|
|
51 Ways to Save Hundreds on Loans and Credit
Cards - Simple
strategies for cutting costs any time, plus
specific tips for saving money when you use
credit cards and apply for home, auto, small
emergency, student and small business loans.
(PDF file)
|
A Consumer’s Guide to Sweepstakes and
Lotteries -
Recognize the difference between legitimate
sweepstakes and other types of offers, such as
prize promotions, and illegitimate promotions
that misrepresent themselves and seek to
defraud.
|
A Consumer's Guide to Sweepstakes and
Lotteries -
Direct mail sweepstakes promotions offer
consumers the chance to win money and prizes
in return for opening an envelope and
returning the entry form. As more companies
use sweepstakes to draw attention to their
products and services, and as participation
increases, growing numbers of individuals are
winning prizes, many in quite substantial
amounts. This booklet is for you to use as a
guide when responding to sweepstakes offers
and for recognizing the difference between
legitimate sweepstakes and other types of
offers, such as prize promotions, and
illegitimate promotions that misrepresent
themselves and seek to defraud.
|
Affinity Fraud
- These scam schemes target religious,
elderly, ethnic, professional, and other
groups. Get tips on how to avoid becoming a
victim and where to get more information.
|
Bankruptcy Basics
- There are 5 basic types of bankruptcy cases
used to obtain relief from debt. Learn the
differences in debts discharged, assets kept,
forms needed, where to file, and more.
(PDF file)
|
Before Disaster Strikes
- Suggests ways to be financially prepared to
deal with a natural disaster. Information on
buying insurance, preparing a household
inventory, filling an evacuation box, and
more.
|
Building Wealth
- Building Wealth is a personal finance
education resource that can be used
individually or in the classroom to help young
people develop a plan for building personal
wealth. It contains information about
budgeting, saving and investing, controlling
debt, and protecting wealth with insurance.
(PDF File)
|
Building Wealth: A Beginner's Guide to
Securing Your Financial Future
- Offers introductory guidance to individuals
and families seeking help to develop a plan
for building personal wealth.
(PDF file)
|
Buying Time: The Facts About Pre- Paid Phone
Cards - How to
buy long distance telephone services in
advance.
(PDF file)
|
Certificates of Deposit: Tips for Investors
- Learn how CDs work, how to purchase them,
and questions to ask before buying.
|
Choosing a Credit Card
- Compare the features and costs, and learn
your liability limits when using a credit
card. Covers what to do if there is a billing
error or another problem with your credit
card.
|
Cold Calling -
How can you stop sellers from calling, what
are the signs of a scam or fraud, and who can
you contact for help?
|
Consumer Fraud by Phone or Mail Know How to
Protect Yourself
- When phone calls and postcards are bringing
you marvelous offers to buy "shares"or
"interests" in foreign lotteries; low-cost
vacations; magazine subscriptions; office
supplies or promotional items or club
memberships, it's a good idea to be skeptical.
Learn how to tell the real offers from the
fakes.
|
Consumer Handbook to Credit Protection Laws
- This guide explains how consumer credit laws
can help and protect you.
|
Credit and Divorce
- Compares the benefits and disadvantages of
individual, joint and "user" accounts. Steps
to take if you divorce or separate.
(PDF file)
|
Credit Card Repayment Calculator
- The Federal Reserve Board has put on their
website an easy "calculator" to estimate how
long it will take to pay off credit card debt.
|
Credit Repair: How to Help Yourself
- You see the advertisements in newspapers, on
TV, and on the Internet. You hear them on the
radio. You get fliers in the mail, and maybe
even calls offering credit repair services.
(PDF file)
|
Credit Reporting 101
- When was the last time you checked your
credit report for accuracy? How do you obtain
your credit score? What does your credit
report mean to those who lend you money and
credit? Not only does your credit report
affect your financial life, but it can also
affect your career, education, and the
interest rates that lenders offer you. By
periodically reviewing your credit report, you
can see your payment history, understand how
your credit is rated, prevent errors from
going undetected, and save delay when you need
an accurate credit report the most.
|
C utting through the Confusion on Investing
- Explains the differences between brokers,
investment advisers, and financial planners
and identifies questions investors should ask
themselves and potential providers before
making a choice.
|
Electronic Banking
- Learn more about electronic transactions,
such as debit cards and online account access,
including how transactions are processed,
their timing, security, and legal protections.
(PDF file)
|
Employment Background Checks and Credit
Reports -
Credit reporting companies and other
businesses that provide background information
sell your file to employers that, in turn, use
it to evaluate your applications for
employment. Employers also are allowed to use
these reports to consider you for retention,
promotion or reassignment.
Estate Planning
- Covers why a will is important and how to
prepare one; how to estimate the size of your
estate and minimize taxes; and how to set up
powers of attorney and advance medical
directives.
|
Finding a Lost Pension
- Here’s how to find out if you have an
unclaimed pension, where to search, documents
you’ll need, and what to do when you find your
pension fund.
(PDF file)
|
Fiscal Fitness: Choosing a Credit Counselor
- Credit counselors offer a variety of
services that can help you put your financial
life back in order. Use this guide to choose
the credit counselor that is right for you.
(PDF file)
|
Fraud Fighting 101: Smart Tips for Older
Investors -
Even if you have never been subjected to an
investment fraudster's sales pitch, you
probably know someone who has. Following the
legendary Willie Sutton principle, fraudsters
tend to go "where the money is" -- and that
means targeting older Americans who are
nearing or already in retirement. Fraudsters
also have in their sites the millions of Baby
Boomers who have been accumulating sizeable
retirement nest eggs through company 401(k)s
and personal accounts
|
Get a Good Night’s Sleep: Rest Assured, Your
Money is Safe in an FDIC-Insured Account
- Answers common questions about how Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage works,
what is not covered, and what happens if a
bank fails. Includes an FDIC-Insured
Depositor’s Bill of Rights. Also, explains
what to do if your home equity line of credit
is frozen.
(PDF file)
|
How the SEC Handles Your Complaint
- Information on how and when to file an
investor complaint with the SEC.
|
How to Resolve a Complaint Against a Thrift
Institution or Savings Association
- Information on how the Office of Thrift
Supervision of the U.S. Department of Treasury
may be able to help.
|
I Bonds Investor's Guide
- Follow this easy-to-read Q&A format to find
out if I Bonds are a good way for you to save
and invest money.
|
Identity Crisis...What to Do If Your Identity
is Stolen - It
sounds like something out of a spy movie--but
it can happen. Thieves can get your bank,
credit, debit, charge, and Social Security
card numbers. Find out how to protect
yourself.
(PDF file)
|
Identity Theft: Safeguard Your Personal
Information -
Identity theft is America’s fastest growing
crime. Identity theft occurs when a crook
steals key pieces of personal identifying
information, which may include a name,
address, date of birth, Social Security
number, and mother’s maiden name, to gain
access to a person’s financial accounts. Armed
with this information, an identity thief may
open new credit or financial accounts, buy
cars, apply for loans or Social Security
benefits, rent an apartment, or set up utility
and phone service - in someone else’s name.
Add these tips to your "must do" list to
protect your identity.
|
Internet Fraud: How to Avoid Internet
Investment Scams
- Questions to ask about online investment
opportunities, tips on the warning signs of
fraud, and what to do if you run into
problems.
|
Invest Wisely -
Basic tips to help you select a brokerage firm
and representative, and make and monitor an
investment Identifies questions to ask and
warning signs to look for to avoid problems.
|
Investors' Bill of Rights
- What you should know about investments and
what information you are entitled to before
investing.
(PDF file)
|
Money & Mobility: For Military Personnel and
Families - A
comprehensive resource to help you prepare for
deployments and duty station changes. Focuses
on a wide variety of financial issues and
concerns of service members with children.
Discusses money traps and scams; gives tips on
investing and saving.
|
Money Tips for All Ages: Your Finances at
Different Stages of Life
- Practical help for teens, young adults,
newlyweds, people at midlife, parents,
retirees, and financial caregivers. Also for
those dealing with a medical emergency, job
loss or other major life events.
(PDF file)
|
Need a Loan? Think Twice About Using Your Home
as Collateral -
Useful tips to help you protect your home and
equity when applying for a loan.
(PDF file)
|
New Consumer Protections for Credit Cards and
Mortgages - A
new law going into effect in 2010 protects
consumers from surprise fees, rate increases
and other credit card penalties. New rules
effective in 2009 and 2010 prohibit many of
the unfair and deceptive mortgage lending
practices that led some borrowers to
unaffordable home loans. This booklet details
the eagerly-awaited changes.
(PDF file)
|
New Credit Card Rules Effective August 22,
2010 - More new
rules from the Federal Reserve mean more new
credit card protections for you. Here are some
key changes you should expect from your credit
card company beginning on August 22, 2010.
|
Preventing Identity Theft: A Guide for
Consumers -
Provides information and resources to help you
avoid this crime and repair the damage if
necessary. Includes a list of ways in which
identity thieves can steal your personal
information.
(PDF file)
|
Preventing Mail Fraud
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service has prepared
this booklet to help consumers and businesses
identify different types of mail fraud. Every
year, thousands of people and businesses are
victimized by mail fraud schemes. Protecting
U.S. Mail and the mail system is the
responsibility of the Postal Inspection
Service. As a law enforcement arm of the U.S.
Postal Service, the Postal Inspection Service
is a highly specialized, professional
organization performing criminal
investigations, security, and crime prevention
functions. Postal Inspectors investigate
violations of federal mail fraud laws and
other mail-related crime.
|
Reverse Mortgages: Are They for You?
- Reverse mortgages generally are available to
consumers who are 62 or older, and can be used
to supplement retirement income or meet health
care or other financial needs. But beware --
reverse mortgages are complex loans and are
secured by your home.
|
Settling Your Credit Card Debts
- Many different kinds of services claim to
help people with debt problems. Among them are
'debt settlement' companies that negotiate
with your creditors to reduce the amount you
owe. But there is no guarantee that debt
settlement companies can persuade a credit
card company to accept partial payment of a
legitimate debt.
(PDF file)
|
Shopping With Your ATM Card
- Describes the new and expanded ways you can
use an ATM card. Also provides safety
precautions and a listing of ATM networks and
affiliated shopping services by state.
|
Start Smart: Money Management for Teens
- Teens have access to more money than ever
before, thanks to allowances and gifts and,
for many, income from chores, summer jobs or
part-time jobs. Teens also are becoming more
responsible for handling money and making
decisions - for everything from small,
everyday purchases to bigger-ticket items
(such as a bike or a camera) to saving for
college. If you consistently make smart
decisions about your money, you can have more
of it for what you truly need.
|
Taking Control of Your Finances
- A handy guide geared toward young
adults—from those still in school to just
starting a career or a family. Learn the right
ways to save and manage money, and how to
avoid some common mistakes people make with
their money.
(PDF file)
|
Ten Questions to Ask When Choosing a Financial
Planner -
Covers credentials, costs, services, an
interview checklist, and resources to contact
for more information.
(PDF file)
|
Top 10 Ways to Prepare for Retirement
- Gives practical tips to build your
retirement savings and lists resources for
more information.
(PDF file)
|
What You Need to Know: New Overdraft Rules for
Debit and ATM Cards
- Bank account overdraft fees can be a source
of unexpected costs for consumers. Understand
the rules that provide additional protection
when a debit card or automated teller machine
(ATM) transaction causes an account to be
overdrawn. It contains basic information about
types and typical costs of overdraft services
and defines common terms consumers may
encounter in communications from their bank
about overdrafts.
|
What You Need To Know: New Rules For Gift
Cards - New
Federal Reserve rules provide important
protections when you purchase or use gift
cards. This publication describes the types of
cards that are covered under gift card rules
released last month and highlights key
protections, including new limits on
expiration dates, requirements for clear fee
disclosures, and fee restrictions. These key
changes apply to gift cards sold on or after
August 22, 2010.
|
What You Should Know About Financial Planning
- Discusses the benefits of financial planning
for life- changing events, such as buying a
home or retirement.
(PDF file)
|
You Have the Power to Stop Identity Theft
- There is a type of identity theft using the
Internet called "phishing". Pronounced
"fishing", that’s exactly what thieves are
doing, fishing for your personal financial
information. They want your account numbers,
passwords, Social Security numbers, and other
confidential information so they can use your
financial accounts or run up bills on your
credit cards. If you understand how phishing
works and how to protect yourself, you can
help stop this crime.
|
Your Credit Scores
- Your credit score is a number based on the
information in your credit file that rates how
much of a risk you are. Learn why your credit
score matters, what good and bad scores are,
the elements of your FICO credit score, and
how you can raise your score.
(PDF file)
|
Your Investments
- Consumer facts about investments that are
not deposits and are not insured by the FDIC
|
Your New, Higher FDIC Insurance Coverage
- Up to $250,000 of your money is now
protected in FDIC-insured banks. Learn about
expanded protection of certain trust and
checking accounts, how to qualify for more
than $250,000 at one bank, why and how to use
the FDIC’s deposit insurance calculator, plus
common misconceptions and tips for avoiding
costly errors.
(PDF file)
|
Your Rights as a Financial Planning Client
- Here’s a checklist of your rights, what to
expect from your financial planner, and what
to do if you have a problem.
(PDF file)
|
