|
The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial
Literacy
http://www.jumpstartcoalition.org
Jump$tart has been working since 1995 to get basic
personal financial skills into the K-12 curriculum.
Be sure to check out: -
The Jump$tart Reality Check http://www.jumpstart.
org/realitycheck uses an interactive survey to help
students get a handle on how much it will really cost
them to live their so-called “Dream Life.”
The Consumer Action Web Site
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/car/respref.htm
If you're having a consumer problem, or want to
avoid one, this is the site to visit. The online
version of Consumer Action Handbook,
published by the Federal Consumer Information Center,
has advice and consumer tips on everything from avoiding
consumer and investment fraud to choosing and using
credit cards wisely. The site also has a Consumer
Assistance Directory with thousands of names, addresses,
telephone numbers, web site listings, and e-mail
addresses for corporations, consumer organizations,
trade associations, and more.
LifeSmarts
http://www.lifesmarts.org
Here’s one for teachers who love national competitions … you
know who you are. LifeSmarts, a program of the National
Consumers League, encourages students to learn about the
consumer issues they face today and the new challenges that
are right around the corner. The questions in this gameshowstyle
competition cover Personal Finance, Consumer Rights
and Responsibilities, Health and Safety, Environment, and
Technology. Teams compete in district and state matches,
with the state winners moving on to the national competition.
LifeSmarts is open to all U.S. teens in grades 9-12,
and in 2008 middle school students participated in the JV
LifeSmarts pilot program.
For Savings Bond Investors
http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/save/savinvst.htm
Is this truly a consumer education/financial literacy
site?Maybe not, but at some point in our lives many
of us receive savings bonds as gifts. And sooner
or later, we have questions about them: How much
is my bond worth? What happens if I lose a bond?
Do I have to pay taxes when I cash a bond? The answers
to these questions and many others are on this easy-to-use
site.
360 Degrees of Financial Literacy
http://www.360financialliteracy.org
http://www.feedthepig.org
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has put together a site that’s a must for anyone interested in financial literacy.
Be sure to check out:
- The “Stages of Life” feature covers financial concerns
from childhood to retirement.
- “Feed the Pig” uses an interactive calculator to show
you, among other things, how much you can save by
bringing your lunch from home rather than buying it.
Consumer Jungle
http://www.consumerjungle.org
The Consumer Jungle is geared to young adults, and each
of its six main sections – Cars, Computers, Credit, Health,
Independent Living, Wireless Phones – includes quizzes,
worksheets, and resources.
Be sure to check out:
The site’s splash page takes you directly to “50 Common
Financial Pitfalls” and a “Fraud of the Month Menu” that
covers everything from pyramid schemes to scholarship
scams.
Consumer World
http://www.consumerworld.org
Edgar Dworksy, a.k.a. “MrConsumer,” started Consumer
world.org in 1995 and has built it into one of the internet’s
more comprehensive education/reference sites for consumers.
Among the things you will find on the site’s homepage:
- Top Consumer Fraud Complaints
- Price Checker (which compares an item’s price at hundreds
of online stores)
- Product reviews
- Scam alerts
- Travel bargains
- Resources
- Links to online coupons
- And much more
Be sure to check out:
- “mouse print*” http://www.mouseprint.org exposes
“the strings and catches buried in the fine print” of ads
and commercial offers.
- For pure fun and enjoyment, click the “Resources” button
on the Consumer World homepage and scroll down
to “Consumer Fun,” which features links to Super Bowl
Commercials (past and present), Nutrition Bloopers,
Totally Absurd Inventions, supermarket history, Wacky
Uses for Brand Name Products, and dozens of other topics
that will make you smile, enlighten you, or both.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
http://www.fdic.gov
Lots of useful resources under the “Consumer Protection”
tab. A few examples: Finding a Safe Loan, Looking for the
Best Mortgage, Safe Internet Banking.
Be sure to check out:
“History of the FDIC” and “Learning Bank” are both
located under the “About FDIC” tab.
Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov
Useful articles and other resources on a variety of consumer
related topics, including credit reports, identity theft, and
the National Do Not Call Registry.
Be sure to check out:
Click the “Consumer Protection” tab for information
on how to file a consumer complaint about a particular
company or organization.
It All Adds Up
http://www.italladdsup.org
It All Adds Up was developed by the National Council of
Economic Education to help high school students “understand
responsible personal finance management skills and the
proper care and use of credit.”
Content is organized around five
modules that use online games and simulations:
-
Getting
and Using a Credit Card,
- Buying a Car,
- Budget Odyssey,
- Saving and Investing Blitz,
- You’re Going to College.
Kids.gov - The Official Kids’ Portal for
the U.S. Government
http://www.kids.gov
Here’s one for teachers who love national competitions … you
know who you are. LifeSmarts, a program of the National
Consumers League, encourages students to learn about the
consumer issues they face today and the new challenges that
are right around the corner. The questions in this gameshowstyle
competition cover Personal Finance, Consumer Rights
and Responsibilities, Health and Safety, Environment, and
Technology. Teams compete in district and state matches,
with the state winners moving on to the national competition.
LifeSmarts is open to all U.S. teens in grades 9-12,
and in 2008 middle school students participated in the JV
LifeSmarts pilot program.
The Mint
http://www.themint.org
No, it’s not that Mint. This one is a collaboration between the
Northwestern Mutual Foundation and the National Council
on Economic Education, and it “provides tools to help parents
as well as educators teach children to manage money
wisely and develop good financial habits.”
Be sure to check out:
- The “Try it!” section features activities that range from
“I Paid How Much?” to “Take the Spending Challenge.”
The Motley Fool
http://www.fool.com
Their motto says it all: “To Educate, Amuse & Enrich.”
Be sure to check out:
- Don’t miss “Teens and Their Money” under the “Personal
Finance” tab. There’s lots of other good stuff, too.
My Money
http://www.mymoney.gov
With information from 20 federal agencies, this is the U.S.
government’s website “dedicated to teaching all Americans
the basics about financial education.”
Be sure to check out:
The “Calculators” page has ten tools to help you plan
your college budget, figure out how much your savings
bonds are worth, and much more.
National Endowment for Financial Education
http://www.nefe.org
The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE)
is on a mission to “help individual Americans acquire the
knowledge and skills necessary to take control of their
financial destiny.”
Be sure to check out:
Another NEFE web site, Get smart about your money,
has dozens of links to resources on financial planning,
credit & debt, saving, investing, and retirement. http://www.smartaboutmoney.org
|
