Your Money
The CFS Your Money page is dedicated to providing you with the right tools and resources to help make educated financial decisions. Below are links to websites and briefs containing useful information, tools, and advice to help with your financial future.
- Tools -
Featured: Center for Financial Security Financial Security Index
*Note there is a brief delay when you click the link above*
Individuals interested in learning more about where they stand in terms of their financial security are invited to click above and complete the Financial Security Index. The Financial Security Index asks a series of questions across three categories: knowledge, behavior, and attitudes. Participants can then fill in some personal information to see how they compare to others like them. Participants receive a final score (out of 100) and see how their responses break down across the three categories.
Students need to understand basic money management skills such as living with a budget and handling credit and debt. A solid financial foundation can lead to a lifetime of financial success. The American Institute of CPAs has created a website which offers college students popular tools just as student budgets and basic financial calculator to help get young adults on the right financial track.
The
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) launched a comprehensive
financial education curriculum designed to help low- and moderate-income
individuals outside the financial mainstream enhance their skills and
create positive banking relationships.
The Money Management International has put together a 30-step path to help individuals achieve financial wellness. The "Thirty Steps to Financial Wellness" is in honor of Financial Literacy Month (April) and provides tools for financial success.
Research overwhelmingly demonstrates that parent involvement in children’s learning is positively correlated to achievement. This website is designed to support parents in this task. Nine video programs model ideas you can use with your own children to help them develop successful financial habits that will last them a lifetime. Additional links provide you with tools and information you can use as you continue to guide your children’s financial learning.
MyMoney.gov
is a U.S. government website dedicated to teaching all Americans the
basics about financial education, whether that be buying a home,
balancing a checkbook, or investing in a 401(k). The resources on
MyMoney.gov help maximize your financial decisions.
This website, supported by the university of Wisconsin Cooperative
Extension, Annie E Casey Foundation and the Center for Financial
Security, describes the current context of financial coaching in its
many forms, with a focus on programs delivered by community-based
programs.
- Resources -
Assets for Independence Resource Center
The AFI Resource Center runs a website that serves as a one-stop source for grantees and other interested parties to provide information on the AFI Program and IDAs in addition to best practices for providing and using IDAs and related services.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is offering an extensive list of resources, organized by financial topic, to help consumers. The goal is to help Americans make common financial decisions such as buying a home, balancing a checkbook, or paying for school.
Housed in The Frank J. Remington Center, the Consumer Law Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School has provided legal services to lower income clients while providing law students the opportunity for hands-on training since its inception in 1991.
The State of Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions provides an extensive list of online resources, organized by topic. Topics include Personal Finance, Credit, Debt Collection, Investing, Financing, and many more.
The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy has a clearinghouse, providing material and tools to improve your financial knowledge. The materials can be ordered online and sent directly to you.
The UW Cooperative Extension provides a website designed to share
proven resources used and/or developed by Wisconsin Cooperative
Extension Financial Education professionals. It is designed to help
people make sound financial choices in tough times.
From responsive user-friendly strategies to financial education and newly developed training programs to blending benefits planning with asset building tools, the National Disability Institute implements exciting new ways to advance self-sufficiency for millions of individuals with disabilities and their families.
The National Endowment for Financial Education, a nonprofit
foundation dedicated to helping individuals make sound financial
decisions, offers practical articles, worksheets, tips and resources to
help you understand and manage your money.
Financial Education on the management of personal finances in an essential part of planning and paying for postsecondary education. Federal Student Aid has created an arena for students to obtain resources as they begin to plan for college. Financial Literacy (Personal Finance 101) offers a roadmap to managing your money on an ongoing bases.
Dane County University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension is host to
the Financial Education Center. The mission of the Center is to be a
"one-stop-shop" community resource offering integrated financial
education classes, counseling, and referrals to community programs and
services.
The Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) is dedicated to the education and advocacy that will improve the long-term financial quality of life for women. As the only organization to focus exclusively on the unique financial challenges that women face, WISER supports women’s opportunities to secure adequate retirement income through research, workshops and partnerships.
- Briefs -
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is working with charities and the voluntary sector to lead and develop partnership that will help reach individuals who need it most. The efforts of the FSA work to build financial capability in the United Kingdom.
An Issue Brief from the UW Cooperative Extension reviews a few common rules of thumb on saving for retirement and suggests how consumers might take - or leave - the advice.
The UW Credit Union (UWCU) created a "Guide: Helping You Weather Economic Setbacks" to help you face potential financial challenges. The Credit Union provides an array of consumer financial services to assist in bridging the gap in the case of temporary of permanent loss of pay. The Financial Resource guide provides contact information and details for the assortment of opportunities the UWCU provides.