Thinking Money

Online Personal Finance & Investing Resources

There are so many personal finance websites that it can be difficult to know where to begin your
search for reliable information. The list below has been compiled with guidance from librarians
and financial educators who are familiar with the everyday needs and questions of library users. For more staff training tools and library-led financial literacy project ideas, visit smartinvesting.ala.org.

Lastly, for additional ideas, please download this helpful guide: “Collection Management for Personal Finance and Investing Resources.”  

General Financial Literacy Topics

www.SaveAndInvest.org  
This website provides unbiased tools and information to help consumers with basic financial
management, controlling debt, saving for the future, and protecting assets.

Financial Literacy and Education Commission
www.mymoney.gov
Financial information is organized around five skills: earn, borrow, save/invest, spend, and
protect. The site includes resources compiled by more than 20 federal agencies that offer
financial education.

American Institute of CPAs: 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy
www.360financialliteracy.org
This resource provides basic information and tools on general personal finance topics. It
addresses issues at each life stage from teens to retirees. Consumers can “Ask the Money
Dr.” and review FAQs.

Cooperative Extension Service: eXtension Personal Finance
www.extension.org/personal_finance
Personal finance services from the Cooperative Extension System include “Ask the Expert” questions answered by Extension educators.

National Financial Capability Study
www.usfinancialcapability.org
This site provides state-by-state and national data about a variety of personal finance indicators related to saving, credit, medical debt, home equity, financial literacy, and financial behaviors.

National Endowment for Financial Education
www.nefe.org
The National Foundation for Financial Education provides a variety of personal finance
learning resources suitable for youth and adults.

Banking

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
www.fdic.gov/consumers
This federal agency insures bank deposits and provides consumer information on banking, mortgages, and privacy. Resources include curriculum materials to teach Money Smart, a comprehensive financial education curriculum for low- and moderate-income adults.

Credit

Annual Credit Report Request
www.annualcreditreport.com
This is the only source for free credit reports authorized by federal law. Instructions include
how to request free reports once per year from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Saving

America Saves
www.americasaves.org
Managed by the Consumer Federation of America, the America Saves campaign helps low- and moderate-income households to establish a savings plan and stick to it. A companion campaign, Military Saves, focuses on service members and veterans.

Choose to Save
www.choosetosave.org
The Choose to Save campaign, a program of the Employee Benefit Research Institute and its American Savings Education Council, provides resources to help consumers achieve financial security and reach savings goals across the lifecycle.

Avoiding Financial Fraud

www.SaveAndInvest.org/FraudCenter
This website helps consumers detect and avoid financial fraud. The site has a variety of research-based interactives to help investors understand and counter fraud tactics.

Identity Theft

Federal Trade Commission
www.consumer.ftc.gov
The Federal Trade Commission is an authoritative source for information on identity theft, as well as other money and credit topics.

Taxes

Internal Revenue Service
www.irs.gov
The IRS site provides forms, publications, and online services to assist with federal income tax questions.

Investing

Securities and Exchange Commission
www.investor.gov
The SEC site features basic information on investing and investor protection. It provides access to the EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) database, which consumers can use to research public companies.

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
www.finra.org/Investors
FINRA provides comprehensive information and tools to help consumers make well-informed decisions about investing. The site also provides market data, investor alerts, and free publications on demand.

North American Securities Administrators Association
www.nasaa.org
This site includes information about how to contact state securities regulators, as well as general investor education resources.

Healthcare Expenses

www.Healthcare.gov
This is the federal healthcare marketplace. Individuals, families, and small businesses can learn about and purchase healthcare coverage from this site or be directed to a state’s exchange if it has one.

Financial Literacy for Young Learners

Money as You Grow & Money as You Learn
www.moneyasyougrow.org
www.moneyasyoulearn.org
Money as You Grow gives parents 20 age-appropriate lessons and activities to help kids learn about money. Money as You Learn is a companion website for teachers to integrate personal finance into the core curriculum.

Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy
www.jumpstart.org
Jump$tart is committed to advancing financial literacy among pre-school through college-age youth. This site includes a clearinghouse of curriculum materials available to educators and parents.

College Financing

Student Aid
www.studentaid.ed.gov
This office of the U.S. Department of Education is the largest provider of grants, loans, and work-study funds for post-secondary education. There’s also a section on loan repayment.

Retirement

Social Security Administration
www.ssa.gov
This site offers information about Social Security benefits, life expectancy, and retirement age calculators.

Help for Consumers

211 Information and Referral Search
www.211.org
The three-digit 2-1-1 telephone number provides free, confidential information and referrals for human services, including food assistance, housing, employment, and healthcare.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
www.consumerfinance.gov
Consumers can “Ask CFPB” questions, review an extensive database of FAQs on consumer financial products and services, submit complaints, and access information on current issues related to financial products.

Federal Citizen Information Center
www.Publications.USA.gov — Money
This clearinghouse of federal government publications includes a “Money” category covering topics such as credit, debt, insurance, saving, investing, loans, managing money, and avoiding fraud.