Related Consumer Finance Programs - The following lists of companies and financial service providers offer services to assist you with handling your debts. Combine debt with a consolidation loan or use a credit counseling or debt relief program for help with lowering your payments and getting your credit card bills and other obligations under control.
- Personal Loan Consolidation - Need a smaller loan? Personal loan financing is most often unsecured. Meaning... your home or personal property is not used as collateral and the loan decision will typically be based upon your credit history and your ability to make the necessary payments. Also, this is often referred to as a signature loan.
- Debt Settlement Help - Are you finding yourself unable to meet your monthly budget because of too many credit card payments? Negotiating your debts may or may not be the right choice to get help with your financial situation. Compare programs designed for helping people with similar debt problems.
- Debt Consolidation Programs - Learn more on how consolidating your credit card debts can work for you and potential pitfalls that you need to avoid. Also, review a list services that offer to help people lower their bills into fewer payments or even one payment.
For Teens:
How to Ace Your First Test Managing Real Money in the Real World
Protect yourself from crooks who target teens. Even if you're too young to have a checking account or credit card, a criminal who learns your name, address and Social Security number may be able to obtain a new credit card using your name to make purchases.
One of the most important things you can do to protect against identity theft is to be very suspicious of requests for your name, Social Security number, passwords or bank or credit card information that come to you in an e-mail or an Internet advertisement, no matter how legitimate they may seem.
"Teens are very comfortable using e-mail and the Internet, but they need to be aware that criminals can be hiding at the other end of the computer screen," said Michael Benardo, manager of the FDIC's financial crimes section. These types of fraudulent requests can also come by phone, text message or in the mail.
Be smart about college. If you're planning to go to college, learn about your options for saving or borrowing money for what could be a major expense — from tuition to books, fees and housing. Also consider the costs when you search for a school. Otherwise, when you graduate, your college debts could be high and may limit your options when it comes to a career path or where you can afford to live.
For more information on saving and borrowing for college, visit http://www.students.gov, a Web site with information from the U.S. government and other sources.
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Spring 2008 | Save Money | Track Spending | Think Before Buying | Protect Yourself |
FDIC Consumer News is published by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
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Last updated on 05/13/2008