Warren Cohen, Author at The Financial Wire

An elderly couple is sick and takes medication at home

That caller telling seniors they’re owed a “Part D refund” from Medicare’s new $2,100 drug cap is a scam — real Medicare never calls uninvited or collects bank routing numbers

Warren Cohen4 months ago4 months ago011 mins

That caller telling seniors they’re owed a “Part D refund” from Medicare’s new $2,100 drug cap is a scam — real Medicare never calls uninvited or collects bank routing numbers The phone rings mid-morning. The caller ID shows an 800 number. A calm, professional voice tells a retired schoolteacher in Florida that Medicare owes her…

Man hand holding credit card with smartphone in coffee cafe.

The OCC’s new bank fee rule takes effect in 34 days — your state can no longer cap the swipe fees banks charge on tips and sales taxes

Warren Cohen4 months ago4 months ago015 mins

Leave a 20% tip on a restaurant tab paid by credit card, and your server is not the only one collecting. The bank that issued your card takes a small cut of the entire transaction through what the industry calls an interchange or “swipe” fee. That fee is calculated on the full amount: the meal,…

A Sold sign in front of a charming suburban house indicating a successful transaction

The median new home sold in March cost $387,400 — about $30,000 less than the median existing home as builders cut prices on a third of sales

Warren Cohen4 months ago4 months ago011 mins

The median new home sold in March cost $387,400 — about $30,000 less than the median existing home as builders cut prices on a third of sales A brand-new house now costs less than a used one, and the gap is not small. The median new single-family home sold in March 2026 for $387,400, according…

beautiful business woman working at the computer

The average personal loan now charges about 12.5% APR — less than half the 22% credit card average, saving the typical $7,200 borrower roughly $1,000 a year in interest

Warren Cohen4 months ago4 months ago014 mins

A borrower carrying $7,200 on a credit card at 22 percent APR will pay roughly $132 a month in interest alone before a single dollar touches the principal. Move that same balance to a 24-month personal loan at 12.5 percent, and the monthly interest drops to about $75. That difference, compounded over a year of…

Couple sitting among moving boxes in new home

A seller-funded mortgage rate buy-down cuts a buyer’s monthly payment by about $200 for two years — but the money is wasted if you sell or refinance inside 24 months

Warren Cohen4 months ago4 months ago015 mins

A seller-funded mortgage rate buy-down cuts a buyer’s monthly payment by about $200 for two years – but the money is wasted if you sell or refinance inside 24 months A home seller in a June 2026 purchase contract offers to fund a temporary mortgage rate buydown. The buyer’s monthly payment drops by a few…

women's red button-up collared long-sleeved shirt

Medicare drug-price negotiations take effect on 10 major drugs in 2026 — saving patients an estimated $1.5 billion out of pocket this year on Eliquis, Jardiance, Xarelto, and seven others

Warren Cohen4 months ago4 months ago013 mins

A Medicare patient filling a 30-day supply of Eliquis, the blood thinner prescribed to millions of Americans with atrial fibrillation, used to face a list price north of $500 a month. As of January 1, 2026, the federal government’s negotiated price for that same prescription is $231. That single reduction, applied across the roughly 3.7…

Typing credit card and hands of hacker for cyber crime financial fraud and cloning for identity theft or breach Person dark and online for hacking or malware attack phishing and account takeover

A wire-transfer fraud caught in the first 24 hours can often be reversed by the sending bank — but past that window, the money is almost always gone for good

Warren Cohen4 months ago4 months ago015 mins

In a scenario consistent with cases documented in FBI and FinCEN advisories, a controller at a midsize real-estate firm wired $430,000 on a Friday afternoon to close on a commercial property. The wire instructions had arrived by email from what appeared to be the title company’s address. By the following Monday morning, the controller realized…

A stethoscope calculator and clipboard closeup

The 2025 Medicare Trustees Report just moved hospital trust-fund insolvency up to 2033 — triggering an automatic 11% cut to Part A payments and tighter coverage on inpatient stays

Warren Cohen4 months ago4 months ago012 mins

A year ago, the federal government told hospitals they had roughly 11 years before Medicare’s main payment account ran dry. That estimate just shrank to eight. The 2025 Medicare Trustees Report, released this spring, projects that the Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund will be depleted by 2033, three years sooner than the 2036 date published…

a large building with a flag on top of it

Rolling a 401(k) into a traditional IRA loses the federal lawsuit protection built into ERISA — IRA balances can be seized in most state bankruptcies, while 401(k)s generally can’t

Warren Cohen4 months ago4 months ago015 mins

A worker leaves a job, gets a glossy mailer from a brokerage, and rolls a $300,000 401(k) into a traditional IRA before the week is out. The new account may offer cheaper index funds and a slicker app. What it no longer offers is the federal creditor shield that Congress attached to workplace retirement plans…

Bringing ideas into focus Shot of a young designers at work in an office

The IRS just confirmed that borrowers whose student loans were forgiven under public service programs owe zero federal income tax — but state tax bills still apply in 9 states

Warren Cohen4 months ago4 months ago012 mins

A borrower who spent a decade teaching in North Carolina public schools, making 120 qualifying payments to earn Public Service Loan Forgiveness, will owe the IRS nothing when $50,000 in student debt disappears from her balance. But when she files her state return this year, that same $50,000 could show up as taxable income, generating…

Warren Cohen

That caller telling seniors they’re owed a “Part D refund” from Medicare’s new $2,100 drug cap is a scam — real Medicare never calls uninvited or collects bank routing numbers

The OCC’s new bank fee rule takes effect in 34 days — your state can no longer cap the swipe fees banks charge on tips and sales taxes

The median new home sold in March cost $387,400 — about $30,000 less than the median existing home as builders cut prices on a third of sales

The average personal loan now charges about 12.5% APR — less than half the 22% credit card average, saving the typical $7,200 borrower roughly $1,000 a year in interest

A seller-funded mortgage rate buy-down cuts a buyer’s monthly payment by about $200 for two years — but the money is wasted if you sell or refinance inside 24 months

Medicare drug-price negotiations take effect on 10 major drugs in 2026 — saving patients an estimated $1.5 billion out of pocket this year on Eliquis, Jardiance, Xarelto, and seven others

A wire-transfer fraud caught in the first 24 hours can often be reversed by the sending bank — but past that window, the money is almost always gone for good

The 2025 Medicare Trustees Report just moved hospital trust-fund insolvency up to 2033 — triggering an automatic 11% cut to Part A payments and tighter coverage on inpatient stays

The IRS just confirmed that borrowers whose student loans were forgiven under public service programs owe zero federal income tax — but state tax bills still apply in 9 states

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