Personal Finances

Information and practical advice to cope with unemployment, manage your personal finances, get help with credit counseling, and avoiding employment scams.

Coping with unemployment

Wisconsin Job Center Publications have these online brochures:

From the University of Wisconsin Extension:

From Bankrate.com:

From the Working for America Institute:

Attorneys.com has articles on various legal topics, including bankruuptcy.

Managing finances

Budgeting, using credit, saving, investing, and getting ahead financially.

  • MoneySKILL, a personal finance course, is a highly interactive, reality-based Internet curriculum. Its purpose is to educate students to make informed financial decisions. The course consists of 34 "How To" modules on income, money management, spending and credit, and saving and investing.
  • Investing in Your Future, A Basic Investing Home Study Course. This 11-unit home study course was developed for beginning investors with small dollar amounts to invest at any one time. Sponsored by Rutgers University Cooperative Extension.
  • Financial Planning Tool Kit. Information to help you have money conversations, achieve financial goals, and work through challenges. Use the toolkit to order and fix credit reports, make decisions about repaying debts and taking on new debt, keep track of income and bills, and much more!

Credit Counseling

Find a Licensed Consumer Credit Counselor in Wisconsin (Adjustment Service Company). View a list from the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions.

Wisconsin Debt Collection Practices. Anyone attempting to collect a debt arising from a consumer transaction in Wisconsin, whether a merchant doing its own debt collecting or a third-party debt collector, must follow Wisconsin’s debt collection law.

Avoiding Consumer Scams

These resources help you be an informed consumer and avoid being a victim of consumer fraud, deceptive advertising, and just plain BAD DEALS. Remember the old saying: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."