If you’re making a (financial end-of-year) list, and checking it twice, you’re well on your way to making your next year nice. Here are 9 things to do for better finances this year. (Our tip: Commit to completing two steps each month, starting in January. By summer, you’ll be in great shape!) 1. Check your credit at annualcreditreport.com   Report any errors you find  Pay off any negative things you see, or ask for settlements Learn more about credit report best practices—and how our team can help you make the most of your credit report—here. 2. Review all of your accounts.  …

Attention parents! Have you ever thought about your child’s credit report? While we often monitor our own credit, our children’s credit is sometimes overlooked, making them vulnerable to identity theft. Many incidents of identity theft can go unnoticed for years, often only emerging when the affected child applies for college financial aid. To prevent this, it’s crucial to take proactive steps to protect their future financial integrity. One of the best steps you can take is to place a credit freeze on your minor child’s reports with all three major credit bureaus. Federal Trade Commission – Consumer Advice This process,…

Nearly 90% of Americans say they will do some of their holiday shopping online, which can make the holiday season especially lucrative for fraudsters.  To avoid getting scammed this season, we recommend following these online shopping tips: Don’t let the “it’s available, so I have to buy it now” mindset make you a victim. The best way to avoid this is to shop local (when you can), and when you do shop online, only go to retailers you know and trust.   Don’t click on links in emails or texts to go to a store’s website. This may take you to a fake…

Computers, tablets, smartphones, TVs, thermostats, cameras, doorbells, and lightbulbs: What do all these things have in common? They are all devices that connect to your home network and the internet. If you had to guess: How many connected devices do you have in your home right now? Click here to download a printable PDF where you can keep track of all your devices in one place! Let’s review some steps you can take to keep your home network safe from potential cyber threats. How to Secure Your Modem and Router Modems and routers act as the gateway between your devices…

Do you feel your eyes starting to glaze over when people use terms like “equity,” “variable rate,” or “EMV?” Well, we’re about to change that!  Learning the meaning of common terms used in finance (including “equity” and “EMV”) will not only make it more exciting to be part of financial conversations, but also start you on the road toward your better financial future… today! Financial Terms Everyone Should Know Investment: This is an asset which has the potential to grow in value, such as real estate, stocks, certificates, and bonds. (Cars, unless antique and collectible, are not investments because they…

Members: We have been notified that a dark web carding market has released a massive dump of 1,221,551 credit cards, allowing anyone to download them for free to conduct financial fraud. The threat actors announced the credit card dump on Sunday to promote their new domains. The freely circulating file contains a mix of “fresh” cards expiring between 2023 and 2026 from around the world, but most entries appear to be from the United States. Analysts claim the cards mainly come from web skimmers, which are malicious scripts injected into checkout pages of hacked e-commerce sites.  Currently, we are working with…

Phishing is when criminals use fake emails to lure you into clicking on them and handing over your personal information, or installing malware on your device. When criminals go phishing, you don’t have to take the bait. It’s easy to avoid a scam (phishing) email when you know what to look for!  The signs can be subtle, but once you recognize a phishing attempt, you can avoid falling for it. Know the signs of a fake phishing email The offer inside is too good to be trueLanguage is urgent, alarming, or threateningWriting is poorly crafted, with misspellings and bad grammarGreetings…

One of the best ways to keep your information secure is also one of the easiest: Keep your software and apps updated!  When updates become available for your phone, computer, tablet, or other device, make them right away. We know how tempting it can be to click “remind me later,” but here’s why that’s not the best idea.  These updates are pushed out to fix general software problems and provide new security patches where criminals might get in. (Cyber criminals are always looking for new ways to steal your data through software, and updating your software is an easy way…

Over the years, we’ve gone from having just a couple of passwords to keep track of, to managing upwards of 100 passwords or more. If you’re like most people, you’re probably using the same password for most of your accounts—and that’s not safe. If that one password gets stolen because of a breach, it can be used to gain access to all your accounts… and any personal or financial information they contain. That’s why we recommend using a password manager! What is a password manager? A password manager is software designed to manage all your online credentials, like usernames and…

First things first: What is multi-factor authentication? Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security measure that requires anyone logging into an account to complete a two-step process to prove their identity.  In short, multi-factor authentication makes it twice as hard for criminals to access an online account! How does multi-factor authentication work? By requiring two steps instead of one to log in, multi-factor authentication greatly increases the security of any account. When MFA is activated, you’ll log in to your account with your username and password like normal, then complete an additional security step to finish the login process. Examples of…