Enhanced Web Security Features You Should Activate Today

Presented by Mark Phillips

Are your e-mail and other online accounts as secure as they should be?

 As hackers continue to develop more elaborate tactics, a password alone is no longer enough to protect your accounts. Fortunately, a number of web-based e-mail providers and other online services now offer multifactor authentication—one of the simplest and most effective ways to secure your data.

What is multifactor authentication?

Rather than relying on a password alone, multifactor authentication asks users to provide two forms of identification in order to log in. When you enable multifactor authentication, the website typically sends a passcode to your mobile device; you must enter that code, along with your password, in order to verify your identity. The code helps ensure that only you—and not an imposter who has stolen your login information—can sign in to your account.

Updating your accounts

Here’s an overview of the multifactor authentication features offered by several major websites. You can learn more about each system and get specific instructions by visiting the sites.

• Gmail. When you activate Gmail’s 2-Step Verification, you’ll be prompted to enter a six-digit code that Gmail sends to your cell phone, as well as your username and password, at login. You can elect to have the computer you’re using remember the code for 30 days. (Whenever you use a different computer or device, you’ll have to type in the code.) Once the 30 days are up, you will receive a new code.
• Yahoo! Mail. Yahoo! Mail’s Second Sign-In Verification adds another layer of protection to your account by authenticating suspicious login attempts. For instance, if you try to sign in from a computer you don’t normally use, you’ll either have to answer an account security question or enter a code sent to your mobile device.
• Facebook. When you enable Facebook’s Login Approvals, the site will ask you to enter a verification code if you try to access your account from a new computer or mobile device. Once you log in, you can save that computer or phone as a recognized device, so you won’t have to enter a code the next time you log in.
• LinkedIn. LinkedIn recently began offering Two-Step Verification, which requires you to enter a security code sent to your phone when logging in from an unrecognized device for the first time.
• Twitter. Another newcomer to the multifactor authentication bandwagon, Twitter unveiled Login Verification this spring. When you enroll, the site will ask you to enter a six-digit passcode sent to your phone each time you log in.
• PayPal/eBay. PayPal’s Security Key, which also works on eBay, protects your accounts by generating temporary security codes that you use to log in. You can either register your mobile phone to receive the security codes by text message or, for $30, order a credit-card-sized hardware token that creates security codes on the go.
• LastPass. If you use LastPass to keep track of all your passwords, it’s especially important to enable the Google Authenticator option to protect your account.
• Outlook/Hotmail. Microsoft is currently working on a multifactor authentication feature for Outlook/Hotmail accounts. In the meantime, it’s a good idea to request a single-use code when accessing your account from a public or shared computer.

 

Upgrade your online security today!

Considering how easy these security features are to activate, we encourage you to enable them as soon as possible for the sites you use.

Of course, multifactor authentication doesn’t replace commonsense e-mail security practices—it’s still essential to be proactive in protecting your cyber safety. Never open suspicious e-mails, and never provide personal information online unless you’re sure of the recipient. If you haven’t updated your passwords or password recovery options recently, take some time to do so.

As always, helping you keep your sensitive information secure is one of our top priorities. If you have any questions about the information presented here, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.

 

The Rule of 72 – When Growth and Time Yield Double

Presented by Mark Phillips

You might wonder how I can so quickly tell you how long it will take for an investment to double your money at a fixed rate of return – all in my head.

Well, the rule of 72 can help you figure this out just as quickly. The rule gives you an approximation of how long it will take any investment at a specific rate of interest and/or growth—whether it’s a simple savings account or a complex investment portfolio—to double.

Simply divide 72 by the annual interest/growth percentage you expect to earn on the investment. The result is the number of years it will take to double your money.

Let’s say we have a hypothetical investment that currently returns 7.20 percent annual compound interest:

72 divided by 7.20 = 10 years to double

And we have a second hypothetical investment that returns 8.6 percent annual compound interest:

72 divided by 8.6 = about 8.4 years to double

You can see how the slightest difference in interest rates can have a pronounced effect on how quickly your money might grow.

Another way to use this is to see the effect of apparent (nominal) growth and real (inflation adjusted) growth. Consider the first case above with annual average growth of 7.2% per year.

72 divided by 7.20 = about 10 years to double

In a 4% inflation environment the real (inflation adjusted) growth rate is really 3.07% per year and the following would express the time for the hypothetical investment to double in purchasing power:

72 divided by 3.07 = ~ 23½ years to double 

Now then, using the second example above with nominal growth of 8.6% per year we see a real return rate of 4.42%. Thus the time to double purchasing power is determined as follows:

72 divided by 4.42 = ~16.3 years

This is 30% faster and is much faster than the rate at which the nominal amount of money will double.

Of course, interest rates can and do fluctuate, and taxes can take a chunk, too—so that’s why I stress this is only a rough approximation. Also, note that the hypothetical illustrations are not predictions of investment performance; investment principal and interest are not guaranteed and are subject to market fluctuation in virtually all investments.

Clearing Out Catalog Clutter

Presented by Mark Phillips

In my role as your advisor I work hard to find ways to help de-clutter your financial lives. But as consumers, we’re all faced with other forms of clutter, like the clutter we find in our mailboxes.

To help you simplify life from a nonfinancial perspective, I’m calling your attention to Catalog Choice, a cost-free service that enables you to slow down—or stop entirely—catalog delivery to your mailbox. Using its website, www.catalogchoice.org, is simple:

1. Sign up. Your contact information won’t be shared, except to initiate catalog receipt preferences.
2. Find the catalogs you receive; then select receipt options.
3. Watch for a reduction in the number of unwanted catalogs. It could take up to 12 weeks to be dropped from the mailing cycle, but the results will be worth the wait.

I hope that you can take these steps to de-clutter your mailbox. Meanwhile, I will continue to work diligently to make your financial life as clutter-free as possible. If you have questions about the information shared here, please contact me at 949-333-6394

How do we struggle…Consider Diabetes

Presented by Mark Phillips

The Center for Disease Control tracks many maladies in the US and compiles history which they have put into an interactive map program that you can access through the internet from their web page.

Click on the following image or paste the URL into your web browser to access the site.



As we age we are more prone to disability and death due to maladies such as diabetes. Having, and living, a fun plan for an active lifestyle that will support good health and thus our ability to stay physically engaged with our friends, family, community and world is just as important as a “healthy” financial plan.

Sadly the state of our bodies as a nation by and large is representative to the state of our overall financial health as a nation. This is to say, not so much where we would like to be on average.

The amazing and wonderful thing is that so much of what we will get in both areas of our life is under our own control to manage. This is to say effectively deal with the difficulties and leverage the opportunities through clarity about what is now and will be important to us, each of us, in the future.

As for the CDC data map – consider that many people, well-meaning and wonderful people most, are struggling to improve their circumstances. None of us is not struggling in some element(s) of our lives to make improvements. To struggle towards better is good, it is growth and makes the world a more beautiful place in some way.  To give up is the enemy of better, growth and beauty.

Champion your personal struggle!

Let us know how we may best coach and help you.