MONEY HACKS: How to Protect Your Finances This Spooky Season

It’s mid-October, and as Halloween approaches, we’re embracing the season of scares—but not the kind that hit your financial accounts! October is also Cybersecurity Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to double-check how secure your digital footprint is.

In the latest episode of Money Hacks, we dive into how to protect your online presence and financial accounts from bad actors lurking in the shadows. Whether it's using better passwords, reviewing your accounts, or avoiding risky networks, these small steps can save you from a frightening, and perhaps, very costly ordeal.

Maintaining good online hygiene doesn’t have to feel like a chore. With a few mindful steps, you can keep your financial accounts secure and enjoy your Halloween without any cyber scares. Just remember, the key to managing your money is as much about security as it is about saving and investing.

Any money questions you’d like answered? Our Money Hacks series is created from conversations we have with employees, investors, savers, and all people planning for their financial futures. What topics are on your mind for our next episode?

Video Transcript:

Hey, this is Alex Assaley, and it's episode number 120 of Money Hacks. It’s mid-October—Halloween season. A little spooky, a little scary. And it's also Cybersecurity Month, which is quite spooky and scary, too.

You know, we spend a lot of time talking to individuals, investors, and savers about the importance of managing your investment accounts, and making wise decisions when it comes to saving, investing, and building your financial retirement picture. A key component of that is ensuring that you have strong processes and protocols when it comes to protecting your data—your digital footprint—through cybersecurity.

Hackers and bad actors are relentlessly trying to get into accounts to steal personal, sensitive information, identities, and money. They’re really crafty. They’re really good at this. But we can be better. We can have systems in place to protect us and ensure that all of our online accounts, especially financial accounts, are secure. Here are a few tips when it comes to data and cybersecurity:

Number one: I know you have a lot of different logins for websites—from Amazon, where you buy your shoes, to your bank, credit union, and investment accounts. Don’t use the same password. Use different passwords for these accounts.

Number two: Get a password manager. There are numerous services out there, many for a really low cost, that allow you to manage all your passwords. This lets you use complicated, long passwords that are difficult—if not impossible—for hackers, bad actors, or computer-generated systems to crack.

Number three: Make it a habit to log into your investment accounts and retirement accounts periodically. You don’t need to check them every single day, but it’s important to review them regularly—maybe a couple of times a year. Make sure you’re investing the right way, saving the right amount, and review your activity to ensure there hasn’t been any fraudulent activity on your accounts. Also, keep your username, email address, and other personal details up to date.

When you log in, make sure you’re doing it on a secure network—preferably a password-protected home network. Avoid logging in from coffee shops, airports, or other open networks that could expose you to risks from hackers and bad actors.

It’s really critical that we protect our digital footprint and maintain good online hygiene—whether it’s password protection or safeguarding sensitive personal information. Keep these tips in mind, and hopefully, you can navigate the rest of Halloween without getting too scared—or too big of a stomachache from eating all your kids' candy. We’ll see you next time. Thanks again!