Web Resources

Following are links to some of the many helpful free or low-cost information sources available to consumers online.

A New Approach Financial Planning, its staff, or their advisors are not endorsing any of the views, organizations, companies, or products. We just want to provide you with resources to help make your financial and life-planning choices easier.

PERSONAL FINANCE

RETIREMENT

COLLEGES & FINANCIAL AID

INSURANCE

DEBT MANAGEMENT

TAXES

ESTATE PLANNING

HOME OWNERSHIP

SENIOR ISSUES

FINANCIAL NEWS

FINANCIAL PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS

GOVERNMENT AND OTHER AGENCIES/ORGANIZATIONS

PERSONAL FINANCE

• NEFE Financial Planning Education. Student resources.
• Kiplinger Personal Finance. Timely personal finance advice and business forecasts; includes news, rates, calculators, quotes, columns, and advice on finance and business.
• Reuters.com. Quality financial education; investment information, research, and screening tools.
• Mutual Fund Investors Center
  Educational center with planning tools and mutual fund tracking features.http://www.mfea.com/
• Morningstar – Mutual fund and stock ratings. Portfolio tracking. - http://www.morningstar.com/
• Teen Analyst - Investment education for young adults. 
• CNN Money. Sources for personal finance commentary and planning tools.
• Yahoo Finance. Financial news and commentary on U.S. and world markets, plus investment, loan, and insurance centers.
• The Mint - Financial literacy for students.
• Money Instructor - Financial literacy instruction.

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FINANCIAL PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS

• The Garrett Planning Network. An international network of independent financial advisors and planners offering hourly, as-needed financial planning and advice to anyone regardless of income.
• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®). Board of Standards Information about CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) licensees and the financial- planning profession, including what it takes to become a CFP® and tips on how to select a financial advisor.
• Financial Planning Association. The major professional membership organization for the financial planning community.
• National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). Information about NAPFA and Fee-Only financial planners, including why choose a Fee-Only financial advisor.

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COLLEGES & FINANCIAL AID

• College Board Online-The College Board Library. Student and parent information; college planning news, tools and resources.
• Intuit Inc.'s TurboTax.com. Click on "Tax Tips & Resources", then "Going to School" to learn about education-funding options and tax implications for each.
• SavingforCollege.com. Independent and objective information on different ways to save and pay for college; plenty of interactive tools.
• Xap.com. Its "Get Money" feature offers plenty of help in calculating and finding financial aid.

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DEBT MANAGEMENT

• Nolo.comand MyVesta.org. Both offer general information on topics like debt and bankruptcy, overspending, credit repair, strategies for repaying debts, and debt collections.
• Quicken.com. Its "Debt Reduction Planner" helps with ideas to reduce your debt.

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ESTATE PLANNING

• Nolo Law Center. The Wills and Estate Planning link provides access to plain-English articles on topics like estate-planning basics, living wills, funeral planning, and various other legal documents.
• Aging With Dignity. Learn how to ensure that your wishes will be followed in the event of a serious illness with the help of a Living Will and other documents; how to discuss your wishes with loved ones and your physician, and where to obtain resources for family caregivers; includes link to related sites. Check out its "Five Wishes" brochure.

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GOVERNMENT AND OTHER AGENCIES/ORGANIZATIONS

• My Florida– Official portal. Links to state, county and local information.
• American Bar Association. Offers an online lawyer referral service plus plenty of helpful consumer information.
• Bureau of the Public Debt– Savings bond calculator
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. All things to know about Medicare, Medicaid, and many other federal and state-administered health programs.
• Collaborative Law. A different, more constructive approach to divorce using a group of professionals trained by the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. http://www.collaborativepractice.com/
• Department of Health and Human Services. Hot links to all kinds of valuable health, health care, drug, food, and medical information as well as more resources.
• Employee Benefit Research Institute. Nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to data dissemination, policy research, and education on economic security and employee benefits; check out its domestic-partner benefits fact sheet.
• FirstGov. The U.S. government's official Web portal with hot links to agencies, information, and help from the federal government.
• Internal Revenue Service. Tax information, directions, tools, downloadable forms, and more.
• Legal Services Corporation. Click on Get Legal Services for a list of government-funded legal services available in your area for qualified individuals.
• NASDAQ. Home page for the largest electronic screen-based equity securities market in the United States; check out its Investor Tools section.
• National Association of Insurance Commissioners. National organization of state insurance regulators; visit its Consumer Information Source.
• New York Stock Exchange. Home page for the world's leading equities trading floor; check out its glossary of trading and stock terms.
• North American Securities Administration Association. Investor protection specialists; lots of good reading on everything from investor rights to scams to avoid and what to do if you have a problem.
• Securities and Exchange Commission. Federal agency that regulates and supervises securities markets; a wealth of free information and tutorials on money, finance, investing, regulations, corporate operations, and more (check out the online brochures); great links to EDGAR, the SEC database of filings by public companies; check out brokers and firms, too.
• Social Security Administration. News and how-to information on tax withholding, obtaining a replacement card or Statement of Earnings and Benefits, etc.
• Treasury Direct - Buy US Treasury securities directly. - http://www.treasurydirect.gov/

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HOME OWNERSHIP

• BankRate.com. Assorted general information and rates, including current mortgage rates by specific location, calculators to help you figure out how much house you can afford, and a glossary.
• National Association of Realtors®. Lots of home-buying and ownership information, links and calculators; includes helpful search tools.

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INSURANCE

• Know Your Stuff.Free home inventory program. http://www.knowyourstuff.org/
• Health Savings Accounts. Department of Treasury HSA information
• Long Term Care Link. Links to providers, information and more.
• ComparisonMarket. A clearinghouse of automobile insurance providers.
• Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. The nation's largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers; includes an insurance agent database.
• Insure.com. Comprehensive online consumer insurance information service for auto, life, and health insurance.
• InsWeb.com. Insurance marketplace for a variety of insurance products, including automobile, term life, homeowners, renters, and individual health insurance; includes resource center.
• PrimeQuote. Insurance marketplace specializing in life insurance needs; includes glossary of related terms.

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FINANCIAL NEWS

• Wall Street Journal. Interactive edition. All the news of the WSJ plus 24-hour-a-day updates.
• Bloomberg.com. Includes market data, news, analysis, and commentary plus live streamed radio and television links.
• MSN.Money's Money Central. News and commentary from major media outlets.
• CNNMoney. Business news, plus market snapshots and investing information.
• Smartmoney. From Dow Jones & Company Inc., publishers of The Wall Street Journal, and Hearst Communications; online magazine of personal business includes information on stocks, bonds, mutual funds, the markets, and more.

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RETIREMENT

• Kiplinger Personal Finance. Timely retirement advice, calculators, columns, and more.
• CNNMoney. Source of retirement planning commentary and planning tools.
• MSN.Money's Money Central. Retirement commentary, advice, and tools to use.
• Nolo. Source of excellent do-it-yourself and informational softback books on retirement issues. Type "retirement" in Search tool.
• Quicken.com. Type "retirement" in Search tool for all kinds of valuable information on everything from planning for retirement to tax issues and more.

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SENIOR ISSUES

• AARP. Targets those 50 or older planning for or already retired; all kinds of useful information; be sure to check out Learning and Technology; Family, Home and Legal; Money, and Work.
• Agency on Aging. A gold mine of government resources for seniors to home and community-based services through programs funded under the Older Americans Act.
• FirstGov for Seniors. The federal government's Web portal; plenty of useful information on everything from consumer protection to health, retirement, taxes, travel and leisure, and plenty in between.
• Medicare. Learn about eligibility and benefits, billing, compare health-care options, download Medicare forms, and locate participating providers by geographic area.
• Social Security Administration. Access to a wealth of information related to Social Security; obtain general planning information; apply for benefits and even file online.

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TAXES

• Internal Revenue Service. Tax information, directions, tools, downloadable forms, and more.
• TurboTax from Intuit. Get plain-language answers to your tax questions, summaries of tax-law changes, tax tips and insights, calculators, and forms.

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