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
Career courses can unlock a lifetime learning credit up to $2,000 per return
The Lifetime Learning Credit reaches beyond traditional degree programs to eligible courses that acquire or improve job skills, including some graduate and part-time study. It...
College costs can trigger a $2,500 tax credit, with up to $1,000 refundable
The American Opportunity Tax Credit can turn eligible college spending into as much as $2,500 per student, including a refundable portion of up to $1,000....
The earned-income tax credit reaches $8,231 for some families in 2026
The earned-income tax credit tops out at $8,231 in 2026 for qualifying workers with three or more children, but the maximum occupies only a narrow...
Families can claim an adoption credit up to $17,670, including $5,120 refundable
The federal adoption credit reaches $17,670 per eligible child for 2026, and as much as $5,120 of the allowed credit can be refundable. The new...
Dependent-care FSAs now shield up to $7,500 from federal income and payroll taxes
The dependent-care FSA ceiling rose to $7,500 for 2026, increasing the amount of pay that can avoid federal income and payroll taxes when it funds...
$3,400 can go into a health FSA in 2026, with $680 carried forward
Workers may direct as much as $3,400 of salary into a health flexible spending arrangement for a plan year beginning in 2026, while a plan...
Bronze and catastrophic marketplace plans now qualify for HSA contributions
A bronze or catastrophic health plan can now open the HSA door even when its deductible or out-of-pocket design would have failed the traditional federal...
$8,750 can go into a family HSA in 2026
The 2026 family health savings account limit is $8,750, but that figure belongs to the coverage and the calendar, not separately to every person in...
One $1,000 emergency retirement withdrawal can escape the 10% early-distribution tax each year
A federal exception can spare one small emergency retirement withdrawal from the 10% additional tax, but it does not turn a 401(k) or IRA into...
Buy a stock back within 30 days and the wash-sale rule can postpone your tax loss
The wash-sale rule is a timing rule disguised as a trading rule. An investor may sell stock at a genuine economic loss, buy back into...
Stock losses can offset $3,000 of ordinary income each year, with leftovers carrying forward
A losing stock position does not automatically produce a tax deduction equal to the loss. Federal rules first force gains and losses through a netting...
Employers can pay $5,250 toward student loans tax-free under a permanent federal rule
An employer can put money directly against an employee’s qualified student loan without adding the first $5,250 to taxable wages in 2026. The benefit runs...
The Labor Department’s lost-and-found database can reconnect workers with forgotten retirement plans
A federal search can now bridge one of the hardest gaps in retirement planning: remembering who holds a benefit from an employer that changed names,...
Workplace emergency-savings accounts can hold $2,600 in 2026 and allow tax-free withdrawals
A pension-linked emergency savings account puts a small cash reserve inside an employer retirement plan without treating every withdrawal like a retirement raid. The 2026...
$7,789.77 a month is PBGC’s 2026 pension guarantee ceiling for a 65-year-old
The federal pension backstop has a large 2026 headline number and a much narrower legal meaning. PBGC lists $7,789.77 a month as the maximum guarantee...
Most checks require $275 available by the next business day
A bank can hold much of a check while still owing the depositor access to a small first slice. Under the current Regulation CC thresholds,...