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 prescription discount card can beat an insurance copay at the pharmacy counter
At many pharmacy counters, the price on an insurance copay isn’t automatically the cheapest option available. Federal regulators moved years ago to stop pharmacies from...
The Earned Income Tax Credit can add thousands to a lower-income worker’s refund
The Earned Income Tax Credit is one of the few federal tax breaks capable of turning a modest return into a refund worth thousands of...
An IRS installment plan lets you pay a tax bill over time instead of all at once
A tax bill larger than expected does not have to be paid in a single lump sum. The IRS runs a formal payment plan program...
Total unemployability can pay some disabled veterans at the full 100% rate
A veteran with a single service-connected disability rated at 60%, or two or more disabilities combining to at least 70% with one rated 40% or...
A Veterans Pension pays low-income wartime veterans a tax-free monthly benefit
A wartime veteran with limited income can qualify for a Veterans Pension without ever having a service-connected disability — the benefit turns on age or...
VA Aid and Attendance adds to a veteran’s pension when daily care is needed
A veteran already receiving a VA pension can see that monthly payment rise substantially once a doctor documents that they need daily help bathing, dressing...
Prepaying a funeral can lock in today’s price against years of rising costs
Funeral costs have climbed steadily for years, and a casket, service, or plot priced today will almost certainly cost more by the time it’s actually...
IRS Free File offers free federal tax filing to most taxpayers under an income limit
Filing a federal tax return doesn’t have to cost anything for the large majority of taxpayers, yet the program that makes that true remains one...
Airlines must now refund a canceled flight in cash, not just a voucher
For years, an airline that canceled a flight could steer a passenger toward a travel credit or voucher by default, leaving many travelers to assume...
Leftover money in a 529 college plan can now roll into the beneficiary’s Roth IRA
For nearly three decades, money left over in a 529 college savings plan after graduation had one honest use: more education, for the same beneficiary...
A Roth IRA has no required withdrawals, so the money can grow untouched for heirs
Every other tax-advantaged retirement account eventually forces the owner’s hand: traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, and similar plans require withdrawals starting at age 73, whether or not...
The Rule of 55 lets someone who leaves a job at 55 or older tap that 401(k) penalty-free
Most people are told that retirement accounts are locked until age 59½, with a 10 percent penalty for anything withdrawn earlier. But a worker who...
The “widow’s penalty” can push a surviving spouse into a higher tax bracket the next year
A surviving spouse who files a joint return in the year their husband or wife dies can be caught off guard the following year, when...
The home-sale tax exclusion lets a married couple shield up to $500,000 of profit
A married couple who sells the home they have lived in for years can walk away with up to $500,000 of profit and owe the...
States are holding billions in unclaimed money, and a free official search can reunite you with it
State governments are currently holding more than $70 billion in unclaimed property nationwide, money and assets that once belonged to ordinary people before contact with...
Veterans’ disability pay rose 2.8% for 2026, and a new tier can raise checks for the most severely disabled
Veterans receiving VA disability compensation saw their monthly checks rise 2.8% starting with the December 31, 2025 payment, the same cost-of-living adjustment percentage the Social...