How data breaches go beyond financial theft

Security breaches are nothing new. We learned this back in 2013 when Target lost data, again in 2014 when the White House was hacked, and back in 2017 when Equifax fell victim to a cyberattack. And here we are again, years later, with Capital One acknowledging their security breach of personal information.  

Credit Reports vs Credit Scores...

Interested in how your credit score is calculated? Well, it's not as simple as just paying your bills on time. Your FICO score is based on five different factors... Here's the breakdown:

30%   Available Credit
10%   Number of Inquiries
10%   Type of Credit
35%   History of Credit
15%   Length of Credit

Budgeting Blunders

Creating a budget is not that difficult. In fact, it can be jotted down on a napkin with a crayon. But sticking to a budget is where the hard work takes place.

Here are a few areas where I see budgets take a nose-dive. Don't let one of these budget blunders allow you to become a victim of a savings snafu.

Keep It Simple

One of the largest mistakes people make, by far, is creating a budget that is too complex.  In an attempt to allocate each penny, which is a good thing, they create a budget that has forty five or more line items, which is not a good thing.

Tips For Getting Through Unplanned Debt

I can’t remember my parents ever talking about money matters with my siblings and me. I know for a fact my grandparents never openly discussed such things. However, I see it becoming more common place for families to open up about financial matters around the dinner table, and I think it’s great.

When everyone is involved, it helps them understand why certain things are, or are not, possible. Better yet, keeping the lines of communication flowing is the best thing for any relationship, regardless of the topic.

Which Debt Should You Pay Off First?

When it comes to the best techniques and ideas for paying off debt, there are about as many out there as there are chocolate chip cookie recipes. And while it may take a few recipes until you find the tastiest one, finding the best fit for you when it comes to debt payoff may also take a few tries.

When you break it down, there are really three basic ways to pay off debt:

5 Ways To Help Protect Your Credit

What should you do if your account gets hacked?

A while back my debit card got hacked. Yep, some loser got a hold of my card number. The assailant attempted to use it to purchase various computers and equipment, along with a Match.com membership.  And while some of the smaller charges hit my account, it was the fine people in the fraud detection department of my bank that blocked the other charges from hitting. 

Luckily the fraud was detected in time. Luckily the loser wasn't able to clean my checking account out. And while I try to be super careful when using my cards, sometimes the good guy just gets the short end of the stick. 

Going off the grid

So, how can you protect yourself against becoming a victim? Easy. Build a bunker, grow your own food, use solar energy, and only trade in gold bullion. However, if you're anything like me, this isn't quite a viable option. Don't get me wrong...if you're in the first category I mentioned, feel free to bring me cucumbers and berries from your garden. I love cucumbers and berries...bring a lot~ But for the rest of you, here are some precautions you can take: