Transportation
How to get a driver's license in the US
The steps to getting a US driver's license, the documents to bring, and what changes from state to state.
About 12 min read · Updated September 21, 2026
Everyday life in the US
Step by step guides to the admin and everyday tasks of living in America: paperwork, housing, healthcare, money, schools and getting around. Each one is dated and sourced from official pages.
Paperwork
Applying for an SSN or an ITIN
Who qualifies for a Social Security number, who needs an ITIN instead, what documents each takes, and how to keep your number safe from fraud.
About 5 min read · Updated August 26, 2026
Transportation
Car insurance in the US: what the law requires and what to buy
Minimum car insurance is set by each state, not by federal law. What liability actually covers, the other coverage types, how to buy, and how to pay less.
About 10 min read · Updated September 21, 2026
Paperwork
How to get a nail technician license in the US
Doing nails in the US requires a state license: how many training hours, what the exam covers, what it costs, and which states give the exam in Vietnamese.
About 6 min read · Updated September 30, 2026
Money & taxes
Understanding your pay stub and your W-2
What each line on a pay stub means, what the W-2 is for, and how to spot an employer underpaying you.
About 5 min read · Updated August 26, 2026
Paperwork
What license a nail salon itself needs in the US
A nail salon needs its own license, separate from the technician's: who applies, the fee, whether you may open before the inspection, and premises rules.
About 5 min read · Updated September 8, 2026
Healthcare
Enrolling in health insurance: Medicaid and the ACA marketplace
The two main routes to health coverage in the US, who qualifies, when you can enroll, what immigrants are entitled to, and how to get a hospital bill reduced.
About 15 min read · Updated September 30, 2026
Paperwork
Renewing your nail license before you lose it
The license expires, and in most states stops being renewable if left too long. What renewal costs, whether classes are required, and when you start over.
About 8 min read · Updated September 30, 2026
Money & taxes
Filing taxes when the salon gives you a 1099
Nothing was withheld, so the tax arrives as one bill. What Schedule C and self-employment tax are, what a nail tech can deduct, and the four dates you pay on.
About 9 min read · Updated September 7, 2026
Healthcare
Medicare for seniors who are new to the US
Whether elderly parents new to the US can get Medicare, why most must wait 5 years of residence, and what to use while waiting.
About 9 min read · Updated September 18, 2026
Paperwork
Moving your nail license to another state
A nail license belongs to one state and does not travel with you. The three ways a move can end, and the certificate only your old board can send.
About 6 min read · Updated September 12, 2026
Housing
Renting a home in the US: applying, being screened, and having no credit
How to apply for a rental in the US with no credit history. What a tenant screening report contains, what a landlord owes you on a refusal, and the scams.
About 9 min read · Updated September 10, 2026
Healthcare
Medicare Open Enrollment: changing plans each fall
Every year from October 15 to December 7, people who already have Medicare can change plans: what you can change, and who helps for free.
About 23 min read · Updated September 30, 2026
Paperwork
Renewing a Vietnamese passport from the US
A Vietnamese passport expiring while you live in the US: where to file, the document and photo rules by case, the 70 dollar fee, and processing times.
About 11 min read · Updated September 19, 2026
Money & taxes
Renting a booth in a nail salon or working as an employee
Booth rental means running your own business in someone else's salon. Who sets hours and prices, how rent and tips are reported, and the signs of a fake one.
About 10 min read · Updated September 11, 2026
Education
Enrolling your child in public school
Every child in the US may attend public school, whatever their immigration status. What a school may ask, what it may not, and what to do if you are refused.
About 5 min read · Updated September 14, 2026
Paperwork
The 5-year visa exemption for returning to Vietnam
Who gets Vietnam's 5-year visa exemption, including naturalized US citizens and US-born children, the documents, the 10 dollar fee, and when an e-visa wins.
About 7 min read · Updated September 19, 2026
Money & taxes
The Child Tax Credit and the EITC when you are paid on a 1099
Cash and 1099 pay still count toward the Child Tax Credit and the EITC. Which number on your return blocks you, how Schedule C profit is used, and what to keep.
About 15 min read · Updated September 21, 2026
Healthcare
Your right to a free interpreter in health care
Programs that take federal money have to provide language help free of charge, per HHS. How to ask, who pays, and where to complain if you are refused.
About 10 min read · Updated September 30, 2026
Money & taxes
Child support after a separation: how the amount is set, and how to open a case
There is no nationwide child support formula. How each state sets the amount, what opening a case costs, and what happens when payments stop.
About 15 min read · Updated October 16, 2026
Money & taxes
Buying your first home when you are paid on a 1099
Whether a 1099 nail worker can get a mortgage, what credit score FHA asks for, how MIP differs from PMI, and how much cash you need ready before closing day.
About 26 min read · Updated September 21, 2026