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
Federal student loan rates jump to 6.52% on July 1 — the highest borrowing rate for undergrads in three years
A college freshman enrolling this fall and borrowing the maximum federal Direct Loan will pay a fixed interest rate of 6.52%, the highest undergraduate borrowing...
The S&P 500 closed above 7,500 for the first time — Cisco’s 19% surge and Cerebras’s $5.5 billion IPO led the charge
The S&P 500 closed at 7,501.24 on Thursday, settling above 7,500 for the first time in the index’s history. The Associated Press confirmed the record,...
The 30-year mortgage spiked to 6.54% after the CPI report — the highest daily rate in six weeks
Mortgage rates surged on May 12, 2026, after a hotter-than-expected inflation report rattled bond markets and forced lenders to reprice their rate sheets before lunch....
Credit card delinquencies hit 13.1%, the highest in 16 years — but total balances actually dropped $25 billion last quarter
More than one in every eight credit card accounts at the nation’s largest banks is now at least 90 days past due. That is not...
Xi warned Trump that differences over Taiwan could lead to a “clash” — on Day 1 of a summit where traders give 81% odds the tariff truce gets extended
Chinese President Xi Jinping looked across the table at Donald Trump on May 14, 2026, the opening day of their bilateral summit, and delivered a...
Gas hit $4.53 and the Commerce Department confirmed it’s absorbing all the growth in consumer spending — retail sales ex-gas barely moved
Gas hit $4.53 and the Commerce Department confirmed it’s absorbing all the growth in consumer spending — retail sales ex-gas barely moved A family running...
Retail sales rose 0.5% in April — but furniture fell 2%, clothing fell 1.5%, and department stores dropped 3.2% because Americans are spending all their money on gas
Furniture sales fell 2%. Clothing dropped 1.5%. Department stores slid 3.2%. And yet the U.S. Census Bureau’s Advance Monthly Sales report for April 2026 (release...
Social Security’s 2.8% COLA added $56 a month — but 3.8% inflation means retirees are losing purchasing power faster than the raise covers
Social Security’s 2.8% COLA added $56 a month – but 3.8% inflation means retirees are losing purchasing power faster than the raise covers The 2.8%...
The new Fed chair takes over with inflation at 3.8%, wholesale prices up 6%, and a 30% chance the Fed raises rates instead of cutting them
Kevin Warsh did not get a grace period. The new Federal Reserve chair took the oath on May 15, 2026, the day Jerome Powell’s four-year...
The FBI says bank spoof callers drained $40,000 from a Chase customer — the scam used Chase’s own phone number on caller ID
The phone rang, and the screen showed Chase Bank’s name and number. The voice on the other end identified herself as a fraud department representative...
The first tariff refund checks are finally landing — but CBP accepted only 21% of claims and most filers needed a customs broker just to apply
The first refund checks for tariffs a federal court declared illegal have started hitting importers’ bank accounts. But the money is reaching far fewer businesses...
PayPal is slashing 20% of its workforce — 4,760 jobs because the new CEO says the company “lost ground to rivals”
PayPal plans to eliminate roughly 4,760 jobs over the next two to three years, a reduction of about 20% of its workforce, as CEO Alex...
The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as Fed chair 54-45 tonight — the closest vote for a central bank leader in modern American history
Kevin Warsh was confirmed as the 17th chair of the Federal Reserve on the evening of May 13, 2026, surviving a 54-45 Senate vote that...
Trump flew 15 billionaire CEOs to Beijing on Air Force One — the same week wholesale prices jumped 6% and gas hit $4.51 back home
On the morning of May 13, 2026, Air Force One lifted off with President Donald Trump and at least 15 chief executives from some of...
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 through the federal PLUS loan program for the 2025-2026 school year will pay roughly $382 a month for 10 years and...
Zero rate cuts are priced in for 2026 — and the man who just became Fed chair has never voted for one
The futures market has made its bet for 2026: no rate cuts at all. Fed-funds futures, as tracked by the CME FedWatch tool, now assign...