Andy | Saving to Invest

Grocery Benefits for Seniors in 2026-2027 with Medicare Advantage Food Cards, SNAP, and What Changed

If you've seen ads for "free Medicare grocery cards" — or had one and lost it this year — here's the straight story for 2026: those benefits got much harder to get. The federal pilot program (VBID) that let many Medicare Advantage plans hand out grocery allowances based on income…

How to Maximize Your Tax Refund in 2026: What Actually Moves the Needle

"Maximize your tax refund" gets searched every filing season, but it's worth being precise about what that actually means. A refund is just the IRS returning money you already overpaid through paycheck withholding or estimated payments — getting a bigger one isn't really a win if it means you gave…

Kentucky Unemployment Benefits in 2026: Up to $720/Week for 26 Weeks, Partial UI Rules, Taxes, and What Else Is Available

Kentucky's unemployment insurance program — managed by the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet (KEWES) — increased its maximum weekly benefit significantly to $720 in 2026, up from $552 in 2025. This $168 increase reflects Kentucky's rapidly rising average weekly wage as the state's economy has grown. Kentucky's flat income…

Where Is My Business Tax Refund in 2026? Current IRS Processing Times and How to Check Status

Business owners still don't get a "Where's My Refund"-style tracker the way individual filers do. If you're waiting on a business tax refund in 2026, the IRS's own guidance is unchanged from prior years: call the Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933 (or +1 267-941-1000 from outside the U.S.)…

How to Reduce Your Tax Bill in 2026: Lowering Taxable Income and Claiming More Deductions

A few years back I ended up owing taxes when I filed my return — a tax liability I could have avoided or shrunk if I'd made a few moves earlier in the year. That's still the core lesson here: most of the strategies below only work if you act…

IRS Tax Transcript Code 810 Refund Freeze and What It Means When Followed By Code 811

Transaction codes are used on IRS tax transcripts to show filers what has happened with their return processing, reasons for potential delays, when a refund will be paid, or why it's delayed. Given ongoing challenges in getting through to a live IRS agent, many taxpayers are turning to their free…

2026–2027 Minimum Wage by State: Federal Rate Stays $7.25 While 19 States Index for Inflation

The federal minimum wage is still $7.25 an hour in 2026 — unchanged since July 2009, the longest stretch without an increase since the federal minimum wage was created in 1938. Where you actually stand depends entirely on your state. Washington, D.C. now has the highest minimum wage in the…

How Much Will 2024 Social Security and SSI Increase After Record 2023 COLA Increase – Extra Monthly Payment Amount

[Updated for projected 2024 Increase] Soaring inflation and related Fed rate hiking actions had a silver lining for many eligible recipients in 2023, with a 8.7% increase (~$145 p/month) in Social Security (SS) benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments in 2023. The 2024 increase however is expected to much smaller as inflation cools,…

IRS Tax Filing Extension Deadline – When Will I Get My Refund or What If Owe The IRS More Money

The date for filing a tax return filing extension for the current tax season is April 15th. Maine and Massachusetts have 2 extra days due to state holidays. Not filing for an extension or not paying your tax liability could mean some stiff penalties. Given the ongoing IRS processing delays,…

Stuck on Hold With the IRS? Here’s How to Get Help In Person Instead

When "Where's My Refund?" just says "still processing" for months and the phone lines go nowhere, an in-person visit to a local IRS office can genuinely break the logjam — but only if you go in prepared and with realistic expectations about what an agent can actually tell you. Appointments…

IRS Transcript Codes 290 and 291 Explained: Additional Tax Assessed or Refund Adjustment

If you've been waiting on your tax return processing and refund status for a while, you may see transaction codes 290 and 291 appear on your free IRS tax transcript once the IRS moves your case forward. Code 290 is generally accompanied by the line "Additional tax assessed," along with…

2024 Electric Vehicle Tax Credit – Extending the EV Clean Car Rebate For New and Used Autos

Under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the EV Tax Credit was extended for several more years. It will also be expanded to cover both new and used cars. The original EV tax credit, known as the plug-in electric vehicle credit, has been rebranded to the Clean Vehicle Credit (CVC) under…

2026 Social Security COLA Confirmed at 2.8%, Plus the Latest 2027 Estimate

This page tracks Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustments year by year — confirmed figures and the latest forward estimates. The 2026 COLA is confirmed at 2.8%, effective January 2026. The 2027 COLA is currently tracking around 3.8%, after briefly spiking toward 4.7% in June. I've also added what the latest Trustees…

IRS Notices CP11, CP12, CP13 and CP14 — Refund Adjustments, Balance-Due Letters, and Your 60-Day Rights in 2026

If the IRS finds a calculation error on your return, it doesn't audit you — it fixes the math itself and mails you a notice in the CP11–CP14 series telling you what changed. Depending on which one you get, your refund went up, went down, disappeared, or turned into a…