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
A 97-year-old San Diego widow lost her entire life savings to a $65 million senior-scam ring — the man who laundered it is sentenced June 23
A 97-year-old San Diego widow who survived the Holocaust through her late husband lost every dollar she had saved over a lifetime. The money flowed...
Top one-year CDs still pay around 4%, locking in today’s rate
Savers hunting for guaranteed returns can still find one-year certificates of deposit paying around 4 percent at leading banks and online institutions, but the window...
Claim Social Security at 62 and your check is about 30% smaller for life
Americans born in 1960 or later who start collecting Social Security at 62 lock in a monthly benefit that is 30 percent smaller than what...
Mortgage rates fell to a one-month low of 6.31% after the Iran deal
Homebuyers shopping for a fixed-rate mortgage caught a break after the Iran nuclear deal pushed rates to 6.31 percent, the lowest print in roughly a...
Medicare Savings Programs can cover your entire monthly Part B premium if your income qualifies
Millions of Americans on Medicare lose hundreds of dollars each month to Part B premiums even though a federal program exists to eliminate that cost...
A donor-advised fund lets you bunch several years of charitable giving into one bigger deduction
Taxpayers who give to charity every year but never clear the standard deduction threshold face a familiar frustration: their donations produce zero tax benefit. A...
You can shrink a big hospital bill by asking for the cash price or a payment plan
Patients who receive a large hospital bill can often reduce what they owe simply by asking for the facility’s cash price or requesting a structured...
The typical retiree’s 2026 raise shrank to about $35 a month — the Medicare premium ate the rest
Most of the 66 million Americans who collect Social Security will see their January 2026 checks grow by about $57 a month, the result of...
The 30-year mortgage is averaging about 6.6% as inflation keeps rates elevated
Homebuyers shopping for a fixed-rate loan in mid-2026 are paying roughly 6.6 percent on a 30-year mortgage, a level that has barely budged since late...
Anyone born in 1960 reaches Social Security’s full retirement age of 67 this November
Americans born in November 1960 will turn 67 this fall, completing a four-decade phase-in of a higher retirement threshold set by Congress in 1983. For...
Inherited IRAs must usually be fully emptied within 10 years under current law
Millions of Americans who inherited retirement accounts from family members who died after 2019 face a hard deadline: drain every dollar from the account within...
Paying your credit card in full each month means you never owe a cent of interest
Credit cardholders who settle their full statement balance every month can avoid paying any interest on purchases, a protection built into federal law and enforced...
A qualified longevity annuity lets you delay some required withdrawals and lock in income at 80
Retirees who turn 73 and face their first required minimum distributions now have a concrete way to shrink those forced withdrawals: move up to $200,000...
A secured credit card rebuilds damaged credit using a refundable deposit as your limit
Consumers with poor or thin credit histories face a familiar catch: they need credit to build a score, but lenders rarely extend credit without one....
Federal regulators recalled EcoFlow Delta Max power stations that can overheat and catch fire
Owners of roughly 25,030 EcoFlow Delta Max 2000 portable power stations face a direct fire risk after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a...
Naming a power of attorney now spares your family a costly court fight if you’re incapacitated
Families who skip basic estate planning before a medical crisis often face a painful choice: petition a court to appoint a guardian over a loved...