Other Finance Related Services - The following directory listings on DebtConsolidationLoan.com are provided to assist you with the management or consolidation of your debt. Also, while on this site, feel free to shop for other financial services such as auto insurance and home equity loans.
- Personal Loan Consolidation - Looking for a personal loan to consolidate your credit cards? These loans are usually unsecured, meaning you are not required to provide collateral. Approval is often based upon factors as your income, credit and job history.
- Debt Management Help - Do you have too many monthly bills and payments to manage them effectively? Visit this directory of sites in order to review and compare different debt management programs that may be able to help.
- Debt Settlement Companies - Too much debt? List of companies providing this alternative to bankruptcy that provides for debt negotiation and arbitration services for those that need to eliminate debt.
Start Smart: Money Management for Teens
Sources of Help and Information About Money Matters for Teens and Families
The FDIC offers a variety of assistance to help consumers understand how to handle their money and resolve complaints. Start with the consumer information on the Web site at www.fdic.gov, including the Spring 2005 issue of FDIC Consumer News, which was written for high school and college students and other young adults but may be useful to many teens. The FDIC also has an educational page called "Learning Bank" that primarily helps young kids find answers to common questions about the FDIC and banking. You also can get answers to questions by calling the FDIC toll-free at 1-877-ASK-FDIC—that''s 1-877-275-3342—Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time.
Other government agencies also publish consumer information on money matters and have staff, Web sites and other resources that can help answer your questions on financial matters. A good place to start is www.mymoney.gov, the federal government''s central Web site about managing money. Also check out www.kids.gov/k_money.htm, another federal government Web site about money but for students from kindergarten through high school. In addition, the Federal Reserve System produces free brochures and publications related to money, banking and savings that you can view and order online, including a series of comic books for various age groups produced by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Start at www.federalreserveeducation.org.
The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, consisting of more than 170 government agencies (including the FDIC), businesses and not-for-profit organizations, promotes financial education for students in kindergarten through college. The Web site at www.jumpstartcoalition.org offers extensive information for students, parents and teachers. You might want to try Jump$tart''s "Reality Check," an online calculator that asks you questions about your "dream life" and then tells you how much income you will need to support that lifestyle. Also available is a listing of various types of materials, many of which are available free of charge.
In addition, FDIC-insured banks, other financial institutions and professional associations have financial education Web sites for young people and their families. You can find a number of excellent sites by searching the Internet.
Here are a couple of suggestions just for teens.
Your school can be a resource for information about managing and saving money. Perhaps your school has a personal finance class or an investment club, many of which feature a stock market game or similar contests. Your school library also may have publications about handling money and taking control of your finances.
Talk to your parents about what they think is important for the family and for you in terms of saving or spending money. "Learn from your parents what it costs to run a household," said Kirk Daniels, an FDIC Supervisory Consumer Affairs Specialist. "It''s important to understand that driving a car involves putting gas in the tank, paying auto insurance, maintaining and repairing a car, and perhaps paying interest on a loan."
FDIC Consumer News is published by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
FDIC Consumer News is produced quarterly by the FDIC Office of Public Affairs in cooperation with other Divisions and Offices. It is intended to present information in a nontechnical way and is not intended to be a legal interpretation of FDIC or other government regulations and policies. Mention of a product, service or company does not constitute an endorsement.
Find current and past issues of FDIC Consumer News at http://www.fdic.gov/consumernews. Refer to this same index to locate the issues that are specially formatted for being reprinted in any quantity.
To receive an e-mail notice about each new issue of FDIC Consumer News posted on the FDIC Web site, with links to stories, follow instructions posted at www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.
Last updated on 8/18/2006