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
The average 401(k) balance fell 4% to $141,000 as more workers raided their accounts, Fidelity says
Retirement savers saw their account balances shrink at the start of 2026, and a growing number of workers pulled money out early to cover financial...
Scam texts promising a $2,000 “tariff rebate” are spreading, and officials say never pay a fee to claim one
Talk in Washington about sending Americans a $2,000 “tariff dividend” has given fraudsters a fresh script. Scam texts and emails promising a “tariff rebate” are...
An 80-year-old Florida veteran lost $1.4 million to a gold-bar scam, police say
An 80-year-old military veteran in Bradenton, Florida, lost roughly $1.4 million after criminals convinced him that his financial accounts had been compromised and that the...
Papa John’s is closing about 300 North American locations and cutting 7% of corporate staff
Papa John’s, one of the largest pizza-delivery chains in the country, is pulling back. The company has announced plans to close roughly 300 locations across...
Public workers hit by the old Social Security offset are also owed back pay, often thousands of dollars
When Congress eliminated two rules that had long reduced Social Security benefits for public workers, most of the attention landed on the higher monthly checks...
Francesca’s is holding going-out-of-business sales at all 400 of its stores
Francesca’s, the boutique-style women’s apparel and accessories retailer, is now running going-out-of-business sales across its entire store base. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection,...
Limited-income seniors can get their $209.50 Medicare Part B premium paid through a Medicare Savings Program
The steady rise in Medicare’s Part B premium is a genuine strain for retirees living on modest fixed incomes. With the standard premium projected to...
Oregon now shields the first $400 of weekly pay from most debt collectors
Oregon workers and retirees who receive a paycheck now have more of that pay protected from debt collectors. A state change that took effect July...
Federal student-loan wage garnishment and tax-refund seizures are paused while borrowers choose a new repayment plan
For borrowers who have fallen behind on federal student loans, the most frightening part of default is not the balance itself. It is the collection...
A spouse who never worked can still collect up to half of the other spouse’s Social Security benefit
Not everyone spends decades in the paid workforce. In many households, one spouse focused on raising children or managing the home while the other earned...
New York is mailing seniors STAR property-tax checks of $700 to $1,500 this summer and fall
Older homeowners across New York are opening their mailboxes this summer and fall to find property-tax relief checks, and for many eligible seniors the amount...
An outdated beneficiary form on your 401(k) can send your savings to an ex instead of your family
Many people spend real money on a will, confident that it settles who will inherit their assets. What they often miss is that one of...
About 2.6 million people lost their Medicare Advantage plan for 2026, and more cuts are expected for 2027
The start of 2026 brought an unwelcome surprise to millions of older Americans who rely on private Medicare Advantage plans for their health coverage. As...
Medicare’s fall open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, the only window to change most plans
For most Medicare beneficiaries, the majority of the calendar offers no easy way to switch plans. Coverage rolls forward month after month, and the choices...
Credit-card late fees are staying near $32 after regulators dropped a plan to cut them to $8
For a while it looked as though credit-card late fees were about to shrink dramatically. A federal proposal would have capped the typical charge at...
A new House bill would tie Social Security’s yearly raise to seniors’ own costs, pushing checks above the standard COLA, but it still must pass Congress
Each year, tens of millions of retirees watch for one number: the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, that determines how much their Social Security checks will...