Financial Resources

Budget and Credit Counseling 

• Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Delaware Valley (CCCS)
  CCCS, a non-profit agency, provides one-on-one credit counseling and debt management services to residents of Bucks, Chester, Montgomery, Delaware and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania, and Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester Counties in Southern New Jersey.

Financial Education

• Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Delaware Valley
• www.moneysbestfriend.com

Free Credit Reports

• The Fair Credit Reporting Act, or FACT ACT, requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.  You can only access the free reports at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/, or by calling 1-877-322-8228

Open a Checking Account

• GET CHECKING™ is designed for people who currently do not have a checking account with a financial institution. The program can help if you have never had an account and don't know how to start one, or if you have had problems with an account in the past that is making it difficult to open an account now.  GET CHECKING™ offers you the opportunity to open an account that works for you, with a participating financial institution even if you have had problems in the past. 

Individual Development Accounts (IDA)
Individual Development Accounts are special matched savings accounts designed to help low-income individuals establish a pattern of regular saving and purchase assets including: a first home, a car, post-secondary education, a computer, or even funds to start a small business.  The following organizations operate these types of accounts in the Delaware Valley; check out their websites to see if you qualify:

• United Way of Southeastern PA
• Women's Opportunity Resource Center (WORC)

Financial Calculators and Other Tools

• Choose To Save
• Consumer Federation of America
• Bankrate.com

Job Training programs

• Transitional Work Corporation
• Metropolitan Career Center

Free Tax Assistance

• Philadelphia:  The Campaign for Working Families
• Delaware County: Delaware County Asset Development (215) 573-2379
• Montgomery County:  CADCOM (610) 277-6363
• Chester County:  Open Hearth Inc.
• Bucks County:  Bucks County Opportunity Council, Inc., (215) 345-8175
• All other areas call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040

Entertainment 

• Philly Fun Guide http://www.phillyfunguide.com/ has half-price tickets to a lot of cultural and entertainment events across the Delaware Valley.  You can sign-up to receive weekly e-mails that contain deals throughout the region.