Useful Links
Automobile
CarFax - See the history of the car you are considering (VIN required)
Edmund's Publications - Consumer information experts. Easily run comparisons on new and used vehicles.
Intellichoice OnLine Car Center - Automotive research and comparisons.
J.D. Power & Associates - Automotive marketing research.
Kelley Blue Book - New and Used vehicle pricing reports.
RoadLoans - Competitive rates on financing for new and used cars (refinancing, too).
Finance
FDIC site - Check to see if your bank is FDIC insured or if it is in trouble.
Education
Finaid - A comprehensive site that covers all aspects of financial aid.
National Center for Education Statistics - Information on past three years of college/university costs.
Salliemae - Calculators for estimating college costs, savings needs, and student loan payments as well as a great deal of financial aid and scholarship information.
Income Tax
IRS Website - The IRS Website, information on forms, publications, and frequently asked questions.
Investments – Discount Brokers
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. - View account balances, market news, and other services offered by the discount broker
TD Ameritrade - View account balances, market news, and other services offered by the discount broker.
Investments – Financial News and Quotes
Bloomberg - Financial market news and stock/mutual fund quotes.
CNN Financial News - Financial market news and stock/mutual fund quotes.
InvestorGuide - Comprehensive stock research tool. "Tools" tab provides links to other sites.
Money Central - Financial market news and stock/mutual fund quotes.
Yahoo - Keep track of your overall portfolio and get detailed charts on your individual stocks and bonds.
Investment – Investor education
Investorwords - This site is a database of more than 5,000 key investment terms, plus some 15,000 links related to words and concepts.
Motley Fool - Online calculators and information to help answer basic questions.
SEC Investor Education site - Online calculators, broker and/or advisor information, investor alerts, plus links to other government sites.
Investment- Mutual Funds
IndexFunds.com - A resource on the use of index funds, or passive investing, versus conventional actively managed mutual funds.
Morningstar - This company is well-known for its mutual fund star rating system, and this site has many useful research and analysis tools.
Mutual Fund Education Alliance - A large source of mutual fund news and information, plus daily price info and one-, five- and ten-year annualized returns.
Investments - Publications
Forbes - Online edition of Forbes magazine.
Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine - Magazine plus calculators, investor education and more.
Smart Money - Smart Money
Mortages/Real Estate
Bankrate.com - Mortgage calculator and basic information
Eloan - Compare loans, quotes, calculators
Reverse.org - Created by the nonprofit National Center for Home Equity, this site offers consumers and independent resource that allows for true comparison shopping of various reverse mortgage programs. It also has a great deal of basic information and FAQs that everyone should ask but rarely does.
Smart Spending
Consumer Reports Magazine - Informational articles and product recalls are free on this site (subscription required for full online version).
The Dollar Stretcher Tips - Free online newspaper full of tips, hints, stories and links for living better for less.
