The IRS pays 8% interest on any federal refund delayed past 45 days — the rate just reset for Q3 2026, and the agency owed billions to late filers
If your federal tax refund is late, the IRS is paying you 8% annual interest on every day it keeps your money past a 45-day grace period. That rate, compounded daily, applies starting July 1, 2026, according to the agency’s posted quarterly update in Rev. Rul. 2026-10. It is unchanged from the prior quarter and […]
Read MoreThe IRS pays 8% interest on any federal refund delayed past 45 days — the rate just reset for Q3 2026, and the agency owed billions to late filers
If your federal tax refund is late, the IRS is paying you 8% annual interest on every day it keeps your money past a 45-day grace period. That rate, compounded daily, applies starting July 1, 2026, according to the agency’s posted quarterly update in Rev. Rul. 2026-10. It is unchanged from the prior quarter and […]
Read MorePersonal Finance
Insurance & Protection
New federal ABLE-account rules let people with disabilities save up to $19,000 a year without losing SSI or Medicaid eligibility — the cap doubles for working ABLE-eligible adults
A person receiving Supplemental Security Income is allowed to hold exactly $2,000 in countable assets before the federal government starts…
Personal Finance
Insurance & Protection
New federal ABLE-account rules let people with disabilities save up to $19,000 a year without losing SSI or Medicaid eligibility — the cap doubles for working ABLE-eligible adults
A person receiving Supplemental Security Income is allowed to hold exactly $2,000 in countable assets before the federal government starts…
Markets & Investing
Banking & Credit Cards
Bank Accounts & Fees
Bonus checking accounts at Chase, Truist, and U.S. Bank pay $300 to $700 for setting up direct deposit — but the bonus is taxable, reported on a 1099 next January
Switch your direct deposit to a new checking account at Chase, Truist, or U.S. Bank and the bank will pay you a cash bonus, typically...
Fraud & Scams
Older Americans handed $333 million to scammers through Bitcoin ATMs last year — Indiana became the first state to ban the machines outright on March 9
The scam almost always follows the same script. A phone rings. The caller claims to be from the IRS, a bank’s fraud department, or a...
Fraud & Scams
AT&T’s $177 million data breach settlement is finally distributing this spring — anyone who filed before December 18 gets up to $7,500, no extra paperwork required
Roughly 18 months after AT&T admitted that hackers had stolen call and text records belonging to nearly all of its cellular customers, the company’s $177...
Fraud & Scams
Pennsylvania State Education Association members can claim up to $5,000 from a $2.5 million data breach settlement — but every form must be in by July 6
If you are a current or former member of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, your Social Security number, bank details, and other sensitive records may...
Fraud & Scams
A 2024 data breach at American International College pays affected students for documented losses — eligible class members have until July 22 to file a claim
Students and staff at American International College who had personal information exposed in a 2024 data breach are now eligible to file claims for financial...
Fraud & Scams
Imposter calls posing as your utility company spiked 30% this spring — a real utility never demands a prepaid card, gift card, or crypto over the phone
The call comes on a Tuesday afternoon. Your caller ID shows the name of your electric company. A recorded voice warns that your power will...
Real Estate
Mortgages & Rates
Cash-out refinances just hit a 14-year high — homeowners are trading sub-3% mortgages for 6.51% to pay off credit cards, often adding $900 a month to the payment
Somewhere in America, a homeowner who locked in a 2.75 percent mortgage during the pandemic is sitting at a kitchen…
Retirement & Taxes
The IRS pays 8% interest on any federal refund delayed past 45 days — the rate just reset for Q3 2026, and the agency owed billions to late filers
Form 5498 quietly reports every IRA contribution to the IRS each May — it’s the form that proves your basis and stops the IRS from taxing you twice in retirement
SECURE Act 2.0 forces most non-spouse heirs to drain inherited IRAs within 10 years — but spouses, minor children, and disabled beneficiaries can still stretch withdrawals
Treasury Hunt at TreasuryDirect finds forgotten paper savings bonds by Social Security number for free — every Series H and HH bond in America stopped earning interest in August 2024
The SALT cap just quadrupled to $40,400 for single filers under the OBBB — for the first time since 2017, blue-state taxpayers can deduct most of their state taxes
The IRS holds about $1 billion in tax refunds nobody filed for — and you have three years from a return’s due date before the money disappears for good
A new Social Security retirement calculator went live inside the my Social Security portal this month — it shows your monthly check side by side at every claiming age
Roth IRA contributions can be pulled out tax-free and penalty-free at any age — only the investment gains have an age-59½ and five-year rule attached
If you haven’t rebalanced your 401(k) since 2022, the stock-and-bond mix that felt safe then is wildly different now — most plans rebalance with two clicks
Most states give a tax deduction for 529 contributions even if you withdraw the money the same month — a same-year parking trick that trims state tax bills
A self-employed worker can stash up to $70,000 a year in a solo 401(k) — the same retirement vehicle big-company employees use, with no employer match required
Wartime veterans and their surviving spouses can claim up to $2,873 a month in Aid and Attendance pension — yet many families miss it because the rules sound too narrow
Buy an American-built new car in 2025 and the OBBB lets you deduct up to $10,000 in loan interest — a brand-new tax break that phases out above $100,000 income
Pay four equal quarterly estimated taxes equal to 100% of last year’s bill and the IRS can’t penalize you — even if you owe far more come April
The IRS quietly killed the dreaded $600 Venmo and PayPal tax-form rule — the threshold is back to $20,000 and 200 transactions, freeing most casual sellers
If your 401(k) holds your own company’s stock, the usual rollover can overtax it — a special “NUA” move taxes the gains at lower capital-gains rates
Some 401(k)s let you stash up to about $70,000 a year and convert it to a Roth — a “mega backdoor” move most plans allow but few employees use
Leave your job at 55 or later and you can tap that 401(k) penalty-free — but roll it into an IRA first and you lose the break for good