Consumer Reports: Take advantage of premium content such as ratings of popular products and buying guides that cover a wide variety of categories.
Consumers' Checkbook: Independent, nonprofit evaluations of the quality and prices of local service firms and stores, such as auto repair shops, plumbers, dentists, banks, and insurance companies.
Public Records Online: Public filings of new businesses, new homeowners, home sales, home foreclosures, and bankruptcies in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties.