Personal Financial Readiness – Useful Resources
The rich are not rich because they earn a lot of money; the rich are rich because they save a lot of money.
Military Pay and Retirement
Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS): www.dfas.mil/militarymembers.html
MyPay: mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx
BAH Calculator: www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/bahCalc.cfm
COLA: www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/colaCalc.cfm
Active Duty Retirement, Calculators and SBP: http://militarypay.defense.gov/Retirement/ad/index.html
AF Times CSB/Redux Article: www.airforcetimes.com/article/20081130/NEWS/811300315/-30-000-Redux-bonuscould-cost-you-427-000
Survivor Benefits: http://militarypay.defense.gov/survivor/sbp/index.html
Credit and Debt
Free Credit Reports: www.AnnualCreditReport.org
Fair Isaac and Company (FICO): www.myfico.com/CreditEducation/
Cost of Credit Calculator: www.bankrate.com/calculators/managing-debt/minimum-payment-calculator.aspx
Power Pay Rapid Debt Reduction: www.PowerPay.org
InCharge Institute: www.incharge.org/military-money
Money Management International: www.moneymanagement.org
Saving
Choose to Save: www.choosetosave.org/
Save and Invest, Military Center: www.saveandinvest.org/MilitaryCenter/
Good financial info to “Build Wealth, not Debt”: www.MilitarySaves.org
U.S. Treasury: www.TreasuryDirect.gov
Retirement Planning
Extension: www.extension.org/pages/8633/financial-security:-retirement-planning
Financial Planning for Retirement Workbook: https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/CFS/CFS-685-W.pdf
National Endowment for Financial Education: www.myretirementpaycheck.org/
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP): www.TSP.gov
• About the TSP, Eligibility and Contributions, Account Management, Loans and Withdrawals, Beneficiary
Participants, Funds Overview, Fund Options, Fund Performance, Website Orientation, Forms & Publications,
Investment Strategy, Retirement Planning Phases, Living in Retirement, Calculators
Social Security: www.ssa.gov; http://www.ssa.gov/retire2/estimator.htm
Veterans Affairs: www.benefits.va.gov/benefits
Life Expectancy “Calculator”: http://media.nmfn.com/tnetwork/lifespan/#0
Inflation Calculators: www.moneychimp.com/articles/econ/inflation_calculator.htm
Ballpark Estimator websites:
•
http://www.choosetosave.org/ballpark/
•
https://www.tsp.gov/planningtools/retirementplanning/howMuchToSave.shtml (TSP)
•
http://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/calculators/federal-ball-park-estimator/ (FERS)
Investing
FINRA BrokerCheck: www.finra.org/Investors/ToolsCalculators/BrokerCheck/index.htm
• Broker Check, Smart Investing, Protect Yourself - Financial education, tools, fraud protection
Fund Analyzer: http://apps.finra.org/fundanalyzer/1/fa.aspx
Selecting a professional: http://investor.gov/news-alerts/investor-bulletins/investor-bulletin-top-tips-selecting-financialprofessional
Is the seller licensed? www.saveandinvest.org/ProtectYourMoney/AskandCheck/P124314
Is the investment registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)? (Not all are required to be registered)
www.saveandinvest.org/ProtectYourMoney/AskandCheck/P124321
Cutting Through the Confusion: www.nasaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/CuttingThroughTheConfusion-1.pdf
Investment Risk Tolerance Quiz: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/money/riskquiz/
www.Investor.gov
Morningstar FREE access: www.usafelibraries.org
Securities and Exchange Commission: www.SEC.gov; http://www.sec.gov/investor/military.shtml
The Motley Fool www.Fool.com
Kiplinger: http://www.kiplinger.com/
IRS: www.IRS.gov
Miscellaneous
Emergency Assistance: http://www.afas.org/EA
Currency Converter: www.xe.com/currencyconverter/
Consumer Federal Protection Bureau (CFPB): www.consumerfinance.gov; Owning a Home: http://go.usa.gov/zcux
Military Sentinel, Federal Trade Commission: www.ftc.gov/sentinel/military/index.shtml
Federal Financial Literacy and Education Commission: www.MyMoney.gov
Consumer Action Handbook: http://publications.usa.gov/USAPubs.php?PubID=5131
Better Business Bureau: www.bbb.org
Home Buying: www.hud.gov/buying/localbuying.cfm
Benefits for veterans and survivors: www.VA.gov; www.benefits.va.gov/benefits
Financial Planning for Generation X and Y Women: http://wiseupwomen.tamu.edu/
Baby Cost Calculator: www.babycenter.com/baby-cost-calculator
Paycheck Tax Calculator: www.surepayroll.com/calculator/calc_paycheck_netpay.asp
Compare commercial financial products: www.bankrate.com
The Dollar Stretcher: http://stretcher.com
Feed the Pig: www.feedthepig.org/
Compound Interest Calculator: http://www.interestcalc.org/
Education/Training
MyCAA (Spouse Tuition): https://aiportal.acc.af.mil/mycaa/
Scholarship Search Engine: www.fastweb.com
Federal Student aid: https://studentaid.ed.gov/ National Student Loan Data System: https://www.nslds.ed.gov/nslds_SA
Air Force Aid Society: http://www.afas.org/education-grants
Free Tutoring for children: www.tutor.com
DoD Financial Partners
Consumer Federation of America: http://consumerfed.org/
Council of Better Business Bureaus: www.bbb.org/
Freddie Mac: www.freddiemac.com/
InCharge Institute of America: www.incharge.org/foundation; www.incharge.org/
Institute of Consumer Financial Education: www.financial-education-icfe.org/
Jump$tart Coalition for Financial Literacy: www.jumpstartcoalition.org/home.html
FINRA Investor Education Foundation: www.finrafoundation.org/
National Endowment for Financial Education: www.nefe.org/
National Military Family Association: www.militaryfamily.org/
PBS/New River Education Fund - MoneyWise w/Kelvin Boston: www.moneywise.tv/
North American Securities Administrators Association: www.nasaa.org
Women's Institute for Financial Education: www.wife.org/
Association of Military Banks of America: http://ambahq.org/
Defense Credit Union Council: www.dcuc.org/
Employee Benefit Research Institute/American Savings Education Council: www.choosetosave.org/asec/
National Association of Federal Credit Unions: www.nafcu.org/
Financial Literacy and Education Commission: www.mymoney.gov/Pages/default.aspx
Department of the Treasury: www.treasury.gov/Pages/default.aspx
Federal Citizen Information Center: http://gsa.gov/portal/content/101085
Federal Deposits Insurance Corporation: www.fdic.gov/consumers/
Federal Reserve Board: www.federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo/default.htm
Federal Trade Commission: www.FTC.gov/
Securities and Exchange Commission: www.SEC.gov
Thrift Savings Board: www.TSP.gov
USDA Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service: www.extension.org/personal_finance
Federal endorsement not intended for non-government sites
Current as of 1/2015, 31 FSS/FSFR, M.L. Hartford