Money management should never get in the way of career advancement.  Learn what you need to know to take advantage of a wide range of employer benefits, prepare for unexpected career changes and chart a clear path to job success. Articles Budgeting Basics Establishing a budget Getting started: establishing a financial safety net Career Planning Changing Jobs? Take Your 401(k) and ... Roll It! Evaluating a job offer Evaluating an early retirement offer Time Off If You Need It Tips for Working in an Entry-Level Position Cars and Auto Insurance ABCs of auto insurance Buying a car How to save money on your auto insurance Things to consider before purchasing a hybrid car Credit and Debt A Consumer Debt Repayment Strategy Choosing a credit card Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Credit traps for the unwary Debt consolidation Three scams to avoid in tough times Understanding your credit report Disability Insurance The fundamentals of disability insurance Financial Planning Is There Hope on the Horizon Time to Consider Year-End Investment Moves Working with a financial advisor General Insurance Topics Shopping for insurance Health Care and Health Insurance Health insurance made simple Life Insurance Life insurance basics Types of life insurance policies Long-term Care Insurance Understanding long-term care insurance Retirement Planning Borrowing or withdrawing money from your 401(k) plan Choosing a beneficiary for your IRA or 401(k) Deciding what to do with your 401(k) plan when you change jobs Exceptions to the Early Distribution Penalty Retirement planning--the basics Taking advantage of employer-sponsored retirement plans What to do after you've been automatically enrolled in your company's retirement plan Saving and Investing Asset allocation Common investment goals Creating an investment portfolio Dollar cost averaging Handling market volatility Investing in bonds Investing in stocks Investment planning--the basics Investor Education Mutual fund basics Other investments Six keys to successful investing Taxation of investments Understanding investment terms and concepts Understanding mutual fund share classes Understanding risk Social Security Social Security Benefits and Working Social Security disability benefits Social Security retirement benefits Social Security survivor's benefits Understanding Social Security Sudden Wealth Sudden wealth Taxes Am I having enough withheld? Choosing an income tax filing status Don't Overlook Job Search Deductions Help! I can't pay my tax bill Personal deduction planning Spending Your Refund Check Surviving an audit Tax planning for income Taxation of investments Understanding personal tax credits Year-end tax planning Tools Financial Quiz Budgeting Basics Alternative Payment Frequencies Basic Financial Calculator Checkbook Balancer Consumer price index inflation calculator Net worth calculator Personal cash flow worksheet Savings, Taxes and Inflation Cars and Auto Insurance Auto insurance analyzer Auto Loan Early Payoff Auto loan payment calculator Auto Loans Auto Rebate vs. Low Interest Financing Home Equity vs. Auto loan How to save money on your auto insurance Lease vs. Buy Low Interest Financing Savings Should you buy or lease your car? Credit and Debt Credit Card Optimizer Credit Card Pay Off Credit cards--advantages vs. disadvantages Credit Line Deciding which credit card to get Rolldown your Credit Card debt! Disability Insurance Disability Insurance Disability insurance benefit period Disability insurance cost-of-living rider Disability insurance waiting period Disability insurance waiver of premiums How much disability insurance can you buy? Individual/group disability policy alternatives Likelihood of suffering a disability by age 50 Noncancelable and guaranteed renewable disability policies Recurrent disability provision Residual and partial disability benefits When do you qualify for disability benefits? General Insurance Topics How insurance preserves assets Health Care and Health Insurance Comparison of typical health plans Which health plan is right for you Life Insurance Advantages and disadvantages of cash value insurance Advantages and disadvantages of term insurance Comparison of level term and annual term premiums Comparison of men's and women's mortality Comparison of types of life insurance How life insurance companies are rated How term life insurance works How traditional whole life insurance works How universal life insurance works How variable universal life insurance works How variable whole life insurance works Life Expectancy Calculator Life Insurance Calculator Life insurance needs analyzer What is your life expectancy? What is your life insurance rating? Long-term Care Insurance Comparing long-term care insurance policies Inflation protection options Long Term Care Calculator Should you consider buying long-term care insurance (LTCI)? What to avoid when buying a long-term care insurance policy Retirement Planning 401(k) plans How taxation can affect your retirement funds Saving for your retirement Should you save in a 401(k) or a Roth IRA? Solo 401(k) Illustration Saving and Investing Annual Stock Option Grants Annuities Asset allocation pie chart illustrator Asset Allocator Benefit of Spending Less Building an investment portfolio Capital gains and dividends tax relief Certificate of Deposit Calculator Common investment mistakes to avoid Common types of mutual funds Compound Interest Don't delay your savings! Emergency Savings Calculator Exchange traded funds and mutual funds compared Future Contracts Calculator Growth of annual deposits calculator Investing for retirement Investment Loan Investment Returns Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003: Highlights Lunch Savings Calculator Major asset classes Savings Calculator Savings Distribution Calculator Savings Goals Savings, Taxes and Inflation Simple rules for investing Steps to financial planning success Stock Option Calculator What is your risk tolerance? Social Security How earnings affect Social Security Social Security Benefits Social Security figures at-a-glance Sudden Wealth Cool Million Taxes 1040 Tax Calculator Accelerating deductions/postponing income Accelerating income/postponing deductions Federal individual income tax fundamentals Loan and Credit Line Tax Savings Marginal Tax Calculator Mortgage Tax Savings Calculator Payroll Deductions Tax credit sampler U.S. 1040EZ Tax Estimator FAQs Cars and Auto Insurance Another driver smashed my car, but he doesn't have insurance. How am I going to pay for the repairs? Do I need to get auto insurance before I buy a new car? How can I reduce my auto insurance bill? How much will my monthly car payment be? I just had a car accident. How do I file a claim with my insurance company? Im considered a risky driver. How can I get insurance? Is there any way to get out of a car lease? I've found a better deal on auto insurance, but how hard is it to switch from one insurance company to another? Should I buy medical payments coverage? Should I buy or lease a car? Should I pay cash for a car or finance it? What is no-fault insurance? When I rent a car, should I purchase the collision damage waiver insurance that's offered to me? Why do I need to provide so much information when getting an auto insurance quote? Credit and Debt Have the disclosure rules for credit cards changed? How can I correct errors on my credit report? How can I figure out my net worth? How can I get credit if I have no credit history? How can I lower the interest rate on my credit card? How can I pay off my credit card debt? How can I protect myself against identity theft? How can I reduce my spending? How can I repair my poor credit? How do I get a copy of my credit report? How long should I keep copies of my tax returns? How much money should I keep in a savings account for emergencies? I can't pay my bills. Should I declare bankruptcy? I get a lot of credit card offers. How can I tell which one is best? I've finally paid off my credit cards. Should I close the accounts or leave them open with zero balances? Should I invest my extra cash or use it to pay off debt? What is freezing my credit report? Will debt consolidation hurt or help my credit rating? Disability Insurance Do I need disability insurance? How can I reduce the cost of disability insurance? How do I apply for workers' compensation benefits? If I have long-term disability insurance coverage through my employer, do I need my own policy, too? Will I have to pay life insurance premiums if I become disabled? General Insurance Topics Is there any type of insurance that can protect against losses from investments? Health Care and Health Insurance Do I need cancer insurance? How can I get affordable health insurance if I'm self-employed? How much health insurance coverage do I need? If I leave my job, will I lose my employer-sponsored health insurance? What are health reimbursement arrangements? What is critical illness insurance? What's the difference between an HMO and a PPO? Life Insurance Can I change the beneficiary on my life insurance policy? If so, how do I do it? Can I use life insurance to help me save for retirement? How can I reduce the cost of life insurance? How do I decide if I should replace my existing life insurance policy with a new one? How much life insurance do I need? If I leave my company, can I take my life insurance policy with me? Should I buy term or cash value life insurance? What is group life insurance? What is term life insurance? What is whole life insurance? When I die, is my beneficiary required to take a lump-sum payment of my life insurance death benefit? Why do I need life insurance? Long-term Care Insurance Should I buy long-term care insurance? What is long-term care insurance? Retirement Planning Can I roll a retirement plan distribution into an IRA? Can I still have a traditional IRA if I contribute to my 401(k) plan at work? Does the federal government insure pension benefits? How can I plan for retirement if my employer doesn't offer retirement benefits? I teach at a school that has a 403(b) plan. Is this type of plan a good way to save for retirement? My company has a profit-sharing plan. How do these plans work? Should I accept my employer's early retirement offer? Should I contribute to my 401(k) plan at work? Should I use my 401(k) to fund my child's college education? Should You Roll Your 401(k) Money Over to an IRA What are my options if I inherit an IRA or employer-sponsored plan? What does the term "qualified plan" mean? What is vesting? Saving and Investing Are government savings bonds risk free? Are savings bonds a good way to save? Do series EE bonds offer any special advantages if used for college savings? How aggressive should I be when I invest for retirement? How can I gauge my risk tolerance? How did the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 change capital gains tax rates? How do I construct an investment portfolio that's right for me? How long should I hang on to an investment? How much of my portfolio should I keep in stocks? How should I structure my retirement portfolio? Is it better to invest in a tax-free or a taxable mutual fund? Is there any type of insurance that can protect against losses from investments? Should I invest in mutual funds or individual securities? Should I invest my extra cash or use it to pay off debt? Should I work with a stockbroker to buy individual stocks? What are DRIPs? What is a mutual fund prospectus and how do I read it? What is a stock split? What is asset allocation and how does it work? What is dollar cost averaging and how do I know if it's right for me? What is the difference between an open-end and a closed-end mutual fund? What's the difference between growth investing and value investing? Who do I call if I have a complaint about my stockbroker? Will I have to pay tax on my investment income? Social Security How can I get an estimate of my Social Security benefits? Should I retire now at age 62 and collect Social Security benefits, or should I wait until age 65? What happens if I start collecting Social Security after age 65? What is SSI? When I retire, how much will I receive from Social Security? Sudden Wealth What's the best way to handle a financial windfall? When I play the lottery, I have to choose between a lump sum and annual payments. Does it matter? Taxes Am I having enough tax withheld from my paycheck? Are my Social Security benefits subject to income tax? Are scholarships and grants subject to federal income tax? Do I have to file a federal income tax return? Do I have to pay U.S. taxes when I work abroad? How did the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 change capital gains tax rates? I don't have the cash to pay my taxes. What can I do? I received a state tax refund last year. Must I include that amount as income on my federal return this year? What is my tax bracket? What is the alternative minimum tax? What is the kiddie tax? What penalties and interest will I be charged for paying and filing my federal income taxes late? Will I have to pay tax on my investment income? Travel Do I have to pay U.S. taxes when I work abroad? Should I buy travel insurance?

The 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy Web site offers general information for managing personal finances and does not recommend specific financial actions.  For financial advice tailored to your situation, please contact an expert such as a CPA or a personal financial advisor.