Ten ways to protect your personal information

theft, and exercising caution. Here are 10 things you can start doing now to protect yourself and your loved ones from identity theft:

Identity theft affects millions of people each year and can cause serious harm. Protect yourself by securing your personal information, understanding the threat of identity

1. Protect your Social Security number by keeping your Social Security card in a safe place at home. Don’t carry it with you or provide your number unnecessarily.

2. Be careful when you speak with unknown callers. Scammers may mislead you by using legitimate phone numbers or the real names of officials. If they threaten you or make you feel uneasy, hang up.

3. Create strong, unique passwords so others can’t easily access your accounts. Use

Bumpy road to comfortable retirement

If you try to rationalize when you’ll have enough money to retire, you’ll never do it.

While finances — the right amount of money or fear of not enough money — are a massive factor in making your decision, instinct and intuition also play a major role.

Several retirees have explained their decision simply. It was time, they say.

Many people work as long as they can, until their mind and muscle can no longer take the strain and stress. If they’ve planned it that way, it can work for them. If they haven’t, they’ll have trouble adjusting to the new life thrust upon them.

Among the happiest retirees are those who compiled a wish list of things they wanted to do during their lifetime — learn to play bridge, visit every corner of their native land, raise orchids, or whatever. In between, they visit the grandchildren and have coffee with old cronies. Some volunteer their time for local non-profit service organizations.

Their new position, described by much of the world as one’s golden years, can be tarnished by the ugly fact that they didn’t save, save and save some more during their earning years.

Some seniors are able to snag a job as a supermarket bagger or gofer to ease their fiscal strain but the increasing political pressure to raise minimum wages is pricing such prospects out the proverbial window.

Financial preparation helps make retirement more enjoyable. Living on a lower budget before retiring can accomplish a couple of things. By cutting down on the number of nights you eat out, the periodic shopping sprees for new clothes, and not trading in the family car annually for a new model will get you used to getting along with things you don’t need but were accustomed to. And the money you save can be added to your retirement fund so you can enjoy those years more comfortably.

Overlooked in one’s view of retirement is how the maintenance or loss of control over your life affects your life. Planning and making your own decisions is a powerful portion of your happiness. Sickness, disability and death are among the unexpected that can undermine whatever you plan, but such events and how they can affect you emotionally and economically should be considered when you review your view of retirement.

The coronavirus pandemic pandemonium that sent the stock market tumbling is a graphic example of unexpected events that can affect in your financial future. Whether or not you dabble directly in the stock market, it’s possible your pension fund is heavily invested in it, meaning your financial future might be tied to Wall Street more than you realized.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023 different passwords for different accounts so if a hacker compromises one account, they can’t access other accounts.

4. Never give your personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited call or message, and never post it on social media.

5. Shred paper documents that contain personal information, like your name, birth date, and Social Security number.

6. Protect your mobile device from unauthorized access by securing it with a PIN, adding a fingerprinting feature, or using facial recognition. You can also add a password and adjust the time before your screen automatically locks.

7. Regularly check your financial accounts for suspicious transactions.

8. Avoid internet threats by installing and maintaining strong anti-virus software on all your devices — including your mobile device and personal computer. Use a virtual private network to stay safe on public Wi-Fi. Do not perform certain activities that involve sensitive data, like online shopping and banking, on public Wi-Fi networks.

9. Protect yourself on social media by customizing your security settings and deleting accounts you no longer use. Also, double-check suspicious messages from your contacts, as hackers may create fake accounts of people you know.

10. Never click on any link sent via unsolicited email or text message — type in the web address yourself. Only provide information on secure websites.

We encourage you to create your own personal my Social Security account to track your earnings record. For more information, read our publication, Protecting Personal Information, at oig.ssa.gov/ files/21-540_Protecting_Personal_Information.pdf. Contact us if you see suspicious work activity on your record–you could be a victim of identity theft.

Share this information with your family and friends.