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
Many nonspouse heirs must empty an inherited IRA within 10 years, and some owe yearly withdrawals along the way
An inherited IRA can carry two clocks at once. Many adult children and other nonspouse beneficiaries must drain the account by the end of the...
A spouse with no paycheck can still fund a spousal IRA
A year outside paid employment does not have to become a blank year in a married person’s retirement record. Federal law lets a couple use...
Taxpayers 65 and older get a bigger standard deduction on top
Turning 65 changes the federal deduction calculation even when a taxpayer has no new medical bill, retirement-account withdrawal or Social Security decision. For 2026, the...
Workers aged 60 to 63 can put an extra $11,250 into a 401(k) in 2026, a super catch-up that shrinks at 64
A four-year age band now carries the largest 401(k) catch-up limit in the tax code. Workers who turn 60, 61, 62, or 63 during 2026...
After 65, health savings account money can pay for anything, taxed like an IRA
An HSA changes character at 65 without losing its most valuable tax benefit. Money used for qualified medical expenses remains tax-free, while withdrawals for groceries,...
A long-term-care partnership policy shields extra assets from Medicaid spend-down
A qualified long-term-care partnership policy does more than reimburse care bills. It can preserve an additional amount of savings when the policyholder later applies for...
About 7.5 million borrowers in the canceled SAVE plan must pick a new repayment plan or stall their loan forgiveness
The end of the SAVE student-loan plan has pushed about 7.5 million borrowers into a repayment decision with consequences beyond the next monthly bill. The...
Capital One’s $425 million settlement checks are delayed after an appeal
Capital One 360 Savings customers who expected money from a $425 million settlement now face a substantial wait. The court approved the revised deal, but...
A 2025 law will cap the home equity that protects Medicaid nursing-home eligibility at $1 million starting 2028
A federal change scheduled for 2028 will put a hard $1 million ceiling on most state Medicaid home-equity limits used for nursing-home and other long-term-care...
A bipartisan Senate bill would force Congress to vote on a fix before Social Security’s retirement and survivor fund can pay only 78% of benefits in 2032
Social Security’s financing problem has produced years of warnings but no enacted repair, and a new Senate proposal aims at that political stalemate rather than...
Roughly $1.2 trillion in projected Medicaid cuts could strain rural hospitals that many older patients depend on
The latest federal budget baseline is much larger than the old $625 billion talking point. CBO projects that the 2025 reconciliation law will reduce federal...
Some states waive property taxes entirely for veterans rated 100% disabled
A 100% VA disability rating can unlock major property-tax relief, but it does not erase the bill everywhere. VA’s state-by-state guide shows full homestead exemptions...
A new Medicaid work rule starts Jan. 1, 2027, requiring 80 hours a month or coverage can end
A federal Medicaid community-engagement rule is coming, but the controlling start date is Jan. 1, 2027—not an unqualified December launch. States must condition eligibility for...
For 2025, Kansas refunded 75% of property taxes for low-income seniors earning under $25,380
Kansas offered a substantial property-tax refund for the 2025 claim year, but the numbers belong to a closed filing period. The SAFESR program refunded 75%...
Home insurance is projected to climb a fifth straight year to about $3,057, with California premiums forecast to jump 16%
Homeowners are facing another expensive insurance year, but the most alarming numbers are forecasts, not a final national bill. Insurify projects an average annual premium...
The IRS can delay your refund for six weeks while seeking direct-deposit details, now that most paper checks are gone
Leaving bank information off a federal return no longer means the IRS simply prints the refund check on the usual schedule. The agency generally stopped...
