Data Sources

Last updated: 2026-08-14

Everything this site relies on, by name. Each guide also cites its own sources inline.

Federal agencies and official resources

• USDA (SNAP, WIC, school meals, food plans) · HHS/ACF (TANF, LIHEAP, Head Start, childcare) · CMS (Medicaid, CHIP, Healthcare.gov, Medicare) · HRSA (community health centers)
• HUD (rental assistance, cost-burden definitions, housing counselors) · DOE (Energy Saver guidance, weatherization) · FCC/USAC (Lifeline)
• SSA (Social Security, SSI, SSDI) · DOL (unemployment insurance, CareerOneStop, apprenticeships, BLS wage and CPI data)
• IRS (payment plans, VITA, Free File, contribution limits) · Treasury/TreasuryDirect (Treasury bills)
• CFPB (consumer tools, debt collection rights, sample letters) · FTC (scam patterns, consumer protection) · Federal Reserve (G.19 consumer credit, SHED well-being survey) · FDIC/NCUA (deposit insurance) · SEC/Investor.gov and FINRA (investor education) · US Courts (bankruptcy basics) · GSA/USAGov (benefits index)

Established nonprofits

211 (United Way network) · Feeding America · Findhelp · Community Action Partnership · NFCC · Legal Services Corporation network · NCOA BenefitsCheckUp · AARP Foundation Tax-Aide · NAUPA/MissingMoney · National Domestic Violence Hotline · 988 Lifeline (SAMHSA-funded).

News publishers (aggregated with attribution)

CNBC Personal Finance · CBS News MoneyWatch · Kiplinger · NerdWallet · Money · NPR · CFPB Newsroom · FTC Consumer Protection · USDA FNS Newsroom. Headlines link to the original articles; feeds are hand-verified before shipping.

What has no external source

Worked dollar examples are plain arithmetic labeled as examples. Guideline percentages name their origin (HUD, USDA, HHS, the 50/30/20 rule of thumb) and are presented as directions, never as statistics about you.