Does tax time leave you stressed and frustrated by terms and concepts you don’t understand? Do you always wonder if you’ve paid too little or too much? This course will help you to understand common tax terms and concepts so you can confidently do it yourself or communicate with a tax preparer.

You’ll learn:

• How tax brackets determine how much we’re taxed
• The difference between a tax credit and tax deduction
• Why some people get a big refund and others end up owing money
• Options for completing and filing a tax return and their pros and cons

Do you want to raise your credit score but you’re not sure how? Are you confused by terms and concepts you don’t understand? Have you gotten into trouble with credit before and want to learn how to avoid trouble again? Are you afraid to use credit because you know someone who has gotten into trouble and you want to avoid making the mistakes they did? This course will help you to understand common credit terms and concepts so you can confidently build your credit reputation while avoiding the mistakes that so many people make when using credit.

You’ll learn:

• How lenders use your credit reputation to decide whether or not to lend you money
• How credit scores make that decision easier and faster for many lenders
• Why some people have high credit scores and others don’t
• Behaviors that will, if you use them consistently, raise your credit scores and keep you out of trouble

Overwhelming debt is a very emotional topic. Search the Internet or talk to your family and friends and you’ll quickly find that they have a variety of opinions about borrowing money, paying it back, and how to avoid trouble. The truth is that most people find themselves needing to borrow money at some point in their lives and some of them find themselves regretting that decision later. This course is about what you can do if you find yourself in trouble after borrowing money. You’ll learn:

• Why people find themselves in debt and why they decide to dig out
• What you can do, yourself, to dig out of debt
• How you can get help and the pros and cons of each approachh

In this course, you will gain a fundamental understanding of budgeting and banking basics, and learn:

• How to manage your personal finances effectively
• How to track your spending, make a budget, and review and adjust your budget as your financial situation changes
• The basics of banking and the different types of financial institutions, including banks and credit unions
• How the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), ensure that your money is safe in the event of bank failure
• How to open and use checking and savings accounts, and how they differ

The benefits of online and mobile banking, and how they can help you manage your money more efficiently

Social Security benefits help millions of blind and disabled people make ends meet, but they are also a frequent source of anxiety and stress. We have designed this course to help you better understand how Social Security works. In this course you will learn:

• Why Social Security exists
• Why you have a Social Security number and how Social Security uses it
• Which types of benefits Social Security offers
• How to understand which benefits you are eligible for
• How to receive communications from Social Security in accessible formats
• Who can help if you have questions or run into trouble