Business and Finances

Starting a Small Business

U.S. Small Business Administration delivers millions of loans, loan guarantees, contracts, counseling sessions and other forms of assistance to small businesses. SBA provides assistances primarily through its four programmatic functions:

• Access to Capital (Business Financing)
• Entrepreneurial Development (Education, Information, Technical Assistance & Training)
• Government Contracting (Federal Procurement)
• Advocacy (Voice for Small Business

Starting a Small Business Pathfinder

An overview on the basics of starting your own business. It contains both Internet based and print sources, as well as a list of organizations and periodicals to assist you in planning and running your own company. The information is geared toward opening a business in the United States, and is focused more on running small businesses in general, rather than specific small businesses.

Retirement Planning

• Ballpark Estimate® - Worksheet for calculating how much you need to fund a comfortable retirement. 

• Get Your Finances Ready for Retirement - View videos and podcasts for retirement planning resources. 

• Health and Retirement Benefits After a Job Loss - Information from the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) on protecting health coverage and retirement benefits.
• Medicare.gov - Official U.S. site for Medicare, with information on enrollment, eligibility, coverage, and claims.
• Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation - Federal corporation protecting workers in defined pension benefit plans.
• Plan Well, Retire Well - Funded in part by a grant from the Investor Protection Trust, this nonprofit University of Illinois site provides independent, objective investor education.
• Retirement Savings Education Campaign - Information about retirement from the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration.
• Social Security Administration - Use retirement planner and benefits calculator, apply for benefits, and find Social Security information and tools.
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Top 10 Ways to Beat the Clock and Prepare for Retirement - Concise booklet created by the Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, available in PDF format.
  
  

Credit & Debt

• 100 Questions & Answers About Buying A New Home - Home buying information from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.

• 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy - Developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants to help Americans understand their personal finances through every stage of life. 

• America’s Credit Unions - Website for the Credit Union National Association, offering information on locating and joining a credit union, as well as latest news in consumer finance. 

• Avoiding Foreclosures - Accurate, unbiased information from HUD for homeowners facing foreclosure. 

• Bankrate - Compare rates for checking, savings, CDs and mortgages. Also includes bank ratings and calculators to compare borrowing costs. 

• Credit and Debit Terms - From the Consolidated Credit Counseling Services.

• Cash Course®  - Free non-commercial financial education resources for colleges from the National Endowment for Financial Education.
• 
Getting Through Tough Financial Times - Sound advice on coping with financial stress. 

• Help With My Bank - Created by the U.S. Treasury Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, this site reinforces the fair treatment of national bank customers and answers questions on credit cards, mortgages and loans. 
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Making Home Affordable - U.S. government program providing support for homeowners, including mortgage and foreclosure assistance.
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Mortgage Foreclosure Resources - Resources from the Federal Reserve System for consumers, small municipalities, housing counselors and community groups.

• Small Business Administration - The voice of small business on Capitol Hill since it was created in 1976, the Office of Advocacy works to protect, strengthen and represent the interests of the nation’s small businesses within the Federal Government.


College Financing

• College Savings Plans Network - A nonprofit association dedicated to making a college education affordable and accessible. 

• FAFSA - Online home for Federal Student Aid.

• Fastweb - A free scholarship matching service.
• FinAid! Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid - Comprehensive source of student financial aid information, advice and tools. 

• Going to College - A List of Federal Government resources for the college-bound individual.

• SaveandInvest.org: Saving for College - Saving for College - Guides, alerts, 529 Plan analyzer, tools and resources. 

• Student Aid on the Web - Federal student aid information from the U.S. Department of Education.