SUMMARY SUNDAY IS A WEEKLY POST WHERE I PUT OUT A SHORT LIST OF THE PERSONAL FINANCE BLOG POSTS AND ARTICLES I LIKED THE MOST THROUGHOUT THE PREVIOUS WEEK. LINKS TO EACH POST ARE IN THE HEADERS. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM TOO!
I Got Hacked. Security Lessons Learned the Hard Way.
Her Money Moves – August 24, 2017
Christine over at Her Money Moves had just returned from a weekend trip to find out that her phone had been hacked and thousands of dollars had been transferred out of her USAA account. Within just a few hours!!
In this post, she gives a breakdown of what happened, some thoughts on why it happened, and what she’s done to make sure it never happens again. There are some really good ideas in there that all of us should implement. And for you USAA customers, some good news – they reacted very quickly and returned money to her accounts within days. Thank goodness!
Bonus: she included the phone number of the hackers in her post. Because they changed her cell number to their own, she was able to find it out as soon as she convinced her cell provider who she was. Idiots.
The Magically Delicious Intersection of Financial Discipline, Generational Poverty, and Marshmallows
Bitches Get Riches – February 23, 2017
Have you ever heard of the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment? This famous series of studies conducted in the 1960s and 1970s has been used over and over and over to explain that some people naturally have self control and others do not.
BGR expands on the findings of the original test by explaining a follow on experiment at the University of Rochester, and then examining what this means for individuals’ personal finance ability.
I have a friend who regularly tells me that the reason I’m able to do some of the things I do financially are because I have such a high level of self control. I think part of that is true. But there are probably other factors in play. It’s not just self control. I know that, because if you put a box of Cheez-its in front of me I will eat the entire box without noticing. I don’t have superhuman self control, but I do have a large amount of trust in “the system.”
Are You Tending to the Nooks and Crannies of Your Financial House?
Freedom Is Groovy – August 23, 2017
Finally, a note from Mr. Groovy to remember the little things about your financial life that maybe aren’t up to snuff. He goes through some of the things that even the Groovies, who have this financial thing pretty locked down, aren’t doing quite well enough.
As for me? Yeah, I always have some work to do. My savings and investing are on point, and I have no concerns about them. I’m debt free other than my rental property mortgage. But my will is several years old, and my “death instruction manual” is basically a few notes on what I have and who should get it. I’m not sure it even includes which institution holds each account. It might just say “Roth IRA – niece.”
(my mother has the actual list, which is why I can’t readily check what’s on it)
I also do a terrible job with paperwork. I’m okay about separating things into “keep” and “shred” piles, but I’m not so good at turning the “keep” pile into an organized system. I could definitely do some work, there.
Thanks for including Mr. Groovy’s post. And thanks for sharing the others. They weren’t on my radar but they are now.
The fact that you have a will, and it only needs updating, is wonderful. When you make up your mind to do it you’ll get it done.
For anyone without a will, at the very least do a simple one through Legal Zoom or other service. You can always upgrade later. As we have 5 nieces and nephews and no children, we felt we needed a lawyer. Some folks may not be aware that their job, or a union they belong to might offer legal services.
Awesome advice! Thanks for sharing! I get wills for free through work so I’m not as familiar with other services out there.