It Makes Good Financial Sense
Spend some time with your student over winter break reviewing his finances and helping him plan for a successful future. MyMoney.gov is a great resource that you can use to help your student learn how to save, invest and manage his money better.

The Financial Literacy and Education Commission developed the MyMoney.gov website to teach individuals about the basics of financial education. You can use the tools on this website to help students learn how to balance their checkbook, invest in a 401k or even plan to buy a home once they graduate. The website incorporates educational materials from across the spectrum of federal agencies that deal with financial issues and markets.

Among the agencies represented on the website are the Federal Trade Commission, the National Credit Union Administration, the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Defense. And these are just four of the 20 Financial Literacy and Education Commission Member Agencies!

The website includes hundreds of links on the following topics:

• Budgeting & taxes
• Credit
• Financial planning
• Home ownership resources
• Kids
• Paying for education
• Privacy, fraud & scams
• Responding to life events
• Retirement planning
• Saving & investing
• Starting a small business

By visiting these sections, your student (& you!) can learn everything from the path a check takes once it's signed to where to find a credit union in a desired area to what to know when buying a gift card. There's information aplenty, for sure! What's great is that much of the information is written in a way that makes good, common sense. Even the most financially-challenged individual can make sense of the resources provided.

Other Tools & Resources
You can also encourage your student to order a free "My Money" Tool Kit, which is a package of helpful publications on saving, investing, protecting and getting the most for your money. The Tool Kit contains a consumer Action Handbook, a publication on questions you should ask before investing, tips and worksheets for calculating net worth, and more.

Plus, one section of the website is devoted entirely to calculators! Visitors can do everything from calculate their college and student loan budget to learn how long it will take to pay off a credit card balance.

The website is available in both English and Spanish. Help your student help himself with this comprehensive and interactive resource. You'll be just in time for Financial Wellness Month, too, which happens annually in January.