Six prompts for the first month after a layoff.

I was just laid off and my employer gave me a severance agreement.
About me: I live in [state]. I'm [age]. I worked there [X years] as a [role]. [I was / wasn't] one of several people let go. The deadline on the cover letter is [date].

I'm not going to paste the agreement. Some agreements limit who you can share them with. Here are its section headings, each with one line in my own words:
[e.g. "Release of claims: I give up the right to sue"]

Help me get ready for a severance review with an employment attorney. Work in stages, and wait for me before moving on.

Stage 1: Ask me up to 8 questions, one at a time, about what each section says and what matters most to me: money, health coverage, my next job, timing.
Stage 2: In plain English, explain what each kind of section usually does and why employers include it. Flag the ones where people commonly ask questions.
Stage 3: Tell me which federal and state deadlines commonly apply to an agreement like mine, so I can confirm the real dates with the attorney.
Stage 4: Give me a list of questions to bring to the review, most time-sensitive first.

Rules: Explain, don't advise. Don't tell me whether to sign or what I'm entitled to. Tell me what varies by state. Never invent a law, deadline or dollar amount. If you're not sure, say so.

I'm losing my job-based health insurance.
About me: I live in [state]. People on my plan: [me / spouse / kids, with ages]. My coverage ends [date, or "I don't know yet"].
What I know so far:
- COBRA premium from my notice: [$ per month, or "haven't received it"]
- Household income I expect this calendar year, including severance and unemployment: [$]
- Doctors or ongoing care I want to keep (optional): [list]

Help me compare COBRA with a marketplace plan.
1. Ask me what you need first, one question at a time.
2. Explain how each option works for a household like mine, and which deadlines usually apply to each.
3. List what I need to look up to compare them fairly: premiums, deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums, and whether my doctors are in network.
4. Explain what my income estimate could mean for marketplace savings, and what would change that.

Rules: Explain, don't pick a plan for me. Tell me what varies by state. Don't guess premiums or subsidy amounts; tell me where to get the real numbers. If a rule may have changed this year, say so.

I was laid off on [date].
About me: My job was based in [state] and I live in [state]. I worked there [X years], [full-time / part-time]. Severance: [none / lump sum / continued paychecks / not sure]. Vacation payout: [yes / no / not sure].

Help me file for unemployment without missing anything.
1. Ask me what you need, one question at a time.
2. Give me a checklist of what a claim in my state usually asks for, so I can gather it before I start.
3. Explain how severance, vacation payout or part-time work can affect benefits in my state, and what I should confirm with the agency.
4. Explain what I'll need to do each week after filing to keep a claim active.

Rules: Don't tell me whether I'm eligible. The agency decides that, so tell me what to ask them. Send me to my state's official unemployment agency only, never a paid filing service. Never invent a dollar amount or a deadline. If you're not sure, say so.

I was laid off and I'm thinking about cashing out some or all of my 401(k).
About me: I'm [age]. I left the job in the calendar year I turned [age]. I live in [state].
The numbers:
- 401(k) balance: [$]
- What I think I need in hand: [$], for [what it's for], by [when]
- Other money: cash [$], severance after tax [$], unemployment [$ per week, if known]

Help me pressure-test this before I decide anything.
1. Ask me up to 6 questions, one at a time, about what the money is for and when I need it.
2. In plain English, explain what usually happens when someone my age cashes out: withholding, income tax, any extra tax, and the exceptions that might apply to me.
3. Lay out the options people commonly weigh (leave it, roll it over, take part of it) and what each one trades off.
4. List the questions to ask my plan administrator and a tax professional.

Rules: Don't tell me what to do with my money. Don't calculate my exact tax; tell me what would change it. Don't recommend products or providers. Never invent a rule or a number. If you're not sure, say so.

I was laid off and I want an honest picture of how long my money lasts. Help me find three numbers:
- Runway: how many months my cash lasts at what I spend now
- Floor: the least my household can spend in a month without missing a bill
- Cushion: severance and unemployment I expect to come in

What I have:
- Monthly spending by category: [e.g. housing $, utilities $, groceries $, car $, insurance $, debt minimums $, subscriptions $, everything else $]
- Cash I can reach without penalties: [$]
- Severance after tax: [$]. Unemployment: [$ per week] for [weeks], if known.

1. Ask me questions, one at a time, to sort what's truly fixed from what I could pause, cut or renegotiate. Push back if I call something essential that may not be.
2. Build my floor with me, line by line.
3. Show me the three numbers, and what changes if my search runs three months longer than I hope.
4. List the calls worth making this week (lenders, utilities, insurers, landlord) and what to ask each one.

Rules: No lectures about past spending. Use my numbers and ask when one is missing; never invent one. Don't recommend investments, loans or products.

I was laid off from [company] after [X years] as a [role]. I'm starting to tell people, and I want words that are honest, short, and easy for someone else to repeat.

1. Ask me up to 8 questions, one at a time: what I did, what people came to me for, what I want next, and anything I'd rather not get into.
2. Then draft three things in my voice:
   - A one-line answer to "So what happened?" that's true and doesn't over-explain
   - Two sentences about who I am and what I'm looking for, short enough for a friend to forward
   - A note under 80 words to a former colleague, asking for 20 minutes of perspective, not a job
3. Suggest the kinds of groups worth finding: my former employer's alumni network, a peer job-search group, a professional community in my field.

Rules: Never invent anything about my background. Nothing bitter, nothing that reads like a template. Say nothing about my former employer I couldn't say in front of them.