Author: Brian Lund
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Full retirement age is now 67 for everyone born in 1960 or later, and claiming at 62 cuts the check about 30 percent
For everyone born in 1960 or later, full retirement age for Social Security is now 67 — and claiming at the earliest possible age of 62 permanently cuts the monthly benefit by about 30 percent. That reduction is not temporary and does not reverse when you get older; it locks in for life. The decision…
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A transfer-on-death deed can pass your home to heirs without probate
One of the simplest tools for keeping a home in the family is also one of the least known: a transfer-on-death deed. In the states that allow it, this recorded document lets your house pass directly to the people you name when you die, skipping probate entirely. The heirs avoid the court delay and expense…
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Trump’s $2,000 tariff-dividend check is still only a stalled proposal
The $2,000 “tariff dividend” check that President Trump has floated remains just a proposal, and the Senate bill that would create a version of it has stalled. No checks have gone out, no agency is sending money, and there is no application to file, because the payment does not exist. For households that have seen…
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Parents can claim part of Google’s $8.25 million settlement over children’s data, no receipts, by September 14
Parents may be owed a share of an $8.25 million settlement over allegations that Google collected children’s data through apps in the Google Play store — and filing takes no receipts, just a signed claim by September 14, 2026. The money is modest per family, estimated in the range of tens of dollars, but the…
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Seniors lost nearly $8 billion to scams, the average victim out $40,000
Older Americans lost close to $8 billion to scams in the most recent federal tally, with the average senior victim out around $40,000 — a devastating sum for anyone, and often a retirement’s worth of savings for someone on a fixed income. The losses are driven by a handful of predictable schemes, and the single…
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Electricity prices have climbed faster than overall inflation, pushing utility bills higher
Electricity has quietly become one of the fastest-rising household costs, climbing faster than overall inflation and pushing power bills higher for families already stretched. Unlike a grocery run you can trim or a purchase you can delay, the electric bill is close to non-negotiable — you cannot skip keeping the lights on and the house…
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Grocery prices are running about 2.7 percent higher than a year ago even as overall inflation cools
Grocery prices are running about 2.7 percent higher than a year ago, a pace that has held steady for months even as overall inflation cools. That is slower than the painful spikes of a few years back, but it is still a real squeeze at the checkout, and it lands hardest on households that spend…
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The FDIC holds unclaimed deposits from failed banks you can search by name
When a bank fails, most customers are made whole quickly through federal deposit insurance — but some money goes uncollected, and it can sit waiting for years. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation keeps a public database of unclaimed insured deposits from failed banks, searchable by name, and there is no cost to look or to…
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Unpaid overtime can be reclaimed up to two years back, or three if an employer acted willfully
Workers who were shorted on overtime pay can claim it back — up to two years of unpaid overtime under federal law, and three years if the employer’s violation was willful. The right comes from the Fair Labor Standards Act, the same law that requires time-and-a-half for most hourly workers past 40 hours in a…
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Free IRS-backed VITA tax help is open to households under about $67,000
Households earning roughly $67,000 or less can have their tax return prepared and filed for free by IRS-certified volunteers, no software subscription and no paid preparer required. The program is called VITA, and along with a companion program for older filers, it prepares millions of returns every year at libraries, community centers, and other local…