Consumer Resources

This is a comprehensive list of consumer resources on topics such as credit reports, homeownership, budgeting, kids and money, and energy conservation.

Credit.org receives no financial consideration from the financial literacy website links and entities listed below; these links are provided purely for public benefit. We do not endorse the products or services offered, but we do our best to conduct due diligence on the integrity of these providers.

Resources for the unemployed

Unemployment Office Locations
A complete list of U.S. state unemployment office locations with web links.

Categories

Financial Education

America Saves
America Saves helps individuals build personal wealth, with tips and tools to help set goals and start saving.

EdFund
EdFund offers information to help students looking for information to help them make better financial decisions.

Office of Financial Education
Hosted by the U.S. Treasury Department, this set of online resources includes information from various Federal Reserve banks, the SEC, FDIC, US Mint, and more.

WIFE.org
The Women's Institute for Financial Education is a nonprofit organization that aims to teach females how to take control of their financial lives.

$AFE Resource Center
Student Advocates for Financial Educaiton, or $AFE, offers fact sheets, financial tips, publications, and PowerPoint presentations on credit, personal finance, identity theft, and more.

FDIC Money Smart
From the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the "Money Smart Adult Financial Education Curriculum."

NEFE's Help for Consumers
From the National Endowment for Financial Education, these resources help consumers achieve financial well-being.

Money and Taxes
From USA.gov, this site offers official information on money and taxes from the U.S. government.

Personal Financial Education from the Federal Reserve
Presented by the Federal Reserve, this personal financial education site offers information about banking, money, interest rates, and other topics of interest.

Federal Citizen Information Center
Consumer Information from the FCIC, with free publications on topics from Cars to Housing, Small Business, and Travel.

Practical Money Skills For Life
A free Web site designed to help educators, parents and students practice better money management for life.

MyMoney.gov
From the U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission, a site to help you learn to save, invest, and manage your money better.

Investor Education Resources
From the North American Securities Administrators Association, a variety of financial education resources. Includes information about avoiding investment scams and understanding College Savings Plans.

Wi$eUp Financial Education Program for Women
Wi$eUp is a program designed for Generation X &Y women. Its goals are to promote financial security through online education and encourage responsible saving habits for future retirement.

Financial Literacy Resource Directory
From the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, this directory includes information on many community organizations that serve to help increase financial literacy.

National Council on Economic Education
The NCEE leads in promoting economic literacy with students and their teachers. NCEE's mission is to help students develop the real-life skills the need to succeed.

Financial Literacy from the IRS The Internal Revenue Service's Financial Literacy information stresses the importance of education in the process of personal asset accumulation.

Money 101 -- Money Magazine's free personal finance course
Includes a 23-lesson personal finance course from the writers at Money magazine. You can read the entire course or choose lessons of interest. Topics include: making a budget, basics of banking and saving, basics of investing, investing in stocks, investing in mutual funds, investing in bonds, buying a home, controlling debt, saving for college, kids and money, asset allocation, and taxes.

Savings 101 -- America Saves
Provides information about savings topics such as finding money to save, building wealth through homeownership, and compound interest. Information is also provided about U.S. savings campaigns.

What is a FICO® Score? by myFICO
ScoreInfo was created by FICO, the company that invented the FICO® Score, to help consumers understand and benefit from the risk-based pricing and credit score disclosure notices they receive in the mail from U.S. lenders in accordance with federal regulations.

Homeownership

Know Your Home. Know Your Loan.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is launching a national campaign urging homeowners to seek free, HUD-approved housing counseling advice. The campaign is a call to action for homeowners and will target communities and demographics that are most at-risk.

Housing Opportunities Collaborative The HOC seeks to promote equal access to housing for all persons, especially low income and underprivileged individuals and families, by educating the public concerning home ownership and landlord-tenant rights and responsibilities, seeking financial and capacity building resources, providing financial and other counseling, providing informational resources, and conducting related activities.

https://www.justice.gov/ust/national-mortgage-settlements
The United States Trustee Program’s website concerning the National Mortgage Settlement, which includes Frequently Asked Questions.

The website of the Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight.
http://www.nationalmortgagesettlement.com/ The website of the Executive Committee of the state attorneys general.

Free Credit Report

www.annualcreditreport.com

Credit Scores

myFICO.com

What is a FICO® Score? by myFICO ScoreInfo was created by FICO, the company that invented the FICO® Score, to help consumers understand and benefit from the risk-based pricing and credit score disclosure notices they receive in the mail from U.S. lenders in accordance with federal regulations.

Budgeting/Cash Management

Better Option© Prepaid Debit Card. Take control of your finances. Think of the Better Option account as a checking account without checks, and with sophisticated cash management features such as electronic bill payment, budgeting and expense tracking, unlimited credit score checks, and more. No credit approval required; no minimum balance; no up-front charge. All funds FDIC insured. Click link for information and order form.

Energy Conservation

Energy Star Steps to Reduce Air Pollution (.pdf link)

Bankruptcy

American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI)ABI is the nation's leading provider of quality bankruptcy educational programs and information.

Tax Resources

Intuit Publisher of the popular Quicken® and Turbotax® software.
U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) The official site of the IRS-one financial obligation no consumer can avoid.

Scam Prevention

The Federal Trade Commission This Consumer Alert web page teaches you about the latest consumer scams and how to avoid them.

Identity Theft Maintained by the Federal Trade Commission, this site is a comprehensive reference for consumers concerned about identity theft. You'll find information on preventing and recovering from this growing problem.

FDCPA The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, presented by the FTC.

Consumer Information and Education

Institute of Consumer Financial Education Financial education, debtor education, bankruptcy education and financial planning education for all age groups. Special sections devoted to teaching children about money.

Consumer Information Center Contains full text versions of hundreds of the best federal consumer publications available and they are all free! Check out the section on money.

Consumer World Contains a treasure trove of over 1400 of the most useful consumer resources on the Internet.

Bankrate.com One of our favorites, Bankrate is a very comprehensive site covering mortgage & CD rates, auto loans, credit cards, mortgages and more.

Personal Finance for Women Presented by msmoney.com-Helping You on the Road to Financial Freedom.

Housing

U.S Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HUD works to strengthen communities in America in a variety of ways. Learn more about how HUD helps communities and what you can do to make your community stronger.

Freddie Mac Offers help to individuals interested in buying a home.

Fannie Mae Offers help to individuals looking to purchasing a home.

Agency Links (Consumer and Federal):
Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children, Inc. The Council on Accreditation partners with human service organizations worldwide to improve service delivery outcomes by developing, applying, and promoting accreditation standards.

ConsumerFed.org Since 1968, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has provided consumers a well-reasoned and articulate voice in decisions that affect their lives.

FirstGov for Consumers A host of financial information resources sponsored by the federal government. Contains links to individual federal web sites containing useful consumer information.

California Department of Consumer Affairs A resource to promote and protect the interests of California consumers; they license and regulate 2.6 million professionals, including doctors, dentists, contractors and auto-repair technicians.

National Fraud Information Center Providing information, tips and reports about Internet and Mail fraud.

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse A nonprofit consumer education, research, and advocacy program. Offers dozens of free publications providing practical tips on privacy protection.

Save For Your Future The national "Save for Your Future" education campaign is a partnership between the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the American Savings Education Council (ASEC) committed to informing Americans about the need to save and plan for retirement and other life stages.

American Savings Education Council The American Savings Education Council (ASEC) is a nonprofit national coalition of public- and private-sector institutions undertaking initiatives to raise public awareness about what is needed to ensure long-term personal financial independence.

Social Security Administration Includes online calculators, contact information, and publications about Social Security.

Credit Bureaus

Transunion
Equifax
Experian

Parenting/Kids and Money

Kid's Money Resources for parents to teach kids about money.

Young Investor.com Resources for teachers and parents for explaining investing to kids and teens.

Working Mother Magazine A magazine that helps women integrate their professional lives, their family lives and their inner lives.

Parenting Toolbox Information and newsletters to help parents educate their children on financial issues.

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