Financial Education Resources – Online

The following list is not exhaustive. Inclusion here does not indicate or imply an endorsement.

http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/resources/free_materials/ – Link for educators, parents, or consumers including financial literacy lesson plans, brochures, guides, and CD’s are available to download. These resources are free of charge, and many of them are available in both English and Spanish.

http://cas.umkc.edu/mcee/ – Missouri Council of Economic Education offers a variety of PDF documents and educational links to assist teachers of financial education.

http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/tools/tools_moneymath.htm – Link to the U.S. Department of the Treasury Money Math: Lessons for life. Contains a PDF of different lesson plans.

http://www.federalreserveeducation.org – This provides a link to a variety of links and resources provided by the Federal Reserve Bank. This includes teacher and consumer financial educational resources.

http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/overview.html – The Money Smart program may be used by financial institutions and other organizations interested in sponsoring financial education workshops. The FDIC provides the Money Smart curriculum to interested parties free of charge. A limited number of copies are available to each party; however, the materials are easily reproduced and have no copyright restrictions.

http://www.aicpa.org/financialliteracy/investor_education.asp – The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants includes information on basic financial literacy.

http://www.360financialliteracy.org/Life+Stages/Military+and+Reserves/ – Basic financial education to help Americans understand their personal finances through every stage of life.

http://www.feedthepig.org/ – Web site including a variety of savings tips, targeting the 25-34 year old.

http://www.jumpstartcoalition.org/ – The Jump Start Coalition´s direct objective is to encourage curriculum enrichment to ensure that basic personal financial management skills are attained during the K-12 educational experience.

http://www.mymoney.gov – Link providing basic financial education resources brought to you by the National Financial Education Network for State and Local Governments

http://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo/default.htm – Link to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System highlighting a variety of information.

http://www.americasaves.org – Link to basic financial education with heaviest focus on savings and savings strategies.

http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/LPview.cgi?core=1213 – Utah Education Network has great lesson plans for many financial literacy topics targeting K-12th graders.

http://www.smartaboutmoney.org – Dedicated to your financial well-being and brought to you by the National Endowment for financial education.  Sign up for a newsletter.

http://christianpf.com – A Christian site that has updated practical tips about how to handle your personal finances.

http://www.mint.com – Free personal finance software to assist you to manage your money, financial planning, and budget planning tools.

http://www.myspendingplan.com – This is a free secure online personal finance budgeting software that can help you manage your spending to save money, reduce debt, manage tasks and reach your financial goals faster.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Money Smart Program Computer-Based Instruction

The Money Smart Computer-Based Instruction (CBI) is a friendly and easy to use learning tool that teaches the 10 modules of the Money Smart curriculum through a computer. The CBI can complement formal classes or enable people to study independently at their own pace. The CBI is for users age 13 and over.

Each module generally takes between 20-30 minutes to complete. Students receive ongoing feedback and upon successful completion of each module, can print out a personalized certificate of completion.

The CBI is available online or on CD-ROM. The following links allow you to access the online CBI version of Money Smart in English and Spanish.

http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/

If your computer does not meet the minimum requirements or you have difficulty accessing the online web version, you may order the Money Smart CBI on CD-ROM.

Federal Trade Commission

Building a Better Credit Report

If you’ve ever applied for a credit card, a personal loan, or insurance, there’s a file about you. This file is known as your credit report. It is full of information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you’ve been sued or arrested, or have filed for bankruptcy. Credit reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses with a legitimate need for it. They use the information to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or a lease.

Having a good credit report means it will be easier for you to get loans and lower interest rates. Lower interest rates usually translate into smaller monthly payments.

Nevertheless, newspapers, radio, TV, and the Internet are filled with ads for companies and services that promise to erase accurate negative information in your credit report in exchange for a fee. The scam artists who run these ads not only don’t deliver — they can’t deliver. Only time, a deliberate effort, and a plan to repay your bills will improve your credit as it’s detailed in your credit report.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, has written this booklet to help explain how to build a better credit report. It has six sections.  To view or order this free booklet or many of the other valuable information pieces, please reference the website below.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm

Federal Citizens Information Center

2012 Consumer Action Handbook

This everyday guide to being a smart shopper is hot off the press and chock-full of helpful tips about preventing identity theft, understanding credit, filing a consumer complaint, and much more. In the 2010 edition, you’ll find updated information about filing for bankruptcy, finding a lawyer, and planning a funeral, along with many other useful topics.

http://www.consumeraction.gov/