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 Saver’s Credit gives lower-income workers up to $1,000 back for retirement contributions
A tax credit worth up to $1,000 sits unclaimed by many of the workers it was built for, because few realize the government will effectively...
A Roth IRA carries no lifetime required withdrawals, unlike a traditional IRA
At age 73, the owner of a traditional IRA must begin pulling money out whether the cash is needed or not, and every forced dollar...
A pension survivor option trims your monthly check but keeps paying a spouse for life
Choosing how a pension pays out is one of the few retirement decisions that cannot be undone, and the choice that protects a spouse comes...
Workers 60 to 63 can add an extra $11,250 to a 401(k) in 2026
A narrow group of older workers can shovel far more into a 401(k) in 2026 than everyone else. For employees who are 60, 61, 62,...
Homeowners who miss the October 15 extension deadline face a 5%-a-month late-filing penalty
Taxpayers who requested a six-month extension have until October 15, 2026, to file their 2025 federal return, and missing that date can be expensive. The...
A new law set the estate-tax exemption at $15 million per person for 2026
Starting in 2026, an individual can pass up to $15 million to heirs before the federal estate tax applies, the result of a new law...
Brookstone tabletop fire pits are recalled for a burn hazard, and owners can collect a full refund
About 48,700 Brookstone-branded tabletop fire pits have been recalled, and the remedy is a full refund rather than a repair or a partial credit, which...
A new Medicaid work rule could cost adults 50 to 64 their coverage, while people 65 and older stay exempt
A federal rule taking hold for 2027 will require many working-age adults on Medicaid to log 80 hours a month of work or approved activity...
Duke Energy must return $90.5 million to customers, about $5.62 a month on a typical bill
Florida regulators have ordered Duke Energy Florida to hand back $90.5 million it collected from customers but never needed to spend, and the money is...
Overtime pay up to $12,500 is deductible on 2026 tax returns
Workers who log extra hours can deduct up to $12,500 of their qualified overtime pay on a 2026 tax return, a break that climbs to...
Tipped workers can deduct up to $25,000 of tips on their 2026 return under the new Schedule 1-A
Workers who earn tips can subtract up to $25,000 of that income from their taxable earnings on a 2026 return, using a new IRS form...
VA disability pay is on track to rise about 3.9% in 2027, roughly $39 more a month at a $1,000 rating
Veterans receiving VA disability compensation are on track for a raise of about 3.9 percent at the start of 2027, though the figure is still...
The $6,000 senior tax deduction disappears after 2028 unless Congress renews it
A tax break worth $6,000 per person for Americans 65 and older is set to vanish after the 2028 tax year, a sunset written into...
A new food-stamp rule makes most households prove their utility bills or lose about $100 a month in benefits
A change buried in this year’s federal budget law is quietly cutting food-stamp benefits for households that cannot document what they pay to keep the...
A new $10,000 car-loan interest deduction lands on 2026 tax returns for buyers of U.S.-built vehicles
A tax break that did not exist a year ago will show up on 2026 federal returns: buyers of new, American-assembled vehicles can now deduct...
A qualified charitable distribution lets those 70½ and older give from an IRA and skip the tax on it
A qualified charitable distribution is one of the few moves in the tax code that lets money leave a retirement account without ever being taxed....
