The Latest Breaking News from The Free Financial Advisor

New York Attorney General Urges Congress to Tighten Cryptocurrency Oversight, Warns Proposed Federal Bill Would Weaken State Enforcement

New York Attorney General Letitia James has urged Congress to strengthen federal oversight of cryptocurrency markets, arguing that existing gaps leave consumers vulnerable to fraud and financial losses. In testimony submitted to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, James said cryptocurrency scams have cost Americans billions of dollars and noted…

The Free Financial Advisor · Jul 28

4 Reasons Social Security Benefits Can Stop or Be Reduced in 2026

Social Security benefits can stop or shrink in 2026, and the reason may have nothing to do with some dramatic overnight collapse of the program. A retiree can see a smaller check because of work income, an early filing decision, taxes, or another deduction that quietly nibbles away at the…

The Free Financial Advisor · Jul 28

Working, Overpayments, and 2 Other Reasons Social Security Benefits Can Change

Social Security benefits can change for reasons that have nothing to do with a dramatic headline about the program’s future. Working while collecting benefits, receiving an overpayment, experiencing a major life change, or seeing adjustments tied to taxes and annual updates can all affect the amount that lands in a…

The Free Financial Advisor · Jul 28

8 States Cutting Income Tax Rates in 2026

The 2026 tax year brought lower individual income tax rates to eight states, giving taxpayers a little more room between their paychecks and the tax collector. The changes range from modest reductions to major rate cuts, with several states continuing multiyear plans that could push rates even lower in the…

The Free Financial Advisor · Jul 26

What Trump’s New Healthcare Plan Proposes for Drug Prices, Insurance, and HSAs

President Donald Trump’s new Great Healthcare Plan takes aim at some of the most frustrating parts of American healthcare: expensive prescriptions, confusing insurance bills, rising premiums, and the feeling that nobody can tell you what anything costs until the bill arrives. The proposal would push for lower drug prices, more…

The Free Financial Advisor · Jul 25

The Spousal Social Security Rule That Many Married Couples Overlook

Social Security spousal benefits can give a lower-earning spouse a valuable boost in retirement, but the benefit does not exist in a little financial bubble. A change in marital status can change the payment, eliminate it, or replace it with a completely different type of Social Security benefit.

The Free Financial Advisor · Jul 25

Treasury Department Has a Troubling Update for Every American Taxpayer

The Treasury Department has a problem that reaches far beyond Washington, D.C., and it does not arrive with a dramatic new tax form. The federal government now spends an enormous amount of money simply paying interest on money it already borrowed, and that bill keeps getting harder to ignore.

The Free Financial Advisor · Jul 24

IRS Replaces First Time Abate Program With Automatic Penalty Relief for Taxpayers With Clean Compliance History

The Internal Revenue Service is replacing its long-standing First Time Abate (FTA) program with a new system called Automatic Exemption from Penalty (AEP), making it easier for taxpayers with a strong compliance history to receive penalty relief. Announced on July 8, the new process is designed to automatically remove certain…

The Free Financial Advisor · Jul 24

CISA Warns of High-Severity Path Traversal Vulnerability in Rockwell Automation ThinManager, Urges Immediate Patching

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is warning organizations to immediately address a newly disclosed high-severity vulnerability affecting Rockwell Automation ThinManager, software commonly used in industrial control systems across critical infrastructure sectors. The advisory, released July 23, identifies a path traversal vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-11917 that could allow an…

The Free Financial Advisor · Jul 24

The Most Important Part of Your Social Security Statement That Many People Miss

The most important part of your Social Security Statement may not be the big retirement benefit estimate staring back at you. It may sit farther down the page, in the earnings record that shows how much money Social Security credits to your work history.

The Free Financial Advisor · Jul 24