The IRS standard mileage rate climbed to 70 cents per mile in 2026 — every 1,000 miles a self-employed driver logs is now a $700 federal tax deduction
A rideshare driver who logs 25,000 business miles this year can write off $17,500 on her federal tax return without saving a single gas receipt. That number comes directly from the IRS, which set the standard business mileage rate at 70 cents per mile for 2026. The rate has climbed steadily over the past several […]
Read MoreThe IRS standard mileage rate climbed to 70 cents per mile in 2026 — every 1,000 miles a self-employed driver logs is now a $700 federal tax deduction
A rideshare driver who logs 25,000 business miles this year can write off $17,500 on her federal tax return without saving a single gas receipt. That number comes directly from the IRS, which set the standard business mileage rate at 70 cents per mile for 2026. The rate has climbed steadily over the past several […]
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
Margaret Thompson, 78, lost $45,000 when scammers cloned her grandson’s voice to beg for bail money — just three seconds of audio is now enough to fake any relative’s voice
Margaret Thompson, 78, lost $45,000 when scammers cloned her grandson’s voice to beg for bail money — just three seconds of audio is now enough...
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...
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 standard mileage rate climbed to 70 cents per mile in 2026 — every 1,000 miles a self-employed driver logs is now a $700 federal tax deduction
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