FDIC Resources

• The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) provides free educational materials on the banking industry and how it works, as well as an outline on money management geared toward young adults. The FDIC recommends adhering to the principle of "paying yourself first," establishing a habit of saving and investing with the very first job you acquire. According to the advice of the FDIC, when an individual starts a family, retirement planning should become part of the investment plan. Furthermore, the FDIC recommends being "properly insured" in all areas, from health and life to homeowners' insurance coverage.
  
  

SEC Materials

• The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) provides a wealth of free financial investment information to consumers on establishing and maintaining financial security through safe investments and responsible money management. The SEC has gone as far as to set up a nonprofit website (investor.gov) with the sole purpose of educating the public by providing free financial information. One of the priorities stressed by the SEC to investors is to ask questions, lots of them, about prospective investment opportunities, which corresponds to the motto of their savings and investment guide: "Information is an investor's best tool."
  
  

DOL Information

• The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) offers free educational materials on safe investments and financial planning for consumers, as well as extensive information on retirement planning. The DOL follows the lead of professional money managers in encouraging investors to diversify. Diversification follows the old adage of not putting all your eggs in one basket. In the investment world, this amounts to allocating a percentage of assets into low-risk-to-no-risk investments, a portion into fixed-income investments such as bonds, and a portion into an area with traditionally higher rates of returns, such as stocks.
  
  

NYSE Guide

• Although the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is a for-profit entity, the organization promotes safe investing and provides resources to help educate the public as to how the market works. The NYSE makes the process of buying and selling stock on the exchange publicly transparent, a boon to the beginning investor. In addition, the organization clearly defines the jargon used by brokers and seasoned traders.