Helpful Resources

    The following links are provided as a service to our website visitors. PDS Planning neither endorses any products offered on the sites nor guarantees the accuracy of information on any of the linked websites.



    Government

    Internal Revenue Service

    http://www.irs.gov

    The official website for the internal revenue service.
     
    Social Security Online
     
    http://www.ssa.gov

    A very good source of information for all of your social security questions.

    Consumer Information Center

    http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov

    The site provides some basic materials on everything from applying for passports to funeral planning. Read them free online in HTML or get a print version for around $1 or more each. In the Money section brochures are assigned to categories (Credit, Investing & Saving and Retirement Planning), enabling quick browsing. Especially useful are brochures on credit reports and estate planning. Expect sensible plain talk on how to find a reliable planner and invest wisely.  The Small Business, Employment and Housing sections supplement the Money guides nicely, with brochures on running a business, hot careers and energy efficiency.

    City of Columbus

    http://www.cityofcolumbus.org

    The official city of Columbus site, complete with information on all government offices, resident services, and visitor help.

    First Gov

    http://www.firstgov.gov

    This site is the only official U.S. Government portal to 47 million pages of government information, services, and online transactions.
    It offers a powerful search engine that searches every word of every U.S. government document in a quarter of a second or less.
    FirstGov.gov also features a topical index, online transactions, links to state and local government, options to contact your government, and other tools so you don't have to know the name of the government agency to get the information you want anytime you want it.

    Financial and Tax

    Bankrate

    http://www.bankrate.com/brm/default.asp

    A truly remarkable Web site, Bankrate.com contains a wealth of information. You want to know what the average CD yields are? Find out here. You want to find mortgage loan information? Find out here. The information is updated in a timely fashion. In addition, there are some OK calculators that allow you to do "what if's" for mortgage loans, buying or leasing cars, and other consumer finance issues. You will want to bookmark this Web site!

    Savings Bond Wizard

    http://www.treasurydirect.gov

    Find out what your savings bonds are worth now, in the past, or at a future date.  Also see what interest has accrued in any time period.  Learn about T-Bills, Notes, Bonds, and TIPS.
     
    Mint.com
     
     
    Mint.com is a free web-based personal financial management service that allows users to track bank, credit card, investment, and loan transactions and balances automatically through this one program.  Users are also able to make budgets and goals, like saving $1,000.  In addition, there is an option to manually enter cash and check transactions. 
    College Planning

    Upromise

    http://www.upromise.com

    The money you earn from your everyday spending with Upromise partners goes directly into your Upromise account. You can choose to invest your earnings in a high-yield savings account or tax-deferred 529 plan; use it to pay down a student loan; or request a check that can be used for college or other expenses.

    Saving For College
     
    http://www.savingforcollege.com

    Almost everything you might want to know about the new 529 education plans can be found on this site.  And the details not found here are available via hot links to other Web sites.  This resource will let you learn about 529 plans, compare different plans, and even has a message board to ask questions and read what other people have asked.  But perhaps the best feature is a listing of all 50 states' individual plans, including any guaranteed options and the newer savings programs.  This is an excellent resource.

    Healthcare

    Healthy Living

    http://www.healthylivingonline.org

    This holistic site offers sensible advice on exercise, nutrition, and weight maintenance. Tips on starting a fitness program, avoiding hidden fats and boosting willpower. Online discussions cover topics such as how much sleep to get and health goals. Nutrition section recommends snacking on fruit popsicles and Hershey's bit-sized chocolate, and includes recipes. Roundup of articles from various publications covers health issues such as diabetes and depression, as well as the latest findings on artificial sweeteners.  For better or worse, this site blasts fad diets and many herbal aids.

    Web Md

    http://www.webmd.com

    If you haven’t visited this site, make it a priority. It is full of information, and from a strictly educational standpoint it’s hard to imagine a more comprehensive health site.

    National Alliance for Caregiving
     
    http://www.caregiving.org

    This site is dedicated to providing support to family caregivers of older persons and the professionals who help them and to increase public awareness of issues facing family caregiving.

    General Information and Lifestyle Interests

    Charitable Organizations

    Neighborhood Services, Inc.

    http://neighborhoodservicesinc.org

    NSI, Inc. was founded in 1965 and has grown to one of the largest hunger-assisance providers in Central Ohio.
     
    Capital Area Humane Society
     
     
    With a mission to fight animal cruelty, help animals in need, and advocate for their well being, this organization offers one of the largest cat and dog adoption programs in Central Ohio.
     
    Heifer International
     
     
    Heifer International is a global non-profit organization with the goal of ending poverty and hunger in a sustainable fashion.
     
    Big Cat Rescue
     
     
    Big Cat Rescue is the largest accredited sanctuary in the United States devoted to rescuing abandoned and abused wild cats, as well as sheltering big cats unfit to return to the wild.
     
     
    Other Web Sites of Interest

    Forbes Best of the Web

    http://www.forbes.com/bow

    The best business sites reviewed by the editors at Forbes magazine. Updated weekly and archived.

    Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

    http://www.mnh.si.edu

    A tremendous informational site on one of the world's great centers of learning. Offers a virtual tour of the museum, with information about Imax movies and upcoming programs. The online exhibit African Voices includes an interactive time line of African history and a feature on a Yoruba sculptor's work. You can also tour Dinosaur Hall, preview a Viking exhibit or learn about Thai royal gifts to the U.S.

    CEO Express

    http://www.ceoexpress.com/default.asp

    "Designed by a busy executive for busy executives," this Web site has links to newspapers, magazines, internet search engines, international news (Paris' Le Monde!), health, travel, financial markets, statistics, government, law, office tools, reference, and literally hundreds of valuable information sites.  There may be a more complete source of information links, but this one is about as good as it gets.

    Epicurious
     
    http://www.eat.epicurious.com

    The title says it all.  If you can't find a recipe here, it must not exist!

    Hubble Telescope

    Chances are you haven't seen what NASA's orbiting Hubble Space Telescope sees.  Hubble sees the raw beauty of the universe from above Earth's atmosphere and send back a portrait of the universe in exquisite detail.  Here's your chance to leave the ground for a while...and see what Hubble sees.

    Never been to Paris but always wanted to visit the world's largest art museum?  Or been to Paris three times in the last fours years and still can't get enough?  Voila!  Here is the Web site for you!  The history of the museum, a description of its collections, a virtual guided tour, and detailed information on a changing selection of the museum's millions of artworks are all available with just a click.  Select the Site Map option, and select from a number of options.  Non parlez vous Francais?  No problem, the site is available in English and several other languages.

    So You Wanna
     

    So You Wanna "teaches you all the things nobody taught you in school".  This site is a treasure trove of  how-to's, from etiquette, entertainment, food & drink, games & hobbies, sports, shopping, travel, and other topics.  You just might end up bookmarking this site!