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
Retirement savers set a record, putting away 14.4% of pay into their 401(k)s
American workers funneled a record share of their paychecks into workplace retirement plans in early 2026, with the combined 401(k) savings rate reaching 14.4% —...
More than 1 million older Americans could lose SNAP food aid as work rules expand to age 64
A change buried in last year’s sprawling tax-and-spending law is now reaching older Americans who long assumed food assistance came without a work test. The...
Owners of 1.5 million recalled Ocoopa hand warmers can get a refund after fires and one death
About 1.5 million rechargeable hand warmers sold under the OCOOPA name are being pulled from American homes after their batteries were tied to 15 fires,...
Esse Health patients can claim a flat $50 from a data-breach settlement, no proof needed, by August 4
Patients of Esse Health, a St. Louis physician group, can claim a flat $50 cash payment from a data-breach settlement without submitting any proof of...
Tinder will pay $60.5 million to California users it charged more for being older, with a payout choice due August 18
Tinder has agreed to pay $60.5 million to settle a long-running lawsuit accusing it of charging older California users more than younger ones for the...
A pension’s survivor option decides whether your spouse keeps getting checks after you die
One decision at the moment a pension starts paying can quietly determine whether a surviving spouse keeps receiving income or watches it stop at the...
Low-income wartime veterans and their survivors can qualify for a monthly VA pension many never claim
A tax-free monthly payment sits unused by many of the older Americans it was written for: the Department of Veterans Affairs pension for low-income wartime...
Texas freezes school property taxes for homeowners once they turn 65
Texas homeowners who reach 65 gain a property-tax protection that quietly caps one of the largest lines on their annual bill: the school district portion....
Some states don’t tax Social Security, pensions or retirement income at all
Two retirees with identical pensions and Social Security checks can owe sharply different tax bills depending on nothing more than the state line they live...
A health savings account is the only account with three tax breaks, and 55-and-older savers can add an extra $1,000
A health savings account carries a tax advantage no other account can match: money goes in tax-deductible, grows tax-free, and comes out tax-free when spent...
After a spouse dies, the survivor can get hit with a “widow’s penalty” of higher taxes on a single return
The first tax year after a married retiree loses a spouse often brings an unwelcome surprise: the household’s income has barely moved, yet the federal...
Qualified charitable distributions let those 70½ and older give from an IRA and cut their tax bill
Retirees who have reached age 70½ can send money straight from a traditional IRA to charity and keep that amount off their taxable income entirely,...
A Roth IRA lets retirees withdraw money tax-free and skips required withdrawals for life
A Roth IRA gives retirees two advantages that no traditional retirement account matches at once: withdrawals that come out entirely tax-free when the rules are...
Bill Cassidy wants to shore up Social Security by investing part of its trust fund in the stock market
Senator Bill Cassidy is floating one of the more unconventional ideas in the Social Security debate: borrow roughly $1.5 trillion, park it in a fund...
Rick Scott is pushing a plan to let older Americans keep working without a Social Security penalty
A proposal from Senator Rick Scott would end a Depression-era rule that quietly docks the Social Security checks of retirees who keep working. The Senior...
Starting in 2027 the government will deposit up to $1,000 a year into low- and middle-income savers’ retirement accounts
Beginning in 2027, the federal government will start depositing money directly into the retirement accounts of lower- and middle-income savers, matching up to $1,000 a...