Financial Skills, Budgeting and Credit

Financial Skills Training

Some college students have enough financial help to focus on schoolwork and forging new friendships. Others are stressed about money all the time. But regardless of your current means, building good financial skills, knowing how to budget your money and earning a good credit rating are essential life skills for everyone and will empower you with the knowledge and tools to make smart decisions with your money. It is a lifelong journey, but one that is well worth taking. The tools and links provided below will give you the personal financial education you need to be prepared and successful in your personal and business lives.

Recommended Sites

Our most highly recommended personal financial training site is CashCourse. This free site offers tools and strategies to help you learn to get the most out of your money. We strongly encourage you to visit them at:

Other Financial Training Sites

There are numerous other sites that provide similar services and personal financial training. The list below offers some different options for you. A particular site may be more appealing to you or more appropriate to your current financial/family situation. We recommend you spend some time reviewing some alternate sites and see which one fits you the best.

  • 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy – A comprehensive site with specific sections for college students, working adults, veterans and more.
  • Jump$tart Coalition – This site is designed for students, from pre-K through college. It also has useful information for parents of young children.
  • MyMoney – Financial Education – A federal site combining information from many different federal agencies and departments.

Targeted Sites

The links below provide information on certain specific topics in managing your personal finances:

  • Identity Theft – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) site with information about preventing identity theft and recovering after the fact.
  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – Offers resources to manage credit cards.
  • America Saves – A not-for-profit site dedicated to helping people save money, reduce debt and gain wealth.

Credit Report Sites

Do you know what your credit report looks like? Did you know you can get a truly free credit report? (Avoid websites that charge you a one-time or monthly fee for access to your own credit report!)

You actually have three credit reports… one from each of three reporting agencies… If you are having credit problems, you may need to view all three credit reports to find and fix any errors or omissions.

Questions

If you have any questions about personal financial management, please visit the Financial Aid Office. We’ll be happy to help you!