What's New
On the wiki: Take our survey!
In keeping with its mission of promoting personal Financial Integrity through education, information, and encouragement, New Road Map Foundation is sponsoring a study of methods used by individuals and families who have successfully gotten out of debt. A project in cooperation with students at the University of Colorado Denver, the study will be used to develop educational materials to help other consumers to avoid or resolve financial distress in lasting, meaningful ways. Take the survey
Tools & examples: Tracking and money management tools
Check out some new tools for tracking expenditures ( Step 3) and general financial management.
Resources: Tips for parenting in a commercial culture
From Center for a New American Dream, a downloadable booklet to help parents counteract the relentless advertising pressure to commercialize kids.
Resources: Investor tools and education
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) provides tools and education to individual investors, professionals and educators, including this market dataresearch tool.
Through FINRA's Investor Education Foundation at SaveAndInvest.org, it also provides information on preventing investor fraud, including a database on professional advisor backgrounds, a scam meter assessment tool, and where to report a problem.
In the news: Why Shopping Isn’t the Answer to America’s Economic Woes
Currently, we hear constant exhortations for consumers to "do their part" in fixing the economy by increasing spending. The money management site LearnVest has an interesting article that explores whether this is either wise or realistic, and contrasts with countries which base their prosperity on savings instead.
Resources: Giving and gratitude
Changing your relationship with money, and resisting runaway consumerism, are enhanced when your finances serve your values. Here are some resources for incorporating the values of giving and voluteering into your family's financial plan, and cultivate gratitude to combat the perception that "stuff" will make us happy.
In the news: Shell Games - Reuters special report
An exposé series investigating how "secrecy jurisdictions" work, and how criminals use incorporation laws, layers of phantom firms to get away with fraud, focusing particularly on the US's own tax haven states. The series is enlightening companion reading with Shaxton’s ‘’Treasure Islands: Tax havens and the men who stole the world’’.
A little house of secrets on the Great Plains
How two shell companies duped the Pentagon
China's shortcut to Wall Street
The bonds that turned to dust
Shell companies steal hundreds of millions from Medicare.
On the wiki: Organizing study groups
We have members in Brazil and the UK who are interested in starting up local study groups, or perhaps online study groups. If you or someone you know might be interested in joining in, send us an email at info(at)financialintegrity.org, and we'll help connect you.
We'd also be interested in volunteers who would like to help us translate the study guides into Portuguese (or any other languages).
Tools & examples: Safety-first ratio
An important tool for evaluating risk and reward in your portfolio.
In the news: Visualizing tax reform proposals
See one point of view in evaluating how several candidates propose to overhaul the US tax code, using data from the non-partisan Tax Policy Center.
Resources: Calculators
We’ve created several new, consolidated pages with multiple related tools to make it easier for you to find calculators and tools for a variety of needs to help you make informed decisions about your financial life. They include loan and debt calculators, investment calculators, and tracking tools.
In the news: Progress on banning Congressional insider trading
Read about progress on banning insider trading by members of Congress.
Resources: The high cost of materialism
How has consumerism infiltrated our lives, what effect does it have on our happiness, and what can we do about it? Can we replace materialistic values with our own intrinsic values? The Center for a New American Dream tackles these questions in their video The High Cost of Materialism.
Resources: Choosetosave.org
Choosetosave.org provides a variety of tools to help you live or spread the message of financial integrity.
In the news: Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping
Reverend Billy's energetic, iconoclastic and offbeat look at today’s consumerist holiday mania, What Would Jesus Buy?. His plea: don't join the Shopocalypse! Stop buying and start giving.
In the news: Freedom through frugality
FI member Jane Dwinell was interviewed on 1037 The Mountain to discuss her book Freedom Through Frugality. Listen to the podcast here.
Resource: Getting the best value on home electronics
You've done your homework and know what product you need, but is now the best time to buy? Check out this handy decision tool.
On the wiki: Newsletter archives
Are you new to the FI site, or just interested in looking up past articles or resources? Now you can browse the newsletter archives for any missed issues. Use the permanent link at the bottom of the What's New page, or go directly to the archives here.
In the news: Credit card euphoria
According to research from the University of Kansas and the University of South Carolina, the simple act of using a credit card - even seeing the logo at the point of sale - induces a kind of euphoria that blinds consumers to the true costs of a purchase.
In the news: Black Friday backlash
Many Americans are becoming appalled by the creeping encroachment of holiday commercialism. This year, many people believe the “Black Friday” trend is going too far, as a number of large retailers plan to extend "door buster" events to Thanksgiving Day. MSNBC.com reports on what it calls Black Friday fatigue, and the consumer and employee backlash that has some stores pulling back from “Black Thursday” promotions. One employee is asking Target to reconsider through a petition on change.org.
Resources: Community building
Join the discussion on One Green Generation on living sustainably and reducing reliance on consumerism by creating healthy communities.
Resources: Holidays simplified
The holidays can be challenging from a frugality/simplicity aspect. How to support relationships while staying true to values and goals for simplicity and frugality? Here are a few resources.
In the news: Voluntary simplicity and home ownership
When we contemplate the power of "stuff," where does our home fit on our personal spectrum of "enough"? Mary Oliver explores the significance of the actual physical structures we call home on her blog Silent Entry.
Resources: Financial Integrity classes
Gordon Morrow is offering a 10-week course, TRANSFORM YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY, in Ontario this January. Check out the details on Gordon's Speaker page
Tools and examples: Investopedia stock simulator
Ever wish there was a way to practice investing in the stock market, without risking your hard-earned capital while you learn? Read more here about a free tool for doing so.
Resources: Understanding the time value of money
The website Investopedia offers an explanation, and a simple formula, for understanding how money grows over time.
More updates on What's New
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The New Road Map Foundation
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The Financial Integrity program has its roots in the groundbreaking work of the late Joe Dominguez, co-author with V. Robin of the best seller Your Money Or Your Life. This wiki is sponsored by the non-profit New Road Map Foundation (NRM). Founded in 1984 to disseminate the proceeds from Joe’s original seminar recordings, NRM continues via this web site to support people in transforming their relationship with money, and aligning their finances with their values.
New Road Map Foundation (NRM) freely offers the Financial Integrity material to anyone who can benefit from them, only asking that it be used and shared in the same spirit.
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