External Resources

Income Management | Stretching Dollars | Paying off Debt | Consumer Education | Crisis | Assistance Programs

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Income Management

• My Money.gov — Save, invest, and manage your money better.
• Smart About Money — National Endowment for Financial Education — Articles, worksheets, and other helpful information to manage dollars better.
• U.S. Dept of Treasury — Answers to personal finance questions.
• American Association of Daily Money Managers — Organization members provide money management services to clients.
• Social Security Administration — Estimate future benefits or find Medicare/benefits information and applications.
• AARP — Money management information with focus on those 50 and over.
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants — Tips and tools for managing money through marriage, parenthood, home ownership, college savings, and retirement.
• INVESTING
• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — Consumer investing publications and Online calculators.
• Financial Industry Regulatory Authority — Smart investing information source.

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Stretching Dollars

• MinnesotaUnemployment.com— Community Building Inc. — Easy, user-friendly access with direct linkages to information and services.
• Twin Cities Free Market — Give and get free items to reduce waste and save the environment in the metro area.
• Museum Adventure Pass — Free admission to select Minnesota Twin Cities cultural destinations through the MELSA library system.
• FOOD
• Fare for All — Prepackaged groceries at half off. Access online or call (metro) 763-450-3880, or (greater Minnesota) 800-582-4291.
• Hunger Solutions — Helps locate food assistance programs such as food shelves and WIC offices.
• USDA Cost of Food at Home — Cost of food updated monthly.
• Spend Smart, Eat Smart — Iowa State University Cooperative Extension — Ideas for saving and nutritious eating.
• TAX ASSISTANCE
• Internal Revenue Service — Tax information, publications, and free filing. or 800-829-1040
• Minnesota Department of Revenue — Visit online or call 651-297-3724 or 651-296-3781 (tax help line).
• AccountAbility Minnesota — Free tax assistance for low to moderate income Minnesota households. Visit online or call 651-287-0187.
• AARPTaxAide — Free tax preparation assistance services. Visit online or call 888-227-7669.
• United Way 2-1-1 — Find free tax assistance locations or other community resources. Visit online or dial “211” or 800-543-7709.

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Paying Off Debt

• Credit Card Repayment Calculator — Helpful Online Federal Reserve calculator.
• Free Annual Credit Report — Obtain free annual credit report from three main credit bureaus. Visit online, call 877-322-8228 or mail request: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105283, Atlanta, GA 30348-5283.
• Consumer Federation of American PayDay Loan — Consumer information on how consumer pay day loans work.
• Power Pay – Interactive calculator helps determine how fast one can get out of debt and more.
• Settling Your Credit Card Debts — Federal Trade Commission — Facts for consumers about "when you're in a hole.." and "red flags" to watch out for. Also available in Spanish: Cómo Saldar sus Tarjetas de Crédito
• Student Loan Consolidation — United States Department of Education — Student loan consolidation information. Visit online or call 800-872-5327.
• CREDIT COUNSELING
• National Foundation for Credit Counseling — Find a certified agency near you. Visit online or call 800-388-2227
• LSS Financial Counseling Service/Consumer Credit Counseling Services — Find a certified agency near you. Visit online or call (metro) 651-439-4840 or (greater Minnesota) 888-577-2227.
• The Village Financial Resource Center (Minnesota & ND) — Help individuals and families develop and implement financial solutions. Visit online or call 800-450-4019.
• Family Means Consumer Credit Counseling (Minnesota & WI) — Provides an array of counseling, education and support so individuals and families can thrive during each stage of life. Visit online or call 800-780-2890 or 651-789-4014.
• BANKRUPTCY
• Financial Success: Recovery After Bankruptcy — eXtension — A debtor education online course approved by US Department of Justice.
• U.S. Trustee Program — U.S. Department of Justice — Bankruptcy information in multiple languages.
• Law Help Minnesota — Helps low-income Minnesotans solve civil legal problems. (click "Consumer & Debt" then "Bankruptcy")
• GAMBLING
• Gambling Problems Resource Center — Prevention, education & resources. Visit online or call 800-333-HOPE (4673).
• National Council on Problem Gambling — Treatment services for problem gamblers and their families. Visit online or call 202-547-9204.
• Gamblers Anonymous — Program that provides support for gamblers. Visit online or call 888-GA-HELPS.

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Consumer Education

• Office of the Minnesota Attorney General — Resources on consumer protection, housing, healthcare, seniors, cars, personal finance, identity theft, charities search, fraud, etc. Online or call 800-657-3787 or 651-296-3353.
• Federal Trade Commission — Provides consumer protection information. Online or call 877-382-4357.
• Insurance Federation of Minnesota — Insurance help line. Online or call 651-292-1099.
• Minnesota Department of Commerce — Check the licensing of an insurance or real estate agent or debt collector.
• CONSUMER PROTECTION
• DMAchoice.org — Direct Marketing Association (DMA) — Remove your name from lists to stop direct mail, telemarketing, and email lists.
• National Do Not Call Registry — Federal Trade Commision — Register a phone number or file a complaint. Online or call 888-382-1222
• Opt Out of Credit — "Opt-out” of pre-approved credit offers. Online or call 888-567-8688

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Crisis

• County Family Services (in some counties referred to as Human or Social Services) — Helps people meet their basic needs by providing or administering health care coverage, economic assistance, and a variety of services for children, people with disabilities and older Minnesotans. Online or consult local phone book.
• United Way 2-1-1 — Get basic info and locate services to meet needs. Online or dial "211" or 800-543-7709.
• Crisis Connection — 24-hour crisis counseling by telephone at 866-379-6363 or 651-379-6363.

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Assistance Programs

• GovBenefits.gov — Official U.S. government site for benefit and assistance programs.
• Bridge to Benefits — Children's Defense Fund — Determine possible eligibility for public health care, child care, tax credits, food support, and energy assistance. Also in Spanish.
• Minnesota Community Action Partnership —  Offers local assistance to families in need, including: energy assistance, weatherization, food & clothing shelves, Head Start, child care programs, job assistance and training, and more.
• Senior Linkage Line — Link to services for seniors. Visit online or call 800-333-2433.
• EMPLOYMENT
• Minnesota Workforce Centers — Job search, career planning, and training resources. Online or call 888-438-5627.
• Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development — Provides essential tools to make job searches a success.
• Minnesota Unemployment Insurance — Temporary benefits to persons out of work through no fault of their own.
• Minnesota Unemployment — Community Building Inc. — Web site provides easy, user-friendly access with direct linkages to information and services.
• FOOD
• Food Support and Food Assistance Programs — Helps people meet their basic needs by providing or administering health care coverage; economic assistance, and a variety of services for children, people with disabilities, and older Minnesotans. Online or contact County Family Services.
• WIC (Women, Infants and Children) — Supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are at nutritional risk.
• FORECLOSURE PREVENTION RESOURCES
• Minnesota Homeownership Center — Provides information and resources aimed at helping Minnesotans begin and maintain home ownership. Online or call (metro) 651-659-9336 or (greater Minnesota) 866-462-6466.
• Minnesota Housing Finance Agency — Offers products and services to help Minnesotans buy and fix up homes. Online or call 800-657-3769.
• Federal Reserve — Provides resources to help with mortgage payment difficulties.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — Information to help whether you're in foreclosure now or worried about it in the future. Online or call 800-569-4287.
• FDIC Foreclosure Prevention — Helps consumers avoid unnecessary foreclosures and stop foreclosure "rescue" scams.
• Hope for Homeowners — Outreach efforts to help homeowners in distress to help them stay in their homes. Online or call 888-995-HOPE (4673).
• Federal Housing Administration — Provides mortgage insurance on single-family, multifamily, manufactured homes and hospital loans made by FHA-approved lenders throughout the United States and its territories.
• HEALTHCARE
• County Public Health — Resources to protect, maintain, and improve your health.  Online or consult local phone book.
• Minnesota Health Care Program Primary Care Resources — List of low-cost medical, dental, and mental health care providers.
• Minnesota Department of Human Services — Information on health care programs such as General Assistance, Minnesota Care & Medical Assistance. (at top of page click on "health care").
• HOUSING
• Heat Share — The Salvation Army — Emergency heat and utility bill assistance. Online or call 800-842-7279.
• Minnesota Community Action Partnership — Low income families can contact their local program for weatherization and energy conservation assistance and more.
• Housing Link — Information on affordable rental listings in Minnesota.
• Lifeline, Telephone Assistance Plan (TAP) and Link-up — Contact local phone company for information.
• HOME Line — Free legal, organizing, education and advocacy services so that MN tenants can solve their own rental housing problems. Call 612-728-5767 or 866-866-3546.
• LEGAL
• Law Help MN.org — Info on legal questions, self help legal forms, and/or low cost legal services, and more.
• Minnesota Bar Association Attorney Referral — Locate an attorney for a free consultation online or call 800-292-4152.

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See the related program: Resource Management for Daily Life