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

October 2026 Roundup: 3.6% COLA, 2027 SSI Max, SNAP Deadline, Federal Pay Freeze and Military Raise

With colder weather here and the leaves turning, fall has officially arrived. Less sunshine, yes, but it’s also the time of year when the 2027 updates start rolling in for many government programs that affect millions of people. One of the biggest is the 2027 Social Security Cost of Living…

Social Security Fairness Act Back Pay: Why New Spousal Applicants Only Get 6 Months

If you never applied for a spousal or survivor benefit because the Government Pension Offset (GPO) would have cut it to zero, the Social Security Fairness Act made you eligible back to January 2024. But if you're applying for the first time now, Social Security is paying at most six…

2027 Medicare Part D Costs: The $2,400 Cap, Rising Premiums, and What’s Really Changing

Two things are true about Medicare Part D at the same time in 2027. Your maximum drug spending is capped at a new, higher number, and your premium could jump more than it has in recent years. Both are locked into regulation, not projections, and here is exactly what each…

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…

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