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
Higher-income retirees pay a Medicare surcharge set by a tax return from two years back, and it can more than triple the premium
Retirees who earned above certain income thresholds in 2024 will pay a Medicare surcharge in 2026 that can push their monthly Part B bill to...
Most states, 41 of them, don’t tax your Social Security benefits at all
Retirees collecting Social Security in most of the country keep every dollar of their state tax bill untouched by those benefits. Forty-one states impose no...
Your bank must refund an unauthorized debit-card charge, often within 10 business days
Anyone who has spotted a charge they did not authorize on a debit card knows the panic that follows: the money is already gone from...
A lower-earning spouse can claim up to half of the higher earner’s Social Security
Millions of married couples approaching retirement face a decision that can shift their combined Social Security income by tens of thousands of dollars over a...
10% is added to your Medicare Part B premium for every year you delayed signing up, for life
Anyone turning 65 who skips Medicare Part B enrollment faces a permanent financial penalty: a 10 percent surcharge on the monthly premium for every full...
If your brokerage fails, SIPC replaces up to $500,000 in cash and securities
Investors holding cash and securities at a broker-dealer that collapses face a hard ceiling on what they can recover. The Securities Investor Protection Corporation replaces...
$250,000 is FDIC-insured per bank, and using several banks covers more
Households holding more than $250,000 in deposits at a single bank risk losing the excess if that institution fails. Federal law caps deposit insurance at...
A revocable living trust passes your home and accounts to heirs without the delay and cost of probate
Families who lose a loved one and then discover the home or bank accounts must pass through probate court face months of delays and mandatory...
Whirlpool will give refrigerator owners a free repair or cash back in a settlement
Owners of certain Whirlpool side-by-side refrigerators stand to receive either a free repair or cash payment after a federal court granted preliminary approval to a...
Circle K will pay $50 to customers whose data was exposed, with claims open until September 3
Massachusetts residents whose Social Security numbers and driver’s license data were exposed in a 2025 breach at Gas Express LLC now face a narrow window...
Series EE savings bonds double in value if you hold them 20 years
Americans who buy a $10,000 Series EE savings bond today will hold $20,000 after two decades, regardless of what interest rates do in between. The...
Disney will pay $50 to YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream users over video privacy
YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream subscribers stand to collect $50 each from Disney as part of a settlement tied to video privacy claims. The payouts...
Urban One’s data-breach settlement pays up to $10,000 for documented losses, or a flat cash payment without receipts
People affected by Urban One, Inc.’s confirmed data breach now face a choice: gather receipts to claim up to $10,000 in documented losses, or accept...
Workers can now deduct part of their tip and overtime pay under the new tax law, which raised many spring refunds
Millions of tipped and overtime workers filing 2025 tax returns this spring are discovering larger refunds than expected, even though their paychecks looked the same...
When a Medicare Advantage plan drops you, you get a guaranteed right to buy any Medigap policy
Seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans that exit their county or fail to renew contracts face an abrupt loss of coverage, but federal law gives...
Required withdrawals from retirement accounts now start at 73, giving savers an extra year of tax-deferred growth
Retirement savers born in 1951 or later gained an extra year before the IRS requires them to start pulling money out of tax-deferred accounts. Under...