BUSINESS & CONSUMER INFORMATION

Click on the titles below to access RPL’s digital resources. Click on the video to watch a short tutorial.

FOUNDATION DIRECTORY ONLINE (In-Library Access Only)
Foundation Directory Online (FDO) is Foundation Center’s research tool to help nonprofits find the grantmakers most likely to fund their projects. It provides information and funding history for 140,000+ foundations, corporations, and federal agencies.

GALE BUSINESS: Demographics Now
Gale Business DemographicsNow connects users with a wealth of highly detailed demographic data on more than 24 million U.S. businesses and 206 million consumers. This allows users to easily produce a variety of compiled reports to help make informed decisions.

GALE BUSINESS Entrepreneurship
Gale Business Entrepreneurship provides authoritative periodical and reference content to support prospective and current entrepreneurs as well as business students. it is divided into four key stages- plan, fund, start and manage.

GALE BUSINESS: Plan Builder
Gale Business Plan Builder is a step-by-step online planning tool for starting, managing, and optimizing a business or nonprofit. The program’s dashboard walks users through five areas of exploration to develop a business plan focused on long-term success.

GALE LEGAL FORMS
Gale LegalForms offers a selection of state-specific legal forms that may be customized for the most common legal procedures. Includes wills, premarital agreements, bankruptcy, divorce, landlords and tenet agreements, copyrights, patents, licenses, and more.

ILLINOIS JOB LINK
IllinoisJobLink.com is the state’s help wanted internet job board managed by the Illinois Department of Employment Security, featuring Resume Builder and Resunatee.

LEXISNEXIS LIBRARY EXPRESS
LexisNexis® Library Express is a Web-based research tool tailored for public libraries that delivers comprehensive news, business, and legal information from over 10,000 credible sources.

REFERENCE SOLUTIONS
Formerly known as ReferenceUSA, Reference Solutions by Data Axle has information on over 70 million U.S businesses and over 89 million households. Users can search for jobs, locations, and industry opportunities.

S&P CAPITAL IQ
The S&P Capital IQ database features market investment news, including detailed screening options for companies and equities, as well as market outlook and analysis articles, industry surveys, comparison charting, and investment advice.

VALUE LINE INVESTMENT SURVEY
The Value Line Investment Survey is an independent research survey of the United States stock market, covering approximately 1,700 stocks. They have information on companies, industries, markets, and economies to help users make informed investment decisions.

WEISS FINANCIAL RATINGS
Weiss Financial Ratings is an independent financial rating company that assesses the value and security of stocks, mutual funds, banks, credit unions, Medigap supplemental insurance plans, and insurance companies. They also provide free Merck Manuals guiding users on a variety of financial topics, like initial investing, home ownership, and more. Users can create personal accounts for customized watch lists and searches.

YOUR MONEY AND ADVICE
Provided by the Better Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois in cooperation with the Financial Planning Association of Illinois, this guide offers various information on financial services.