Practical & Life Logistics
Questions for housing, parenting, health, money, legal matters, and service providers.
Questions to Ask a Social Worker
For a first meeting with a social worker, whether they were assigned to you at a hospital, a school, an agency or a court. These questions establish what they can and cannot do for you, who they report to, and what happens next.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Software Development Company
For anyone about to hire an agency or development shop to build software: a founder, a business owner, or a manager with budget and no in-house engineering team. These questions cover who does the work, how change is priced, what you own at the end, and how the relationship ends.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Solar Company
Questions for a solar quote or sales visit, covering price per watt, loan fees and lease escalators, how production estimates are built, the three separate warranties, roof work, and what happens if the installer goes out of business.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Speech Therapist
Questions to bring to an appointment with a speech and language therapist, whether for a child or for yourself, covering what the assessment found, what is being worked on first, practice at home, how progress is measured, cost, and when therapy ends. These are questions for the appointment, not a substitute for one.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Speech Therapist for Your Child
Questions for a parent at a child's speech and language appointment, covering what the assessment found, which difficulty is being worked on first, what practice at home looks like, how progress will be measured, what the school needs to know, cost and scheduling, and how therapy ends. These are questions to bring to the appointment rather than a substitute for one.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Sperm Donor
Questions for someone considering a known sperm donor, covering medical and family history, testing, legal parentage and written agreements, what contact he expects, what a child might be told, and what happens if anyone changes their mind. Parentage law varies considerably by country and state and turns on details like whether a clinic was involved, so take the answers to a fertility lawyer as well as to a clinic.
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Questions to Ask a Structural Engineer
Twenty questions for a homeowner or small builder hiring a structural engineer, whether the job is removing a wall, adding a storey, or making sense of cracks. They cover what the fee actually buys, what can only be known once the structure is opened up, and the records you should end up holding.
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Questions to Ask a Structural Engineer Before Hiring One for Your Home
For homeowners dealing with foundation cracks, sagging floors, a load bearing wall they want to remove, or an inspector who told them to get an engineer. Twenty questions that settle scope, independence, fees and what you actually receive.
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Questions to Ask a Supplier
Questions for a buyer, owner, or operations lead evaluating a new supplier of goods. They cover lead times and minimum orders, how price is built up, defect and on-time performance, who actually manufactures, shipping terms, and what protects your drawings and tooling.
21 questions
Questions to Ask a Surrogacy Agency
For intended parents interviewing surrogacy agencies before signing anything. The questions cover how the cost breaks down, how long matching actually takes, how surrogates are screened, who holds the escrow, insurance and legal representation, and what happens when a journey goes wrong.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Surrogate
Questions for intended parents meeting a potential gestational carrier, covering her pregnancy history, how much contact she wants, medical decisions, money, and what happens after the birth.
22 questions
Questions to Ask a Surrogate Mother
Questions for intended parents meeting a potential gestational carrier, and for a carrier deciding whether these are the right parents. They cover pregnancy history, contact during and after, the hard medical decisions that have to be agreed in advance, compensation, insurance, and how disagreements would be handled.
22 questions
Questions to Ask a Tattoo Artist
Questions to ask a tattoo artist at a consultation or over email, covering healed work in your style, changes to your design, deposits and rates, hygiene, healing and touch-ups.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Tax Consultant
Questions for choosing and working with a tax adviser, covering credentials, who actually prepares and signs your return, how fees are set, what happens if you are audited or if there is an error, and whether you are buying filing or planning.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Teacher About Your Child
Questions for a parent-teacher conference or a requested meeting, covering where your child stands academically, how they cope when stuck, friendships, extra support, and what to do at home.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Trademark Attorney
Questions for a first consultation with a trademark attorney about registering a business name, product name or logo, covering clearance searches, classes, timelines, fees, objections, ownership and what keeping a registration alive involves.
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Questions to Ask a Trust Attorney
Questions for a first meeting with a trust attorney, covering which structure fits your circumstances, what setup and upkeep cost, how funding works, what a trustee has to do, and the limits of what a trust can achieve. For anyone weighing a trust against a will or simpler arrangements.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Venue
Questions for the first call or email to a venue, whatever the booking: how hire is priced, deposits and cancellation terms, access hours, which suppliers you must use, insurance and staffing, and the house rules you would be agreeing to.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Venue for an Event
Questions for a site visit or first enquiry when you are planning a wedding, party or company event: real capacity for your layout, access and finish times, the all-in cost, catering and alcohol rules, and what happens if the weather turns.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Videographer
Questions for hiring a videographer for a wedding, an event or business content: who is actually shooting, how sound and light will be handled, what backups exist, what the total cost includes, revision limits, music licensing, and who owns the footage.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Wedding Venue
For the first enquiry call or email, when you are working out whether a venue is worth a visit at all. These are the questions that rule places in or out quickly: the date, the realistic starting price, capacity, whether they run more than one wedding a day, the curfew and accommodation. Save the detailed questions for the tour itself, and the money and contract questions for later.
21 questions
Questions to Ask a Wedding Venue at the Final Meeting
Questions for the last walkthrough before the wedding, when the contract is long signed and the job is confirming timings, headcount, vendor access, the weather plan, the final invoice, and who is actually in the building on the day.
20 questions
Questions to Ask a Workers Comp Lawyer
Questions to take to a first consultation with a workers compensation lawyer after a work injury. Covers deadlines, what benefits may be available, how the lawyer is paid, medical treatment and examinations, returning to work, and what a settlement would mean. Rules differ by state, so ask how each item works where you live.
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Questions to Ask a Workers' Comp Lawyer
For a first consultation after a workplace injury. These 20 questions cover how the fee works, the deadlines that may already be running, which doctor you are allowed to see, how your weekly benefit is calculated, what a settlement gives up, and how a denial is appealed. Workers' compensation rules differ substantially by state, so the useful answers are the ones about yours.
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Questions to Ask About 401k
Questions to put to your HR team or plan administrator about your 401k: the match formula and the vesting schedule, what the plan and its funds charge you, what happens to the money if you leave, and the rules on loans, hardship withdrawals and beneficiaries.
20 questions
Questions to Ask About a Trust
Questions to ask an estate planning attorney or a trustee about how a trust is structured, what it costs to run, who controls the assets, and what it means for taxes and beneficiaries. This is general information, not legal advice.
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Questions to Ask About an Apartment
Questions for a landlord, property manager, or leasing agent while you are viewing a rental: what the total monthly cost comes to, how repairs get handled, what the lease commits you to, and what living in the building is actually like.
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Questions to Ask About Breast Augmentation
Questions to take to a consultation about breast augmentation, covering the surgeon's training and case volume, implant choice and placement, risks and revision rates, total cost, recovery, and follow-up care.
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Questions to Ask About Breast Reduction
Questions to take to a consultation about breast reduction surgery, covering the technique and the scars it leaves, insurance approval, how much symptom relief to expect, sensation and breastfeeding, recovery time, and what a second operation would cost.
20 questions
Questions to Ask About Cars
Questions for a private seller or a dealer when you are looking at a used car: what the service history shows, what has been repaired, what is wrong with it now, whether the paperwork is clean, and what the total price comes to.
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Questions to Ask About Cats
Questions for a veterinarian, a shelter, or a behavior consultant about a cat you already have or are about to take home: what is normal for her age, how to feed her, what to watch for between visits, and how the harder decisions later on get made.
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Questions to Ask About Commercial Real Estate
Questions to ask a broker, a seller, or an experienced investor before committing to a commercial property: what the rent roll really shows, which costs the pro forma leaves out, what a lender will require, and the point at which the deal stops working.
21 questions
Questions to Ask About Daycare
Questions for a daycare visit or a call with a director: ratios and who covers breaks, staff turnover, what the last inspection found, the rules on illness and pickup, what happens after an incident, and what the fees actually come to over a year.
21 questions
Questions to Ask About Dental Implants
Questions for a consultation about dental implants, whether with a general dentist, a periodontist, or an oral surgeon: why an implant rather than the alternatives, what grafting and healing add to the timeline, what can go wrong, and what the treatment costs in full.
21 questions
Questions to Ask About Dialysis
Questions for a patient or family member meeting a kidney specialist about starting dialysis. They cover choosing between the types of treatment, access surgery, fluid and diet limits, cost, working during treatment, and how dialysis relates to transplant and to declining treatment.
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Questions to Ask About Dogs
Twenty questions to ask about a dog you are considering or already living with, whether you are standing in a shelter kennel, calling a breeder, or sitting in a vet exam room. Each one says what the answer tells you.
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