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Tyler Foster

Latest Articles by Tyler Foster

Smart Spending

Joyin recalled 254,000 pool dive sticks that can impale children in shallow water

Joyin has recalled approximately 254,000 Sloosh Dive Sticks after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission determined the hard-plastic pool toys can impale children who retrieve...

Social Security & Medicare

A widow can claim a survivor benefit first, then switch to her own larger check at 70

Widows who qualify for both a Social Security survivor benefit and their own retirement benefit face a choice that can shift their total lifetime income...

Mortgages & Rates

Once you owe less than 80% of your home’s value, you can demand your lender drop private mortgage insurance

Homeowners who have paid down their mortgage balance to less than 80 percent of their home’s value hold a legal right to demand that their...

Social Security & Medicare

Checking your Social Security earnings record for errors can raise your check for life

Every worker who pays into Social Security is building a benefit that hinges on one thing: the accuracy of the earnings record the agency keeps...

Market Trends

Home sales climbed to a five-month high in May as listings rose to their highest level since last summer

American homebuyers got more options in May, and they responded. Existing-home sales climbed 3.2 percent from April to reach a seasonally adjusted annual rate of...

Credit & Debt

A single late payment can sit on your credit report for seven years, though a creditor will sometimes remove it if you ask

Borrowers who miss even one payment deadline face a penalty that can follow them for the better part of a decade. Under the Fair Credit...

Credit & Debt

Keeping each card under 30% of its limit is one of the fastest ways to raise a credit score

Credit card holders who carry balances above a certain threshold on any single card can watch their credit scores drop within a single billing cycle,...

Mortgages & Rates

Paying your mortgage every two weeks adds one extra payment a year and can shave years off the loan

Homeowners who split their monthly mortgage into two payments every two weeks end up making the equivalent of one extra full payment each year, a...

Tax Changes & Deadlines

One in five workers who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit never claim it, leaving up to about $8,000 unclaimed

About one in five workers eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit never file for it, forfeiting a benefit that can reach $8,046 for families...

Bank Accounts & Fees

Most banks waive a checking account’s monthly fee if you just ask

Checking account holders across the United States pay monthly maintenance fees that, in most cases, their banks are willing to drop. Four of the largest...

Markets & Investing

A fund charging 1% a year instead of 0.05% can quietly cost a saver six figures over a career

A worker who saves steadily for 30 or 40 years can lose more than $100,000 in retirement wealth to a single line item most people...

IRS & Enforcement

Skip a required IRA withdrawal after age 73 and the IRS can take 25% of what you missed

Retirees who turn 73 and forget to pull money from a traditional IRA or 401(k) face a federal excise tax that claims one quarter of...

Retirement Planning

Anyone 50 or older can add an extra $1,000 to an IRA each year

Workers aged 50 and older can stash an extra $1,000 per year in a traditional or Roth IRA on top of the standard contribution cap,...

Smart Spending

Federal regulators recalled about 5,770 adult bed rails sold on Amazon, warning users can get trapped and suffocate

About 5,770 adult portable bed rails sold through Amazon have been pulled from the market by federal safety regulators, who warned that the products can...

Social Security & Medicare

Medicare’s Part B premium rose to $202.90 a month this year, with a $283 deductible

Millions of Medicare enrollees are paying more for outpatient medical coverage in 2026 after the standard Part B premium climbed to $202.90 a month, up...

Cost of Living

Egg prices have dropped about 39% from a year ago

American grocery shoppers are paying dramatically less for eggs than they did a year ago, with the federal Consumer Price Index recording a 39.2% year-over-year...

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