Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
Consumer finance regulator
Financial confidence for debt, housing and healthy aging
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) offers practical, plain-language guidance on consumer finance, debt, credit, fraud, and financial rights in the U.S. For midlife women, it’s relevant because financial stress often peaks alongside caregiving, medical expenses, divorce or relationship shifts, and retirement planning. CFPB resources help you understand your options without shame: how to handle debt collectors, check credit reports, spot scams, and make safer decisions about loans, banking, and budgeting. Use it when you want facts and action steps—not opinion—especially during a stressful transition. It can also support confidence: knowing your rights reduces helplessness. Treat it as education and orientation; for complex personal cases, a qualified advisor or legal professional may be needed. It’s a strong “life admin” authority for MHS because it translates complex rules into doable steps and helps midlife women protect time, money, and energy.
Trusted Voice resources
Using Home Equity to Meet Financial Needs
Home equity can fund repairs, care or debt payoff, but every route changes future options. The worksheet compares loans, lines, refinancing and reverse mortgages.
Compare ways to use home equity and the obligations each creates.
Choosing a Strategy to Reduce Personal Debt
Two payoff strategies answer different motivations: attack the costliest interest first or collect quick wins through the snowball method. The worksheet makes either plan concrete.
Compare debt-repayment strategies and choose a plan you can sustain.
Preventing Financial Exploitation of Older Adults
Scams are only one threat. Money Smart also covers caregiver theft, power-of-attorney abuse, warning signs, documentation and where older adults or families can report concerns.
Recognize, document and report financial exploitation of older adults.
