David Keller

David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.

Young couple calculating taxes at home

A single saver can be insured for far more than $250,000 at one bank across account categories

Depositors with more than $250,000 at a single bank can protect every dollar without moving funds to a second institution. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation applies its $250,000 insurance limit per depositor, per insured bank, and per ownership category, which means one person who holds accounts across several categories can qualify for coverage well above…

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G. Edward Johnson - CC BY 4.0/Wiki Commons

No depositor has lost a penny of FDIC-insured money since the agency opened in 1933

Every American with a bank account relies on a single promise: that the federal government will make them whole if their bank collapses. Since the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation began operations in 1934, no depositor has lost a single penny of insured funds due to bank failure. That record has held through the Great Depression,…

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family, savings, age and people concept - smiling senior couple with papers, money and calculator at home

Workers can put up to $24,500 into a 401(k) in 2026, $1,000 more than last year

American workers saving for retirement through employer-sponsored plans will be able to set aside $24,500 in a 401(k) during 2026, a $1,000 increase over the $23,500 cap that applied in 2025. The IRS announced the adjustment through Notice 2025-67, published in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2025-49, which recalculates contribution ceilings each year based on cost-of-living changes….

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Company manager sitting in his office and holding business card

A trust account with five or more beneficiaries can carry up to $1.25 million in FDIC coverage

Trust owners who name five or more eligible beneficiaries on a single account can protect up to $1,250,000 in deposits at one FDIC-insured bank, a coverage ceiling that took effect April 1, 2024. The rule, approved by the FDIC Board and published January 28, 2022, collapsed the old separate categories for revocable and irrevocable trust…

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Credit score concept Person use smartphone with virtual credit score icon for chart with credit

Checking your own credit score never lowers it; it counts as a soft inquiry

Millions of people avoid pulling their own credit reports each year because they believe the act itself will drag down their score. That fear is unfounded. A consumer requesting a personal credit report triggers only a soft inquiry, which carries zero scoring penalty, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The distinction between soft and…

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Senior law agent examining financial records to find account information

Investigators say $91 million of that $300 million Ponzi went to options losses and the operator’s lifestyle

Investors who trusted Russell Todd Burkhalter and his firm Drive Planning, LLC with their savings now face a federal enforcement action alleging the operation was a Ponzi scheme exceeding $300 million. The SEC filed an emergency complaint in the Northern District of Georgia accusing Burkhalter of funneling tens of millions into options trading losses and…

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FDIC seal in front of the headquarters building by the White House.

The FDIC’s free online EDIE tool lets savers check in minutes whether every dollar is insured

Savers holding deposits at FDIC-insured banks can verify their coverage in minutes using a free government calculator, yet many still do not know the tool exists. The FDIC’s Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator, known as EDIE, performs per-bank calculations for checking accounts, savings accounts, money-market deposit accounts, and certificates of deposit. With its calculation basis date…

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Federal prosecutors clawed back $214 million to repay victims of a pump-and-dump stock scheme

Investors who lost money on shares of China Liberal Education Holdings Ltd. now have a path to recover some of those losses after federal prosecutors in Chicago secured a court order permanently forfeiting approximately $214 million seized as alleged proceeds of a pump-and-dump scheme. The forfeiture, one of the largest tied to a single stock-manipulation…

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