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Control Your Credit
Features
- A U.S. Treasury Department multi-media web site
- The interactive game, the Bad Credit Hotel, teaches the basics of how to maintain good credit
- Informative sections on credit management, credit history and credit cards
- Also in Spanish
If you gather enough credit knowledge when you play the Bad Credit Hotel game at this U.S. Treasury Department Web site, you can get to room 850. In real life, 850 is the perfect credit score.
You start at room 250 and get important tips as you explore the Bad Credit Hotel: contact your creditors if you’re having trouble making ends meet; try to work out a modified payment plan; debt collectors may not call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. You also receive clues and accumulate inventory to eventually unlock a hidden safe. Room 850 is the ultimate goal.
Many personal finance sites are bogged down with loads of detailed information that can be difficult to digest, especially for someone who is new to the concepts. But this innovative black-and-white movie-style game is meant as an interactive and entertaining way for young people (or anyone, for that matter) to better understand the otherwise complicated subjects of credit and debt management.
If you have limited time, you can skip right to “information only,” where you’ll see sections dedicated to credit management, credit history and credit score. There are also tools like an authentic-looking budget calculator. Have fun.
Loan.com
Features
- More than 15 mortgage calculators
- Articles that explain the loan process
- Interest rate comparison tools
- A Borrower’s “Bill of Rights” that can help you assess your loan options
Loan.com is intended to be a source for independent, unbiased information and interactive tools to help choose the right loan for you. Subjects cover home, car, business, student and personal loans.
AnnualCreditReport.com
Features
- Tips to guard your privacy when you make a credit report request
- Clear answers to frequently asked questions
- What you need to do to place a fraud alert on your credit file
- The only credit report service authorized by the three national credit reporting agencies
For an official credit report, visit this Web site, which was set up by the three national credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can order reports from all three agencies online, or learn how to order by phone or mail.
myFICO.com
The most widely used credit score computation methodology is FICO, which the Fair Isaac Corp. created. At myFico.com you can read up on how a FICO score is calculated and also find basic information about improving your score, understanding credit reports and protecting yourself from identity theft.
StudentDebtHelp.org
The California Student Debt Resource and Awareness Project set up this financial literacy Web site for students, parents and educators that includes, among other things, a compendium of online resources to help students budget their money and a directory of Web sites to help students finance their post-secondary education.
Electronic Privacy Information Center Fair Credit Reporting Act site
At its Web site, the Electronic Privacy Information Center explains the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which was enacted in 1970 to promote accuracy, fairness and the privacy of personal information in credit reports, as well as what you can do to protect your credit report privacy.
Debit Facts
DebitFacts.org, from one of the nation’s leading ATM/debit networks, is an online resource that emphasizes the smart use of debit cards. It contains useful information about the differences between credit cards and debit cards, a "debit IQ quiz", tools to track daily finances and stay on top of the latest safety measures developed to ensure the security of cards. DebitFacts also offers a series of videos that informs consumers about debit card uses, security and responsible money management.Discover Financial
DiscoverFinancial.com is a financial education effort from the financial services and credit card company. The site includes tips for shoring up your personal finances and ways to budget during difficult times. It also includes tools like a "paydown planner" that lets you calculate a timetable for paying off a balance, a "spend analyzer" so you can see detailed charts of exactly where your money goes and banking calculators.HSBC YourMoneyCounts
This financial education Web site covers money, credit, goals and planning, and at this link, features a helpful overview of loan sources: types of lenders, from retail banks to insurance companies, and the pros and cons of each.
Investopedia’s Borrowing From Your Plan
This online financial dictionary defines terms and offers tips like the ones at “Borrowing From Your Plan,” which outlines what to consider as you weigh borrowing money from a retirement plan.
GovLoans.gov
A government Web site that provides government loan information from six U.S. agencies: the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Government Affairs and the Small Business Administration.
Federal Trade Commission Credit Facts for Consumers
The Federal Trade Commission describes important credit facts for consumers, including an explanation of credit scores, credit reports, how to improve yours and what to do if you are denied credit or don’t get the terms you want.
About NYSE Money Sense
A credible resource for basic financial education to help people better understand and manage their personal finances.