Pa. Banking Regulator Unveils Financial Literacy Web Site

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Consumers in Pennsylvania now have one place they can go to help make informed decisions about their personal finances. The Pennsylvania Department of Banking unveiled a Web site on April 12 - "Your Money's Best Friend" (www.moneysbestfriend.com) - that provides free financial assistance for Pennsylvanians about personal budgeting, loan information and banking options in a user-friendly way. The new site was developed by the Pennsylvania Office of Financial Education, which was created by Gov. Edward Rendell in 2004 to help the public improve their personal money management plans and increase the quality and availability of personal finance education in the state's schools, workplaces and communities. The new Web site covers topics such as banking, budgeting, investing, buying a house, getting married, taxes, and talking to loved ones about money. Along with explaining concepts, the site provides practical tips and advice, links to other helpful resources, calculators and a glossary of financial terms. Visitors to the site can also use it to look up community-based resources such as housing counselors and university cooperative extension offices, programs and services in their area. Schenck said the best thing about the site is, "There's no sales pitch, no hidden agenda, and most importantly, you don't have to be a certified public accountant to access the information."