Making the most of your money starts with five building blocks for managing and growing your money -- The MyMoney Five. Keep these five principles in mind as you make day-to-day decisions and plan your financial goals.
Monitor and calculate your net worth to meet financial goals
As you prepare to invest, you'll need to assess your net worth. It's not hard: add up what you own and subtract what you owe. Creating a net worth statement, and updating it each year, will help you monitor your financial progress and meet financial goals. It will also enable you to calculate how much you have (or don't have) to invest.
Explore banks vs credit unions and learn about account types and more
This resource explains the services and products that banks and credit unions provide. It includes information about savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs), and federal insurance.
BankFind allows you to access detailed information about all FDIC-insured institutions, including branch locations, the bank's official website, the current operating status of your bank, and the regulator to contact for additional information and assistance.
A top resource for learning more about Credit Union operations
MyCreditUnion.gov is the National Credit Union Administration’s (NCUA) consumer education portal. NCUA is the federal agency that regulates, charters, and supervises federal credit unions. It operates and manages the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF), which insures the deposits of account holders in all federal credit unions and the majority of state-chartered credit unions.
How Your Credit Score Impacts Your Financial Future - FINRA
Just how important is a strong credit score?
This is an overview of the importance of good credit. Topics include: how your credit score affects you, determining your credit score, what helps and hurts a credit score, and good credit puts money in our pocket.
Learn the basics of borrowing, credit & debt management
Consumer.gov’s Credit, Loans, and Debts guide covers the basics of borrowing, credit, and debt management. The easy-to-understand primers on your credit history and using credit help answer questions about establishing good credit, what credit history is, and how to obtain credit reports.
Federal Reserve Consumer Help - Credit Reports and Scores
For all your credit and credit score related questions
Explore this resource to learn how your credit history is compiled, how to check a credit report and score, and other questions related to your credit.
Find leading market and investment information and research
This comprehensive tool is designed to assist investors with market and investment research, both through the market data information provided as well as through the FINRA Investor Education material and tools.
Beginners' Guide to Understanding Your Financial Statement
Learn how to read a financial statement like a pro
A SEC resource that is useful for questions such as how to balance a balance sheet. It explains three main financial statements that a potential investor should review: balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements.
A multi-agency guide to retirement planning and security
This retirement toolkit is brought to you by the three federal agencies involved in key elements of your retirement planning and security: the Department of Labor, the Social Security Administration, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
An IRS guide to different types of retirement plans
The guide from the Internal Revenue Service is a helpful resource for understanding the different types of retirement plans. The guide guide provides extensive coverage of many frequently asked questions on a variety of retirement plan topics, such as types of plans, rollovers, loans, contributions, and investments
This resource covers managing different sources of retirement income
This resources addresses managing investment portfolios, selecting payout methods, taxation of retirement income, working in retirement, long-term planning, and planning for health care costs.
This interactive guide from the Social Security Administration walks users through a series of questions to determine the best decision for their particular situations.
Gale LegalForms helps patrons understand common legal procedures through access to authentic, professional legal documents for businesses and it is the only electronic reference to offer legal forms that are truly state-specific. Included: Georgia Will and Trust forms.
*Must have library card to access database*
Living Wills, Health Care Proxies, Health Care Directives, Trusts
Aquaint yourself with the ins and outs of health related legal responsibilities
A guide that covers health and financial topics to consider when planning for your care when you can no longer make decisions due to serious illnesses and other physical conditions.
Learn the best ways to spot scams and protect your assets
This guide provides tips and tutorials on how to spot a scam and protect one’s assets. It also includes links to news and alerts about suspicious investment offers.
Protect yourself and your family from scams and fraud
This site from the Federal Bureau of Investigation provides many excellent resources for consumers to protect themselves from becoming victims of fraud. They include: common fraud schemes, on the Internet, and protecting Your Kids.
Money as You Grow: Help for Parents and Caregivers
Help your kids learn about personal finance
Created by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, this resource teaches children about personal finance. This site includes a series of activities and conversation starters organized by developmental stages from young child to young adult.
It's important to you to get the most out of reading time with your child. Money as You Grow Bookshelf lets you build on the time you may already spend reading together, and helps you bring money topics to life through storytime. Provides a list of recommended books.
Free lessons for all age levels to aid in financial literacy
This FDIC series includes free lesson plans that educators, parents, and caregivers can use with young people of various age levels, from pre-k through high school.
A children’s portal sponsored by the U.S. Treasury
A children’s portal sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. It explains the role of the Bureau of Fiscal Service in financing and operating the federal government. There are several videos and games to teach children about saving, investing, debts, and bonds.