Financial Literacy

General Guides

Financial Literacy in Public Libraries: A Guide for Building Collections: Introduction

Website: American Library Association

http://libguides.ala.org/finra-ore/personalfinance

Comprehensive personal finance guide providing information on subject areas that include budgeting, debt, and investing. This guide was created by the ALA Office of Research & Evaluation and funded by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.

Financial Literacy Education in Libraries: Guidelines and Best Practices for Service, September 2014

PDF: Reference and User Services Association

http://www.ala.org/rusa/sites/ala.org.rusa/files/content/FLEGuidelines_Final_September_2014.pdf

Guidelines and best practices relating to financial literacy education in libraries.

Money Basics Tutorials, November 13, 2014

Website: GCFLearnFree.org

https://www.gcflearnfree.org/moneybasics/

This website offers free tutorials to help people learn money management skills, banking, and retirement planning.

Consumer.Gov

Website: Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

http://www.consumer.gov

Purposefully written in very simple language, this website developed by the FTC offers the basics of understanding money, credit, banking, scams, and more.

Consumer.Gov Toolbox

Website: Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

https://www.consumer.gov/content/toolbox-0

The toolbox section of consumer.gov has helpful resources for educators, advocates, and trainers. The site provides access to free lesson plans, videos, quizzes, and more.

Money Smart Week

Website: American Library Association

http://www.ala.org/offices/money-smart-week

Participate in “Money Smart Week @ your library”, a national initiative between ALA and the Federal Reserve Bank (Chicago) to provide financial literacy programming to help your community members better manage their personal finances.

Free Publications for Libraries

Website: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

http://promotions.usa.gov/cfpblibraries.html

Free financial education materials you can share with patrons or use in presentations. All materials are free from the CFPB and other government agencies. You can order up to 1,000 free copies of each publication in English and/or Spanish.

Just for You Financial Educators

Website: Federal Trade Commission

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0022-financial-educators

This website provides comprehensive financial education information by the FTC. There is information on Scam Alerts, Money & Credit, Privacy, Identity & Online Security and other topics. Bulk orders of materials are also available in English and Spanish.

Stay Connected

Website: Federal Trade Commission

https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected

You can subscribe to an e-newsletter, scam alerts, blog posts, and other updates published by the FTC.

MyMoney.Gov

Website: Federal Financial Literacy and Education Commission

http://www.mymoney.gov

MyMoney.gov is a website developed by the congressionally chartered Federal Financial Literacy and Education Commission. The website is dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics about financial education.

Ready, Set, Bank

Website: Capital One

https://www.grovo.com/readysetbank/welcome

Capital One's Ready, Set, Bank℠ program teaches consumers basic mobile banking skills. Ready, Set, Bank is designed specifically for older adults, and offers numerous, unbranded videos to guide learners through every step of the process, with overviews and step-by-step tutorials to help them manage their finances online—regardless of where they bank. The curriculum is also available in Spanish, through Listos, Clic, Avance℠ at https://www.grovo.com/readysetbank/es/welcome. In 2019, PLA and Capital One are collaborating to educate public libraries about financial literacy tools and programming such as Ready, Set, Bank℠.

Home Buying

Buying a Home

Website: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/buying_a_home

Toolkit with general and state specific information about home buying topics. Website provides free resources to guide consumers through the nine key steps to buying a home.

Consumer Advice: Loans and Mortgages

Website: Federal Trade Commission

https://consumer.ftc.gov/credit-loans-and-debt/loans-and-mortgages

Understanding consumer loans, including home mortgages and home equity loans. Available in English and Spanish.

Retirement Planning

Preparing for Retirement

Website: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/workers-and-families/preparing-for-retirement

Available in both English and Spanish, this online toolkit offers publications, tools, and videos on retirement planning topics. An additional health and retirement section also provides further assistance with retirement planning.

Benefits Planner: Retirement

Website: Social Security Administration

https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/

This planner provides detailed information about Social Security retirement benefits under current law. Retirement related benefit calculators also available on the site.

Taking the Mystery Out of Retirement Planning, December 2014

PDF: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration

https://www.dol.gov/sites/default/files/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/publications/taking-the-mystery-out-of-retirement-planning.pdf

Publication from the Department of Labor that provides information and planning tools for individuals planning to retire within the next decade.

Taking the Mystery Out of Retirement Planning

Website: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/Publications/nearretirement.html

Available in both English and Spanish, this online version of Taking The Mystery Out Of Retirement Planning includes interactive worksheets that you complete as you read each chapter. You can download the fully illustrated 62-page PDF narrative or call toll free 1-866-444-3272 to order copies.