Author: Brian Lund
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Trump’s promised $2,000 tariff dividend checks are still only a proposal with no funding path
The short answer for anyone waiting on a $2,000 check from tariff revenue is that there is no check coming right now. President Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of “tariff dividend” payments to Americans, but as of today no such payment is scheduled, funded, or written into law. A Supreme Court ruling earlier this…
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A widow or widower can step up to 100 percent of a late spouse’s Social Security
When a spouse dies, Social Security offers a survivor benefit that is far larger than many people realize — and getting the timing right can mean thousands of dollars over a retirement. A surviving spouse can receive up to 100 percent of what the deceased worker was getting or entitled to, and a widow or…
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Americans 65 and older get an extra $6,000 deduction on their 2026 tax return
Older taxpayers have a new break this year, and it is one of the simpler ones to use. Anyone 65 and older gets an extra $6,000 deduction — $12,000 for a married couple where both spouses qualify — on top of the standard deduction. It lowers taxable income whether or not you itemize, and for…
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The 2026 estate and gift tax exemption is now $15 million, or $30 million per couple
For most families, the federal estate tax has always been someone else’s problem, and a change taking effect this year makes that even truer. The amount a person can pass on free of federal estate and gift tax rose to $15 million for 2026, or $30 million for a married couple. Just as important as…
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With SAVE struck down, student-loan borrowers have 90 days to switch or pay more
Millions of student-loan borrowers who enrolled in the SAVE repayment plan are now on a clock. A federal court blocked the plan, the Education Department has begun sending notices giving borrowers 90 days to move to a different repayment plan, and interest is accruing again. Do nothing and you can be pushed into the Standard…
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North Carolina recovered a record $3.7 million in unpaid wages for workers this year
A record year for one state’s labor department is really a record year for the workers who got their money back. North Carolina announced that it recovered $3.7 million in unpaid wages this fiscal year — the most it has ever clawed back for workers shorted on their paychecks. Behind that headline number is a…
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The average overdraft fee is about $27, and you can turn off debit-card overdraft coverage
An overdraft fee is one of the few bank charges you can switch off in advance, and most people never do. The average fee runs about $27 a shortfall, and some banks still charge $30 to $35 — enough to turn a $5 coffee bought on an empty account into a $40 morning. A federal…
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The 2027 Social Security raise is now projected at 3.6 percent, about $70 more a month
The early read on next year’s Social Security raise is now 3.6 percent, and on the average retirement check that works out to roughly $70 more a month. It would be the biggest cost-of-living bump in a few years, larger than the 2.8 percent that took effect this January. But the figure is an estimate,…
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A Maryland woman got 70 months for a romance-scam front company whose victims sold homes and drained retirement accounts
The Justice Department put the damage in a single sentence: “Many victims drained their retirement accounts, sold their homes and vehicles, returned to work after retirement, and borrowed substantial sums from friends and family.” That is a description of households, not of a defendant, and it is the part of this case worth reading twice.…
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Home heating oil costs 39.1% more than it did a year ago
The bill for oil heat does not arrive in twelve manageable pieces. It arrives in a driveway, usually in late summer or early fall, when a truck pumps a few hundred gallons into a basement tank and leaves behind a single invoice. For the households that heat this way, that delivery is the largest fixed…
