Outside Resources
Alzheimer's Education
Embrace Aging - Calvin Community
LeadingAge Iowa and the Alzheimer’s Association have partnered to provide resources and education for caregivers, families and professionals on topics related to Alzheimer’s, caregiving, finances, family perspectives and more through their Embrace Aging video library.
Budget
Budget Planner Worksheet
This budget planner worksheet is a tool you can use to design your budget. A successful budget planner helps you decide how to best spend your money while avoiding or reducing debt.
Monthly Budget/Cash Flow Templates
These templates can help record monthly cash flows in and out.
Calculators
Compound Interest Calculator
Estimate your savings or spending through compound interest. By entering your initial amount, contributions, rate of return, and years of growth, you’ll see how your balance increases over time.
Cost of Living Calculator
The MoneyGeek cost of living calculator provides quick insights into how much you’ll pay in housing, utilities, groceries, and other expenses in a given city.
Inflation Calculator
Use this inflation calculator to see how much money from the past is worth today — or the other way around.
Student Loan Repayment Calculator
Users can calculate their estimated loan payments and view estimated payment changes should they begin paying interest while still in school.
Charitable Giving
Charitable Giving Tax Savings Calculator
Find out how much you may save in taxes by “bunching” your charitable contributions.
Charity Navigator
This website offers a comprehensive database of nonprofits and charities and can be used to search nonprofits and research each organization.
Donor Advised Fund Report
This report examines data from 995 charitable organizations that sponsor donor-advised funds (DAFs). The results show dramatic growth in all four key metrics: grants, contributions, charitable assets, and number of accounts.
College Savings
College Savings 529 – State List
Find a complete state-by-state list of College Savings 529 plans in the United States.
Iowa College Savings 529
Learn about a certified government investment account to save and plan for your children’s college education.
Credit Cards
Credit Card Guide
Compare credit cards side by side, read reviews, and learn about rewards, points, and interest rates.
Credit Card Interest Calculator
Using your credit card balance and interest rate, calculate how much your interest charges would be for a month.
Credit Card Payoff Calculator
This calculator can show your debt-free date with your current payments, then how much faster you’d get there by paying more each month. You can also compare debt snowball and debt avalanche payoff plans.
Credit Reports
Annual Credit Reports (Transunion, Equifax, Experion)
This is a website, authorized by federal law, that provides free credit reports.
Elder Care
Care Facility Options This website (aplaceformom.com) offers a vast database of different living options to fit your needs and preferences when looking to house an older member in your family.
Caregiver Resources
This website is a great tool for caregivers looking to find in-depth information about caring for others, and to improve the quality of life for themselves and those for whom they are caring.
Caring.com
Caring.com is a leading senior care resource for family caregivers seeking information and support as they care for aging parents, spouses, and other loved ones.
Guide to Caregiving
This guide from moneygeek.com will help prepare you for managing the day-to-day activities for a parent, spouse, sibling, or adult child with a chronic condition who cannot care for him or herself.
Memory Care Facilities
This website offers a wide variety of care facilities designed specifically for individuals with memory care issues.
Senior Move Managers
The National Association of Specialty & Senior Move Managers is an organization that helps families find senior move managers. A senior move manager is a professional who assists older adults, individuals, and families with downsizing, relocation or simplifying their homes.
U.S Department of Health & Human Services
This government article provides caregiver resources, long-term care resources, eldercare housing assistance, and other resources.
Estate Planning
Guide to Estate Planning
This guide outlines the ins and outs of estate planning, why you need one, what's included in a comprehensive plan, and how to get started.
Financial Terms
Financial Terms - Glossary
Find an alphabetical list of financial terms.
Grandparenting
Grandparenting Flyer
Enjoy some of these suggestions and activities with your grandchildren!
How to Choose a Healthcare Plan
From understanding types of health plans to comparing out-of-pocket costs, use this step-by-step guide to learn how to pick the best healthcare coverage.
Medicare
This government agency provides a variety of resources including Medicare forms, publications and podcasts, Medicare cards and handbooks, general FAQs, and how to contact the agency.
Insurance
Auto Insurance Calculator
This car insurance calculator will give you a ballpark estimate of your auto insurance cost.
Car Insurance Price Shopping
MoneyGeek analyzed hundreds of thousands of quotes to find the cheapest car insurance companies across all coverage levels.
Pet Insurance
Find out the approximate cost for pet insurance.
Life Insurance Need Calculator
Estimate the amount of life insurance you need using this coverage amount calculator.
Investing
Interest Calculator
This Interest Calculator can help determine the interest payments and final balances on not only fixed principal amounts but also additional periodic contributions.
Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
View your government tax account, tax refund status, and find other important tax information here.
IRAs
Difference between IRA and Roth IRA
Learn the difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA.
Roth IRA
This article explains what a Roth IRA is and lists the benefits and rules and how to get started.
Life Insurance
Difference between term and whole life
Learn the pros and cons of term and whole life insurance.
Life Insurance Need Calculator
This life insurance calculator uses a variety of inputs to calculate how much life insurance you might need for future expenses in the event that you pass away.
Loans/Mortgage
Loan Calculator
Use this calculator for basic calculations of common loan types such as mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and personal loans.
Mortgage Calculator
Estimate your loan payments, taxes, and PMI to determine how much your monthly mortgage payments could be.
Mortgage Prepayment Calculator
Use this calculator to figure out how prepaying your mortgage reduces the length of your mortgage.
Long-term Care Insurance
The Cost of Long-term Care
This is a guide to paying for long-term care.
Long-term Care Guide
(Government) This government resource provides insight into where to begin looking for long-term care insurance and how to get started.
Long-term Care Guide
Caring.com provides a guide that discusses what long-term care insurance is, the pros, cons, and costs of these insurance policies, and FAQs regarding long-term care insurance.
Long-term Care Insurance – Company Ratings
Money, a popular financial magazine, provides a list of the best rated long-term care insurance plans of 2022 and describes specific features of each one.
Medicare
Medicare.gov
This government agency provides a variety of resources including Medicare forms, publications and podcasts, Medicare cards and handbooks, general FAQs, and how to contact the agency.
Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP)
The Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) helps people on Medicare apply for assistance with their Part A and Part B premiums, copays and coinsurance, and prescription drug costs.
U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
View additional Medicare resources on this government website.
Quizzes
Life Values Quiz and Financial Identity Quiz
The Life Values Quiz is a research-based tool to help you better understand why you make the decisions you make. The quiz is sponsored by the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE).
Retirement Planning/Savings
401(k) Calculator
Estimate how much you could have in your 401(k) account by the time you retire.
Retirement Savings Calculator
Estimate your expected total retirement savings based on your annual contributions.
Savings Goal Calculator
Input your goal amount and current savings to determine how much to contribute every month.
Social Security
Social Security Administration
View your personal social security account, utilize a retirement estimator calculator, find answers to commonly asked questions, and explore other important information regarding your social security.
Social Security Guide and Benefit Calculator
This guide will help you understand how Social Security is computed, calculate your projected benefit, and evaluate claiming strategies to maximize your benefits.
Tax Planning
Capital Gains Tax Calculator
This is a tool to estimate your after-tax investment gains.
Federal Income Tax Return Calculator
Estimate how much you’ll owe in federal taxes, using your income, deductions, and credits.
U.S. Savings Bonds
U.S. Savings Bonds
TreasuryDirect.gov is the only place to electronically buy and redeem U.S. Savings Bonds.
Women-Specific Resources
SmartHER Money
Financial information for women provided by Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services.
