to hang on to your receipts for 20 or 30 years so you can pay yourself back in 20 or 30 years with your Health Savings Account.

I can’t find my Mom’s cherished recipe from 30+ years ago. How am I going to find the receipt for the prescription I purchased on March 15th from 20 years ago?

HSAs aren’t really new, but they’re new to a lot of people. In fact, HSAs are used by only about 20% of the people who are eligible to have one. Let’s hope I can change that!

With all of the newbies out there, there are lots of opinions as to how best utilize your HSA. Not all are good ideas.

If you want to learn how to best utilize your HSA, stick with me. Tell your family and friends, too. Especially young adults you know who can benefit the most from this amazing tool to save hundreds and thousands now and well into retirement. I’ve saved my own kids and their friends thousands when they first enrolled in the past couple of years.

Reach out and let me know you need some help at scottwdowling@scottwdowling.com​

One on One’s were a huge hit during Open Enrollment. I’m now doing the same with HSAs. Don’t hesitate to reach out now, before the claims start coming in and you’re paying too much.

Get my Cheat Sheet on How HSA Discounts Work at scottwdowling.com/cheatsheet and learn how to save at least 28% on everything you buy with your HSA.

Best of luck to you and yours in 2026!

SWD