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The Latest Breaking News from The Free Financial Advisor

FTC Says Doxo Used Misleading Bill-Payment Ads and Hidden Fees — Company to Pay $2.1 Million

Online bill payment company Doxo will pay $2.1 million to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that the firm and two of its co-founders deceived consumers through misleading search advertisements and undisclosed fees, according to an official FTC announcement.

The Free Financial Advisor

The 4% Rule Isn’t a Retirement Law: 6 Reasons Your Withdrawal Rate May Need to Be Different

The 4% rule sounds wonderfully simple: withdraw 4% of a retirement portfolio in the first year, then increase that dollar amount with inflation each year. But simplicity can become dangerous when a rule of thumb starts sounding like a commandment carved into a retirement-planning stone tablet. William Bengen’s original research…

The Free Financial Advisor

What Happens to Your 401(k) Loan When You Leave Your Job?

Changing jobs can feel like a fresh start, but an outstanding 401(k) loan can follow you right out the door. Depending on the rules of the plan, leaving your employer may trigger a demand for repayment, turn the unpaid balance into a distribution, or create a surprisingly important tax deadline.

The Free Financial Advisor

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The 10-Year Retirement Countdown: What to Check When Retirement Stops Feeling Far Away

Retirement can feel wonderfully vague when it sits 20 years away, but the mood changes when the calendar puts a decade between today and the last day at work. Ten years gives plenty of time to make meaningful improvements, but it also puts enough pressure on the plan to reveal…

The Free Financial Advisor

CMS Final Rule Ends Federal Medicaid and CHIP Funding for Certain Gender-Transition Care for Minors

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a final rule prohibiting the use of federal Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funds to pay for what the rule terms “sex-rejecting procedures” for minors, according to an official announcement published in the Federal Register on August 13,…

The Free Financial Advisor

SEC Approves More Weekday Expirations for Options on Qualifying ETFs

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has approved a proposed rule change from Nasdaq ISE, LLC that expands the exchange’s Short Term Option Series Program by adding new expiration days for options on certain Exchange-Traded Fund Shares (ETFs), according to an official SEC announcement published in the Federal Register on…

The Free Financial Advisor

Your Net Worth Hit $1 Million — But Are You Actually a Millionaire in the Way You Think?

A $1 million net worth can make the word “millionaire” feel perfectly appropriate, but the label gets a little slippery once the calculator comes out. Net worth measures what remains after subtracting everything you owe from everything you own, so a person can reach $1 million without having anything close…

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6 Signs You May Be Taking More Investment Risk Than You Realize

Investment risk does not always arrive wearing a warning label. Sometimes it sneaks into a portfolio disguised as a hot stock, a familiar company, an aggressive allocation, or a perfectly reasonable decision that made sense several years ago.

The Free Financial Advisor

Your Financial Plan Has a Hidden Expiration Date: 6 Life Changes That Mean It’s Time to Update It

A financial plan does not come with a clear expiration date printed at the bottom of the page, but life has a sneaky way of making an old plan obsolete. A marriage, new job, home purchase, divorce, inheritance, or growing family can change the numbers so dramatically that yesterday’s smart…

The Free Financial Advisor

7 Financial Decisions That Deserve a Second Opinion Before You Say Yes

Some financial decisions arrive wearing a very convincing suit. A salesperson presents a loan, an adviser recommends an investment, or a contractor hands over a financing option, and suddenly saying “yes” feels easier than asking one more question. That little pause can matter, because the person offering the financial solution…

The Free Financial Advisor

Your Portfolio Is Up — So Why Might This Be the Right Time to Sell Some Investments?

A rising portfolio feels fantastic, right up until one investment starts taking over the neighborhood. When stocks or funds climb sharply, selling some of those winners can actually make sense, not because the market must crash next, but because a portfolio can quietly become much riskier while everyone celebrates the…

The Free Financial Advisor

Federal Estate Tax vs. State Estate Tax: What Ordinary Families Need to Know

Federal estate tax and state estate tax sound like two versions of the same financial headache, but they follow different rules and can affect different families. In 2026, the federal estate tax basic exclusion amount reaches $15 million for someone who dies during the year, which puts the federal tax…

The Free Financial Advisor

6 Reasons a $1 Million Retirement Portfolio Can Support Very Different Lifestyles

A $1 million retirement portfolio can look wildly different from one household to another. For one retiree, it might support frequent travel, restaurant dinners, and a comfortable home, while another person with the same portfolio may spend carefully to preserve flexibility for future expenses.

The Free Financial Advisor

Why Your First $100,000 Feels Impossible — And Why the Next $100,000 Can Be Different

The first $100,000 often feels like financial quicksand. Every dollar seems to require effort, sacrifice, overtime, budgeting gymnastics, or the occasional decision to pretend takeout menus do not exist. Then something interesting happens: once that first $100,000 starts working alongside new savings, reaching the next $100,000 can feel dramatically different.

The Free Financial Advisor

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The Free Financial Advisor

7 Things to Do With an Unexpected $1,000, Ranked From Smartest to Riskiest

An unexpected $1,000 can feel like a tiny financial lottery win, but what happens next matters more than the excitement. The smartest move usually does not involve buying something shiny, booking a spontaneous trip, or turning the money into a pile of scratch tickets.

The Free Financial Advisor

What Actually Happens to Your Money When a Bank Fails?

A bank failure sounds like the financial equivalent of someone pulling the fire alarm at two in the morning. Suddenly, everyone wants to know where the exits are and whether the money in the checking account just vanished. For customers of an FDIC-insured bank, however, the story usually looks much…

The Free Financial Advisor

How Much Monthly Income Does the Average American Over 70 Have in Retirement?

Retirement income for Americans over 70 can look surprisingly different from one household to the next. In 2026, the average Social Security retirement benefit for someone ages 70 to 74 was about $2,083 per month, or just under $25,000 a year.

The Free Financial Advisor

7 Questions to Ask Before Using Dividend ETFs to Create a Retirement Paycheck

Dividend ETFs can look like an elegant retirement solution: buy a diversified basket of dividend-paying companies, collect distributions, and let the portfolio help cover the bills. That idea has plenty of appeal, but a dividend ETF is an investment, not a personal ATM with a tiny ticker symbol.

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The Free Financial Advisor

July CPI Numbers Retirees Can Use to Test Their 2026 Spending Plan

July CPI numbers offer retirees something more useful than another inflation headline: a chance to give a 2026 spending plan a reality check. The latest Consumer Price Index from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows overall consumer prices rose 3.4% over the 12 months ending in July, while prices…

The Free Financial Advisor

6 Retirement Expenses That Can Rise Even When Inflation Slows

Inflation can slow without prices actually falling, and that distinction matters enormously in retirement. The latest Consumer Price Index data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows why: overall consumer prices rose 3.5% over the year ending in June 2026, but individual categories moved at very different speeds.

The Free Financial Advisor

Tax Breaks Workers May Be Missing in Their 2026 Paycheck Withholding

A handful of new 2026 tax breaks could put more money back into some workers’ pockets, but there is a catch: your paycheck may not automatically reflect every tax break you can claim. The IRS now recognizes deductions for qualified tips, certain overtime pay, qualifying car-loan interest, and an enhanced…

The Free Financial Advisor

FTC Credit Repair Case Shows Why “Quick Fix” Credit Promises Can Cost Consumers Thousands

The Federal Trade Commission’s case against a sprawling credit repair operation offers a costly reminder for consumers tempted by promises of a quick credit-score fix. The FTC accused Financial Education Services (FES), its owners, and related companies of taking more than $213 million from consumers through allegedly ineffective credit repair…

The Free Financial Advisor

What to Know About IRS Notice Mistakes That May Turn a Small Tax Issue Into a Bigger Bill

An IRS notice can turn an ordinary Tuesday into a frantic hunt for old tax returns, bank statements, W-2s, and that one folder mysteriously labeled “Important Stuff.” The good news: a tax notice does not automatically mean the IRS has the final word, and a mistake in a notice does…

The Free Financial Advisor

6 End-of-Summer Money Tasks That Can Prevent a Costly Year-End Rush

August has an underrated financial superpower: there is still enough year left to fix things. Six end-of-summer money tasks can help organize taxes, retirement savings, benefits, and paperwork before November and December turn every calendar into a game of financial Tetris. The goal does not involve predicting the future or…

The Free Financial Advisor

6 Social Security Earnings-Test Details Workers Near Retirement Often Misread

Social Security’s earnings test can make working while collecting retirement benefits sound like a financial game of dodgeball. In 2026, workers below full retirement age can earn up to $24,480 before SSA starts withholding benefits, while people who reach full retirement age this year get a much higher $65,160 limit…

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