Economics, Finance, Investing, and Labor Resources

The Business, Science and Technology Center offers a wealth of free services for helping you achieve your financial goals. From one-on-one consultations, informative programs, and access to print and virtual resources, the library is here to assist those who are interested in making well-informed decisions in the world of money matters. In addition to personal finance and investing resources, materials on the following topics are available in print and electronic formats: labor, land and energy economics, cooperatives, socialism and related systems, public finance, international economics, production, macroeconomics and related topics. Staff and information services are available to assist at the Business, Science and Technology Center.

April is National Financial Capability Month!

Take charge of your financial future! Throughout the month, the Main Library’s Business, Science and Technology Center, in partnership with our experts, provides presentations on a wide menu of topics, ranging from the basics of financial planning and managing debt to investing, insurance, property taxes, retirement and estate planning. We’ll even cover how family arrangements can affect your finances and how to protect yourself from scams and fraud. To see a full schedule and to register, visit: https://on.sfpl.org/fcm

Programs

Advisers Give Back

Meet One-on-One with a Certified Financial Planner™ to create a financial plan and achieve your goals. There’s no catch—the advisers can’t sell you anything or take you as their client. They're just there to listen and help. Meetings are virtual.

To qualify, participants must have savings under $250,000. Singles must earn less than $100,000, and married couples less than $150,000.

Para conectarse con los CFP de habla hispana que trabajan como voluntarios a través de Advisers Give Back, regístrese aquí.

San Francisco Financial Empowerment Center

By appointment only — free, confidential, basic financial guidance for anyone living, working or receiving services in San Francisco regardless of citizenship status. Coaches are fluent in Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin with additional translation services as requested. Coaching sessions are in-person or virtual.

Personal Finance Program Series

See all of our upcoming Personal Finance programs. Missed a program you wanted to attend? You can watch some of our most popular programs online. Visit our Business, Science & Jobs programs playlist (YouTube).

Tax Season Success Series

Get expert-led guidance in a series of virtual workshops from January to March, covering everything you need to know to file your taxes safely and accurately, from basics to avoiding IRS issues.

Investing Resources

Databases

Morningstar: Financial data on stocks, funds, and industries, with analyst reports, portfolio screenings and other tools for making investment decisions.
Value Line: Find the latest financial information and ratings for various investments, including investment research on stocks, mutual funds, options and convertibles.
Weiss Ratings: Financial strength ratings of banks, credit unions, and insurance companies; sovereign debt ratings; and investment ratings on the shares of publicly traded companies, mutual funds, closed-end funds, and ETFs.
Mergent Online: U.S. and international company financials, ratios, news, and annual reports.
Mergent Intellect: Global resource of data on financial, corporate, and business data, as well as business news, demographic information, and employment. Includes data from the D&B Million Dollar Database.

Internet Resources

AnnualReports.com : Annual reports and 10K reports of companies traded on the U.S. stock exchanges, including the Fortune 500.
Securities and Exchange Commission: A searchable index of publicly available corporate filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission (including 10-K reports).
The Public Register : Free annual reports of public companies trading on the NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, and OTC exchanges.
EDGAR: A searchable index of publicly available corporate filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission (including 10-K reports).
Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED): FRED is an online database consisting of hundreds of thousands of economic data time series from scores of national, international, public, and private sources. FRED, created and maintained by the Research Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, goes far beyond simply providing data: It combines data with a powerful mix of tools that help the user understand, interact with, display, and disseminate the data.
Market Data Home: A free resource to assist retail investors with market and investment research, including detailed market data on exchange traded and over-the-counter (OTC) equities, options and mutual funds (FINRA).
Investor.gov: Access tools and information for investing provided by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Investor Center: Find resources to help you make informed investment decisions and learn how to protect yourself. From the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation.

More Resources

Annual Reports: Older Annual Reports (1967 - 1996) can be accessed on Microfiche. Ask at the Business, Science & Technology Center desk on the 4th floor. The fiche must be used in the Library on our 5th floor microfiche readers and printers.
Investment Advisory Newsletters: Investment advisory newsletters are kept at the 4th Floor Paging Desk of the Main Library. To allow broad access to these materials, use of investment advisory newsletters is limited to 2 current issue binders and 4 back issues for 30 minutes. Call to verify the current issue is available: (415) 557-4400. Ask for the 4th Floor Page Desk.
Stock Research: Resources for researching historical stock price quotes.

Personal Finance Resources

Financial Planning

Consumer Finance Protection Bureau: Find consumer resources for financial decisions and answers to commonly-asked financial questions such as buying a house, planning for retirement, frauds and scams, credit reports and scores, debt collection, etc.
BrokerCheck: BrokerCheck is a free tool provided by FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) to research the background and experience of financial brokers, advisers and firms. BrokerCheck helps you make informed choices about brokers and brokerage firms-and provides easy access to investment adviser information; tells you instantly whether a person or firm is registered, as required by law, to sell securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds and more), offer investment advice or both; and gives you a snapshot of a broker's employment history, regulatory actions, and investment-related licensing information, arbitrations and complaints.
Free Financial Planning Tools: Access helpful tools like financial calculators, estimators, and analyzers. Provided by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Financial Hardship and Government Benefit Resources

Financial Hardship (USA.gov): Learn how to apply for government programs to help with food, bills, housing, and more.”
Financial Justice Project (sfgov.org): Discounts are available to help pay your fine, fee, or ticket for people with low incomes or people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.
Benefits.gov: Find benefits you may be eligible to receive and where to apply.
BenefitsCal: BenefitsCal is a portal where Californians can get and manage benefits online. This includes food assistance (CalFresh) formerly food stamps, cash aid (CalWORKs, General Assistance, Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants), and affordable health insurance (Medi-Cal).

Grants and Loans

GovLoans: An online resource to help you find government loans you may be eligible for.
California Grants Portal: The California Grants Portal (a project by the California State Library) is your one destination to find all grants and loans offered on a competitive or first-come basis by California state agencies.

Taxes

Tax Information for Tax Year 2023: Tax information and resource list curated by the San Francisco Public Library’s Government Information Center.
Taxes (USA.gov): Learn about filing federal income tax. Find out how to pay, how to check your refund, and more.

Credit and Debt

Credit (usa.gov): Learn how to request credit reports and scores, place a credit freeze, and fix reporting errors.”
Annual Credit Report: Access free credit reports. You can get a free report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies through AnnualCreditReport.com.

Student Loans

Student Loan Empowerment Network: The statewide Student Loan Empowerment Network (SLE Network) connects California student loan borrowers to community-based organizations for help understanding their student loans, obtaining legal aid, and putting them on a path toward economic mobility.
Student loans | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Whether you are preparing for college, attending school, or already repaying your student loans, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau provides tools and resources to help make the best decisions for you.