General Consumer Financial Education - these sites include the individual topics mentioned below.

• Federal Trade Commission - everything from credit and identity theft to scholarships and investments.
• mymoney.gov - sponsored by the Financial Literacy and Education Commission.
• Tomorrow's Money: A Step by Step Guide for Today [from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association Foundation for Investor Education] - designed for young people ages 25-34.
• Federal Reserve Consumer Information
• Federal Citizen Information Center - order consumer publications, on all topics, from the U.S. Government. Some free, some for a small fee, some online.
• smartaboutmoney.org from the National Endowment for Financial Education.
• Financial Planning from the Financial Planning Association
• J.D. Power Consumer Center - "global marketing information firm that conducts independent and unbiased surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality and buyer behavior". Ratings on homes, cars, insurance, travel, and telecom.
• Financial Calculators [Commerce Clearing House] - mortgage, loan, taxes, savings, etc.
• Consumer information from the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors - find a reputable financial advisor.
• Consumer Tips from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling
• Consumer Action - national non-profit education and advocacy organization offering many free services and publications to consumers, including:
  • MoneyWi$e - a national financial literacy partnership of Consumer Action and Capital One. It provides basic interactive online classes in managing your money.
  • Housing Information - tips on buying and financing a home
  • Managing Money
  • Publications List
• Stopping unsolicited mail [FTC] and [EPA]- credit cards, telemarketing and email
  • Stopping Prescreened credit card offers

Consumer/Financial Magazines/Product Evaluation Web Sites

• Consumer Reports Magazine online Wellesley also has a subscription to the print edition Clapp qTX335.A1 C6. Latest issues will be in the reading room. You must use the print issues for complete tables, charts, and graphs. Also consult the annual buying guide at Clapp Ref TX335.A1 C6.
• Kiplinger's Personal Finance online - articles in Academic Search Premier in pdf, choose search within this publication
• Money - good finance tips, easy to read and understand
• Wize.com - aggregates user reviews of consumer products

Budgeting Tips

•  Feed the Pig [American Institute of Certified Public Accountants] - encourages and helps Americans aged 25 to 34 to take control of their personal finances and live within their means. Interactive.

As you look at the statistics in the following tables, make sure you understand what the numbers represent. What is included in income? Are utilities included in housing costs? Also, know the time period the statistics cover.

Income/Job

• State Median Family Income [2007 American Community Survey] see income definition for what's included and not included
• Occupational Outlook Handbook - lists projected salary for particular occupations.
• Occupation Profile [CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor] - includes wages by occupation for states.
• National Compensation Survey
• Earnings Growth Rate - use this up to age 42. For after age 42, use the Current Population Survey or the Occupational Employment Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Use this link for archived data.
• Low Income Services
  • Poverty Guidelines 2009 used in determining financial eligibility for certain federal programs; e.g. Head Start, the Food Stamp Program, the National School Lunch Program, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
  • Services for Families [U.S. Administration for Children and Families]
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [USDA] - formerly the Food Stamp Program
  • Supplemental Security Income
• Executive Income
  • Executive PayWatch Database [AFL-CIO] - CEO compensation by company. Click on the Calculating Executive Compensation link for a breakdown of the total compensation.
  • Executive Compensation Wizard from salary.com - includes salary + other compensation

Banking

• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) - "preserves and promotes public confidence in the U.S. financial system by insuring deposits in banks and thrift institutions for at least $100,000". Its Consumer Protection section has resources provided by the FDIC to educate and protect consumers.
• Safe Internet Banking [FDIC]
• Determine if your bank is insured
• Protecting yourself from overdraft and bounced check fees [Federal Reserve]
• Certificates of Deposit (CDs) tips [FDIC]

Housing

• Ownership
  • Owning vs Renting [Ginnie Mae] - use the calculator to compare the advantages of owning vs renting
  • How much home can you afford? [Ginnie Mae]
  • Loan Estimator [Ginnie Mae]
  • Metropolitan Area Existing Home Prices (includes condos) [National Association of Realtors]
  • Housing prices, monthly housing costs for owner-occupied and renter-occupied, [2007 American Community Survey] - scroll down for housing tables.
  • Compare mortgage rates
• Renting
  • HUD Fair Market Rents - see the overview document for what a fair market rent is and what it includes. Used to determine rent for rental assistance programs.
  • HUD Rental Assistance
  • Public housing and Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) income limits - low income housing
  • Find an apartment

Automobile

• New Car Pricing/Used Car Values [Kelly Blue Book] or Edmunds
• Leasing a car [American Bar Association]

Retirement Contributions

• Consumer Retirement Plan Information [U.S. Dept. of Labor]
• IRS Tax Publication 590 - Individual Retirement Arrangements. Includes limits on contributions and explains the difference between Roth IRSs and Traditional IRAs.
• 401(k) contribution limits [Internal Revenue Service]
• Funding our Future - a report from the American Benefits Council
• Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation - provides a prescribed benefit amount to workers whose pension plans have ended.

Investments

• Morningstar - note the tab that says Help and Education. This includes instruction on investing as well as how to use the Morningstar database. Set up a portfolio and track it. Note: you cannot save portfolios within the Investment Center, you must go to Morningstar.com. In Morningstar.com, you will be asked to register but you can opt out of receiving any electronic newsletters. Morningstar Tip Sheet and Morningstar's Guide for Young Investors
• U.S. Treasury Bills, Notes, Bonds, or Savings Bonds
• SEC's Roadmap to Saving and Investing [Securities and Exchange Commission] and research the background of brokers and investment advisors.
• Financial Assets from the Survey of Consumer Finance [Federal Reserve Bank] -Choose the 2007 SCF and scroll down to "Tables Based on the Public Data".
  • Table 4 = Family net worth
  • Table 6 07 = Family holdings of financial assets
  • Table 9 07 = Family holdings of non-financial assets
  • Table 13 07 = Family holdings of debt

Expenses

• Consumer Price Index - reports data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey
• Compare expenses across selected metropolitan areas. Part of the Statistical Abstract of the United States prices section. NOTE: for large metropolitan areas only
• Consumer Expenditures Survey [Bureau of Labor Statistics] - information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics.
• Cost of Living Index [U.S. Census Bureau] NOTE: There is a cost of living index which allows you to compare the cost of living across smaller cities and towns. It is called the ACCRA Cost of Living Index and is produced by C2ER (Council for Community and Economic Research). It is a table in the Statistical Abstract of the United States, but not the online version on the Census Bureau's web site due to copyright restrictions. You must go to the print edition at Clapp Docs HA 202 A2 for the latest data. You want Table 706 in the 2009 volume. Note also that the statistics in the 2009 volume are actually from 2007.
• Cost of Food at Home [USDA] - Look for the most recent data. Look here for descriptions of the amounts of food purchased for the various food plans.

Taxes

• Federal Income Tax and Income Tax Table [Internal Revenue Service]
• Low and high State Income Tax Rates [Federation of Tax Administrators]. To see the income ranges for each tax brackett, go to the state's tax form site.
• State individual income tax rates [Tax Foundation]
• Local wage, income, and occupational privilege taxes - some cities and towns have local taxes. Visit the official page for your city by using the formula www.ci.[name of city].[name of state].us and using the search button. For example, www.ci.boston.ma.us . For smaller towns, you can Google the town name, or go to the home page for the state and look for a link to towns.
• Big City Taxes (based on 2003 data) [CNNMoney.com] - how big cities rank in state and local taxes as a percent of income.
• Tax Data [Tax Foundation] - includes property tax, sales tax, and excise tax.

FICA Old Age and Medicare - includes the base salary and the tax rate.

Loans/Credit

• Credit cards
  • Credit cards [FTC]
  • Choosing a Credit Card and Survey of Credit Card Plans [Federal Reserve]
  • Credit Bureaus - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion
  • Request a free annual credit report
  • What to do if you think you're a victim of credit card fraud [FTC]
  • Using credit cards vs debit cards
  • comparing credit card rates and terms
  • Virtual credit card numbers - use this when shopping online to protect your real number
• Understanding FICO credit risk scores [Fair Isaac Credit Organization]
• Auto Loans and "Buy or Lease" [bankrate.com]
• Financing/Leasing/Renting/ a car [Federal Trade Commission]
• Home Equity Loans [bankrate.com]
• Loans and mortgages from the FDIC.

Insurance

• Car Insurance Information [Insurance Information Institute] and Car Insurance Quotes [quotewizard.com]
• Checkup on Health Insurance Choices [Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality] and health insurance quotes. Note: the quotes site requires filling in a form with name, email, and other info. I was able to get quotes while filling in false information.
• Unemployment insurance [U.S. Dept. of Labor]
• Long Term Care Insurance [American Association for Long Term Care Insurance]
• Life Insurance [Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education] - also health, disability, and long term care insurance.
• Homeowner's/Renter's Insurance Information [Insurance Information Institute]. Use this [National Association of Insurance Commissioners] to determine what type of policy to get.
• Use this link [Insurance Information Institute] for information about other types of insurance.

Education Expenses

• Average cost of college, break down the college bill, and find a college [College Board]
• Tuition and fees from previous years. You can use the Wayback Machine on the Internet Archive to find past web pages of educational institutions. Type the url of the educational institution you are looking for in the search box. Choose the date you want from the results list. Look for a link to Admissions, then tuition and fees. You cacan also use this table from the Bureau of Education Statistics for a national average.
• Federal student aid programs [U.S. Dept. of Education]
• Student Loans (for parents and students) [Sallie Mae]
• Trends in College Pricing [College Board] - use this to get an idea of average state and regional college expenses for public and private universities. For costs for a specific institution, go to that institution's Web site and find the current list of expenses.
• Textbook Expenses - use this General Accounting Office report to find textbook increases from 1987/88 to 2004/05. Look at Appendix II on page 39. After 2005, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also tracks college textbooks as part of their Consumer Price Index. You can look at the news releases by month, or look at Dec. to get the average for the year.
• Find a Private School and Handbook of Private Schools (2007) Clapp Ref L 901 H3 85

Transportation Expenses

• Public Transportation - look under the "Transit Systems" tab
• Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices; Regions, Selected States, Selected Cities [U.S. Energy Information Agency]
• State Gas Price Average [AAA]
• Find gas prices for individual cities [fueleconomy.gov]

Utilities

• Standard Utility Allowances - used in connection with theSupplemental Nutrition AssistancdProgram. "Standardized utility figures States offer to households. They are used in place of actual utility costs to calculate a household's total shelter costs. (High shelter costs can result in a deduction from a household's net income for excess shelter costs. That can mean a higher food stamp allotment.) States calculate SUAs based on average utility costs in the State, or in local areas of the State."
• Average Electric Bill by State [U.S. Energy Information Administration]
• Natural Gas Prices by State 2008 [U.S. Energy Information Administration] - use the area drop down box to change geographies.
• Residential Heating Oil information [U.S. Energy Information Administration] - for residential prices, click on the Excel file and click on the worksheet name.
• Use the Short-Term Energy Outlook for energy projections

Media/Phone

• Consumer Information from the Federal Communications Commission [FCC]
• Do Not Call Registry [FCC]
• Telephone, Broadcasting, Cable and Internet consumer information from the FCC
• Cellular Phones - Before You Buy [WA State Attorney General's Office]
• Compare cell phone plans
• Disposing of your old cell phone

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