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Consumer Resources

Web Sites

Consumer Protection

• Free Credit Reports - From the Federal Trade Commission, this site provides Q & A about credit reports and "imposter" credit report websites.
• Identity Theft - Guide to resources for identity protection.
• Protecting American Consumers - Numerous categories included such as automobiles, computers and the internet, identity theft, investments, telemarketing, and more.
• U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission - Dedicated to protecting the public from risks from thousands of consumer products.

Cost of Living

• Consumer Price Index - Current and historical CPI data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) - The Social Security Administration calculates a cost of living adjustment annually. Their calculation is used to apply to Social Security benefit increases and is used widely to suggest increases in salaries.
• Cost of Living Calculator - Sponsored by the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), this site provides a dollar for dollar calculator covering 1913 to the current date.
• InflationData.com - Provides current and historical inflation and CPI data.
• Statistical Sources on the Web: Cost of Living - The University of Michigan Documents Center has developed a comprehensive list of U.S. and international sources on inflation and cost of living.

House & Home

• Buying a Home
• Home Safety Council - Provides safety guides, fact sheets , safe haven reports, as well as numerous articles with safety tips.
• Household Products - Sponsored by the National Library of Medicine, this site provides the ingredients of common household, automotive, landscaping, pet care, hobby, personal beauty and home office products. Search by name of broad category, name of product, product use, and brands. In addition to a list of chemicals used, health effects information is given.

Insurance

• Insure - Organized around life stages (singles, young families, etc.), each segment provides an overview of what to know about buying auto, home, health, and life insurance.
• Insurance Guide for Kansas - Kansas Insurance Commissioner site covers auto insurance, as well as home/renters and storm/flood insurance.

State Assistance

• Disabilities
• How to apply for assistance
• Medicaid and Healthwave, and the official Kansas Healthwave site.
• Kansas Unemployment Insurance System Online Claims Filing

Other Sites

• Thriving in Tough Times - The State Library of Kansas has a collection of web sites covering information on families, health, employment, finances, and housing.