On your journey to take charge of your finances you will be accessing all your accounts. This is the optimal time to sign up for a Password Manager such as LastPass or Keeper. Your biggest risk to your accounts is created by using the same password for multiple accounts. But who can keep tracks or dozens of passwords? What happens if you are incapacitated? A Password Manager solves these problems. Learn more about Password Managers in this article:
PC Mag – The Best Password Managers for 2022
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-password-managers
If you just want to skip the research rabbit hole, I have been using LastPass for 2 years and it is awesome. LastPass cost $3/month for the annual plan, however I am delighted to pay for the security and convenience it provides. It stores not only my username and passwords but also the URLs of the login page for all the companies I do business with. LastPass provides both piece of mind that I have strong passwords securely stored, as well as the convenience to launch and log into my email and financial accounts in seconds. This is not a paid endorsement.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Modern life requires us to maintain usernames and passwords with almost every company we do business with
- Almost nobody can remember dozens of username/password combinations so you instead 1) use the same username and password for all accounts OR 2) keep all their passwords written down on a Post-It or stored as a fake contact on their phone. Both strategies leave you vulnerable to becoming a victim of identity theft.
- SOLUTION – Use a password manager. With a password manager, you don’t have to remember strong, passwords for all your accounts. The password manager stores them for you online and you can access them from anywhere.
- Many password managers are also a time-saving tool allowing you to open a website and login with one click.
- Using a password manager means the passwords are stored securely online instead of automatically stored by your browser or operating system. This means when you upgrade your device, you can recycle your old device without worrying about someone in the recycling chain hacking all your passwords.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How do you currently store your passwords?
Are you concerned about identity theft?
Do you trust the Password Manager service can keep your passwords secure?
BONUS READING
Freezing you credit will stop identity thieves from opening new credit accounts in your name. Second only to using unique, strong passwords for every account; freezing your credit is an easy and powerful way to protect yourself from identity theft.
FREEZING YOUR CREDIT IS FREE FOR EVERYONE: HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO DO
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