An offer of reduced monthly payments — or complete forgiveness — on your student loan may make you want to sign up…and exhale. Unfortunately, though, some of those programs wind up costing you hundreds or thousands of dollars for nothing in return. What’s more, you could’ve gotten real help for free.

The gift-giving season is just around the corner, and the gift-buying season starts, oh, any minute now. The FTC has an early gift for you — tips to help you shop wisely and protect your personal information.

Experiencing a destructive wildfire can be devastating and have long-term effects, but taking stock and developing a recovery plan can give you a sense of hope and purpose. Here are a few tips and links to resources to help make the task less burdensome.

We’ve all known for a long time that scammers ask people to pay by wiring money. Money wiring companies like MoneyGram and Western Union have also known that scammers have people wire money using their services. In fact, the FTC has sued both companies – which have paid a lot of money to settle those charges – over exactly that issue. When the FTC settled with those companies (MoneyGram in 2009, Western Union in 2017), they also agreed to make changes to protect people from fraud. Except MoneyGram didn’t actually take some of those important steps.

November 11 is Veterans Day, a time to commemorate former servicemembers and recognize their service to the nation. In the U.S. today, there are more than 20 million veterans. Whether they’ve been out of the service for days or decades, they can benefit from Military Consumer’s tips on managing money, avoiding scams, and making the most of their service-related benefits.

According to a 2017 report from the Small Business Administration (SBA), veterans own more than two and a half million businesses. That’s nine percent of all U.S. companies. Veteran-owned firms employed more than five million people and paid $195 billion in annual payroll. To highlight these businesses, the SBA has designated November 5 – 9 as National Veterans Small Business Week. The SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development offers specialized guidance and support for veteran entrepreneurs, including programs for women veterans and members of the Reserve and National Guard. The Federal Trade Commission also has tips and tools especially for small businesses. Here are a few examples of resources to help protect your customers, employees, and the bottom line.