Make Sure Your Banking Online Safety

Safety Of Banking Online

About 80% of us either bank or pay bills online, so we must think that it is safe... right. Nothing you do online is 100% safe. You are sending your personal information into the internet cloud. If we understand how online security works and take necessary precautions, banking can be very safe.

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The first thing to do is make sure that the device you are using, PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone, has all the security updates installed. Use some type of internet security software and keep it up to date.

If you have home Wi-Fi make sure that you have changed the default administrator password and that you turned on the latest Wi-Fi security. I would also turn off the broadcast, so that your Wi-Fi does not appear when someone is searching for hot spots.

Now that you are all secure what about your bank, here are some things to look for:

• Make sure that your bank is FDIC insured, check the FDIC website for current information.
• When going to your bank's web site make sure that you see "HTTPS" in the address bar. This encrypts the data that you send.
• 128-bit encryption should be used when transmitting data, your bank's web site should tell you what they use.
• When setting up a password use upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols, they all should be random and the longer the better. Now might be a good time to look into a password manager to keep track of all your passwords.
• Some banks use a second authentication method, when logging in you will see a picture that you picked out during your account setup, if you don't see this picture don't log in.
• Never click a link in an email to go to your bank, the email could have come from someone trying to get your log in information. Always type the bank's address in yourself or go to a bookmark that you created.

When using your smartphone or tablet for banking it is best to download the app from the bank's web site, it will link you to the proper app. These apps use encryption when transmitting your data.

Your smartphone and tablet now has a wealth of your personal and banking information in it so don't lose it and if you do make sure that you have some type of software that will wipe your data.

So after reading this article something should have become very clear-Banking safely online starts with you!

 

Tips Can Help You To Comprehend Your Finances..

Tips Can Help You To Comprehend Your Finances.

 

These days, it is becoming increasingly critical that you gain an understanding of your finances and how they can affect you in the present, as well as the future. 

Even if you think all things financial are boring, you need to know the basics of personal financial management in order to make sound choices involving money. Understanding your finances also assists you in planning for your future.

 

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The following tips can help you to comprehend your finances:-

To develop your budget plan, you need to include your net income and expenses. Make a list and calculate all the money that you have coming in after taxes no matter what the source is. A key to a strong budget is making sure your expenditures do not exceed your income.

Determine the amount that you will spend on various items. Make a list of all of the money that is spent in your household. This should be very thorough. Don't forget to add in car repair costs and insurance premiums. Remember to include the can of soda you get at work and eating out. You also need to account for incidental expenses such as child care costs. Make sure that your list is as complete as possible.

After understanding your current financial position, you can develop a reasonable budget. A quick change is removing those little purchases that mount up quickly, like daily coffee. Make the coffee at your house instead. There are all kinds of cheap but great flavors you can purchase in the supermarket, that make your coffee taste, just as well as the coffee in a shop. Continue to reassess your budget to find ways to decrease your expenses.

Look into the cost of upgrading certain things in your home, as this can result in your utility bills being lower. Adding insulation to your attic and weatherizing your windows can minimize energy loss and save you a bundle. Repair any leaky pipes, and only run your dishwasher with a full load.

Keeping your utility bills as low as possible requires you to replace old appliances with ones that are more energy efficient. If you have an appliance that has a light indicating it is plugged in, unplug it. This can save you on energy costs.

Replacing an aged roof will improve the efficiency of heating and cooling, as will adding insulation in your attic. Taking these steps will help you reduce the amount of money that you spend heating and cooling your house, and you may also be able to take advantage of tax incentives.

Try the suggestions listed here to create a workable budget and keep your expenses in line with your income. After trying a few, you will be on track to reducing your expenses. Try replacing your appliances with energy efficient ones to save money on electric and water bills.

If you do this, you have more control over your money even if you don't care about money, it is present in your life. Handling your money confidently is key to making the right financial choices.

Money Tips From Feng Sui View

Feng Sui Money Tips 

Do you know where your financial "power spots" are? The contemporary methods of feng shui associate prosperity issues with the back left corner of any space. Stand at your front door facing into the house; your wealth area is at the back of the house on the left-hand side. There's also a wealth area within each room: facing in from the doorway, it's the corner area in the back of the room on the left-hand side. 

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Where are the wealth areas within your office, living room, kitchen, and bedroom? Now that you've identified your money power spots, here are some quick and easy ways to apply feng shui to these spaces:

1. Clear out any clutter from these important areas. 

Clutter is a sign of stagnant energy, and clutter in your money power spots can clog up your cash flow. Getting rid of clutter is one of the most powerful ways to shift the energy of your power spots into high gear.

2. Fix things that are broken. 

Anything that doesn't work as it should is a sign of something wrong in the area of your life that corresponds to that part of your space. Examine each of your money power spots to look for anything that needs repair. 

It's time to do something about that loose doorknob, non-working light switch, stuck file drawer, or clock that doesn't keep correct time, to name just a few possible examples. Remove items like these from your power spots or fix them so they work properly.

3. Enhance your power spots with symbols of prosperity, 

such as a bowl of coins (add your loose change to it every day), a "lucky bamboo" plant, or anything that symbolizes success and prosperity to you. There are lots of Chinese luck symbols available, but you don't have to use them unless you want to. 

A picture of your dream house, or a model of that luxury car you long for, is an effective money symbol because it has personal meaning for you.

4. Accent your money areas with the colors green and purple. 

Green symbolizes vitality and growth, and purple is the color of wealth. Place a bowl of green and purple grapes (real or artificial) in the wealth area of your kitchen, to symbolize abundance filling your home. If you use real grapes, it's okay to eat them, just add more from time to time so the grapes remain fresh and the bowl is always more than half full.

5. Pay attention to how you handle money every day. 

Do you keep paper money neatly sorted in your wallet or money clip, or is it jammed in there any old way, or crumpled up at the bottom of your pocket? Clean the clutter out of your purse and wallet, and start handling your money as though you value it.

6. If you neglect your money, it will neglect you, so be sure to balance your checkbook regularly and pay your bills on time. 

 Put your checkbook in an attractive cover (choose green, purple, red, blue, or black) and keep it in the wealth area of your desk - that's the rear left corner again -- or in the wealth area of your office.

7. Live generously. 

Money is a form of energy, and it needs to flow through your life, not just into it. Hoarding and scrimping work against more coming in, while giving generously within your means makes space for even greater abundance. If you don't yet have ample money to share, give as generously as you can of your time, energy, compassion, and appreciation.

8. Take a few moments every evening to think about all the good things that happened to you today and to express your gratitude for what you have received. 

Small things count, too, so it's okay if there's little of the spectacular on your list most of the time. It's not what happened that's important; it's getting in the habit of focusing on the positive side of things every day that matters. The more you notice, appreciate, and express gratitude for blessings received, no matter how small, the more good things will come your way, including money.

A true experience of prosperity is determined not by how much money you have, but by how well you notice and enjoy what is already present in your life. The formal name for the wealth area is "fortunate blessings" - as you de-clutter, repair, and accessorize your money power spots keep this broader meaning in mind. 

When you celebrate being rich in friends and family, or rich with laughter, or the richness of your spiritual life, or even being rich in air and sunshine if nothing else seems to be going well for you today, material blessings will come to you more readily as well.

How To Raise Financially Responsible Teens

6 Step To Raise Financial Responsible  Teens

In today's money-driven society, teens are constantly bombarded by magazines, television ads, and peer pressure which make them feel less than ideal if they do not wear the latest clothing style and drive a "cool" car. 

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Briefly visit your local mall and you will observe multitudes of young people who shop as if credit cards have no maximum spending limit. With all this push for extravagance, is it even possible to raise your teens with money sense and save them from making serious financial mistakes?

Although I have yet to have teenagers of my own, I was blessed to be raised by parents who taught me from a young age to be a wise steward of money. Let me share some things my parents did to instill in me that money is a limited resource and must be spent with care.

1. Start Early

Just because your child is too young to have a real job, does not mean it is too early to start teaching basic financial principles. From the time we were little, we always received an "allowance" from our parents. We only received this money if we had done all of our daily/weekly chores. This taught us that money is not free; it is earned.

2. Set An Example

You cannot expect your teens to wisely spend money if you do not set a good example for them. Do your children see you buying things on credit because you want them now and do not have the patience to wait until you are able to save up enough money? My dad was an excellent example in this area. 

Before making any large purchase (such as a car), he first decided what he could afford. Then, he began shopping around. Sometimes it would take him close to a year to find what he was looking for, for the price he wanted to pay. His patience always paid off and it left an indelible impression upon me.

3. Don't Buy Everything For Them

It is easy for many parents to want to "help teens out" by buying most everything for them. But, is this truly "helping"? When your teenager enters the real world on their own, they are going to have some hard lessons to learn if you always bought everything they needed and wanted for them. 

As soon as we were able to begin earning money, my dad had us start paying for some of our own things such as clothes, gifts for other people, things we wanted, and so on. Because my parents did not buy everything for us, it taught me the value of hard work, to think before I spend, and to look for the best buy.

4. Teach Your Teens the Value of Hard Work

In a day when laziness is rampant, teach your teens instead the importance of being a hard worker. What you work for, you usually appreciate more. If your teenager has worked hard to buy themselves a car, it can be almost guaranteed that they will appreciate it more and take better care of it.

5. Train Your Teens to Think Before They Spend

This might seem like a no-brainer, but learning to think before I spend has literally saved me hundreds of dollars over the years. Teach your teens to ask themselves at least three questions before making any purchase:

1) Do I have the money on hand to pay for this?

2) Do I need this?

3) Can I buy this somewhere else for less?

Oftentimes, in asking these questions, I will talk myself out of making the purchase! I will realize I don't really have the money to pay for it or I don't need the item. Other times, I will think of a way I can purchase this item for less.

6. Encourage Your Teens to Get the Best Buy

In addition to asking these questions, also train your teens to look for the best deal. It is amazing what variation in prices you will find out there. For instance, the water pump burst on one of our vehicles recently. When we took it into auto shop for repair, they said that we would have to take it to a more specialized shop, since the engine would need to be taken out in order to replace the water pump. 

The first price we were quoted was $775. Knowing that was out of our current budget, my husband began calling around to different body shops. One place quoted him around $500 another quoted him a little over $300. By calling around to find the best deal, we are going to be saving hundreds of dollars on this repair job.