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
Cooling your home will cost 8.5% more this summer as forecasters call for near-record heat
American households face a summer of rising cooling costs just as federal forecasters project temperatures well above normal across most of the country. The Energy...
Gold prices have surged in 2026 as investors hunt for an inflation hedge
Investors holding gold have watched the metal climb through the first half of 2026, with LBMA-based pricing data showing a sustained advance that outpaced gains...
The Trump administration will appeal a ruling letting all importers claim tariff refunds
Every company that paid tariffs the courts struck down could soon get its money back, or the Trump administration will try to stop it. The...
A new class action claims Bitcoin Depot’s ATMs let a scammer drain $76,000 from one victim
A proposed class action lawsuit accuses Bitcoin Depot of allowing a scammer to drain $76,000 from a single victim through its cryptocurrency ATMs, adding to...
The Social Security wage base climbs to $184,500 in 2026
Workers earning above $176,100 will see a bigger bite from their paychecks starting in January 2026. The Social Security Administration set the taxable wage base...
Required minimum withdrawals start at age 73, and skipping one can trigger a penalty of up to 25%
Retirees who turned 73 in 2025 or later face a steep federal penalty if they fail to pull money from traditional IRAs and workplace retirement...
Social Security’s 2.8% raise adds about $56 a month — but a $17.90 Medicare Part B premium hike claws back nearly half
Retirees counting on a bigger Social Security check in 2026 will find that a simultaneous Medicare premium increase eats into nearly a third of the...
Retirees under full retirement age can earn up to $24,480 in 2026 before Social Security starts holding back benefits
Workers collecting Social Security before they hit full retirement age face a hard earnings ceiling in 2026: $24,480. Every dollar earned above that line triggers...
Florida homeowners now have just one year to file a hurricane claim, down from two, under the state’s insurance law
Florida homeowners who suffer hurricane damage now face a filing window half as long as it used to be. Under the 2022 amendment to Florida...
The IRA contribution limit rose to $7,500 for 2026
Workers saving for retirement got a concrete, if modest, boost when the IRS set the annual individual retirement account contribution limit at $7,500 for 2026,...
Hiring beat forecasts in May and unemployment held at 4.3%
Private employers added 122,000 jobs in May while the official unemployment rate held at 4.3 percent, signaling a labor market that is cooling without cracking....
The S&P 500 closed at a record 7,599.96 even as the Fed signals no rate cuts are coming
The S&P 500 hit a fresh record close of 7,599.96 on June 1, 2026, gaining 19.90 points in a session where rising oil prices and...
Any taxpayer can lock scammers out of their tax refund with a free six-digit IRS identity-protection PIN
Every year, refund fraud costs taxpayers time, money, and peace of mind when someone files a bogus federal return using a stolen Social Security number...
GasBuddy expects gas to average $4.80 a gallon nationwide this summer
American drivers face a summer of elevated fuel costs, with GasBuddy projecting that regular gasoline will average $4.80 a gallon nationwide through the peak driving...
Social Security’s full retirement age finally reaches 67 this November for everyone born in 1960 — and claiming at 62 locks in a 30% smaller check for life
Americans born in 1960 will turn 67 starting this November, completing a four-decade phase-in that raises Social Security’s full retirement age to its final statutory...
A surprise 172,000 May jobs just raised the odds of a Fed rate hike this year to 57% — keeping mortgage and credit-card rates high
American borrowers hoping for relief on their mortgage payments and credit-card bills will have to wait longer. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that total...