Andy | Saving to Invest

How Marriage Changes Your Taxes in 2026 (Plus 6 Other Money Decisions to Make First)

The standard deduction for married filing jointly is $32,200 in 2026 — close to double the $16,100 a single filer gets, according to the IRS's 2026 inflation adjustments. That's usually the single biggest tax change marriage brings, but it's far from the only one. Your filing status is locked in…

15-Year vs. 30-Year Fixed Mortgage in 2026 — Which One Actually Saves You Money?

As of mid-2026, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is running around 6.5%-6.6%, while the 15-year fixed averages roughly 5.8%-5.95%, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. That gap of roughly 0.7 to 0.9 percentage points is a big part of why the 15-year option keeps coming up whenever…

Buying Long-Term Care Insurance To Save For The High Cost of Assisted Living

The national median cost of an assisted living community is now $74,400 a year — up 44% over just five years, nearly double the pace of inflation, according to CareScout's 2025 Cost of Care Survey. A private nursing home room runs even higher, averaging $129,575 a year. Those numbers explain…

10 Ways to Boost Your Retirement Savings in 2026

Boosting retirement savings isn't about finding one clever trick — it's mostly about using the accounts and incentives already available to you more fully than you currently are. Here are ten concrete ways to do that in 2026. 1. Get Your Full Employer Match If your employer offers a 401(k)…

401(k) and IRA Early Withdrawal Penalty: The 10% Rule and How to Avoid It

Pull money out of a traditional 401(k) or IRA before you turn 59½, and the IRS adds a 10% penalty on top of whatever income tax you already owe. That's the headline rule everyone knows. What fewer people know is just how many exceptions exist. Some have been on the…

Looking Beyond the Monthly Payment Saving and Calculating the True Cost of Your Mortgage Refinance

Mortgage lenders often attract homeowners seeking to lower their mortgage interest rate with some simple math, usually presented in one of two ways: 1) Comparing the nominal closing costs to the total savings from 30 years of a lower monthly payment, or 2) How few months it will take before…

2026–2027 HSA Contribution Limits, HDHP Deductibles, and How to Make the Most of Your Health Savings Account

If I had to pick one tax-advantaged account most people are underusing, it would be the HSA — and it's not particularly close. I've been contributing to one for years, and the more I've learned about how these accounts work, the more I think of them as a stealth retirement…

Banks vs Credit Unions in 2026 — Where Your Money Actually Works Harder

Here's the number that should frame this whole decision in 2026: the national average savings account pays around 0.6% APY, while top online high-yield savings accounts pay 4% or more. Where you park your money now matters more than it has in most of the past two decades. The old…

Understanding Roth 401K and IRA Retirement Plans Conversion Limits and Rules – 2025 and 2026 updates

The landscape of retirement planning is constantly evolving, with new legislation and rules changing how we save for our golden years. One of the most significant shifts in recent years has been the increased flexibility in moving funds from traditional pre-tax retirement accounts to Roth accounts. This is a game-changer…

Debt Collection Calls in 2026: Your Rights Under Regulation F, and How to Stop Creditor Harassment

One of the worst forms of creditor harassment is relentless debt collection calls. For some people, the calls become so frequent that they consider changing their phone number just to make them stop. The good news: federal law spells out exactly how often a collector is allowed to contact you,…

Financial Reform Bill Summary – What it Means to Your Future. Free Credit Score, Bank Stocks and Consumer Protection Measures

[Updated] Approved! Congress and the President have approved the financial reform bill (detailed below) that would revamp the nation's financial regulatory system. It will allow for the creation of a consumer financial protection bureau at the Federal Reserve, give regulators new powers to liquidate failing financial firms whose collapse would threaten the economy and…

How Long Should You Keep Tax Records? The IRS Rules by Document Type

The honest answer to "how long should I keep this?" depends entirely on what kind of record it is and what happened on your return. The IRS's retention rules are tied directly to how long it (or you) can still legally act on a given tax year — called the…

Best Small Business Credit Card, Savings and Checking Accounts in 2026

After about a year of running my business, I'd built up a decent cushion of savings sitting in a checking account earning close to nothing. The account had features I liked, but it wasn't putting compounding to work for me — so after a promotional offer (a bonus rate plus…

Credit Card Security Myths and Truths in 2026 — How to Actually Protect Yourself

Credit card fraud keeps rising even as the tools to fight it have improved. EMV chips, virtual card numbers, and two-factor authentication have closed off some of the easiest fraud tactics from a decade ago — but they haven't closed off all of them, and a lot of the old…