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 veteran’s disability pay is exempt from federal income tax and most state taxes
Disability compensation is one of the few streams of federal money that never shows up on a tax return. The Department of Veterans Affairs pays...
A special-needs trust preserves government benefits for a disabled heir
Leaving money directly to a disabled heir who receives Supplemental Security Income or Medicaid can backfire badly: those programs cap how much a recipient can...
Gifting up to the annual exclusion each year quietly shrinks a taxable estate
The federal government lets anyone give away a set amount of money to as many people as they want every year, with no gift tax...
A durable power of attorney lets a trusted person handle your finances if you can’t
A power of attorney is a one-page legal fix for a problem most families only discover mid-crisis: someone needs to pay a parent’s mortgage, sign...
A revocable trust can name someone to manage your money if illness leaves you unable
A revocable living trust does more than route money to heirs after death. Written correctly, it also names a backup manager — a successor trustee...
Naming a minor directly as a beneficiary can force a court guardianship a trust would avoid
A parent or grandparent who lists a child directly as the beneficiary on a life insurance policy or retirement account is choosing the option that...
A 60-day IRA rollover done a day late becomes a taxable withdrawal
A retirement distribution that’s meant to pass briefly through a saver’s hands before landing in a new account carries a deadline that shows no leniency...
Delaying Social Security while first drawing down an IRA can cut a retiree’s lifetime taxes
Waiting until 70 to claim Social Security raises a retiree’s monthly check by roughly 8% for every year past full retirement age, but it also...
An ABLE account lets a disabled person save tens of thousands without losing benefits
An ABLE account lets a person with a qualifying disability save and invest money in a dedicated, tax-advantaged account without the balance counting against the...
A no-penalty CD lets a saver lock a rate yet pull the cash if rates climb
A certificate of deposit locks a saver’s money in exchange for a fixed rate, and leaving early on a standard CD costs a penalty measured...
FDIC insurance covers up to $250,000 per depositor, and beneficiaries can raise that limit
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures up to $250,000 per depositor, per bank, for each account ownership category, a ceiling that has not moved since...
A Fed official’s talk of a rate hike is keeping top CD yields near 4%
Savers shopping for a certificate of deposit this week are still finding offers close to 4 percent, even as the broader trend in deposit rates...
A spousal IRA lets a non-working spouse keep saving on the earner’s income
A spouse who has left the paid workforce, whether to raise children, manage a home, or simply because one paycheck covers the household, is not...
A qualified charitable distribution lets those 70½ and older give from an IRA tax-free
Once an IRA owner turns 70½, the tax code offers a narrow but valuable shortcut: money can move directly from the account to a qualified...
SNAP’s shutdown protection runs out September 30, putting food aid in doubt after October 1
The federal funding that has protected SNAP food assistance all year runs out September 30, and Congress has not yet passed a follow-up bill to...
A House bill would send tariff-rebate checks up to $2,040 a household, but it hasn’t passed
Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas has introduced a bill that would send rebate checks of up to $2,040 to American households, funded by roughly $231.35...