Become.com
Product reviews, buying guides, product details, prices, discussion forums and links to online vendors.

Better Business Bureau
View dozens of buying guides and informational pamphlets, find out about current scams or connect with organizations that help consumers.

Consumer World
A good starting point for research and resources.

The Dollar Stretcher
A free weekly newsletter featuring money-saving tips and ideas along with a library of previous articles organized by subject.

Findlaw Consumer Law Center

Government Web Sites

Good Starting Points

Appraisal Guides

Buying Guides

Fuel Efficiency

Gas Prices
Search by zip code or state and city to find the lowest current gas prices in your area.

Safety and Insurance

Catalogue for Philanthropy
Information on selected organizations throughout the DC metro area.

Charitable Donations: Give or Take?
The Federal Trade Commission suggests precautions you can take to ensure that a charity is legitimate and/or determine how your contribution will be used.

Charity Navigator
Thousands of charities are rated based on information provided in informational tax returns (IRS Form 990).

The Cumulative List of Organizations
The online version of IRS Publication 78, which lists tax-exempt organizations and tells you how much of your contribution to an organization is tax deductible.

Guidestar: The Donor's Guide to the Charitable Universe
Philanthropic Research, Inc., provides objective information to help donors evaluate charities. The online database includes more than 1.7 million nonprofit organizations in the United States.

Give.org
Tips for donors and evaluations of hundreds of charitable organizations.

eConsumer.gov
The eConsumer.gov Web site, produced collaboratively by several countries, provides a form for submitting a complaint that can be forwarded to a member country or an alternative dispute resolution service. The site also offers links to online shopping tips produced (in English) by member countries.

Fairfax County Consumer Central
The Consumer Protection Division can help county residents file complaints against businesses or landlords and research the complaint histories of companies before engaging in business with them.

How to Complain
The online version of the "Consumer Action Handbook," published by the Federal Consumer Information Center, includes a sample complaint letter.

U.S. Federal Trade Commission: Complaint Assistant
The FTC's Complaint Assistant will guide you though the process of registering a complaint online with the FTC. According to a statement on the Web page, "While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems, your complaint helps us investigate fraud, and can lead to law enforcement action."

Who to Contact
Virginia's state Web site includes two resources that can help you direct your complaint to the appropriate agency.

Bankrate.com
Consumer bank rates for mortgages, credit cards, home equity loans and lines, auto loans, personal loans and CDs.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Washington
CCCS is a nonprofit organization committed to helping individuals and families resolve their financial problems through free, confidential professional services.

Credit Bureaus
Information on credit reports, and links to the three major credit reporting agencies.

Credit Information from the Federal Trade Commission
The FTC's site offers easy access to consumer resources produced by the FTC and other agencies; the full text of legislation and rules; links to other sites; news updates; and more.

Credit Scoring
These sites explain the methods that creditors use to evaluate your ability to make credit payments or repay a loan.

Debt Collection Practices: When Hardball Tactics Go Too Far
This fact sheet, produced by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, describes your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and other laws relating to debt collection.

Federal Deposit Insurance
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) describes which types of financial products and services may be covered and lists the maximum amount covered for various types of accounts. The site also includes an estimator that calculates your FDIC insurance coverage for each FDIC-insured bank where you have deposit accounts, and a Bank Find through which you can look up information about a specific bank.

Free Annual Credit Reports
Federal law requires each of three nationwide consumer reporting companies to provide one free credit report per year to consumers. Requests can be made online, by phone or by mail. The FTC provides additional information about this program.

Money 101
A series of online lessons covering topics such as setting financial goals and creating a personal budget; banking; investing; home-buying; asset allocation; and more. The lessons include additional resources such as online calculators and glossaries. Money 101 is part of CNNmoney, which is produced by the editors of CNN and Money magazine.

Mymoney.gov
A presentation of federal government financial resources for consumers. Includes information on topics such as home ownership, taxes, paying for education, credit, savings, small business start-up, retirement planning and more.

Virginia Foreclosure Prevention Task Force
Answers frequently asked questions about mortgage foreclosures, and provides an array of foreclosure prevention resources, including a housing counselor database, which is searchable by zip code. Housing counselors can assist homeowners in understanding the law and guide them through their options if they are facing possible foreclosure.

DHL

FedEx

United States Postal Service

UPS

Efficiency Ratings for Heating and Water Heating Equipment
Search the Directory of Certified Product Performance from the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute.

Energy Savers: Tips on Saving Energy & Money at Home
From the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Funeral Consumers Alliance
This site includes articles and resources on many aspects of the subject, such as "How to Read a General Price List," "Common Funeral Myths," and a directory of local affiliated groups.

Funerals: A Consumer Guide
The Federal Trade Commission provides this excellent overview of the subject. The site also includes links to related resources and organizations.

Preplanning Your Funeral Arrangements
A good explanation of the process and the choices to be made if you decide to preplan your funeral. From the American Association of Retired Persons.

Deter. Detect. Defend. Avoid ID Theft
From the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Free Annual Credit Reports
Help to combat identity theft by regularly reviewing your credit report. Each of three nationwide consumer reporting companies is required to provide one free credit report per year to consumers. Requests can be made online, by phone or by mail. The FTC provides additional information about this program.

FAQ Identity Theft
Virginia's Office of the Attorney General provides information on how to avoid identity theft and what to do if you become a victim.

Identity Theft Resource Center
Helping people prevent and recover from identity theft.

Identity Theft Resources
From the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

Special Report on "Phishing"
This Department of Justice document discusses the risks of responding to phishing e-mails, and tells you what you can do to prevent this sort of fraud.

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To obtain a free Reader, follow this link:

Your Privacy
Privacy and identity theft information from the National Consumers League.

A.M. Best
A.M. Best is a publisher of authoritative information about the insurance industry. The Web site provides ratings and profiles of thousands of insurance companies. The site also includes useful resources such as a glossary and a guide to issues to consider when choosing an insurer. Note: Free registration is required.

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To obtain a free Reader, follow this link:

Insurance Information Institute
The many resources available include information on various types of insurance (home, auto, disability, health, long-term care, annuities and specialty policies such as travel risks or identity theft); informational brochures; tips for individuals with particular insurance needs; and a good collection of links to links to a variety of commercial, nonprofit and governmental resources.

Insure.com
Information on automobile, health, home and life insurance including company ratings, rate comparisons and more.

Virginia Bureau of Insurance
Contact information and links to the state's insurance laws and regulations. In addition, the bureau's consumer guides to homeowner's insurance, Virginia auto insurance and other topics are available online.

Complaint History Lookup: Fairfax County Division of Consumer Protection
Look up a business to see if complaints have been filed and, if so, whether the complaints were resolved.

Database Lookup: Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan Washington, DC
Search for a BBB report on a given company. Note that your results may include businesses in Eastern Pennsylvania because the database also includes information from that area's Better Business Bureau.

Regulant Lookup: Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
Virginia regulates a variety of occupations and professions. You can search by name or zip code to find out if an individual is licensed and to view information on disciplinary actions.