It pays to be safe when you travel this Thanksgiving. The last thing you need is to catch some nasty malware that hijacks your phone or laptop and steals valuable data and passwords. That’s called “juice jacking” and can happen far too easily at the airport when you charge your devices by plugging into a USB […]
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What’s A Trusted Contact, And Why Do I Need One?
Several of our clients are receiving reminders from Charles Schwab & Co. to name a Trusted Contact for their accounts. Here’s some information to help you understand what a Trusted Contact is, and why you should consider naming one. What’s a Trusted Contact? A “Trusted Contact” is a person that you authorize your brokerage firm […]
How To Spot A Scam, From One Of America’s Greatest (Former) Con Men
Frank Abagnale is arguably America’s most famous con man. He was a professional imposter whose life inspired the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film “Catch Me If You Can.” After getting caught and serving time, Abagnale became one of the FBI’s good guys, using his inside knowledge of how scammers work to protect Americans from […]
Capital One Data Breach: What To Do Now
Details of yet another data breach were in the news this morning. We’re sure many of you have questions about how this may affect you, and what steps you should take now to protect your personal information. For that reason, we’re sharing below information provided early this morning by free-credit-score website WalletHub. The information below was […]
Claim Your Social Security Account Before Hackers Do It For You
Imagine that you’re finally ready to claim your retirement benefits and contact the Social Security Administration, only to find out that someone has been claiming your hard-earned benefits for years, and directing those monthly checks to a bank you’ve never heard of. It can happen. Social Security is asking more American workers to request benefits […]
Florida #1 For Fraud: How Not To Be A Victim
So what else is new? Florida ranks #1 for consumer fraud complaints, partly due to our transient (and often older) population. According to a Federal Trade Commission report, Florida residents lost over $80 million to fraud in 2018. There was a big increase in government imposter scams. That’s where someone calls you, pretending to be […]
New Phishing Attacks Target Your Cell Phone
Feel like you’re already the target of hackers and spammers? Sad to say, it’s about to get a little bit worse before it gets better. You know that cyber-hackers are on the lookout for an opening to attack your computer. And lately, those cell phone robo-callers have become even more annoying. Now, there’s a brand new […]
Is It Phishing? Or Is It For Real? Hard To Know For Sure
A reader of our blog recently sent us an email asking if a message he received from a broker was legitimate or whether it was a phishing expedition. He was following up on a couple of previous blog stories we did on phishing emails and wanted some guidance. He received what seemed like a legitimate […]
Quote Of The Week: The Internet Of Things
“There are more devices connected to the internet now than there are people on the planet.” Greg Ruppert, Cybersecurity expert Senior Vice President, Financial Crimes Risk Management, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Keeping It Safe: Credit Freezes Get More Chill
A major tool in combatting identity fraud just got cheaper. In fact, credit freezes are now totally free. Consumers victimized by identity fraud have long had the option of “freezing” their credit by contacting the big three credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – and telling them to restrict access to their credit file. […]
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About Mari Adam, CFP®
Mari Adam, Certified Financial Planner™ and President of Adam Financial Associates Inc, has been helping individuals and families chart their financial futures for twenty five years. Mari has appeared in publications such as Business Week, CBS MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, Newsweek, and Money Magazine.
