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The Latest Breaking News from The Free Financial Advisor

September 15 Is a Major Tax Deadline – Who Actually Needs to Pay the IRS?

September 15 can sneak up on taxpayers because it does not involve the giant annual tax-day frenzy that surrounds April 15. Yet for millions of Americans, September 15 marks the deadline for the third estimated federal tax payment of 2026, and ignoring it could create an unpleasant surprise later.

The Free Financial Advisor

Why Banks Sometimes Close Accounts Without Warning

A bank account can feel like one of the most permanent things in adult life. Money goes in, bills come out, the debit card gets used at the grocery store, and everything hums along in the background. Then a bank can decide to close the account, leaving customers scrambling to…

The Free Financial Advisor

You Have $10,000: Pay Off Your Car or Invest It? Let’s Run the Numbers

Finding an unexpected $10,000 can create a surprisingly awkward money decision: should it wipe out a car loan or go to work in an investment account? Paying off the car delivers a guaranteed benefit because eliminating debt cuts future interest costs, while investing offers the possibility of greater long-term growth…

The Free Financial Advisor

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You Can Pay the IRS Directly From Your Bank Account for Free—No Registration Required

Paying a federal tax bill online doesn’t necessarily require creating another account—or paying a processing fee to use a credit or debit card.

The Free Financial Advisor

How Much Should You Keep in Checking If Your Monthly Bills Are $4,000?

A $4,000 monthly bill total gives you a useful starting point for deciding how much cash belongs in your checking account. For many households, keeping roughly one month of regular expenses available can create breathing room, but parking every dollar in checking may not make sense either.

The Free Financial Advisor

Credit Card Debt Just Hit $1.26 Trillion: Here’s What Borrowers Should Watch Next

Credit card debt just climbed to $1.26 trillion, according to the latest Federal Reserve Bank of New York household debt report. That number sounds enormous because, well, it is, but the more useful question for anyone carrying a balance is what happens next.

The Free Financial Advisor

You Have $30,000 in Savings and $15,000 in Debt. What Should You Do With the Money?

Finding yourself with $30,000 in savings and $15,000 in debt creates a strangely luxurious money problem: there is enough cash to make a serious dent in the debt, but wiping out the balance could leave the savings cushion looking awfully skinny.

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FCC Wants Tougher Robocall Rules to Keep Bad Actors Out of U.S. Phone Networks

The Federal Communications Commission is considering another crackdown on the infrastructure that allows illegal robocalls to reach American phones. The FCC has proposed strengthening its Robocall Mitigation Database, a system used to identify voice service providers and document the steps they take to prevent illegal robocalls from traveling across their…

The Free Financial Advisor

The SAVE Plan Is Over — Millions of Student Loan Borrowers Now Face a 90-Day Decision

The SAVE Plan is over, and for millions of federal student loan borrowers, the next move comes with a clock attached. Loan servicers began sending notices in 2026 telling affected borrowers to choose a new repayment plan, with 90 days from the date of the notice to make that decision.

The Free Financial Advisor

You Have $20,000 in Credit Card Debt. Would a 0% Balance Transfer Actually Save You Money?

A $20,000 credit card balance can make every monthly statement feel like an unwelcome sequel. A 0% balance transfer can look like the escape hatch, because moving that debt to a card with no interest during a promotional period can stop interest from chewing through payments. But a shiny “0%”…

The Free Financial Advisor

The Average Money Market Rate Is Only 0.63%—Here’s Why September Is a Good Time to Check Your Account

A money market account paying 0.63% might sound like a perfectly respectable place to park cash until the math gets involved. At that rate, $10,000 earns roughly $63 over a year before taxes, assuming the balance stays put and the rate remains unchanged. The national average for money market deposit…

The Free Financial Advisor

7 Things to Check Before Trusting an Investment Advisor You Found Online

An investment advisor can appear with the click of a button, complete with a polished website, impressive credentials, market predictions and perhaps even a reassuring photo of someone standing in front of a bookshelf. That polished presentation tells you almost nothing about whether the person deserves access to your investment…

The Free Financial Advisor

7 Bank Accounts Worth Rechecking After the FDIC’s Latest National Rate Update

A bank account can sit quietly for years while the interest rate attached to it changes around it. That makes the FDIC’s latest national rate update a useful excuse to revisit where cash actually lives, especially when a familiar account may now look less attractive than it did when it…

The Free Financial Advisor

A 30-Point Credit Score Increase Took 10 Months — Here’s What Actually Changed

A 30-point credit score increase sounds impressive until the calendar enters the picture. In this case, the improvement took 10 months, and that slow pace reveals something important about credit scores: meaningful progress usually comes from a string of small, repeatable decisions rather than one dramatic financial makeover.

The Free Financial Advisor

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The Free Financial Advisor

IRS Opens 2027 Corporate Tax Compliance Program — Applications Due October 30

Large corporations interested in resolving federal tax issues with the IRS before filing their returns have a limited window to apply for a program designed to do exactly that. The Internal Revenue Service announced on September 8 that it is accepting applications for the 2027 Compliance Assurance Process, commonly known…

The Free Financial Advisor

IRS Raises Clean Electricity Production Tax Credit to 3.1 Cents Per Kilowatt-Hour for 2026

Clean electricity producers may qualify for a federal tax credit of up to 3.1 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2026 after the IRS published its annual inflation adjustment for the Clean Electricity Production Credit. The IRS announced the updated amounts in a Federal Register notice published September 4. The credit, established…

The Free Financial Advisor

IRS Finalizes New Car Loan Interest Deduction — Who Can Claim Up to $10,000

Americans financing certain new vehicles can deduct up to $10,000 a year in car loan interest under a temporary federal tax break, and the IRS has now finalized regulations explaining who qualifies. The deduction was created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law July 4, 2025, and…

The Free Financial Advisor

SEC Approves FINRA Change to Streamline How Investment Advisers Allocate Bulk Trades

Investment advisers sometimes place a single large securities order for multiple clients and then allocate portions of that trade among the individual accounts they manage. A newly approved FINRA rule change is intended to make that behind-the-scenes process more efficient without eliminating safeguards designed to prevent advisers from deciding who…

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The Free Financial Advisor

USDA Is Moving SNAP and Nutrition Program Offices Out of Washington — What Benefit Recipients Should Know

USDA is moving much of the federal operation overseeing SNAP, WIC, school meals and other nutrition programs away from the Washington area as part of a major reorganization now underway.

The Free Financial Advisor

The SEC Says Fake Investment Firms Used Government Filings to Look Legitimate—Here’s the Trick Investors Need to Know

A government website can make almost anything look more official than it really is, and scammers have figured that out. The Securities and Exchange Commission recently warned that dozens of entities used SEC filings to create the appearance of legitimate investment firms, giving potential victims something that looked reassuringly official…

The Free Financial Advisor

7 Bank-Safety Red Flags Emerging After FDIC Banks Posted $90.1B in Quarterly Profits

The nation’s FDIC-insured banks just posted $90.1 billion in net income for the second quarter of 2026, a 12% jump from the previous quarter. That sounds like excellent news for the banking industry, and it is, but a healthy industry does not automatically mean every bank customer has a perfectly…

The Free Financial Advisor

Your Credit App Says 740. The Lender Says 705. Which Score Is Right?

A credit app flashes a cheerful 740, then a lender pulls a 705, and suddenly the numbers look like they came from two completely different financial universes. The good news: neither number necessarily means something went wrong, and the lower score does not automatically mean the lender made a mistake.…

The Free Financial Advisor

How Much Money Should You Actually Keep in Your Checking Account?

A checking account should make everyday life easier, not turn into a mysterious pile of money that grows without a purpose. For many households, the right balance covers upcoming bills, routine spending, and a little breathing room without leaving a giant chunk of cash sitting idle.

The Free Financial Advisor

You Have $100,000 in Home Equity and $25,000 in Credit Card Debt. Should You Tap the House?

Having $100,000 in home equity and $25,000 in credit card debt creates a tempting mathematical shortcut: Borrow against the house, wipe out the cards, and move on. On paper, the idea can look almost suspiciously tidy, especially when a home equity loan or HELOC offers a lower interest rate than…

The Free Financial Advisor

Your Credit Score Dropped. How Long Will It Take to Get Those Points Back?

A credit score can fall surprisingly fast, sometimes after a single change that seemed harmless at the time. The good news: a lower score does not automatically mean months or years of financial misery, because the recovery clock depends on what caused the drop.

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