During this financial turmoil, it is a good time to assess whether short, medium and long-term financial plans continue to meet your needs. Make sure your debt is under control, insurance policies are up to date, and savings plans are in place to give you and your family the security you deserve. It is also a good time to make sure that the financial professionals and institutions that you rely on are appropriately licensed and in good standing with the State of Illinois.

IDFPR licenses and regulates almost all the professionals and the financial institutions you'll use to make these choices. The information below was collected from public and private websites recommended by leading financial publications. They should make it a little easier, save some aggravation, and protect against unnecessary loss of time or money. Finally, The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. recently launched a Web site -- http://www.myfdicinsurance.gov -- to explain to consumers exactly how much of the money they have in deposit accounts is protected.