Resources
Unifund has compiled this list of resources that can be used for debt reduction, financial planning, financial management and credit scoring & reporting.
Financial Coaches
Dave Ramsey Financial author, syndicated radio host and motivational speaker. The focus of Ramsey’s work is inspiring and encouraging individuals to reduce their debt as a first step towards changing their financial lives.
Suze OrmanAuthor, financial advisor, motivational speaker and TV host. Orman speaks broadly about a variety of topics related to personal financial management, debt reduction and investing.
Clark Howard Popular consumer expert and nationally syndicated radio talk show host. Howard advises consumers on ways to save more, spend less, avoid scams, prepare their finances for the future and squeeze as much as possible out of their current income.
Financial Tools
Credit Karma Free credit and financial management program available on the web and major mobile platforms. Credit Karma provides weekly updated credit scores and credit reports from major national credit bureaus. It also provides credit tools such as Credit Score Simulator, which simulates the effect of potential financial actions on a user’s credit score.
MintFree, web-based personal financial management service. Mint’s primary service is to help users track bank, credit card, investment, and loan transaction and balances through a simple user interface. Mint can also be used to create budgets and set financial goals.
Betterment A financial advising and investment site that uses software to automate value-added tasks that most brokers charge big fees to do.Betterment is just like many of the biggest banks that sell long-term wealth management and retirement solutions, except that Betterment does this with significantly lower costs to the consumer.
Personal Capital Free service that syncs all of your financial accounts in one location. Personal Capital creates summaries of cash flow, net worth and investment portfolios with recommendations. For an additional charge,Personal Capital offers a service to actively manage your investment portfolio.
Ready For ZeroOnline service focused on debt reduction using a free repayment plan model. Ready for Zero will also automate payments for a monthly fee.
Better Money HabitsFREE online resource created in partnership with Bank of America and Khan Academy. Offers videos and tools to hep understand the concepts of personal finance.
RMA AssociationThe RMA Association provides consumers with information and tools so you can make informed financial decisions and take control of your finances.
ShopperfundWorks closely with hundreds of stores to provide offers and discounts that allow you to shop online. The key to ShopperFund is that it offers cash back rewards that can ONLY be used to pay down existing debt.
undebt.itFREE mobile-friendly debt snowball management tool to help you get out of debt.
Staff picks / books
THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER: A PROVEN PLAN FOR FINANCIAL FITNESS by Dave Ramsey Excellent book for helping beginners get a handle on their finances. It offers a simple, step-by-step process for reducing debt and establishing a budgeting plan to help you stay out of debt.
ZERO DEBT: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox This book is all about helping individuals dig out of debt. It includes valuable information and practical financial planning advice – especially tips for dealing with past due bills and bill collectors.
THE 9 STEPS TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM by Suze Orman Excellent book with guidance on all areas of financial planning and responsible money management. Suze covers everything from getting out of debt to investing and growing your money.
GET CLARK SMART by Clark Howard and Mark Meltzer This is a book about practical advice for the average American. It covers things like car buying vs. leasing, how to not get taken when you negotiate, how to buy insurance, home buying, travel advice and more. credit reporting agencies
ANNUAL CREDIT REPORT.COM Website jointly operated by three major U.S. credit-reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, Transunion). The site was created in order to comply with their obligations under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) to provide a mechanism for American consumers to receive up to three free credit reports per year.
equifax Consumer credit reporting agency, considered one of the threelargest credit agencies along with Experian and Transunion. Equifax is the oldest of the three agencies and maintains information on over 400 million credit holders worldwide.
experian Provides a variety of credit and financial management services. Its principal lines of business are credit-reporting services, marketing services and decision analytics. Experian collects information on people, businesses, motor vehicles and insurance, as well as lifestyle data from on and offline surveys.
Transunion Provides credit information and information management services to approximately 45,000 businesses and approximately 500 million consumers worldwide. Transunion is the third largest credit-reporting bureau in the U.S.
innovis Provides credit-reporting services to American consumers. Products include identity verification, receivables management and fraud & identity theft protection.
shopperfund
shopperfund Innovative debt reduction tool Join Shopperfund and earn PayOff Credits from thousands of online retailers to pay down your financial obligations. identity theft / fraud
Federal Trade Commission A comprehensive review of what steps consumers can take in the event of identity theft.
Lifelock American identity theft protection company. The company offers the LifeLock Identity Theft Protection System, which is intended to detect fraudulent applications for various credit and non-credit related services.
Identityforce Delivers ongoing monitoring, rapid alerts and recovery services. IdentityForce features an early warning system with instant notification when personal information is at risk.
Identityguard Offers a variety of identity theft protection services. IdentityGuard’s primary products include proactive personal information monitoring, comprehensive credit and identity protection and ID theft recovery assistance.
regulatory assistance
CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU Otherwise known as the CFPB, the Bureau is an independent agency of the U.S. government responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector. The CFPB is tasked with the responsibility to “promote fairness and transparency for mortgages, credit cards and other consumer financial products and services.”
Know Your Rights
Know your rights Did you know that a debt collector can’t threaten to have your wages garnished? If you are in debt and have creditors contacting you, it is important to know your rights as a consumer. Click here to see answers to the most commonly asked questions from consumers who are dealing with debt collectors. You can also learn more from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.