family + home security » Money

5 Useful Paypal Safety Tips

Carolyn — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:50:06 +0000

This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

Today, many consumers use Paypal for everything from purchasing eBay items to managing small business transactions. However, you may not realize that Paypal was created just ten years ago (in the year 2000), as a result of a merger between X.com and Confinity. In October of 2002, Paypal was purchased by eBay for $1.5 billion dollars. In 2009, Paypal’s total payment volume was around $71 billion dollars, up 19% from 2008. In total, there are around 185 million Paypal accounts currently in existence.

If you use Paypal, it’s important to realize that it should be treated just like any other financial transaction. Due to the large number of people who have had their Paypal information compromised, you need to be extremely careful. Here are a few quick tips to help you use Paypal in a safe and effective manner.

1. Choose a Secure Password

Many online security experts recommend choosing a password for your financial accounts that will be extremely difficult to guess. The best password incorporates a combination of letters, numbers and special characters. For example, your password could be Dk8y12:r8. While a combination password may be difficult for you to remember, it can greatly decrease the chance that your Paypal account will be compromised.

2. Never Click Email Links!

The importance of not clicking email links to login to your Paypal account cannot be over-emphasized! Many scammers will send you an email that appears to be officially from Paypal, which often includes a link to prompt you to login to your paypal account. Even if the link looks legitimate, and takes you to a site that looks exactly like Paypal, NEVER login to an email-linked website. An illegal practice called “Phishing” allows criminals to steal your Paypal login information, possibly locking you out of your Paypal account (and resulting in a loss of all funds). To login to your Paypal account, always manually navigate to http://www.paypal.com in your browser’s web address bar.

3. Don’t Give Out Your Information.

This may seem like common sense, but it’s extremely important that your Paypal login information remains private. Even if you have a small business that is owned by two parties, never share your personal Paypal information. Instead, consider setting up a business account that can be safely accessed by all required parties.

4. Check Your Balance.

Out of the 185 million Paypal accounts, about 75 million of them are considered to be “active”. Periodically checking the balance of your Paypal account can allow you to quickly discover if fraudulent charges have been made on your account. It also allows you to check on any potential disputes, chargebacks and holds placed on your account’s funds.

5. Don’t Login from Public Computers.

Every time you check your Paypal balance from a public computer, you put your account information at risk. This is because public computers may contain malware or viruses that automatically log keystroke information. This may mean that everything you type is recorded in a “transcript”, and sent to the creator of the virus or malware program, allowing them to gain access to your account. Though many public computers may be safe (and free of dangerous programs), there isn’t any way for you to be completely sure that your information will be safe. When in doubt, it always pays to err on the side of caution.

How Your Email Address Makes You Vulnerable This post is originally authored at the home security blog...
Safe Internet Browsing Tips This post is originally authored at the home security blog...

9 Tips for Job Hunting in a Tough Economy

Carolyn — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 02:53:18 +0000

This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

By the estimation of many economists, the United States is currently experiencing a recession. The financial situation has affected all citizens, regardless of income level or area of specialization. In a tough economy, finding a job can be extremely difficult, especially since the employment sector is flooded with overqualified individuals. Here are some useful tips to help you find lasting employment in today’s economy.

1. Check Your Facebook Profile.
Since social networks such as facebook, twitter and myspace are so widely used, many employers are now using them to screen potential applicants. If you have submitted your resume to several companies, try to avoid posting anything potentially damaging to your reputation or character on facebook. Facebook now has a privacy setting where you can make each status update only visible to friends, friends of friends, or specific people. If you have a public profile, keep it professional. While this may seem like unnecessary censorship, it may actually be one of the deciding factors for potential employers.

2. Write a Cover Letter.
Statistics have shown a significantly higher percentage of resumes with cover letters actually get evaluated by employers. If you have taken the time to write an informed cover letter, it shows that you are actually dedicated to your job search. However, do not write a general cover letter and use it for every company you submit your resume to. Your cover letter should display a working knowledge of the infrastructure of the company you are applying for.

3. Don’t Use Cheap Tactics.
There is some debate on if using certain tactics causes a resume to end up in the trash. These tactics may include: using unique font, printing your resume on colored paper, starting your cover letter with a shocking sentence, etc. Use your own judgment on if you really think that this will make a difference in the review of your resume.

4. Be Early For Your Interview.
It may seem like common sense, but it is extremely important that you are early to an interview with a potential employer. Take appropriate measures on the day of the interview to ensure that you are able to make it there at least 15 – 20 minutes early. Allow for extra time for traffic, detours, lost car keys, etc. It may seem like a small detail, but many employers may see your punctuality as the deciding factor when they are potentially offering you a job.

5. Renovate Your Appearance.
While sporting dreadlocks, facial piercings, tattoos or a spiked necklace may be trendy at the time, it can actually hurt your chances of making a good impression with a potential employer. Freedom of expression through your appearance is a wonderful thing, but it’s also important to be respectful of the company that you are applying for. If you are looking to get a job at a professional institution, you will have to renovate your appearance accordingly. Dress in flattering (but not too revealing) clothing that conveys a relaxed but professional attitude. Keep any facial hair closely groomed, and use a bit of hairspray to tame frizzy hair. However, your apprentice should be dependent on the particular job that you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for a job at a tattoo parlor, you will most likely be able to display tattoos and piercings without hurting your chances of employment.

6. Be Persistent.
Many employers will respond positively to someone who is persistent in being hired as an employee of their company. Make follow-up phone calls, stop by the company for an update on your hiring status, and send polite emails to the company’s hiring department.

7. Highlight Your Skills.
If you have training in a specific area, make every effort to pursue a job in a related industry. In a flooded job market, employers are being much more selective about how they choose their employees. Since experience is often a huge deciding factor, be sure to be clear about any skills that you have in your resume, cover letter or job interview.

8. Quality, not Quantity.
Job sites such as CareerBuilder and Monster have made it easy to submit your resume to hundreds of companies on a daily basis. However, statistics have shown that this is not necessarily a tactic that produces results. Focus on a few jobs that sound like they would interest you, and take the time to modify your resume accordingly. For example, most resumes have an “objective” where you state your general goal. Modify this objective to subtly reflect your desire to work in a specific position or department within a company you’re applying for. For example, if you are applying for a marketing position at a manufacturing company, have your objective include something like, “To use my skills to improve a company’s presence and results in the marketing industry”.

9. Start Your Own Website.
A few years ago, starting your own website involved a significant investment. Now, you can start your own personal blog for free, using websites such as WordPress and Blogspot. You can either use your site as a daily “journal” (just be sure to keep it professional), or have it as a sales page with detailed explanations of your work experience and qualifications. Since a lot of today’s businesses rely heavily on the internet, displaying a basic knowledge can also show that you have initiative. However, it’s important to make sure that your site doesn’t contain anything that could hurt your chances of employment.

Budget Home Security Tip: Meet Your Neighbors

Carolyn — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:36:33 +0000

This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

Effectively protecting your home against unwanted intruders can involve installing alarm systems, motion detectors, a monitored security system and other types of high-tech sensors. However, many people underestimate how valuable it can be to get to know your neighbors. Becoming acquainted with them has many benefits, some of which can actually help protect your home’s security.

Why Should I Meet My Neighbors?

Getting to know your neighbors allows you to adjust to living in a community, and gives you a social network to rely on in times of need. Having friends in a community helps you to feel more comfortable, and also promotes a feeling of safety. However, being acquainted with them also has several other benefits directly related to the security of your home:

Knowing your neighbors makes them more likely to alert you or the police of suspicious behavior around your home.
If you’re acquainted with many people in your community, you are less likely to be targeted by a local thief.
If your home is burglarized, you will have a strong support system to help you recover.
If a neighbor suspects there’s a fire in your home, they are more likely to call the fire department.
Knowing your neighbors (and their children) makes you less likely to be a target for vandalism.
Becoming a well-known member of a community motivates others to look out for the safety and security of your home.

How Can I Meet My Neighbors?

Unfortunately, many people in today’s society are content to simply remain isolated within their community. Depending on where you live, you may have neighbors that are distrustful or unfriendly towards strangers. However, there are still many ways that you can build strong relationships with other members of your community.

Be Friendly
This seems like it should be a given, but the importance of being friendly and approachable can’t be overemphasized. Even if you get a bad first impression of your neighbors, it’s essential that you remain personable and friendly. However, until you get to know your neighbors better, it’s also important to exercise a bit of caution. Don’t allow them to enter your home while you’re not there, and be cautious about lending money to anyone that you haven’t known for long. As long as you don’t let being cautious prevent you from being friendly, you can get to know your neighbors in a safe manner.

Attend Community Events
One way to get to know other people in your neighborhood can be to attend community events. Many housing complexes and apartment communities hold regular events to help promote good relationships between residents. These events may be in the form of a bake sale, holiday party, movie night or volunteer activities. Though getting to know new people can be a bit intimidating, consider taking your family to one of these events. Even if you already know a few people in your community, it’s always beneficial to get to know new people.

Join a ‘Neighborhood Watch’ Program
Many communities have a ‘Neighborhood Watch’ team that helps to protect residents. Getting involved in this program can not only allow you to meet other people in your community – it allows you to help keep your home safe as well! If your community doesn’t have a Neighborhood Watch program, you may want to talk to one of the leaders or administrators in your community about starting it yourself.

4 Reasons to Join a Neighborhood Watch Program This post is originally authored at the home security blog...
My Neighbors This post is originally authored at the home security blog...

Protecting your Finances: Food Frugality Tips

Carolyn — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:59:45 +0000

This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

Everyone is searching for ways to cut back on their expenses. Making changes to your lifestyle can be very difficult, especially when it disrupts your daily routine. However, by cutting back on specific expenses, you can help free up more of your finances for other purposes. Here are some quick frugality tips of how you can begin protecting your finances by cutting back on your grocery bill.

Food Frugality Tip 1: Dining In
You may not realize how much extra money you spend when you go out to eat, even if you’re only picking up fast food at McDonalds. Many times, you get food with little or no nutritional content, at a highly inflated price. In order to save money, begin organizing all of your meals at home. If you and your significant other often go out for a “date night”, arrange instead to have a fancy dinner at home. Even with the expense of purchasing good food at the grocery store, you will still be spending much less than you would at a restauraunt.

Food Frugality Tip 2: Start a Garden
In order to reduce the amount of money that you spend on produce from the grocery store, consider starting a small vegetable and herb garden. If you have good soil on your property, you can set up a garden with only the expense of the seeds, some gardening tools and a small amount of fertilizer. Choose to grow vegetables that you or members of your family will be willing to eat on a regular basis.

Food Frugality Tip 3: Cut Back on Snacks
When you go grocery shopping, you may be spending as much as $20 extra on snack food. This includes packaged chips, cookies, crackers and other snack foods. These foods have little or no nutritional value, and aren’t a cost-effective way to supplement your meals. It’s also good for your health to cut back on foods that are highly processed, or contain a high amount of sugar and fat.

Food Frugality Tip 4: Reduce Your Shopping Trips
Most people go grocery shopping at least once or twice per week. However, each time you go to the grocery store, you are already spending extra money on gas (as well as wear on your car). In addition to this, if you make small shopping trips, you are more likely to pick up food or other items that you don’t necessarily need. Instead, reduce your grocery shopping to one comprehensive trip per month. For perishable items such as milk, you can sometimes purchase an extra gallon to freeze before you need to use it. However, be sure to empty the milk jug so that it is two-thirds full, since the volume of milk will expand as it freezes.

Food Frugality Tip 5: Clip Coupons
Every sunday, your newspaper comes with those pesky glossy advertisements for tempting items for you to buy. However, if you look hard, you can usually find at least a few coupons for items that you already purchase on a regular basis. Though the extra $1.00 that you save may not seem to be worth it, it can really add up over time.

Food Frugality Tip 6: Buy Generic
Many of the name-brand grocery items that you purchase are produced by the same companies as some of the generic brands. In some cases, you really are paying extra for a better-looking package. When buying generic, it’s best to use your better judgement. For example, if you notice a difference in taste between name-brand and generic peanut butter, you may choose to buy the name brand. However, for other items (such as dish soap), you most likely won’t notice the difference.

Food Frugality Tip 7: Save Your Leftovers
While eating the leftover pizza from your previous night’s dinner may not seem appetizing, resist the urge to throw away all of your extra food after a meal. Purchase high-quality tupperware or glass containers, to make storing leftover food much easier. Be sure to purchase storage containers that are able to be safely microwaved, which can make it much easier to quickly re-heat any food leftovers.

6 Low-Cost Home Security Tips

Carolyn — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:09:52 +0000

This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

If you’re limited in financial resources, the cost of a monitored home security system may not be within your budget. Although having a monitored home security system is one of the best ways to protect your home, there are other home security tips you can use to make your home more secure. These low-cost methods rely a lot on your own common sense, as well as your ability to be creative.

1. Turn on the Lights.
It’s a statistical fact that burglars are much less likely to target a home that is well-lit. To a burglar, a house with lights on is a house where there is potentially someone home. Since a lot of a thief’s motivation is to be able to steal without getting caught, they will usually avoid burglarizing a house that is well-lit. Leave a few lights on when you leave home for a few hours, in order to help protect your home. If you’re worried about the electrical expense, switch to fluorescent light bulbs, which do not require as much electricity.

2. Keep Door Locks in Good Condition.
Another low-cost way that you can keep your home secure is to regularly test and maintain your locks. If you don’t have a deadbolt lock, it’s highly recommended that you install a deadbolt lock on your doors. Deadbolt locks offer increased security, and usually cost under $30. You can discover how to install a deadbolt lock by reading “Step by Step Tips for Installing a Deadbolt Lock“.

3. Keep Track of Your Keys.
Be sure that all copies of your house key are accounted for, and are not stored anywhere near the entrances to your home. Though it may be tempting to hide a house key under a flowerpot or doormat, remember, criminals are aware of these hiding spots too. If you want to have an accessible extra key, leave it with a trusted family member or neighbor for safekeeping.

4. Get a Guard Dog.
If you’re thinking about purchasing a family dog, you may also want to consider choosing a breed that can also make an effective guard dog. If you’re only looking for a dog that will alert you by barking at intruders, there are many breeds that make good “watchdogs” as well. When choosing a dog that will be good with other family members, you do need to exercise a bit of caution. You can read “Choosing the Best Family Guard Dog Breed” for more information.

5. Secure Your Windows.
A significant percentage of burglars are able to enter a home through an unlocked first-floor window. Remembering to lock your windows isn’t simply a precaution – it’s a necessity. Get into the habit of checking all of your windows before you leave the house, just as you would check that all of your doors are locked. Try to encourage other family members to follow this behavior as well.

6. Consider Installing Door/Window Alarms.
A door or window alarm is a simple device, and usually costs under $20. It operates by having two “contact points”, which are separated when a door or window is open. When this occurs, the device emits a high-pitched alarm to alert you of the intrusion. As a low-cost security option, window and door alarms are extremely effective. You can purchase these alarms at most home goods stores, usually in the same section as security lights and other devices.

Low-Cost Home Security Systems This post is originally authored at the home security blog...
Monitored Home Security System – Is it Worth the Cost? This post is originally authored at the home security blog...