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 “affordability economy” is flipping the housing map: Sun Belt prices collapsing, Rust Belt soaring
A three-bedroom ranch in Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood listed at $189,000 in January would have sat for weeks five years ago. In early 2026, houses...
2027 Social Security COLA projections are split — will the “Trump Bump” from war inflation boost your check?
If you collect Social Security, the difference between a quiet year for inflation and a turbulent one could mean an extra $30 or an extra...
Ticketmaster found guilty of illegal monopoly — jury says fans were overcharged $1.72 per ticket
A federal jury has found that Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster operated an illegal monopoly over live event ticketing at major concert venues...
Iran declares Strait of Hormuz open — oil plunges 10%, but don’t expect cheap gas anytime soon
On a single day in late April 2026, Iran’s foreign minister told the world the Strait of Hormuz was “completely open” for commercial shipping. Within...
Ticketmaster found to be an illegal monopoly — jury says fans were overcharged $1.72 per ticket
A Manhattan federal jury decided in May 2026 that Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster ran an illegal monopoly over ticketing at large concert...
Credit card annual fees are soaring past $800 — why people keep paying
Last year, American Express raised the Platinum Card’s annual fee to $895, and the backlash was immediate. Social media lit up with cancellation threats. Personal...
Americans now owe over $1.3 trillion in credit card debt — average balance hits record $6,580
The average American credit card balance has reached $6,580, a record high according to TransUnion’s quarterly credit industry analysis, and total outstanding credit card debt...
IRS now runs 129 AI use cases — up from 10 in 2022 — as workforce shrinks 27%
If your tax refund hits a snag this spring, good luck reaching a person at the IRS. The agency that opened the 2025 filing season...
Student loan wage garnishment delayed again — Education Dept pauses collections for repayment reform
For the second time in less than a year, the U.S. Department of Education has suspended involuntary collections on defaulted federal student loans, halting wage...
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...
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...