I really had no idea what to post about today. Not that I've run out of topics, just not feeling very motivated this morning. It's almost the end of the workday as I finally get around to typing this out. I don't do so well having to remain in one place and indoors, yet here I sit with a five-day-a-week office job. Fortunately, I still have a bit of financial catching up to do so I spent the weekend doing my part time remote job which requires a lot of driving around the tristate area and getting in and out of the van. I'll be doing a bit of the after work each day this week; partially to continue catching up, partially to enjoy the weather and the sights.

I spent a good bit of the day on my usual social media perusal looking for things to post about. A little world news - nothing good to report. Some Springtime permaculture content - not much has changed, #growfoodnotlawns and #eatyouryard, some First Amendment (1A) auditing - watched a new one from my favorite auditor, Too Apree, and now I'm listening to one of my favorite DJ mixes of all time, The Document by DJ Andy Smith.

As a small business consultant one thing I'd like to bring to your attention at the start of this week is your business' and personal digital security. I can't help notice how laxed so many of you tend to be about using strong passwords, two factor authentication, and top rated anti-malware software on all your mobile devices and computers.

I learned this lesson nearly the hard way some years ago when I first got involved in the medical business and my bank accounts reached the tens of thousands of dollars for the first time in my life, almost entirely other people's money which I was responsible for. I was managing finances and handling payroll for several offices at the time. I have a long history of being technologically savvy dating back to when I started utilizing PCs and the internet in the late Eighties, so I touted that I knew what tf I was doing when it came to creating and managing passwords. Boy was I wrong.

One lazy Sunday morning I took a walk with my kids to have breakfast at our favorite Cuban bakers, Delicia's in Lake Worth, Florida. Normally I'd leave my phone at home or in the car on such a day, for some reason it was in my pocket. Good thing. As I was about to step inside the store I got a notification. Rather than ignore it, I decided to take a look. A text message from Chase Bank informed me I had just added a Zelle recipient. Immediately I knew I had not and opened their app and logged in. I saw a new recipient with a name and email I didn't recognize. Weather I recognized it or not, I didn't add it, and I sprung into action to delete it then called the customer service number right away.

The bank changed my account and routing numbers and issued a new card. I acted fast enough that the money was safe, every penny accounted for. I changed the password and engaged 2FA. But I knew that wasn't going to be enough, and I also wanted to know how someone was able to get enough info to log in and act like me. That was when I learned that companies like Credit Karma and Apple monitor your online identities and accounts for free and will warn you when there has been a breach.

I began to do some intensive research to educate myself as thoroughly as possible on this matter since I was getting into the world of consulting and money management. I wound up meeting a guy who does cyber security for the US military abroad. He knew his shit. He gave me a lot of pointers and solid advice which he got paid a lot of money to provide for his clients. I'd like to pass on some of that information to you now free of charge as I do for all my clients, friends, and family, just as he did for me.

First, stop thinking you're good at creating passwords - you're not. Use a password generator. Stop using passwords that are similar so that you can remember them all, it's a surefire way to get hacked. There are a few highly rated password managers, which will also create randomized passwords for you, on the market. There are free ones which are popular, I use Bitwarden. They have a free version; however, I recommend their cheapest annual plan which is extremely affordable. This way you can keep all your logins, and even baking info in a central database accessible from any browser, PC or smartphone app, and browser extension.

Some of you might be thinking it would be easy for a breach to occur for a password manager and expose all of your data at once. That's why I recommend paying a nominal annual fee so that they can afford to remain at the top of their game and rest assure they are monitoring 24/7 worldwide and will inform their customers immediately. I've used them for several years now without a hitch. It's the best $10.00 I spend each year.

As for antimalware/antivirus software, I prefer what I believe are the two highest rated ones in the world - Bitdefender and Webroot. I use Webroot on my desktops and laptops, it costs me less than 50 bucks for the year and I have no worries when it comes to the possibility of accidentally opening suspicious emails or clicking the wrong link. I use Bitdefender of my mobile devices and it hasn't let me down. Both companies also offer identity monitoring and password management.

Lastly, I recommend creating a free Credit Karma account if you haven't done so already. Not only is it a great way to monitor and develop your personal credit score and history, they too monitor your online identity and report breaches free of charge. Take a look right now, I bet you'll be shocked to see at least one of your emails compromised. Hope this information helps. If you have any questions feel free to comment below or find me on social media, all my links are at the bottom of these posts.