Daniel Harper
Daniel is a finance writer covering personal finance topics including budgeting, credit, and beginner investing. He began his career contributing to his Substack, where he covered consumer finance trends and practical money topics for everyday readers. Since then, he has written for a range of personal finance blogs and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, straightforward content that helps readers make more informed financial decisions.
Latest Articles by Daniel Harper
Veterans’ September disability pay lands October 1, paid a month in arrears
September’s VA disability compensation lands on October 1, 2026, because the Department of Veterans Affairs pays this benefit a month behind rather than in the...
State regulators warn that swapping a pension for an annuity often just pays a salesperson a fat commission
Retirees who rolled pension savings into an annuity are a top target for a sales practice regulators call “churning” — pushing a client to trade...
SNAP’s 80-hour-a-month work rule reaches more recipients this fall as temporary state waivers expire, putting food aid at risk
SNAP’s requirement that able-bodied adults without dependents log 80 hours a month of work, training, or volunteering to keep their food assistance is landing on...
A hotter-than-expected August jobs report makes a September Federal Reserve rate cut less likely, keeping the best CDs near 4.6%
The U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs in August, blowing past Wall Street’s forecast of about 53,000 and marking the strongest monthly gain since March, the...
Refugees, asylees and other lawfully present immigrants lose federally funded Medicaid on October 1, and six-month eligibility reviews begin in 2027
Beginning October 1, 2026, federal funding for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program stops covering refugees, asylees, and several other categories of lawfully present...
About 7 million student-loan borrowers lose their SAVE-plan payment pause by September 29, and anyone who doesn’t pick a new plan is dropped into the most expensive one
About 7 million federal student-loan borrowers still parked in the SAVE plan’s payment pause are set to lose that protection by September 29, 2026, the...
Splitting money across banks keeps every dollar under the $250,000 federal insurance limit
A single number governs how safe a bank deposit really is: $250,000. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage protects checking accounts, savings accounts, money market deposit...
The child tax credit is worth up to $2,200 a child, with $1,700 refundable
The federal child tax credit remains worth up to $2,200 per qualifying child for the 2026 tax year, with as much as $1,700 of that...
Older savers can put an extra catch-up amount into a 401(k) each year once they turn 50
Turning 50 unlocks a retirement-savings lever many workers never use: the ability to funnel extra money into a 401(k) beyond the plan’s standard annual deferral...
Skipping a tax refund’s direct-deposit split leaves free retirement savings on the table
A federal tax refund is only as useful as where it lands, and for most filers it lands in a single checking account by default....
A federal weatherization program pays to seal and insulate a low-income home to cut the energy bill for good
The U.S. Department of Energy is currently funneling $325 million toward sealing drafts, adding insulation and tuning up heating systems inside homes owned by people...
Free IRS-certified volunteers file taxes for seniors and lower-income households
Two federal programs quietly prepare millions of tax returns for free every filing season, yet Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly...
Wartime veterans who need daily help can add hundreds a month to a VA pension through Aid and Attendance
A wartime veteran already collecting a VA pension can add roughly $971 a month — nearly $11,650 a year — simply by documenting that someone...
Combat-injured veterans can receive tax-free special compensation on top of their retirement pay
Military retirees who claim VA disability compensation almost always take a cut on the Pentagon side of their check first: federal law forces a dollar-for-dollar...
A surviving spouse of a veteran who died of a service-connected condition can draw a monthly tax-free payment
A surviving spouse whose husband or wife died from a service-connected injury or illness can draw $1,699.36 a month, tax-free, for the rest of their...
Severely disabled retired veterans can now collect both military retirement pay and VA disability at the same time
Military retirees rated 50 percent or more disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs can now keep their full retired pay alongside their VA disability...