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
2027 COLA projected at 2.8% again: senior group warns it’s not enough
A retiree collecting the average Social Security benefit of roughly $1,976 a month saw about $55 added from the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). If the...
Did you miss the overtime or senior deduction? How to file an amended return and claim what you’re owed
Millions of taxpayers filed their 2025 returns early, and many of them left money on the table. Congress created two new above-the-line deductions for the...
The real cost of making minimum payments on $6,580 in credit card debt at 25% APR
Picture this: you owe $6,580 on a credit card charging 25% APR. You pay the minimum every month, never miss a due date, and never...
Visa’s Level 2 interchange program dies April 18 — small businesses already paying 75 bps more
Starting April 18, 2025, small businesses that accept Visa commercial cards lost access to a pricing tier that had saved them money on business-to-business transactions...
Credit card APRs averaging 23.7% despite three Fed rate cuts — Boston Fed says it’s hurting spending
Three Federal Reserve rate cuts were supposed to make borrowing cheaper. For the roughly half of American credit card holders who carry a balance month...
53 million Americans claimed new OBBB deductions this tax season: here’s how much extra they’re getting back
A warehouse worker in Ohio who logged 10 hours of overtime every week. A bartender in Miami who reported $18,000 in tips. A retired couple...
How much a $10,000 emergency fund earns per year at today’s best savings rates — and how to maximize it
If your $10,000 emergency fund is parked at a big-name bank, it is almost certainly earning next to nothing. The national average savings rate was...
30-year mortgage drops to 6.30%, lowest in 4 weeks — Fannie Mae forecasts under 6% by year-end
Mortgage rates fell for the second straight week, with the average 30-year fixed rate dropping to 6.30% for the week ending April 16, 2026, according...
Bank of America posts highest EPS in nearly two decades — $1.11 per share, net income up 17%
Bank of America reported first-quarter 2026 earnings of $1.11 per diluted share, what the bank called its strongest quarterly result in nearly two decades, driven...
Americans now owe a record $1.277 trillion in credit card debt: 55% covers essentials like groceries and rent
The credit card statement used to be where vacations and flat-screen TVs showed up. Now it has become where eggs, rent, and the electric bill...
S&P 500 breaks 7,000 for the first time — Nasdaq on a 12-day win streak, longest since 2009
The S&P 500 closed above 7,000 for the first time on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, finishing the session at 7,022.95 and punching through a level...
Education Dept delays student loan wage garnishment — 5.3 million defaulted borrowers get a reprieve
A borrower earning $40,000 a year with defaulted federal student loans could lose up to $230 per paycheck to wage garnishment, with no court order...
IRS just launched a free Tax Debt Help tool: no SSN required
Tax season is winding down, but for roughly 19 million Americans who carry an unpaid federal tax balance, according to the IRS Data Book, the...
The red flags most likely to get you audited in 2026 — updated with OBBB deduction triggers
A freelance graphic designer reports $62,000 in 1099 income but claims $58,000 in Schedule C expenses, parking her net profit right at the sweet spot...
What happens to your Social Security check if the trust fund is depleted — the actual math
A retiree collecting $2,000 a month from Social Security right now would lose $460 of it overnight if Congress lets the program’s trust fund run...
Filed an extension? Here’s exactly what you still owe and when — the penalties most filers don’t know about
A tax extension feels like breathing room, and it is, but only for the paperwork. If you filed Form 4868 this April and still owe...