Financial wellness means having financial security and financial freedom of choice in the present and into the future. Below is a list of National Disability Institute’s top financial wellness links.
Financial Education
- Better Money Habits – free, easy-to-understand videos and practical tips and tools to help build financial know-how.
- Money Smart – free, comprehensive financial education curriculum created by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
- Hands on Banking Quick Reference Guides – resources and tools for financial educators, American Job Centers (AJC), Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and community-based organizations to support persons with disabilities.
- Money Circle Toolkit – toolkit from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that helps start conversations about the feelings and personal relationships that influence money decisions
Employment
- American Dream Employment Network (ADEN) – free, Social Security Administration (SSA) approved administrative employment network (EN) providing return-to-work services, work incentive advisement and financial well-being services for Social Security disability beneficiaries.
- WorkforceGPS – interactive, online communication and learning platform offering resources and peer-to-peer connection to help the public workforce system, education professionals and business leaders.
Benefits Planning and Work Supports
- Social Security Administration – Ticket to Work – provides information and tools for Social Security beneficiaries who want to work.
- my Social Security – allows individuals to get estimates of future retirement, disability and survivors benefit amounts, review earnings once a year to verify the amounts SSA posted are correct, view the estimated Social Security and Medicare taxes paid, check the status of an application or appeal and get a benefits verification letter.
- Red Book – serves as a general reference source about return-to-work rules and available work incentives under the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.
ABLE Accounts
- ABLE National Resource Center – one-stop source for information on ABLE accounts, ABLE account providers, qualified disability expenses and the impact of ABLE accounts on public benefits.
- The ABLE Act and Employment: Maximizing the Effectiveness of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act as a Tool for Increasing Financial Stability and Employment Outcomes of People with Disabilities – policy brief on how provisions of the ABLE Act can be combined with federal benefit services and programs and to further competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities.
Asset Development
- America Saves – campaign managed by the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America, uses the principles of behavioral economics and social marketing to motivate, encourage and support low- to moderate-income households to save money, reduce debt and build wealth.
Earned Income Tax Credit and Free Tax Reporting
- Free Tax Preparation by Volunteers – free tax help to people who make $54,000 or less and need assistance in preparing their own tax returns.
- MyFreeTaxes – free federal and state tax preparation and filing assistance for qualified individuals or families with a combined income of $66,000 or less in 2018. Call 866-698-9435.
Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing
- National Association for the Deaf (NAD) – NAD works to advance the economic empowerment of individuals with disabilities and the Deaf/HoH community.
- IRS Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC) – ASL Tax Terms – IRS-SPEC increases equal access to free tax assistance for Deaf taxpayers using innovative approaches.
- ABLE: 5 Things to Know – video which explains key provisions related to the ABLE Act and ABLE accounts in American Sign Language (ASL).
- Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) – world’s largest Deaf-led nonprofit that offers visual education and instruction specifically designed for Deaf and Hard of Hearing adults on topics such as Searching for a Job, Working and Benefits, Job Interviewing and Banking Basics.
- Expanding Access to the Deaf Community – learn how to collaborate effectively with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community in your state or local region.