Appendix B — The Official Source List

Throughout this course, almost every figure and rule is routed to an official source rather than printed as a number that will quietly go stale — because tax thresholds, benefit amounts, and contribution limits change most years, and the open internet is full of confident, monetized, and outdated money “facts.” This appendix gathers those official sources in one place, organized by topic: the front doors to trust, and the places to confirm anything in this course (or anywhere) for yourself. The simple rule underneath it: if a claim about your money can’t be traced back to one of these, treat it with healthy suspicion. These are U.S. federal agencies and a few specifically authorized or well-established nonprofits; this is general education, not advice, and it points you to where the authoritative answer for your situation lives. (For where to get help — legal aid, counseling, complaints — see Appendix D; for how to check a source, see Appendix C.)

Money basics, banking, and consumer protection

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — consumerfinance.gov — the single best plain-language source for banking, credit, debt, and consumer-finance questions (and a complaint system).

• FDIC — fdic.gov — deposit insurance and bank questions; NCUA — ncua.gov — the same for credit unions.

• USA.gov — usa.gov — the federal government’s master directory, useful for finding any agency or program.

Credit reports and scores

• AnnualCreditReport.com — annualcreditreport.com — the only federally authorized site for your free credit reports (beware sound-alike sites).

• CFPB — consumerfinance.gov — how credit reports/scores work and how to dispute errors.

Debt, collections, and scams

• CFPB — consumerfinance.gov/complaint — debt-collector and lender problems (also 855-411-2372).

• FTC consumer advice — consumer.ftc.gov — debt, scams, and your rights; report fraud at reportfraud.ftc.gov; identity-theft recovery at identitytheft.gov.

Taxes

• IRS — irs.gov — the source of truth for every tax figure, free-filing options, payment plans, and the Taxpayer Advocate Service.

Income, work, and benefits

• Social Security Administration — ssa.gov — retirement, disability (SSDI), SSI, and survivor benefits (1-800-772-1213).

• U.S. Department of Labor — dol.gov — wage, overtime, family-leave (FMLA), and unemployment-program rules.

• USA.gov Benefit Finder — usa.gov/benefit-finder — a federal tool to screen for benefit programs you may qualify for. (Replaced Benefits.gov, retired in 2024.)

Health coverage and medical bills

• HealthCare.gov — healthcare.gov — the ACA Marketplace and premium tax credits.

• Medicare.gov — medicare.gov — Medicare enrollment, costs, and plans; CMS — cms.gov — the agency behind both.

• LIHEAP (energy bills) — acf.hhs.gov — help paying utility bills and preventing shutoffs.

Investing and financial professionals

• Investor.gov (SEC) — investor.gov — plain-language investing education and fraud warnings from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• Check a professional’s background, free: FINRA BrokerCheck — brokercheck.finra.org — and the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure — adviserinfo.sec.gov — before trusting anyone with your money.

Student loans

• Federal Student Aid — studentaid.gov — the official source for federal student loans, repayment plans, and forgiveness (not a paid “servicer help” site).

Housing

• HUD — hud.gov — free housing counseling, fair-housing complaints, and renting/buying guidance.

Estate, death, and veterans

• SSA (ssa.gov) for survivor benefits; VA (va.gov) for veterans’ survivor and burial benefits; IRS (irs.gov) for final returns and estate-tax thresholds.

• U.S. Courts — uscourts.gov — how bankruptcy works; U.S. Trustee Program — justice.gov/ust — approved credit-counseling agencies.

Free legal and local help

• Legal Services Corporation — lsc.gov — and LawHelp.org — lawhelp.org — for free civil legal aid if you qualify.

• Dial 211 — 211.org — local help with rent, utilities, food, and essentials; Eldercare Locator — eldercare.acl.gov, 1-800-677-1116 — for older adults.

If financial stress becomes overwhelming

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Free, confidential, 24/7.

The honest limit

This is a directory of authoritative sources, not advice, and it can’t tell you which answer applies to your situation. Agencies occasionally reorganize their sites, change phone numbers, or move pages, so if a link has moved, search the agency’s name plus your topic and confirm you’ve landed on the official .gov (or the specifically named authority) before relying on what you find. For a decision that turns on your specifics, these sources point you to the agency or professional who can answer for your case.

Key takeaways

• The official sources are the ones to trust — federal .gov sites and a few specifically authorized or well-established nonprofits — and this appendix is the consolidated map of them by topic.

• A few are uniquely authoritative: annualcreditreport.com is the only federally authorized free-credit-report site; irs.gov for tax figures; ssa.gov for benefits; studentaid.gov for federal student loans; and brokercheck.finra.org / adviserinfo.sec.gov to vet a financial professional.

• If a money “fact” can’t be traced to a source like these, be skeptical — and use Appendix C for how to check it, and Appendix D for where to get help.

Educational disclaimer: This page provides general financial education for a general audience in the United States. It is a directory of authoritative sources for general information; it is not individualized advice, and listing a source is not a guarantee of any outcome. Government sites and programs change over time and many programs are administered at the state or local level; confirm current information directly with each source. For your specific situation, use these sources to reach the relevant agency or a qualified professional.