Take control of your finances, even when money is short. Worry less when you learn to prioritize bills, protect your credit, and manage debt.
Intended audience: Adults, especially those recently unemployed or with reduced household income
Format: Three, 60-minute sessions
Your Financial Well-Being
- Prioritize Bills
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- Booklet: Behind on Bills? Start with one Step (pdf)
- Prioritizing Bills table (pdf)
- Income and Benefits Tracker (pdf)
- Bill Calendar (pdf)
- Strategies to Cut Expenses checklist (pdf)
- What to do if you’re struggling to pay bills
- Protect Credit
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- Booklet: Want Credit to Work for you? (pdf)
- Credit Report Review Checklist (pdf)
- Get a free credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com
Equifax is offering 6 free credit reports every 12 months through December 2026 - How do I get a copy of my credit reports?
- Ideas if you can’t pay your credit cards (pdf)
- Credit card debt during coronavirus: Relief options and tips
- Sample letters to dispute information on a credit report
- Help from non-profit credit counseling
- National Foundation for Credit Counseling - (800) 388-2227
- Financial Counseling Association of America - (800) 450-1794
- How to rebuild your credit (pdf)
- Estimate your credit score with the free FICO Score Estimator
- Manage Debt
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- Booklet: Debt Getting in Your Way? (pdf)
- Debt Log (pdf)
- Debt-to-income calculator tool (pdf)
- Reducing Debt Worksheet (pdf)
- Powerpay, a tool for eliminating debt
- Sample Letters to respond to debt collectors
- Iowa Legal Aid’s Guide Rights of Debtors (car repossession, debt collection, judgments, wage garnishment)
- Credit/Debt Counseling vs Debt Settlement/Debt Relief
- Iowa Legal Aid’s Bankruptcy Information
- National Consumer Law Center