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
The personal savings rate just hit 3.6% — the lowest since 2008 — because Americans are spending more on gas, not more on stuff
In April 2024, Americans saved a smaller share of their paychecks than at almost any point since the Great Recession. The personal savings rate fell...
Spirit Airlines canceled every flight and shut down today — 17,000 workers lost their jobs because jet fuel hit $4.51 a gallon
Spirit Airlines did not slowly fade. On May 2, 2026, the budget carrier canceled every scheduled flight, shut down its customer service lines, and told...
15% of tariff refund claims have already been rejected — and small businesses say the CAPE portal requires a customs broker or lawyer just to file
After the U.S. Supreme Court, in its May 2026 decision in National Foreign Trade Council v. United States, struck down a series of executive-branch tariffs...
I bonds just reset to 4.26% — the highest rate since November 2023 — and you have until October to lock it in
If you have $10,000 sitting in a savings account earning a rate your bank could cut tomorrow, the U.S. Treasury just gave you a reason...
Home insurance is rising for the 5th straight year — and Florida homeowners now pay $10,240 a year, 189% above the national average
When Maria Gonzalez opened her homeowners insurance renewal notice in April, the number stopped her cold: $11,400 for a three-bedroom concrete-block house in Hialeah that...
The 30-year mortgage just climbed back to 6.46% — erasing most of the spring rate dip as Iran war inflation pushes bond yields higher
The spring rate dip that coaxed cautious homebuyers off the sidelines is effectively gone. According to the latest Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the...
Oil dropped 3% to $101 after Iran sent a new peace proposal through Pakistan — but Trump rejected it and said there will be no “early” end to the war
Brent crude fell 3% to $101 a barrel on May 1, 2026, after a brief window of diplomacy between the United States and Iran slammed...
Eli Lilly’s weight loss pill attracted 20,000 patients in its first month — before any advertising — at $149/month without insurance
No commercials. No billboards. No influencer campaigns. Within 30 days of reaching pharmacy shelves, Eli Lilly’s oral weight loss drug Foundayo had been prescribed to...
Jerome Powell just chaired his last Fed meeting — rates held steady, he called Trump’s attacks “unprecedented,” and Kevin Warsh starts in 13 days
Jerome Powell walked into his final Federal Reserve press conference in late April 2026 and did something no outgoing Fed chair has done in the...
Gas just hit $4.39 a gallon — up 47% since the Iran war started — and Exxon’s CEO says “there’s more to come” on price spikes
A gallon of regular unleaded now costs $4.39 at the national average, according to AAA’s daily fuel gauge. That is 47% higher than the $2.81...
Apple just posted a $111.2 billion quarter and announced a $100 billion buyback — and Tim Cook is leaving in 4 months
Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO of Apple. The company disclosed the succession plan in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission...
Jobless claims just fell to 189,000 — a number the U.S. hasn’t seen since Nixon was president in 1969
In the week ending April 25, 2026, only 189,000 Americans filed new unemployment claims, a figure the country has not seen since September 1969. Back...
Trump signs executive order creating TrumpIRA.gov — 56 million workers without employer plans could get up to $1,000/year in federal matching funds
A freelance graphic designer in Austin. A DoorDash driver in Detroit. A house cleaner in Phoenix who invoices her own clients. None of them has...
Canada is banning every crypto ATM in the country after scammers used them to steal $704 million from Canadians
Walk into almost any Canadian convenience store, gas station, or shopping mall and you will likely spot a crypto ATM tucked near the entrance. There...
Consumer spending slowed to 1.6% in Q1 as households pulled back on goods and discretionary purchases
American consumers pulled back sharply in the first three months of 2026, marking the most significant spending slowdown in two years. Real personal consumption expenditures...
Only 25% of consumers say their cost-cutting plans are still working, PYMNTS report finds
Three out of four Americans who tried to shrink their spending this year say the effort has stalled. Only 25% of consumers report that their...