The 15th annual National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) is March 3 - 9. Government agencies, advocacy organizations, and private sector groups from coast to coast have come together here to share information that can help you make smart decisions about a slew of subjects, including privacy protection, money and debt management, and recognizing identity theft, frauds and scams.

Data privacy is so important, there’s a day dedicated to it. The National Cyber Security Alliance is kicking off Data Privacy Day with an event on January 28, 2013, at the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. Panelists will explore data stewardship and privacy innovation, as well as the implications for personal information in an on-demand mobile environment.  FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen will keynote the event.

If you’re behind in paying your bills, you may be contacted by a debt collector — someone who regularly collects debts owed to others. This includes collection agencies, lawyers who collect debts on a regular basis, and companies that buy delinquent debts and then try to collect them.

It’s that time of year again. If you’re a college student seeking financial aid, you should fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as you can. While the deadline for submitting the FAFSA is June 30th, many states and schools allocate funds on a first-come, first-served basis, and some states have deadlines for filing the FAFSA to be eligible for certain kinds of aid.