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 transfer-on-death deed passes a home to heirs without probate in many states
For most retirees, the house is the biggest thing they will ever leave behind — and if it passes through a will, it usually passes...
High-yield savings accounts still pay near 4% while big banks pay almost nothing
Two savers can hold identical balances in identical products and earn wildly different amounts, and the only thing separating them is which bank holds the...
The Fair Credit Billing Act gives you 60 days to dispute a wrong credit-card charge
A wrong number on a credit-card statement is not something an account holder simply has to swallow. A federal law written for exactly this problem,...
You can turn off debit-card overdraft and dodge fees that average about $27
For many older account holders, an overdraft fee arrives as an ambush: a debit card swiped a few dollars over the balance, and the bank...
Many states let seniors freeze or defer property taxes to protect a fixed income
A rising property-tax bill can push a retiree out of a home the mortgage never could. Assessments climb with the housing market, but a fixed...
The Fed meets in mid-September, and top CDs still pay close to 4%
Savers watching their cash accounts have a date to note: the Federal Reserve’s rate-setting committee meets September 15 and 16, its next scheduled decision on...
State unclaimed-property programs are holding billions in forgotten money for the taking
Across the country, state treasurers sit on billions of dollars in unclaimed property that once belonged to ordinary people who simply lost track of it....
The federal tax-extension deadline is October 15, but any tax owed was due back in April
Millions of taxpayers who asked for more time in the spring are now bearing down on a hard date: October 15, the deadline to file...
Eighteen states now limit what SNAP benefits can buy, from soda to candy
The card that pays for groceries in millions of households is about to work differently at the checkout line. By the end of 2026, roughly...
SNAP work-rule waivers now require 10% unemployment, putting food aid at risk for millions
A change written into last year’s sweeping tax-and-spending law is now reshaping who can keep food assistance, and the pivot point is a single number:...
No tax on overtime: a deduction up to $12,500, or $25,000 for couples, on 2025 returns
A second new federal write-off from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act lets workers deduct their overtime pay, up to $12,500 on a single return...
No tax on tips: workers can deduct up to $25,000 in tips on their 2025 return
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act created a federal deduction that lets tipped workers subtract up to $25,000 in reported tips from their taxable income,...
A new federal Saver’s Match will deposit up to $1,000 into some workers’ retirement accounts
A change buried in the SECURE 2.0 retirement law will turn a little-used tax break into something more tangible: cash the federal government deposits directly...
A surviving spouse can keep filing taxes jointly for the year a spouse dies
Losing a spouse is followed, often within weeks, by a stack of financial paperwork nobody wants to think about — and buried in it is...
Workers in their early 60s can now make a larger catch-up retirement contribution
Retirement savers have long been allowed to put away extra once they turn 50, a catch-up contribution meant to help workers make up ground in...
Roth conversions have no income limit, letting high earners move money into tax-free growth
There are two ways money reaches a Roth account, and they follow very different rules. Contributing directly is barred for high earners once income tops...
