SAN MATEO, CA--(Marketwire - April 27, 2010) - With a wealth of financial information and advice available online, it is estimated that more than three million consumers use online tools for guidance in monitoring and making decisions about their financial health. The challenge is that many of the most useful online tools and calculators are focused on one specific financial category, such as credit scores or college planning, leaving consumers to fend for themselves when it comes to an overall picture of their financial health.
Now, Bills.com, the leading resource for free, personalized and expert money advice, has developed a fast, easy and powerful tool to help consumers establish a baseline understanding of their complete financial health. With Bills IQ, consumers can quickly assess their strengths and weaknesses and then hone in on the tools and advice that will help them most.
"At Bills.com, we realize that money issues can often be overwhelming because of the volume of information that must be processed and the impact of the decisions that must be made," said Ethan Ewing, president of Bills.com. "With Bills IQ, we've filled a large gap in online financial tools by making it easy for anyone to quickly assess their overall financial fitness, and then find ways to improve those areas that need the most attention."
Bills IQ is a basic financial fitness test that takes just a few minutes to complete. It assesses money savvy and habits within five key categories: credit, debt, budget, wealth and life planning. Test takers receive a percentage and letter grade on their cumulative knowledge as well as a score for each individual category. These scores can be compared to other test takers using age, gender, geographic, income or education filters.
Each category will assess the test taker's understanding of fundamental money topics as well as grade current money behaviors or habits. For example:
- The credit category tests knowledge of credit scores and the key behaviors that impact that score
- The debt category rates an individual's ability to handle debt obligations and their understanding of debt or payment priorities
- The budget category analyzes a test taker's ability and their approach to balancing monthly income and expenses
- The wealth category ensures that an individual is thinking long-term about their finances, addressing topics such as retirement, life insurance, investments, and home ownership
- The life plan category addresses how well a test taker has established a path to financial security and what protections have been put in place
In addition, Bills IQ provides feedback and constructive criticism for each answer provided during the test as a way to further increase overall money savvy. For those interested in taking specific action to increase their score or improve certain topic areas, Bills.com provides suggested remedies or partners who can address issues such as debt consolidation, home refinancing, or credit repair.
To take the Bills IQ test visit http://www.bills.com/iq. For more information about any of the topics listed above or to learn the basics of financial fitness, please visit http://www.bills.com.
About Bills.com
Bills.com is the leading resource for free and personalized money help. Founded by a group of financial experts intent on helping consumers save time, money and stress, Bills.com is designed to give consumers confidence in making money decisions. The site offers useful information, powerful tools, and real money experts to give consumers the information they need in the way they want it.
Contact Information:
Press Contact:
Michael Azzano
Cosmo PR
415/596-1978