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The Money Overview

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Tyler Foster

Latest Articles by Tyler Foster

Tax Changes & Deadlines

About 1 in 5 workers who qualify for the earned income credit never claim it

Millions of low- and moderate-income workers leave money on the table each year by failing to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable benefit...

Retirement Planning

$2,000 is what low- and middle-income savers can claim just for funding a retirement account

Workers earning low or moderate incomes can cut their federal tax bill by as much as $1,000 per person, simply by putting money into a...

Government & Policy

Enhanced ACA subsidies expire December 31, and premiums could jump for millions

Millions of Americans who purchased health coverage through ACA marketplaces during the 2026 open enrollment period could see their monthly premiums rise sharply when the...

Smart Spending

Anyone on SNAP or Medicaid can cut a phone or internet bill by $9.25 a month

Households enrolled in SNAP or Medicaid qualify for a $9.25 monthly discount on phone or internet service through the federal Lifeline program, a benefit that...

Insurance & Protection

Fireworks recalled days before July 4 can tip over and shoot toward bystanders

Two days before Americans prepare to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, federal regulators pulled nearly 88,200 fireworks off the market because the devices can tip...

Social Security & Medicare

$283 is Medicare’s 2026 Part B deductible, $26 more than last year

Medicare beneficiaries face a $283 annual Part B deductible in 2026, a $26 jump from the $257 they paid in 2025. The Centers for Medicare...

Social Security & Medicare

$2,100 now caps what Medicare drug plans can charge you out of pocket in 2026

Medicare beneficiaries who take costly prescription drugs will face a hard ceiling on what they pay each year starting in 2026. The Centers for Medicare...

Social Security & Medicare

Social Security benefit debit cards are switching from Comerica to Fifth Third Bank

People who receive Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, or other federal benefits on a Direct Express debit card are facing a bank switch they did...

Budgeting & Saving

20 years is how long you hold a Series EE savings bond for its value to double, guaranteed

Anyone who buys a Series EE savings bond today locks in a federal guarantee: hold it for 20 years and the U.S. Treasury will double...

Market Trends

Home prices have fallen for eight straight months, giving buyers more room to negotiate

Buyers shopping for a home in mid-2026 are finding something that was almost unheard of two years ago: falling prices and growing room to push...

Tax Changes & Deadlines

$40,000 is the new SALT deduction cap, letting more homeowners write off state taxes

Millions of homeowners in high-tax states can now write off up to $40,000 in state and local taxes on their federal returns, quadrupling the cap...

Social Security & Medicare

You get 8 months to sign up for Medicare Part B after job coverage ends

Workers who stay on an employer health plan past age 65 face a strict federal deadline once that coverage ends: eight months to enroll in...

Budgeting & Saving

Texas is holding more than $10.5 billion in unclaimed cash

Millions of Texans have money sitting in state custody that they have never claimed, and the pile keeps growing. The Texas Comptroller’s office returned a...

Loans & Lending

Parents who take a new PLUS loan after July 1 lose any path to public-service forgiveness

Families counting on Public Service Loan Forgiveness to offset the cost of borrowing for a child’s education face a hard deadline. Starting July 1, 2026,...

Cost of Living

Minimum wage rises July 1 in Alaska to $14, Oregon to as high as $16.80 and Washington, D.C. to $18.40

Workers in three jurisdictions will see fatter paychecks starting July 1, 2026, when minimum wage rates climb to $14 an hour in Alaska, as high...

Government & Policy

A bill raising benefits for catastrophically disabled veterans and Gold Star families cleared the House, now the Senate

Veterans with the most severe service-connected disabilities and surviving families of fallen service members stand to receive higher federal benefits after the House passed H.R....

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