FocusYOU considers the following external web sites among the most valuable and useful for our clients.
These external links are not affiliated with FocusYOU*. You will leave this site when you click any link.
These external links are not affiliated with FocusYOU*. You will leave this site when you click any link.
College Planning
- The College Board – prepares students for a successful transition to college
- Financial Aid – comprehensive source of financial aid information, advice and tools
- Independent 529 Plan – prepaid tuition option for private colleges and universities
- Saving For College – helps people understand how to pay for college
- Student Financial Aid – resource from the U.S. Department of Education
Consumer Information
- California Department of Consumer Affairs – resource for California residents
- California’s Office of Privacy Protection – solves privacy problems nationwide
- Consumer Federation of America – consumer research and advocacy
- Consumer Product Safety Commission – protecting consumers and children from hazardous products
- Consumer Protection – guide to prevent identity theft and be a smart shopper
- Consumer Reports – a reliable source of product ratings and information
- National Consumers League – provides government, businesses and organizations with the consumer’s perspective
- Publications.USA – order free government consumer-related publications
- Stay Safe Online – helps users be safe and secure online
Family Finance & Kids
- Annual Credit Report – official site to obtain your free credit report annually
- Bankrate.com – free rate information on more than 300 financial products
- Edmunds.com – publishes new and used automotive pricing guides
- Kids Money – interactive resource to help kids develop money management skills
- Money Savvy Generation – develops products to teach kids basic money skills
- Sperling's Best Places – helps people to find their own best place to live, work or retire based on their preferences
- RedFin and Zillow – provide information and tools to make smart decisions about homes, real estate and mortgages
Financial Planning Basics
- CFP® Board's Consumer Advocate – resources to help you identify financial planning assistance to meet your needs
- FPA’s Basics of Financial Planning – offers a variety of formats on finance topics
- Let’s Make a Plan.org – explains financial planning and how to find a certified professional
- National Endowment for Financial Education – the only private, nonprofit wholly dedicated to improving the financial well-being of all Americans
Insurance
- Medicare
- Health Care Reform – Federal site
- Covered California – how California is implementing the Affordable Care Act
- Straight Talk for Seniors on Health Care Reform – non-partisan site to help seniors understand health reform affects them
- California Department of Insurance
- Agent Check – Check the license status of insurance agents & brokers
- California Partnership for Long-Term Care – educating Californians on the need to plan ahead for future long-term care
- LIFE Foundation – helping consumers make smart insurance decisions
- National Care Planning Council – comprehensive resource for Eldercare (Senior Care) and Long Term Care Planning
- National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care – information and resources to help plan for future long-term care needs
- What's My PDQ – calculates your chances of being injured or becoming ill based on your lifestyle and work
Investments
- Investor Words – the premier financial glossary on the web
- Investor.gov – SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy
- North American Securities Administrators Association – oldest organization devoted to investor protection
- Security and Exchange Commission
- U.S. Treasury
- Monte Carlo Casino – provides a fun way to learn an important investment concept and help you plan better to meet your goals
Retirement
- Social Security Estimator
- Social Security Predictor
- Social Security Administration
- California Partnership for Long-Term Care – educating Californians on the need to plan ahead for future long-term care
- Living to 100 – uses the most current and carefully researched medical and scientific data to estimate how old you will live to be
- Sperling's Best Places – allows people to enter their personal preferences to find their own best place to live, work or retire
Seniors
- Social Security Administration
- Straight Talk for Seniors on Health Care Reform – non-partisan site to help seniors understand how health reform affects them
- California Department of Aging – administers programs that serve older adults
- California Health Advocates – provides Californians with unbiased information about Medicare benefits and long-term care
- Institute on Aging – community-based, non-profit to enhance the quality of life for mature adults in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Living to 100 – uses the most current and carefully researched medical and scientific data to estimate how old you will live to be
- National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care – information and resources to help plan for future long-term care needs
- National Council on Aging – voice for seniors and communities that serve them
- Prescription Drug Discount Program – California Medicare recipients pay Medi-Cal prices for prescriptions
- Seniors Against Investment Fraud – resources to make informed financial and investment decisions
- Senior California Consumer Resource Center – consumer-protection services and information for California's seniors
- Senior Citizens' Resources – government resources on money, housing, health, and more
- Reverse Mortgage.org – information about reverse mortgages
- Aging Parents.com – help boomers meet the needs of their aging parents and family
Taxes
- Internal Revenue Service
- IRS Withholdings Calculator
- California Franchise Tax Board
- National Taxpayer Advocate Service – help for resolving tax problems that have not been resolved through normal IRS channels
Tax and Economic Policy
- Tax.com – provides facts and opinions and strives to make the tax system and its administration more transparent
- Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy – provides accurate information about the effects of current and proposed tax policies
- Citizens for Tax Justice – gives ordinary people a greater voice in the development of tax laws
- The Levy Economics Institute – nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that helps business, labor, and government to work together on common problems
- Tax Policy Center – provides timely, accessible analysis and facts about tax policy
- Modern Money Network – an educational resource that provides a framework for understanding the modern monetary system
- Modern Money Theory Primer – a MMT educational series that requires no knowledge of economics
- New Economic Perspectives – provides analyses and policy recommendations that are applicable to a modern money system
Professional Memberships
- Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards
- Sudden Money Institute
- Financial Planning Association
- Center for Fiduciary Studies
- Institute of Consumer Financial Education
- International Association of Registered Financial Consultants
- National Ethics Association
- Financial Advisors Network
Professional License Check
- Investment Adviser Check – search the registration status of an SEC or state registered investment adviser firm or individual
- Broker Check – search the background of current and former FINRA-registered brokerage firms and brokers
- California Insurance Agent Check – Check the license status of insurance agents & brokers in California
- National Futures Association's Check – search Commodity Futures Trading Commission firm registration and membership information
Links to other web sites are provided as general information only. These external Internet addresses contain information created, published, maintained, or otherwise posted by institutions or organizations independent of FocusYOU. FocusYOU does not guarantee or assume responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, efficacy, or timeliness of information located at such addresses. Use of any information obtained from such Links is voluntary, and reliance on it should only be undertaken after an independent review of its accuracy, completeness, efficacy, and timeliness.
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