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
Parent PLUS loan rates climb to 9.07% on July 1 — the cost of borrowing $40,000 to send your kid to college is now $463 a month for 10 years
The federal government is about to charge parents 9.07 percent interest to help send their children to college. That is the fixed rate expected to...
Trump left China touting “fantastic” deals — but the average U.S. tariff on Chinese goods is still 47.5% and no major trade agreement was signed
Nearly nine years after President Donald Trump flew out of Beijing declaring he had secured “fantastic” commercial arrangements worth $250 billion, the United States and...
The 10-year Treasury hit 4.59% while the 30-year crossed 5.08% — the bond market is screaming that rates aren’t coming down anytime soon
If you spent the past year waiting for borrowing costs to drop, the bond market just answered with a two-word reply: not yet. In late...
Federal student loan rates jump to 6.52% on July 1 — and the 30-year Treasury at 5% means there’s no relief coming
A college freshman who signs a federal loan promissory note after July 1 will pay 6.52% interest on every dollar borrowed, locked in for the...
SpaceX is expected to file its S-1 between May 18 and May 22 — the roadshow starts June 8 for what could be a $2 trillion IPO, the largest in history
Somewhere between May 18 and May 22, SpaceX’s S-1 registration statement is expected to appear on the SEC’s public database, pulling back the curtain on...
The Dow fell 537 points one day after hitting a record — bond yields drove the selloff because the 30-year Treasury crossed 5% for the first time in 18 years
The celebration lasted exactly one trading session. On May 14, 2026, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 50,000 for the first time, finishing at...
A bill to suspend the 18.4-cent federal gas tax is gaining votes — it would save you $2-3 per fill-up but drain $21 billion from the Highway Trust Fund in six months
Fill up a 15-gallon tank right now and $2.76 of what you pay goes straight to the federal government. Three bills moving through Congress would...
Gas hit $4.53 and Iran’s ceasefire expires in 48 hours — Kalshi bettors are now pricing in $5.60 a gallon by summer
Filling up a tank of regular gasoline now costs American drivers an average of $4.53 a gallon, the highest pre-summer price since 2022, according to...
The 30-year Treasury yield just hit 5.08% — the highest since 2007 — and every mortgage, car loan, and student loan in America is tied to that number
When the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield crossed 5.08% in late May 2025, mortgage lenders began repricing rate sheets before the trading day was over. Auto...
The defaulted borrowers aren’t who you’d expect — the average student loan defaulter is 40 years old and was making payments before the pandemic paused collections
When federal student loan collections officially restarted in May 2025, the government was not chasing down recent college dropouts. It was coming for people like...
The new student loan repayment plan launches July 1 — it caps payments at 10% of income, takes 30 years to forgive, and replaces every IDR plan
A borrower who signs a federal Direct Loan promissory note on July 1, 2026, will face a choice that did not exist a month earlier:...
The 30-year mortgage averaged 6.37% but spiked to 6.54% after the CPI report — and 6% wholesale inflation means it’s not coming back down
Spring was supposed to bring lower mortgage rates. Instead, it delivered a gut punch. The 30-year fixed mortgage averaged 6.37% for the week ending May...
3.6 million student loan borrowers defaulted since October — and the average defaulter is 40 years old and was current on payments before the pandemic
They paid on time for years. Then the system restarted, and millions of them stopped. Since federal student loan payments resumed in October 2023 after...
Fed Chair Jerome Powell steps down after 8 years, stays on board
When Jerome Powell hands the Federal Reserve chairmanship to Kevin Warsh on May 15, 2026, he will do something almost none of his predecessors have...
Social Security’s 2.8% COLA added $56 a month — but with inflation at 3.8% and wholesale prices at 6%, retirees are falling further behind every month
The January raise was supposed to help. Instead, five months later, it is not even close to enough. Social Security’s 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment put an...
Parent PLUS loan rates climb to 9.07% on July 1 — the cost of borrowing to send your kid to college just hit its highest point since 2007
A parent borrowing $30,000 this fall to help cover a child’s tuition will owe roughly $382 a month for the next decade and pay about...