AARPhttp://www.aarp.org/ AARP is a private, nonprofit membership organization for mature Americans that promotes financial education through its extensive programs and activities. AARP offers information on the latest consumer issues. It focuses on how to avoid scams and how best to manage money. Its “Money and Work” section on the AARP Web site features tips and additional resources on a variety of consumer topics. AMERICAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION (ABA)http://www.aba.com/ Click “Consumer Connection” to find advice on banking and personal finance from the ABA Education Foundation. The Web site features learning modules on the financial basics, identity theft, predatory lending, scams and other security risks, personal calculators for financial decision making, information tip sheets on using ATMs and finding banks, and links to other sites related to personal finance. Remember to compare banks for interest rates and fees before you decide to choose a bank to work with. If you feel uncomfortable dealing with one bank, do not hesitate to choose another. AMERICAN SAVINGS EDUCATION COUNCIL (ASEC)http://www.asec.org/ ASEC is a coalition of private and public-sector institutions working to raise public awareness about what is needed to ensure long-term personal financial independence. ASEC, through its program “Choose to Save” makes its Ballpark Estimate calculator available online and offers a series of learning modules about saving. You can also find a clearinghouse of information under “Resources” on many topics that lead to the people and organizations associated with financial education, including saving initiatives – particularly about retirement. Selected materials are available in hard copy as well as online. ASSOCIATION FOR FINANCIAL COUNSELING AND PLANNING (AFCPE)http://www.afcpe.org/ AFCPE is a nonprofit, professional organization of financial educators, researchers, and financial counselors and planners with a common goal of improving the quality of life of families and individuals. This site if not suitable for finding consumer information, but the AFCPE certifies financial professionals, educators, and housing counselors. Ask your financial advisors to tell you what specified certifications they received and what organization(s) stand behind them. The AFCPE might be one of them. CONSUMER ACTION (CA)http://www.consumer-action.org/ CA, a nonprofit, membership-based organization, serves consumers nationwide by advancing consumer rights. CA refers consumers to complaint-handling agencies through its free hotline. CA publishes educational materials on credit banking, insurance, utilities and HMOs in Chinese, English, Korean, Tagalog, Russian, Vietnamese and other languages, and it provides outreach and technical assistance to a national network of 4,500 community-based and government agencies. CA’s National Consumer Resource Center (NCRC) distributes free multilingual educational publications that can be browsed online and printed out by community agencies to help them educate and inform their customers about current consumer issues. CORPORATION FOR ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT (CFED)http://www.cfed.org/ CFED’s mission is to foster widely shared and sustainable economic well-being. CFED’s IDA (Individual Development Account) Leaning Network is an online connection to IDA practitioners and policymakers as well as a clearinghouse of IDA programs, policy, and research information. Resources available include a quarterly newsletter, IDA handbooks, introductory information on IDAs, news articles, access to the IDA list server and list server archives, the latest IDA research, updates of state and federal IDA activity and a searchable archive of IDA programs. DEBT COUNSELORS OF AMERICAhttp://www.getoutofdebt.org/ Debt Counselors of America is a nonprofit organization that helps consumers overcome problem debt by providing educational information, programs, services, and support. Debt Counselors of America features downloadable self-help publications on credit and debt management. The Web site also includes a chat room, the “Get Out of Debt” radio show and articles from “Breaking Debt News.” DEPARMTNET OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD)www.hud.gov HUD is the federal agency responsible for national policy and programs that address America’s housing needs, improve and develop the nation’s communities, and enforce fair housing laws. In the Consumer Information section of its Web site, HUD has consumer tip sheets to avoid fraud, information on home buyers’ and borrowers’ rights, and many resources for potential home buyers, including information on shopping for a mortgage, working with a realtor, and calculating an affordable mortgage. FANNIE MAE FOUNDATIONwww.fanniemaefoundation.org The Fannie Mae Foundation creates affordable home ownership and housing opportunities through innovative partnerships and initiatives that build healthy, vibrant communities across the United States. The Foundation provides free, multilingual information on credit, borrowing basics, home ownership and getting a mortgage loan. FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION (FDIC)http://www.fdic.gov/ Congress created the FDIC in 1933 to restore public confidence in the nation’s banking system. The FDIC insures deposits at the nation’s more than 10,000 banks and savings associations, and it promotes the safety and soundness of these institutions by identifying, monitoring, and addressing risks to which they are exposed. The FDIC publishes information on consumer rights via its online quarterly newsletter, pamphlets, and handbooks. The FDIC maintains a consumer hotline number, 800-934-FDIC, for inquiries. FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEMhttp://www.federalreserve.gov/ The Federal Reserve System, founded by Congress in 1913, is the central bank of the United States. It was founded to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible and more stable monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve Board provides a clearinghouse of consumer publications on banking, finance, protection, home ownership and mortgages, interest rates, and loans and credit. The clearinghouse contains publications that can be ordered, online brochures and teaching materials in different formats. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION (FTC)http://www.ftc.gov/ The FTC enforces a variety of federal antitrust and consumer protection laws. In addition to carrying out its statutory enforcement responsibilities, the FTC advances the policies underlying Congressional mandates through cost-effective non-enforcement activities, such as consumer education. As part of its consumer education campaign, the FTC maintains an extensive clearinghouse of consumer fact sheets in English and Spanish and lists of rules and acts that protect consumers on a variety of topics, including credit, privacy, and investment. FREDDIE MACwww.freddiemac.com Freddie Mac is a stockholder-owned corporation chartered by Congress in 1970 to create a continuous flow of funds to mortgage lenders in support of home ownership and rental housing. Freddie Mac provides information and tools on credit and home ownership. INSURANCE EDUCATION FOUNDATIONhttp://www.ief.org The Insurance Education Foundation’s mission is to improve public understanding of the role of insurance in society through the education of teachers and students. The Insurance Education Foundation provides access to insurance-related teaching materials aimed at high school students. The foundation lists descriptions of insurance-related education materials by type of insurance and supplies links for obtaining more information. JUMP$TART COALITION FOR PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACYhttp://www.jumpstartcoalition.org/ Jump$tart seeks to improve the financial management skills of young adults by evaluating the financial literacy of young adults developing, disseminating, and encouraging the use of guidelines for grades kindergarten through 12; and promoting the teaching of personal finance. Jump$tart maintains a database of curricula and other teaching materials, as well as one on national training programs for educators. Contents may be searched by a variety of methods including grade level, media type, and descriptor. The coalition also produces a quarterly newsletter for educators that contains personal finance education and tools and concepts, sample lesson plans and upcoming events and activities. NATIONAL CENTER FOR FINANCIAL EDUCATION (NCFE)http://www.ncfe.org/ NCFE develops and makes available financial education curricula and other materials to schools and consumers nationwide. NCFE has over 150 resources listed in the Money-Book Store Catalog that include programs and materials for parents, younger children, students and teachers. NCFE also produces a quarterly newsletter. NATIONAL COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT COALITION (NCRC)http://www.ncrc.org/ NCRC was formed by national, regional, and local organizations to develop and harness the collective energies of community reinvestment organizations across the country to increase the flow or private capital into traditionally underserved communities. NCRC sponsors a variety of technical-assistance workshops and trainings throughout the year to build the capacity of community-based organizations, neighborhood groups, and other community reinvestment advocates. The Web site features links to member organizations and other related sites. NATIONAL CONSUMER LAW CENTER (NCLC)http://www.nclc.org/ NCLC is a nonprofit corporation founded at Boston College School of Law. NCLC acts as a consumer law resource center for legal answers, policy analysis, technical assistance, and legal support, particularly on issues involving consumer fraud, debt collection, consumer-finance law, and sustainable home ownership programs. NCLC provides free consumer information on topics such as credit, scams, fraud, foreclosure prevention, and reverse mortgages and sponsors conferences, trainings, and other events on consumer issues. NCLC’s “Surviving Debt” can be ordered from the Web site for a fee. NATIONAL CONSUMERS LEAGUE (NCL)www.natlconsumersleaague.org The NCL uses research and education to advocate for consumers. NCL sponsors national conferences and legislative briefings that address consumer issues and develops training materials, low-cost brochures and publications on subjects such as consumer credit. NCL also operates the National Fraud Information Center, a toll-free hotline at 800-876-7060, which offers help and support to victims of telemarketing and Internet fraud. NATIONAL COUNCIL ON ECONOMIC EDUCATION (NCEE)http://www.nationalcouncil.org/ NCEE is a nonprofit partnership of leaders in education, business, and labor devoted to helping youth function in a changing global economy. NCEE publishes and distributes books, teacher strategies, and resources for teaching economic principles to grades kindergarten through 12th grade. NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINNISTRATION (NCUA)www.ncua.gov NCUA is an independent federal agency that supervises and insures federal credit unions and insures state-chartered credit unions. It is entirely funded by credit unions and receives no tax dollars. A monthly newsletter, NCUA News (available by print or online), covers news of credit unions around the country and spotlights topics of interest to credit union members. NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR FINANCIAL EDUCATION (NEFE)http://www.nefe.org/ Established as the parent organization of the College for Financial Planning, NEFE provides financial-planning education to the general public and creates personal financial education projects and programs with leading national organizations. NEFE also created the High School Financial Planning Programming (NSFPP) to increase the financial literacy of teenagers. NEFE maintains a clearinghouse of financial education curriculum, publications, and resources. The clearinghouse can be accessed at the NEFE Web site. NATIONAL FOUDATION FOR CREDIT COUNSELING (NFCC)http://www.nfcc.org/ NFCC is a network of 1,450 nonprofit agencies that provide money-management education; confidential budget, credit, and debt counseling and debt repayment plans for both individuals and families. The Web site has a debt test for individuals and facts about bankruptcy. Brochures about budgeting, credit, and solving debt problems are also available from the NFCC offices. THE OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCYwww.occ.treas.gov The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) was established in 1863 as a bureau of the Department of the Treasury. The OCC charters, regulates, and supervises national banks to ensure a safe, sound, and competitive banking system that supports the citizens, communities, and economy of the United States. The OCC also serves as an outreach resource for banks and their community development partners and provides technical assistance to organizers of community development financial institutions. The OCC Web site includes materials for consumer education and for professionals working in the fair housing and fair lending fields. A quarterly newsletter is available in print and online. OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION (OTS)www.ots.treas.gov OTS was established as a bureau of the U.S. Treasury in 1989. OTS’s mission is to ensure the safety and soundness of thrift institutions and to support their role as home-mortgage lenders and providers of other community credit and financial services. OTS’s Web site offers research and policy write-ups on a variety of community lending topics. ONE ECONOMY CORPORATOINwww.thebeehive.org One Economy is a national nonprofit organization created to be a catalyst for innovation and change. Its mission is to maximize the potential of technology to help low-income people build assets and raise their standard of living. One Economy sponsors an Internet-based portal of information and tools to help low-income people build assets called The Beehive. It can be accessed from www.one-economy.com or from www.thebeehive.org. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (SEC)http://www.sec.gov/investor/ The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Assistance provides a variety of services to address the problems and questions you may face as an investor. It cannot tell you what investments to make, but you will find great information about how to choose a financial professional, invest wisely, and avoid fraud. You can check the credentials of your broker, file a complaint, find investment calculators, and other information that will help you become an informed investor. U.S. FINANCIAL LITERACY AND EDUCATION COMMISSIONwww.mymoney.gov The U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission promotes access through its Web site to financial education tools that can help Americans make wiser choices in all areas of personal financial management, with a special emphasis on saving, credit management, home ownership and retirement planning. The Financial Literacy and Education Commission was established under Title V, the Financial Literacy and Education Improvement Act, which was part of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, to improve financial literacy and education of persons in the United States. USDA COOPERATIVE STATE RESEARCH, EDUCTION, AND EXTENSION SERVICE (CSREES)www.csrees.usda.gov CSREES cooperates with many institutions, or partners, in providing personal financial education courses and Internet sites for consumers. The most prominent among CSREES many partners are the most than 100 colleges and universities that comprise the nation’s Land-Grant University System. A land-grant college or university is an institution that has been designated by its state legislature or Congress to receive unique federal support. WISERwww.wiser.heinz.org The Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement works to provide low and moderate income women (aged 18 to 65) with basic financial information aimed at helping them take financial control over their lives and to increase awareness of the structural barriers that prevent women’s adequate participation in the nation’s retirement systems. Although women have entered the labor force in record numbers, their access to retirement benefits has not followed at the same level. As the only project to focus exclusively on the specific inequities that disadvantage women, WISER seeks to improve the opportunities for women to secure retirement income.
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