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The Latest Breaking News from The Free Financial Advisor

Social Security Corrects Error in New Cardiovascular Disability Rules — What Claimants Should Know

The Social Security Administration has issued a technical correction to its recently revised rules for evaluating cardiovascular disorders in disability claims, but people applying for benefits shouldn’t interpret the update as another change in eligibility requirements.

The Free Financial Advisor

A 4% Savings Account Sounds Great. What Does It Actually Pay on $5K, $10K and $25K?

A 4% savings account sounds pretty attractive, but the percentage becomes much more useful when it gets translated into actual dollars. Put $5,000 in an account paying a 4% APY and leave it there for a full year, and the account would earn about $200 in interest, assuming the rate…

The Free Financial Advisor

What Happens to an Unused Credit Card If You Never Close It?

An unused credit card does not simply sit in a drawer forever, quietly waiting for retirement. If you leave the account open, the issuer may continue reporting it, and that available credit can affect your credit profile even when you never swipe the card.

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What Happens If a Company Deposits Money Into Your Account by Mistake?

A surprise deposit can make a bank balance look much healthier, but money that a company deposits into your account by mistake does not automatically become yours. A payroll department might enter the wrong account number, a business might send a payment twice, or a company could simply make a…

The Free Financial Advisor

You Have $20,000: Pay Off Student Loans or Put It Toward a House?

A $20,000 pile of cash can create a surprisingly awkward financial question: should it wipe out student debt or become part of a future down payment? Both choices can move a household closer to a major goal, but they solve very different problems. Paying off a loan can eliminate a…

The Free Financial Advisor

Your Credit Score Is 720. How Much Money Could Getting to 760 Actually Save You?

A 720 credit score already puts you in a respectable credit range, but pushing it to 760 can matter when a lender prices a major loan. The catch is that there is no magic “$X savings” attached to those extra 40 points. Your actual benefit depends on the scoring model,…

The Free Financial Advisor

IRS Sets December Hearing on Proposed Tax-Exempt Rules for Racial Nondiscrimination at Private Schools

The Internal Revenue Service has scheduled a December public hearing on proposed regulations that would update federal tax-exemption rules governing racial nondiscrimination at private schools.

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Bond Yields Are Surging Again — What That Means for Savings Accounts, Loans and 401(k)s

Bond yields are surging again, and that movement reaches far beyond Wall Street. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed above 5% on September 15, reaching about 5.04%, its highest level since 2007, as investors reacted to inflation concerns, higher oil prices and worries about government borrowing.

The Free Financial Advisor

Treasury Opens $5 Billion New Markets Tax Credit Round to Drive Investment in Low-Income Communities

The U.S. Department of the Treasury is opening a new $5 billion round of a federal tax-credit program designed to attract private investment into economically distressed communities.

The Free Financial Advisor

A $500 Monthly Debt Payment Sounds Good — Until You See How Long It Takes to Pay Off $25,000

A $500 monthly debt payment sounds like a solid plan for a $25,000 balance. Then interest walks into the room, pulls up a chair and starts taking a cut of that $500 before the debt gets much smaller. The payment itself matters, but the interest rate, the balance and whether…

The Free Financial Advisor

FTC Freezes Civil Penalty Amounts for 2026 After Government Shutdown Disrupted Inflation Data

The Federal Trade Commission will keep its civil penalty amounts at 2025 levels for the remainder of 2026 after a government shutdown prevented federal officials from producing inflation data required to calculate this year’s increase.

The Free Financial Advisor

Is 0% Really Free? The Math Behind a $10,000 Balance Transfer

A 0% balance transfer can make a $10,000 credit card balance look dramatically less expensive, but “0%” does not automatically mean free. The interest rate may drop to zero during the promotional period while a balance-transfer fee still adds money to the debt. That distinction matters because a few hundred…

The Free Financial Advisor

Can a Bank Take Money From Your Checking Account to Pay Your Credit Card?

A bank generally cannot simply reach into your checking account and grab money to cover an unpaid credit card balance, even if the bank issued both accounts. Federal law specifically limits a credit card issuer’s ability to offset credit card debt against money sitting in a consumer’s deposit account.

The Free Financial Advisor

Should You Pay Off a 3% Loan Early? The Answer Has Changed

A 3% loan used to look like something worth attacking with every spare dollar. Today, the decision deserves a closer look because keeping a cheap loan can sometimes make more financial sense than rushing to eliminate it.

The Free Financial Advisor

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Scan a QR Code to Pay? Check These 3 Things Before Entering Your Card Number

A QR code can turn a parking meter, restaurant table, or checkout counter into a payment screen in seconds. That convenience comes with one important catch: the code can send you somewhere you never intended to go, and scammers have gotten creative about making fake payment pages look perfectly ordinary.

The Free Financial Advisor

CD Rates Could Move After September 16—Should Savers Lock In Now?

CD rates could move after September 16, and savers have a very real decision to make before the Federal Reserve announces its next interest-rate move. The Fed meets September 15 and 16, and financial markets currently expect a quarter-point increase, a sharp change from expectations earlier this year.

The Free Financial Advisor

The Fed Decides September 16—The 3 Accounts That Reprice Within 48 Hours, and the 4 That Take Months

The Federal Reserve makes its next interest-rate decision on September 16, and the financial effects can start showing up much faster than many people expect. But there is a catch: not every account responds to a Fed move at the same speed, and some barely care about the decision at…

The Free Financial Advisor

IRS Proposes New Tax Rules for U.S. Companies With Foreign Income and Overseas Operations

U.S. companies doing business overseas could face updated rules for calculating important international tax deductions and foreign tax credits under a new proposal from the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department.

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The Free Financial Advisor

Federal Regulators Double Bank Asset Threshold for 18-Month Examination Cycle to $6 Billion

Some community banks may now go six additional months between regularly scheduled federal on-site examinations after regulators doubled the asset threshold for institutions eligible for an extended examination cycle.

The Free Financial Advisor

You’re Maxing Out Your 401(k) but Have No Emergency Fund. Is That Backwards?

Putting every available dollar into a 401(k) can feel like the ultimate financial gold star. The problem starts when retirement savings look fantastic but a broken furnace, surprise car repair, or sudden income interruption would send the household scrambling for a credit card. In that situation, the question is not…

The Free Financial Advisor

See a Charge From a Company You Don’t Recognize? Don’t Assume It’s Just a Subscription You Forgot

A strange company name on a bank or credit card statement can trigger a familiar reaction: “Oh, that’s probably some subscription.” Maybe. But clicking past an unfamiliar charge without checking can also give an unauthorized transaction time to become a bigger headache.

The Free Financial Advisor

What Actually Happens to the Money in Your Bank Account When You Die?

When someone dies, the money sitting in a checking or savings account does not simply disappear, and the bank does not automatically hand it to the family member who seems most likely to inherit it. What happens next depends heavily on how the account gets titled, whether the owner named…

The Free Financial Advisor

Is It Better to Have $50,000 Invested and $10,000 in Debt — Or No Debt and $40,000 Invested?

The choice between having $50,000 invested and $10,000 in debt or $40,000 invested with no debt looks like a simple math problem. It really isn’t, because the right answer depends heavily on the interest rate on the debt, the type of investment, your cash reserves, and how much risk you…

The Free Financial Advisor

You’re Paying 24% on a Credit Card. How Much Is That Balance Really Costing You?

A credit card balance with a 24% APR can quietly become a very expensive houseguest. On a $5,000 balance, that rate works out to roughly $100 in interest over a month before accounting for payments, new purchases, or the card issuer’s daily interest calculation. The balance may look like a…

The Free Financial Advisor

Are You Being Underpaid on Your Savings? The Latest FDIC Numbers Give You a Benchmark

A savings account can look perfectly respectable until its interest rate gets compared with what other banks pay. The FDIC’s latest national average puts the typical savings account at just 0.38%, while competitive high-yield savings accounts currently offer rates around 4% or more.

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