Updated for October 2026

Your Personal Finance Guide to Tax Refunds, Retirement Plans & Government Benefits

Updates on IRS refunds and taxes, 401(k) and IRA changes, unemployment benefits, and government programs

Do You Need an Annuity, or Is Social Security Plus a HYSA Enough?

If you are eyeing retirement in the next few years, you have probably run the same math I have: will Social Security and savings actually cover the bills, or do you need something more locked-in? Annuity salespeople are leaning hard into today's higher rates to push that decision along. Before…

Medicare Savings Programs 2026: Do You Qualify for Help Paying Your Part B Premium?

If your Medicare Part B premium feels like it's eating your Social Security check, a Medicare Savings Program might erase it entirely. These are state-administered programs that pay some or all of your Medicare costs if your income is low enough — and a surprising number of eligible people have…

ABLE Accounts 2026: Eligibility Just Expanded to 6 Million More Americans

If your disability started at age 30, 35, or 44, you likely couldn't open an ABLE account before this year. As of January 1, 2026, that's changed — the eligibility cutoff moved from disability onset before age 26 to before age 46, opening this tax-advantaged savings account to an estimated…

What’s New on Saving to Invest: September 2026 Roundup

With fall around the corner, summer in the rearview mirror, and a consequential midterm election just weeks away, there is a lot happening in money news. From essential tax, unemployment and social security benefit annual changes — here are some updates worth reviewing. Maximum Weekly Unemployment Benefits by State: Washington…

Adoption Tax Credit 2026: Up to $17,670, and $5,120 of It Is Now Refundable

The adoption tax credit is worth up to $17,670 per child for 2026 — and for the first time, a real chunk of it, up to $5,120, comes back to you even if your tax bill is already at zero. That refundability piece is new, and it changes who actually…

Military Pay Dates 2027: Every Active Duty, Retiree and Annuitant Payday

Active duty troops get paid twice a month in 2027: on the 1st and the 15th. When either date lands on a weekend or a federal holiday, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) moves payday to the business day before, never after. That one rule explains every "early" paycheck…

VA Disability Payment Dates 2027: The Months With Two Deposits and the Months With None

VA disability compensation for any given month is paid on the first business day of the following month. When the 1st lands on a weekend or federal holiday, VA pays on the last business day of the month before instead. That rule is simple, but in 2027 it creates an…

The 20% QBI Deduction Is Now Permanent — Do Freelancers and Gig Workers Qualify?

If you freelance, drive for a rideshare app, or run any kind of side business as a sole proprietor, there's a decent chance you can deduct 20% of your business profit before you ever get to the standard or itemized deduction. It's called the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction, and…

The 2027-28 FAFSA Opens October 1: What’s New and How to Get Ahead

The 2027-28 FAFSA opens to everyone on October 1, 2026, and it runs on your 2025 tax return. Beta testing for the form actually started August 5, 2026, but October 1 is when every family gets access. I went through what the Department of Education actually changed this cycle, and…

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