Author: Elizabeth Blessing
-
Social Security’s 2027 raise is now projected near 3.6%, about $70 more a month
Every fall, tens of millions of retirees wait to learn how much bigger their Social Security check will be, and the early forecasts are starting to come in. One closely watched estimate now puts the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment near 3.6 percent, which would add roughly $70 a month to the average retiree’s benefit. It is…
-
Storm victims near the San Carlos Apache Tribe have until September 28 to file, penalty-free
When a disaster upends a household, a looming tax deadline is the last thing anyone should have to juggle. The IRS agrees, and for people in the San Carlos Apache Tribe area of Arizona hit by severe storms and flooding, it has pushed a stack of federal filing and payment deadlines out to September 28,…
-
Turning off debit overdraft coverage stops a $5 charge from triggering a $35 fee
Buying a $5 coffee should never cost you $40. Yet that is exactly what happens when a debit-card purchase you cannot fully cover triggers an overdraft fee that often runs about $35. Here is the part most people never learned: your bank is only allowed to charge that fee on an everyday debit or ATM…
-
When you leave a job, state law sets when your last paycheck and unused vacation must be paid
The last paycheck from a job you are leaving is often the one people worry about most, and for good reason. Whether you quit or were let go, there are rules about how quickly that check has to reach you, and in many states those rules are stricter than most workers realize. Some states also…
-
Misclassified as a contractor? You may be owed overtime you can reclaim for free
Plenty of workers are handed a 1099 form, told they are independent contractors, and quietly stripped of overtime pay they are legally owed. The paperwork does not decide it. Federal law looks at how the job actually works, and if your employer controls the way you do it, you may be an employee entitled to…
-
Workers who earn tips can deduct up to $25,000 on their 2026 taxes under the new law
For servers, bartenders, hairstylists, and drivers, tips have always been fully taxable income, right down to the last dollar reported. A new federal deduction changes the math. Under the law commonly called the One Big Beautiful Bill, workers in tipped jobs can deduct up to $25,000 of qualified tips on their 2026 federal return, which…
-
Humana is dropping Medicare Advantage plans covering 600,000 members, with letters landing in September
If you get your Medicare coverage through a Humana Advantage plan, the mail this fall could carry a decision that reshapes your 2027. Humana has confirmed it will exit Medicare Advantage plans covering roughly 600,000 members next year, and affected households are expected to start receiving notification letters in September. A dropped plan is not…
-
Getting scam texts about unpaid tolls or packages? Forward them to 7726 and delete
If your phone keeps buzzing with texts about an unpaid highway toll, a package stuck in delivery, or an account you need to “verify,” you are not alone, and you should not tap the link. These messages are among the fastest-growing scams around, and they are designed to steal your money or your login. There…
-
Nearly 49,000 tabletop fire pits are recalled for burn dangers, with full refunds offered
A popular tabletop fire pit sold under the Brookstone name is being pulled from homes across the country after reports that it can erupt in flames, and the company is offering full refunds. Federal safety regulators announced the recall of nearly 49,000 of the small decorative fire pits, warning they can shoot flames or spread…
-
A man is accused of draining more than $1 million from a 90-year-old
Federal prosecutors say a Pennsylvania man talked his way into an elderly woman’s life savings and walked off with more than $1 million, using it to buy property and equipment for himself. The case, announced this month, is a textbook example of the kind of elder fraud that targets older people through someone they were…
