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 step-up in basis can erase capital-gains tax for heirs who inherit appreciated assets
An investment held for decades carries a hidden tax the whole time it grows. The gap between what was paid and what the asset is...
A qualified charitable distribution lets retirees give from an IRA and count it as their RMD, tax-free
Once a saver reaches the age when the government requires withdrawals from a traditional retirement account, that money lands on the tax return as ordinary...
Required withdrawals from retirement accounts now start at 73, rising to 75 in 2033
Tax-deferred retirement accounts come with a bill that eventually comes due. The government lets savers postpone taxes on traditional IRAs and 401(k)s for decades, but...
A new $6,000 senior deduction can cut the tax bill for many people 65 and older through 2028
Tucked into the tax law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill is a temporary break aimed squarely at older taxpayers: an extra $6,000 deduction...
Trump opened 401(k)s to private equity and crypto, putting $12 trillion in retirement savings in play
An executive order signed in August 2025 set in motion the biggest change to workplace retirement menus in a generation, directing federal regulators to clear...
Trump says a new deal is bringing weight-loss and other drug prices down sharply, with some shots near $149
The Trump administration announced in August that it had reached pricing agreements with 17 drugmakers responsible for roughly 86 percent of the branded prescription market,...
A payable-on-death beneficiary lets a brokerage or bank account pass to heirs without probate
When someone dies with money in a bank or brokerage account, that money can spend months tied up in probate court before an heir sees...
A small-estate affidavit lets heirs skip probate entirely for a modest estate
When a parent dies leaving a bank account, a car, and some household belongings but no fortune, the family often braces for probate court out...
A life-estate deed passes a home to heirs while letting the owner live there for life
An older homeowner who wants a house to reach a child without the delay and expense of probate has a tool many overlook: the life-estate...
Money-market funds can pay retirees more than a big-bank savings account while staying liquid
The cash a retiree keeps for emergencies and monthly bills does not have to sit in an account earning almost nothing. A government money-market fund,...
The Fair Credit Reporting Act lets you dispute credit-report errors for free and force a fix
A wrong entry on a credit report is not just an annoyance; it can raise the interest on a mortgage, sink a rental application, or...
A second-chance bank account can reopen the banking system after a ChexSystems black mark
Being turned down for a checking account can feel like a locked door, and for many older Americans it arrives without warning after an overdraft...
Old debt can pass a statute of limitations, after which a collector can no longer sue you for it
Every unpaid debt carries a hidden expiration date on the lender’s ability to take you to court. Once a debt’s statute of limitations runs out,...
You can demand written proof of a debt within 30 days, and a collector must pause until it delivers
A debt collector’s call can feel like a final verdict, but federal law treats it as an opening claim that still has to be proven....
CHAMPVA can cover the spouse and children of a permanently disabled veteran
When a veteran is rated permanently and totally disabled, the health-coverage question does not stop with the veteran. Their spouse and children face the same...
The VA’s needs-based pension is a separate benefit from disability pay, for low-income wartime veterans
Many veterans assume that if they never had a service-connected injury, the VA has no monthly check for them. That is wrong. The VA runs...
