Other resources for financing transition

I have no financial connection with any service or person mentioned on this page. While I recommend these resources, you must do your own research to determine what is best for you.

Books

The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom, by Suze Orman (Crown, 1997, ISBN 0-517-70791-8)

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Suze is nationally recognized as an expert in personal financial planning. However, this book goes beyond standard how-to books. It was this book which allowed me to take control of my own finances.

While the practical advice in the middle is pretty straightforward, Suze does something almost unheard of in the world of financial planning: she asks you to look at how your attitudes about money are keeping you from what you really want.

At this time, it's only available in hardback for about twenty bucks. If that seems like too much, go read it at the library or browse it at the bookstore. Suze's insights helped me understand my own problems with money management, and she really changed my attitudes and helped me make larger connections. An outstanding resource.

Saving on a Shoestring, by Barbara O'Neill, CFP (Berkeley, 1995, ISBN 0-425-15344-4)

Barbara is a Certified Financial Planner who teaches at Rutgers University and has written an outstanding practical overview for those of us with limited funds. Her great ideas and philosophy permeate this overview.

Websites

Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) is a national non-profit organization with local offices around the nation. Their website is http://www.credit.org/ and the toll-free number is 1-800-388-2227. I use them and find them to be excellent.

Debt Counselors of America (DCA) is a national organization with an interactive web site and a toll-free number. The DCA website http://www.dca.org/ offers info and some publications and programs for sale. Their phone number is 1-800-680-3328.

FinanCenter is a truly outstanding website for personal finance. FinanCenter's clickcalcs^TM are a simply fantastic collection of over 100 calculators for figuring everything from savings, interest on loans, budgeting, and credit cars. Sites like FinanCenter's are what make the internet so great.

Some of the financial definitions are from a good site called InvestorWords.

The American Bankruptcy Institute has a good page of basic terms, and an overview of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. I also recommend looking at their page on consumer options, which has a great basic Q & A.

The National Credit Union Administration has a nice site with a list of credit unions by state.

Order the interactive spreadsheet of this financing information.