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
A totally disabled veteran who cannot work may draw pay at the 100% rate through VA unemployability, even at a lower rating
A veteran whose service-connected injuries make steady work impossible can be paid at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ full 100% compensation rate even when the...
Inflation-adjusted I bonds shield savings from rising prices, with a one-year lockup
A Series I savings bond pays interest in two parts, and the design is what makes it a hedge against inflation rather than a bet...
Form 8888 splits a tax refund straight into an IRA, saving it automatically
The Internal Revenue Service lets a filer divide a single federal tax refund across as many as three separate accounts, and one of those destinations...
Opting out of debit-card overdraft coverage stops a roughly $35 fee
A debit-card purchase that a checking account cannot cover has two possible outcomes, and the difference between them is roughly $35. Under federal rules, a...
Consolidating scattered old retirement accounts can cut fees and simplify the required withdrawals later
A worker who changes jobs several times over a career can end up with a trail of forgotten retirement accounts — a 401(k) at each...
A pension holder can often take a lump sum, but the monthly annuity usually protects a surviving spouse better
When a traditional pension comes due, many plans present a choice that is easy to underestimate: a single large lump sum now, or a smaller...
Rolling an old 401(k) straight into an IRA avoids the automatic 20% tax withholding a check made out to you would trigger
When a worker leaves a job and decides to move an old 401(k), one seemingly small choice determines whether the Internal Revenue Service takes a...
A House bill would repeal the federal income tax on Social Security benefits, though it has not cleared committee
Legislation to end the federal income tax on Social Security benefits has been introduced in the House, a change that would lift take-home checks for...
A bill in Congress would let homeowners 65 and older shield up to $1 million of home-sale profit from capital-gains tax
A House proposal introduced this summer would sharply raise the amount of home-sale profit that older homeowners could keep free of federal capital-gains tax, lifting...
Eighteen states will soon block soda and candy from food-stamp purchases
For the first time in the six-decade history of the food-stamp program, a group of states is preparing to bar recipients from using benefits to...
A family a dollar over the health-subsidy cliff can lose thousands in marketplace help
The most punishing feature of the health insurance marketplace returned in 2026: a hard income cliff where earning one extra dollar can erase every penny...
Inherited IRAs generally must be emptied within 10 years now, and missing a yearly withdrawal can trigger a penalty
The rules for inheriting a tax-deferred retirement account tightened sharply after the SECURE Act of 2019, and 2025 was the year the strictest version fully...
Missing a required IRA withdrawal can bring an IRS penalty of up to 25% of the amount a retiree should have taken
A retiree who forgets to pull the required amount from a traditional retirement account faces one of the steepest penalties in the tax code, but...
Someone who overpaid Social Security tax through two jobs can claim the excess back on a tax return
A worker who holds two jobs in the same year, or who changes employers mid-year, can end up paying more Social Security tax than the...
A retiree can have federal tax withheld straight from a Social Security check with Form W-4V to dodge a surprise April bill
Social Security benefits can be taxable, but the government withholds nothing from the monthly check unless a beneficiary specifically requests it. That single default catches...
The 20% qualified-business-income deduction can cut a self-employed retiree’s tax bill
A retiree who picks up consulting work, drives for a rideshare service or runs a small side business is often focused on the income and...
