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
Lower-income retirees can get their Medicare Part B premium paid through a state Medicare Savings Program
Retirees living on fixed incomes and enrolled in Medicare can have their Part B premium paid entirely by their state through a Medicare Savings Program,...
People with disabilities can save in an ABLE account without losing Medicaid or SSI
For the roughly 7.4 million Americans who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the federal government has long imposed a $2,000 cap on countable resources, a...
Many states let older homeowners defer property taxes until the house is sold
Older homeowners on fixed incomes in states like California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, and Massachusetts can postpone paying property taxes for years, with the bill coming...
In a slower market a buyer can ask the seller to cover closing costs, often worth thousands
Homebuyers shopping in markets where listings sit longer and competition cools are finding a concrete advantage at the negotiating table: they can ask sellers to...
Turning on real-time transaction alerts in your bank’s app catches fraud in seconds, not on next month’s statement
Bank customers who wait for a monthly statement to spot unauthorized charges face a legal clock that can cost them hundreds or even thousands of...
Federal law gives you 60 days to dispute a credit card billing error and withhold payment on it
Credit card holders across the United States have a strict 60-day window to challenge billing errors and legally withhold payment while their card issuer investigates....
Leaving a job doesn’t end your health coverage right away — COBRA gives you 60 days to continue it
Anyone who loses employer-sponsored health insurance after leaving a job, getting laid off, or having hours cut faces an immediate question: how long before coverage...
Putting a lump sum toward your mortgage and asking for a recast lowers the monthly payment without refinancing
Homeowners sitting on savings from a bonus, inheritance, or property sale can reduce their monthly mortgage payment without touching the interest rate on their existing...
You can pull the money you contributed to a Roth IRA at any time, with no taxes and no penalty
Anyone who has set money aside in a Roth IRA holds a built-in safety valve that most retirement savers overlook: the dollars they personally contributed...
Pawn America will send breach victims at least $30, with up to $5,000 for documented losses, on claims filed by July 6
More than three years after hackers compromised systems at Pawn America, the pawn-and-retail chain is paying up. Under a proposed class action settlement, customers whose...
Vevor is recalling about 11,650 ice crushers sold on Amazon and Walmart after reports of overheating and a fire
Owners of about 11,650 Vevor ice crushers sold through Amazon and Walmart now face a fire risk serious enough to prompt a federal recall and...
Refinance applications are running 62% higher than a year ago as 30-year mortgage rates slip back toward 6.3%
Homeowners with mortgages locked in above 7 percent now have a widening window to cut their monthly payments. Refinance applications are running 62 percent higher...
Social Security’s trustees now expect the retirement fund to run short in late 2032, which would trigger an automatic 22% cut to every check
Roughly 70 million Americans who depend on Social Security retirement and survivor benefits face a sharper deadline than they did a year ago. The Social...
If you claim Social Security and regret it, you have 12 months to cancel, repay, and reset your start date
Anyone who started collecting Social Security retirement benefits and then realized the timing was wrong has a narrow escape hatch: a one-time withdrawal that erases...
More retirees owe tax on their Social Security every year because the income limits haven’t moved since 1984
A growing number of Social Security recipients are losing a portion of their benefits to federal income tax each year, not because Congress raised rates,...
You can deduct up to $2,500 of student loan interest without itemizing
Millions of borrowers who made payments on student loans during the 2025 tax year can reduce their taxable income by as much as $2,500, even...