Financial and Retirement Planning Resources

The following resources are being provided to assist you in improving your financial literacy and education so you can work towards achieving your retirement goals. HHS and NIH does not endorse any particular product. This information is provided to you for educational purposes only.

• American Savings Education Council    - SEC is a forum where partners can share information and materials, gain support for their initiatives, and enlist assistance from other partners in order to educate Americans about the need to budget, manage credit, set goals, save, invest, and plan for all life events and life stages, including retirement.
• Bureau of Consumer Protection - This organization, part of the Federal Trade Commission, has information related to identity theft, free annual credit reports, and other important topics.
• Bureau of Public Debt - Is responsible for borrowing the money needed to operate the Federal government by selling Treasury bills, bonds, and notes, as well as U.S. Savings Bonds to the public. They have information and can answer questions from employees about buying U.S. Savings Bonds.
• Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. - Fosters professional standards in personal financial planning so that the public has access to and benefits from competent and ethical financial planning.
• Choose to Save - This is a national public education and outreach program.
• Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service - Targets programs for youth, financially vulnerable populations, and consumers making financial decisions through their lifetime. The overall goal is for people to acquire the knowledge, skills, and motivation to build financial security. Programs focus on behavioral change, starting with achieving financial self-sufficiency, then stability.
• Debtscape, Inc. - A non-profit credit counseling organization offering debt management services and credit counseling to those in need.
• Employee Benefits Security Administration - This organization, part of the Department of Labor, develops and enforces laws, and educates employers and workers about retirement benefit plans and the importance of personal savings for retirement.
• Federal Ballpark Estimate - The Federal Ballpark Estimate allows Federal employees to automatically calculate estimates of future Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) retirement benefits and Thrift Savings Plan account balances.
• Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program - Designed specifically for members of the Federal family. It is sponsored by the Federal Government and backed by two of the country's top insurance companies. The program is designed to help protect enrollees against the high costs of long term care.
• Financial Network Investment Corp - Provides investment and insurance services to a number of local credit unions on a consultative basis, primarily personal financial planning and employee group benefit planning.
• Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS) - Allows Federal employees to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for a wide range of common, out-of-pocket health and dependent care expenses. By paying with pre-tax dollars, participants reduce their taxes, resulting in a 20% to more than 40% savings on the items and care they need.
• General Services Administration Federal Citizen Information Center - This is a one-stop source for answers to questions about consumer problems and government services. Consumers can get the information they need in three ways: by calling toll-free 1 (800) FED-INFO, through printed publications, or through information posted on the website (www.firstgov.gov , www.pueblo .gsa.gov , www.kids.gov , www.consumeraction.gov ).
• General Services Administration, Consumer Information Catalog - A representative will not be present at the Financial Planning Expo; however, materials have been provided for attendees.
• InCharge® Education Foundation, Inc - A national non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational products, services and research supporting the personal financial literacy of consumers across America.
• Lighthouse Credit Foundation - A non-profit credit counseling organization that promotes financial literacy and debt management services that provide numerous money-saving benefits.
• Maryland College Savings Plans - An independent non-profit Maryland State agency that administers Maryland's two 529 college savings plans: 1) the Maryland Prepaid College Trust and 2) the Maryland College Investment Plan.
• Members Financial Services (A component of the NIH Federal Credit Union) - Offers Investment, Insurance, and Retirement Planning through CUNA Brokerage Services, Inc. (Member of NASD/SIPC). You have access to one-on-one financial planning with an experienced financial advisor. We can provide you with assistance in making important decisions; from someone just starting to invest, to a family saving money for their children’s education, to an experienced employee nearing retirement. No plan is too simple or complex for the services of this program.
• mymoney - this is the Federal Government's website dedicated to helping Americans understand more about their money – how to save it, invest it, and manage it to meet their personal goals.
• Money Management International - A non-profit credit organization that offers confidential financial guidance, free consumer credit counseling services, educational resources, and debt management assistance. The website also provides interactive financial tools and calculators.
• National Council on Economic Education - Their mission is to help students develop the real-life skills they need to succeed: to be able to think and choose responsibly as consumers, savers, investors, citizens, members of the workforce, and effective participants in a global economy.
• National Endowment for Financial Education - Was created to provide Americans with practical money-management skills and an introduction to financial planning through course work that covers the fundamentals of money management.
• NIH Federal Credit Union - Provides members not only with excellent products and quality member service, but to also provide information and options to help members make the best financial choices.
• NIH Work/Life Center - Helps employees balance the increasing demands of work with their personal interests and responsibilities. They offer personal finance resource services covering tax law, financial planning, investment strategies, family budgeting and debt consolidation.
• Office of Investor Education and Assistance - This organization, part of the Securities and Exchange Commission, provides a variety of services to address the problems and questions you may face as an investor. We cannot tell you what investments to make, but we can tell you how to invest wisely and avoid fraud.
• Securities and Exchange Commission - Serves individual investors ensuring that their problems and concerns are known throughout the SEC and are considered when the agency takes action. In addition to handling questions and complaints, the Office of Investor Education and Assistance creates and disseminates educational literature and tools to help Americans learn how to save and invest wisely, prepare for retirement, and achieve financial security.
• Social Security Administration - It is important that every American understand what Social Security means to their and their family's financial future.
• Society for Financial Education and Professional Development - The primary mission of this non-profit organization is to enhance the level of financial and economic literacy of individuals and households in the United States and promote professional development at the initial stage of career development and mid-level management.
• Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) - A retirement savings plan which is administered by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. The TSP is one of the three-tiers of the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) and provides employees the opportunity to participate in a long-term savings and investment plan.
• Wise Up Women - Promotes financial literacy among Generation X women with its Wi$e Up demonstration project. The curriculum covers basic financial planning concepts, such as setting financial goals, budgeting, managing credit, increasing savings, purchasing insurance, and investing.
• Women's Bureau - This mission of this organization, part of the Department of Labor, is to promote the well being of wage-earning women, improve their working conditions, increase their efficiency, and advance their opportunities for profitable employment.

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