It’s spring cleaning season!
In between cleaning the windows, freshening up the garden and reorganizing that overstuffed closet, there’s one more type of cleaning to consider: digital cleaning!
When you’re tired from the physical cleaning you’re doing, plop down on the couch with your laptop and get started on this easy (but very necessary) project!
Create New Passwords. Are your account passwords kind of easy to guess? Or have you gotten notifications from your browser that your password was discovered in a data breach or on the dark web? Time to update those passwords! You can use a “password keeper” program like LastPass or OnePass to store passwords that are more complicated and harder to crack than the ones you keep in your head (or on a piece of paper on your desk). You can also set up sharing with a trusted individual in case they need your passwords and you’re incapacitated due to an injury or illness.
Set Up Alerts. While you’re in your bank accounts and credit card accounts, be sure to set up text or email alerts. This will help you detect any suspicious activity quickly, and it will alert you to subscriptions or other recurring charges that you forgot about.
Delete Old Accounts and Subscriptions. While you’re cleaning up those account passwords, take a look for accounts you no longer use or forgot you had! Do you have old email addresses that you don’t use anymore? Delete those accounts and cancel subscriptions that you rarely use. (You might save money that way, too!)
Secure Your Important Digital Documents. What would happen if your hard drive crashed on your computer? Do you have documents on your computer that you really might need someday and would be hard to replace? Move copies of those documents to a password-secured online storage option. According to eSecurity Planet, the safest cloud storage options include pCloud, Internxt and NordLocker.
Get a Safe or a Fireproof Box. For those really important physical documents, such as a social security card, estate plan documents, birth certificate or marriage certificate, it’s a good idea to invest in a fireproof, waterproof lockbox of a safe. There are a lot of options here, including hiring a contractor who can build a safe into a closet in your home, or portable, fireproof document holder that you keep somewhere hidden.
Check Your Kid’s Digital Security, Too! Have kids living at home? This is a good time to talk to them about passwords, account safety, avoiding scams and all sorts of other things. If your children are young, you’ll definitely want to have alerts set up related to their accounts, and have the passwords to all their devices.
While you’re doing your digital spring cleaning, think about any ways we can help you out! Whether it’s reducing expenses, investing wisely or cleaning up your budget and spending habits, we can help you this spring. Just stop by a branch, call or send us a message through online banking.
Happy Spring!
Ready to deep clean? Schedule a free consultation with a certified finanical counselor to dig deeper into your personal finanical situation.
