Monthly Archives: December 2019

Cybersecurity Safety Tips for Your Business

cybersecurity

Don’t let living your dream of owning your own business end because of cybercrime. Stay on top of the latest defenses when it comes to cybercrime by implementing even one of these tips for your business. 

Never Assume You Are 100% Secure

Unfortunately, you can never be fully protected against a cyber threat. The minute you sit back and think that you are invulnerable is the best time for a cybercriminal to strike. There will always be a new potential threat. There may even be an employee mistake or a broken piece of data. It’s important to always be looking for ways to improve security. 

Amp Up Authentication

Every point of digital access to the internal working of your company should be blocked by outsiders with authentication. Authentication is a way of signing into a device with a code only authorized users have access to. Many companies are switching to Multi-Factor Authentication, which requires users to confirm their identity twice, often through the device and then a phone. This is simply an added layer of protection. 

Hire a Hacker

Not all hackers are ill-intentioned. Many work legally to help businesses discover the risks of penetrability. They will be able to evaluate areas that can use strengthening. 

Email Education

The weakest point of business cyber defense is often employees. Even if the worker is well-intentioned, they can still make defense mistakes. One common area of cybercrime is email. It’s an easy way for the perpetrator to access your company internally. This is why it’s important to not only have spam filters but ensure that all employees go through email education so they know what a suspicious email looks like. 

Be Aware of Personal Device Risks

Many businesses allow workers to bring in their personal devices and use them to conduct business. This can be dangerous, as there is likely not the same security software on their personal devices that you have for your business. This is another way for cybercriminals to get into your business’s information.

Get on the Cloud

Keep your important business information on the Cloud, in order to avoid it getting taken from you forever. It’s currently the most used technology for small businesses. You can utilize it for managing finances, storing, sharing and accessing information from anywhere. 

These are just some of the basics of business cybersecurity. They are all fairly inexpensive and can likely save you from a headache of trouble if you were to get hacked. For more information on cybersecurity tips or business accounts, give us a call!

How To Build Your Child’s College Fund

graduation-hat

We all want to be able to help our children out when it comes to furthering their education, however, with your own debt and bills to pay, how can you save for your children’s future? In today’s blog, we want to give a couple quick and simple ways to begin building your child’s college fund. It can be just a start, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

529 Plans

One option is a 529 college savings plan, also known as Qualified Tuition Programs (QTP). The Simple Dollar states, “Here’s how they work: You typically invest after-tax money into the plan, and you’re then allowed to withdraw the funds (and any investment gains) tax-free for use toward qualified education expenses, such as college tuition and books.” 

Family Contributions

Instead of having grandma and grandpa buy toys and clothes for 18 birthdays, have them give some money to go towards a college fund! You could have them give cash to put in a savings account. Your child will be very grateful later in life to know that some of their presents were money put into a college fund.

Savings Account

Opening a simple savings account for your child’s future is also a possibility. This way, you know that any money in that account is strictly for college, and not in a place where they can pull out money for other reasons. You, your child and family can continue to add to this savings account over the years. Once it’s time for college, you will have hopefully compiled enough over the years to give your kid a nice jumpstart on tuition.

Traditional or Roth IRA

Even though an IRA is typically used for retirement, they are also a very practical option for education expenses! If you’re under 59½, you can still take money out to pay for qualified higher education expenses, such as tuition, fees and books, without paying the 10% penalty that would normally apply, if you’ve had and contributed to the account for at least five years. The expenses can be for you, a spouse, child or grandchild.

Scholarships

While you can’t apply for scholarships when they are a baby, be sure to keep an eye on your options as they grow up. There are plenty of different places to apply for scholarships, not just through the school. Many people out there have set up funds to be in memory of a loved one and other instances like that. Doing a quick Google search for potential scholarships will show you other sites offering scholarships as well!

Hopefully these suggestions get your mind thinking about your child’s future. There are so many options to safely store those savings and help them grow throughout the years. If you’re interested in setting up an account with us, contact us today!