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
New deductions for tips, overtime, and car loan interest took effect under the One Big Beautiful Bill — they apply starting with your 2026 return filed next year
For the first time, a restaurant server’s tips, a factory worker’s overtime pay, and a commuter’s car loan interest can reduce their federal tax bill...
42% of Americans say they’ll carry credit card debt until they die — the average balance hit $6,580 at an APR above 22%
Imagine writing a check for $6,580, lighting a match, and watching $10,000 more burn on top of it. That is roughly what happens when a...
The first tariff refund checks land this week — but CBP accepted only 21% of claims, and most small businesses need a customs broker just to file
The first tariff refund payments started hitting importers’ bank accounts this week, marking the beginning of a payback process for businesses that overpaid duties under...
The IRS is phasing out paper refund checks under a new executive order — filers without direct deposit will need a bank account on file by next tax season
If you got your federal tax refund as a paper check last year, that’s almost certainly not going to happen again. Under Executive Order 14247,...
Household debt hit $18.8 trillion — and the savings rate dropped from 6.2% to 4.0% because every extra dollar goes to gas and groceries
Household debt hit $18.8 trillion – and the savings rate dropped from 6.2% to 4.0% because every extra dollar goes to gas and groceries The...
Florida homeowners pay $10,240 a year for insurance — 189% above the national average — but the state insurer just approved an 8.7% cut starting in June
When Maria Gonzalez opened her homeowners insurance renewal last spring in Hialeah, the number barely registered as a surprise anymore: $11,400 for a three-bedroom concrete-block...
Consumer confidence crashed to the lowest level since 1952 — one-third of Americans told surveyors the first thing on their mind was gas prices
The last time American consumers felt this bleak about the economy, Dwight Eisenhower had not yet taken office. The University of Michigan’s preliminary Index of...
The Senate votes on a new Fed chair this week — he hasn’t committed to a single rate cut, and borrowers shouldn’t expect one in 2026
A 30-year mortgage still costs roughly 6.9%. The average credit card charges north of 20% interest. And the man about to become the most powerful...
Gas sat 16 cents from the all-time U.S. record — then Trump rejected Iran’s peace deal and crude shot back above $101
Sixteen cents. That was the gap between the national average price of regular gasoline and the all-time U.S. record when President Trump rejected ceasefire talks...
Trump told PBS the Iran war has “a very good chance of ending” — while Iran reviewed his 14-point peace memo and called it “excessive,” and three Navy destroyers took fire in the Strait of Hormuz this week
Three U.S. Navy destroyers came under Iranian fire in the Strait of Hormuz in late May 2026, American warships struck back, and within days President...
The number of “equity-rich” homeowners just dropped to the lowest level since 2021 — and HELOC delinquencies are climbing at the same time
For the first time in four years, fewer than half of mortgaged U.S. homes qualify as “equity-rich,” meaning the owner owes less than 50% of...
The first tariff refund checks arrive around May 11 — Cards Against Humanity is passing every cent to customers, but 0 of 25 CFOs surveyed plan to do the same
Starting around May 11, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will begin cutting refund checks to thousands of American importers who paid tariffs the Supreme...
Oil dropped 6% this week to $101 a barrel on ceasefire hopes — but the Strait of Hormuz is still closed, 14 million barrels a day are still disrupted, and 23,000 sailors are still stranded
Somewhere in the Persian Gulf, aboard tankers and cargo ships that have barely moved in weeks, roughly 23,000 civilian sailors are waiting, according to Secretary...
57% of Gen Zers now juggle side hustles on top of their day jobs — economists call it “income stacking,” and it’s the fastest-growing work pattern in America
By the time Mariana closes her laptop at 5 p.m. each weekday, her second shift is already queued up. The 24-year-old marketing coordinator in Austin...
Gen Z is the only generation still increasing 401(k) contributions — they bumped theirs to 6.2% while boomers, millennials, and Gen X all pulled back for the first time in 3 years
A 25-year-old earning $50,000 is now putting roughly $3,100 a year into a retirement account. That figure, on its own, is easy to dismiss. But...
Household debt hit $18.8 trillion — and Americans are saving less despite earning more, because every extra dollar is going to gas and groceries
The average American worker earned more in early 2026 than a year ago. The average American household also owed more, saved less, and watched a...