Banking, saving & everyday costs
Stephen Kleege writes about banking, saving, and the everyday costs of running a household for The Money Front. He digs through rate sheets, account fine print, and cost-of-living data to turn dense financial paperwork into steps readers can act on the same day.
Latest from this writer
Your CD Just Matured: The Grace Period Clock Is Ticking
When a CD matures, most banks give you about 7 to 10 days before rolling the money into a new term at…
Overtime Pay: Who Gets Time and a Half by Law
Federal law promises time and a half after 40 hours, but only for nonexempt workers. The 2026 salary threshold, the duties tests,…
June CPI: The Latest Read on Grocery and Pump Prices
June CPI: overall prices fell 0.4 percent, the largest monthly drop since April 2020, as gasoline sank 9.7 percent. Grocery prices still…
Adding a Name to a Bank Account: What It Really Does
Adding someone to a bank account makes them a full legal co-owner. What that does to FDIC coverage, creditor risk, and your…
Store Card Financing: The Deferred Interest Catch
“No interest if paid in full” is not the same as zero percent. How deferred interest promotions charge you back to day…
Filing a Home Insurance Claim: Steps and Deadlines
Report fast, document everything, and know your state’s claim deadlines. The steps that get a home insurance claim paid, and the clocks…
Hiring Your First Employee: The Federal To-Do List
An EIN, Form W-4, Form I-9, new-hire reporting, payroll deposits, and posters: the federal steps every first-time employer has to get right.
Credit Card Balances: What the Fed’s Latest Data Shows
Federal Reserve data puts revolving credit near $1.34 trillion, with card rates around 21 percent. What the G.19 numbers mean for your…
Reverse Mortgages: The Counseling HUD Makes You Get
Before any HECM reverse mortgage closes, federal rules require a session with a HUD-approved counselor. What the meeting covers and how to…
Babysitting Money and Taxes: Where the Line Sits
When a babysitter is a household employee, when the money is self-employment income, and the 2026 thresholds that decide who owes what…
Cosigning a Loan Makes It Your Loan: The Fine Print
Federal rules require lenders to warn cosigners in writing: the debt is yours, and the lender can come to you first. What…
Life Insurance Through Work Rarely Follows You Out
Employer life insurance usually ends when the job does, and COBRA won’t save it. How group coverage works, the conversion window, and…