Author: Brian Lund
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One in three homeowners saw insurance jump over 20% at their last renewal as non-renewals climb
Homeowners insurance has quietly become one of the fastest-rising line items in the household budget, and the pain is not evenly spread. Surveys over the past two years show that a large share of homeowners, roughly one in three or more, opened a renewal notice to find their premium had jumped by more than 20…
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Locking a CD near 4% now can protect your yield if the Fed cuts rates in September
Savers have spent the past two years enjoying certificates of deposit that finally pay something real, with the best one-year CDs sitting right around 4 percent. That window may not stay open forever. The Federal Reserve meets in mid-September, and if it decides to lower its benchmark rate, the yields banks advertise on new CDs…
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About $100 billion of struck-down tariffs is flowing back to businesses, not the shoppers who paid
When the Supreme Court struck down a large block of import tariffs earlier this year, it set up one of the biggest tax refunds in recent memory. The government has already returned roughly $100 billion in duties it was not allowed to keep. But there is a catch for ordinary households: the money is going…
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Several states raise their minimum wage again on January 1, with Washington set to top $17 an hour
A new round of state minimum-wage increases is set to take effect on January 1, 2027, and for millions of hourly workers it means a slightly bigger paycheck the first week of the new year. More than a dozen states adjust their wage floors at the start of each year, either through voter-approved step increases…
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Workers must claim the new tips, overtime and car-loan write-offs on a new IRS form or lose them
Several of the headline tax breaks from the 2025 tax law — no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, the car-loan interest deduction, and a bigger deduction for seniors — do not apply themselves. To get any of them, a taxpayer has to fill out a brand-new IRS form and attach it to their…
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The estate and gift tax exemption is now a permanent $15 million, or $30 million per couple
The amount a person can pass to heirs free of federal estate and gift tax has jumped to $15 million, and — unlike the last big increase — it is now written into law without an expiration date. For a married couple, careful planning can shield up to $30 million. The change took effect January…
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Social Security is fast-tracking 14 more conditions for near-automatic disability approval
The Social Security Administration has added 14 more medical conditions to a program built to move the sickest applicants to the front of the line for disability benefits. Announced on August 11, 2026, the update expands what is called the Compassionate Allowances list to 314 conditions in all. For a family facing one of these…
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Families can deduct up to $10,000 in car-loan interest on U.S.-assembled vehicles through 2028
A new federal tax break lets many households write off the interest they pay on a car loan — up to $10,000 a year — as long as the vehicle was assembled in the United States and bought new for personal use. The deduction comes out of the tax law signed in July 2025, and…
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Social Security gives you 60 days to appeal or seek a waiver before it starts clawing back an overpayment
A letter from the Social Security Administration saying you were paid too much can be alarming, especially on a fixed income. But an overpayment notice is not a final bill, and it does not mean money will vanish from your next check without warning. The agency’s own rules give you a window to push back…
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Retired teachers, police and firefighters are owed Social Security back pay to 2024 after Congress repealed two cuts
If you spent your career as a teacher, police officer, firefighter or other public employee, and your pension came from a job that did not pay into Social Security, two long-standing rules may have quietly shrunk or erased any Social Security benefit you or your spouse were due. Congress repealed both of those rules, and…
