Personal Finance

pfina

Looking for ways to make the most of your money? Use the resources on this page to help you learn more about how to save, spend, invest, borrow and protect your money. The resources include library databases, government and nonprofit organizations that focus on money management.

Visit the Tax Information page to print forms and find information about Illinois state and federal taxes. The library also has some forms and instruction booklets available and a self-print station to print forms.

If you need help earning money, visit our Jobs & Careers page.

If you need information about starting a business or nonprofit, visit our Business & Nonprofit Services page.

your money

Your Money

You can do a lot of things with your money, but most of what you do falls in the categories of earn, spend, save, borrow and protect. Once you have earned money, should you spend it, save it or protect it? Do you need or want something that you have

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consumer

Consumer Help

Several government offices and nonprofit organizations provide help for the consumer to make the best choice for themselves when it comes to products of any kind. 


  • Citizens Utility Board - Tips to lower utility bills, to avoid scams, and to get information about various utilities. Click the Resources tab for
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investing

Investing

There are several online resources from government and regulatory agencies that can help you learn about investing. The library also subscribes to two databases, Morningstar Investment Research Center and Value Line Research Center, that have investment education sections with courses, videos, quizzes and glossaries to help you learn more. You will

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financial

Financial Planning

Guides for Financial Decisions - Topics such as buying a house, getting an auto loan, paying for college, planning for retirement.


Answers to commonly asked financial questions about topics like auto loans, credit cards, credit reports and scores, mortgages, reverse mortgages, and student loans.


Budgeting - How to create a

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further

Further Reading

Here is a list of items about personal finance that are available from the library. To narrow down the list, look at the left margin and click the boxes to choose the format (book, magazine, ebook, etc.), audience, fiction/nonfiction and language if desired. 

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children

Teaching Children About Money

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Personal Finance Programs

VIRTUAL: Learn About Illinois ABLE
, , – /Zoom Event
Your Money: Understanding Credit
, , – /Cardinal Room
 

Gale Courses Related to Personal Finance


Business Resources

CFRA MarketScope Advisor

CFRA Research produces industry surveys, stock reports, mutual fund reports, The Outlook newsletter, and much more (and is the provider of these products to S&P).


ConsumerLab

Reviews of health, wellness and nutritional products, based on test results published by an independent laboratory.


ConsumerReports.org

Product reviews for home, health, electronics, etc. You can also browse individual CR issues (2009-present).


Video Tutorial

Consumers' Checkbook

Consumer reviews of local services for home/construction, auto repair, medical services/hospitals and more. Includes consumer guides to help you with the decision-making process. (NOTE: Once on the homepage, use the "I'm looking for..." search box at upper right or the "Services We Rate" drop-down menu at upper left.)


FinancialFit

Offers short, easy-to-understand personal finance lessons, videos and interactive tools that empower you to make informed financial decisions and achieve your financial goals.

Arlington Heights cardholders only

Morningstar Investment Research Center

Mutual Funds, Stocks, ETFs; powerful screening tools. Learn the fundamentals of investing from their Investing Classroom page (on the left-side menu).


More Info | Video Tutorial

Nexis Uni

From Lexis Nexis. Legal sources (federal/state statutes/cases), business directories, news/magazine/journal articles and much more. Directory listings from Company Dossier can be downloaded for mailing/contact lists. Topic-specific training videos  available.

NOTE: Nexis Uni has introduced a new interface. Learn more here or register for a free webinar.

7/7/24: Nexis Uni having login problems. 

  • If you get an error message with a blue button to "Go to My Start Page," click on that button and you will go through to the product. 
  • If you are prompted  to "Continue and Sign In...," click on the sign in message, but DO NOT try to fill out the sign-in form. Instead, return to the Nexis Uni on our databases menu and click on that link again. Then click on "Go to My Start Page," as above.

Value Line Research Center

Investment advice on the stock market industries and the economy. Learn more about their specialized tools here.

NOTE: The main link above now takes you to the Value Line Dashboard page, which features links to their newsletters and reports reports (Options Survey, Fund Advisor, Special Situations, etc.). Visit the "Browse Research" page for screeners and other analysis tools.


Video Tutorial

Weiss Financial Ratings Series

Rates safety and financial stability of banks, credit unions, insurers, stocks and mutual funds. Includes a Medigap Plan selection tool. See their special Video Training Library with guides on investing, researching medigap plans, evaluating financial/insurance institutions and more.


Video Tutorial