OnTrack Financial Education and Counseling

Helpful Resources

Savings, Smart Spending, Getting out of Debt, and Building a Strong Financial Future

www.feedthepig.org
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants provides helpful tips and resources about taking small savings steps today to build a solid financial tomorrow . Resources include a lunch savings calculator, credit card payoff calculator as well as articles, tools, tips, and pod casts on how to build a solid financial future.

 

www.newsthatpays.com
Stacy Johnson, financial guru, provides an extensive video library along with consumer articles and information covering information on personal finance, cars, college, credit and debt, work and family, insurance, investing, real estate, and taxes.

 

www.savingforcollege.com
Bankrate’s website provides objective information about 529 college savings plans and saving to pay for college.   Complies and analyzes information that will help parents ease the pain of constantly rising tuition.

 

www.choosetosave.org
This American Savings Education Council’s website focuses on financial education, including free savings tools, over 100 online calculators, brochures, savings tips, links to related resources, and other tools to help individuals and their family manage their finances.  

 

www.stretcher.com
The Dollar Stretcher provides useful ways to make the most of your money and time.   Practical articles on a variety of topics offer advice on living better for less.

 


www.debtproofliving.com
Mary Hunt, author of Cheapskate Monthly, provides priceless articles and features designed to help you stretch those dollars till they scream!   Individuals learn how to get out of debt and stay out.  

 

www.americasaves.org
America Saves is a nationwide campaign involving over 90,000 enrolled Savers and 1,000 nonprofit groups, employers, financial institutions, and government agencies working at the local, state, or national levels. These organizations provide leadership, offer savings services, and promote these services.   This website provides tips and tools to help you set financial goals, develop strategies to reach those goals, and start saving.    Through information, advice, and encouragement, assists those who wish to pay down debt, build an emergency fund, save for a home, save for an education, or save for retirement.

 

 

Financial Tools

www.bankrate.com
Bankrate.com is the Internet’s leading aggregator of financial rate information.   Provides free rate information to consumers on more than 300 financials products, including mortgages, credit cards, new and used automobile loans, money market accounts, certificated of deposit, checking and ATM fees, home equity loans, and online banking fees.  

 

Identity Theft, Credit Scams, and Fraud

www.noscams.org
North Carolina Department of Justice provides important information on how to protect yourself from identity fraud and what actions to take if you are a victim of identity fraud.   Resources include a printable “ID Theft Victim’s Kit.”

 

www.ncdoj.com
Attorney General Roy Cooper's Consumer Protection Division works to protect the public from unfair and deceptive business practices. Consumers who've been the victim of a fraud or scam can seek help from Consumer Protection specialists.

 

www.ftc.gov
The Federal Trade Commission website deals with issues that touch the economic lives of most Americans. Offers practical information on a variety of consumer topics.   The information here can help you avoid rip-offs and exercise your consumer rights.

 

Benefits Search

www.pparx.org
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance brings together America’s pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private program that’s right for them.   Offers a single point of access to more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies.

 

www.benefitscheckup.org
The National Council on Aging provides the nation's most comprehensive Web-based service to screen for benefits programs for seniors with limited income and resources.   Benefits Check Up includes more than 1,550 public and private benefits programs from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

 

www.govbenefits.gov
This government site focuses on reducing the expense and difficulty of conducting business with the government and increasing access to benefit information, particularly for people with disabilities.   A resource for all citizens and includes information on a variety of benefit and assistance programs for veterans, seniors, students, teachers, children, people with disabilities, dependents, disaster victims, farmers, caregivers, job seekers, prospective homeowners, and more.

 

www.aarp.org/statepages/nc.html
AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people age 50 and over in the United States, offers a host of services to this ever-growing segment of the population by: informing members and the public on issues important to this age group, advocating on legislative, consumer and legal issues, promoting community service, and offering a wide range of special products and services to members.

 

Foreclosure Assistance

www.ncforeclosurehelp.org
North Carolinians can call the HOPE Hotline toll-free at 888-995-HOPE 24 hours a day, seven days a week to receive free counseling on options to avoid foreclosure.   The hotline will connect callers with non-profit housing and credit counselors in their local community who can advise them about options such as modifying their loan, selling or refinancing their home or setting up a repayment plan with their lender.

 

Government Sites

www.irs.gov
The IRS provides America’s taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and by applying the tax law with integrity and fairness to all.

 

www.asheville.bbb.org
The Better Business Bureau website allows you to enter a company name to check out a company before you decide whether you want to do business with it. BBB Reliability Reports provide valuable consumer information on 6,500 local companies.

 

www.ftc.gov
The Federal Trade Commission website deals with issues that touch the economic lives of most Americans. Offers practical information on a variety of consumer topics.   The information here can help you avoid rip-offs and exercise your consumer rights.

 

www.hud.gov
HUD's mission is to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing free from discrimination. To fulfill this mission, HUD will embrace high standards of ethics, management and accountability and forge new partnerships--particularly with faith-based and community organizations--that leverage resources and improve HUD's ability to be effective on the community level.

 

Other Informative Sites

www.ces.ncsu.edu
The North Carolina Cooperative Extension is an educational partnership helping people put research based knowledge to work for economic prosperity, environmental stewardship and an improved quality of life.   Visit the site for educational programs, publications, and events on a wide variety of topics including; agriculture & food, community, environment, forest resources, health & nutrition, home & family, lawn & garden, youth & 4-H.

 

 

United Way NFCC Council on Accreditation